CHARLOTTE — What makes an offense tick? Is it the scheme or the players? When facing Washington this weekend, are the Panthers preparing more for what Kliff Kingsbury brings as a play caller, or what Jayden Daniels is doing as a quarterback?

Defensive tackle Shy Tuttle has faced Kingsbury before, but he's careful to give credit where due.

"I would probably say the players, the players that we're facing," Tuttle said, putting praise there. "So, (Kliff's) got a good quarterback, good running back, good skilled players. They're a pretty good team. So, I mean, that's most of it. He's not out there running the plays, he's just calling."

Kingsbury's quarterback, running back and skill players are in fact putting together a dominant performance in the front half of their schedule. The offense is top five in total yardage per game (378), rushing yardage (157.3 per game) and tied for top two in total scoring offense (29.7 points per game).

"I mean, quarterback makes things go," safety Xavier Woods declared. "(The) OC or DC can scheme up the best stuff in the world, but it's up to the players to make it go, which, Jayden (Daniels) has been running the show.

"They have a great receiver, (Terry McLaurin) who's been catching a lot of balls; he's been good since I've been in the league, I mean, I think I played when I was in Dallas, so he has a quarterback finally that can give him the ball, and they have weapons around him."

McLaurin, to Woods' point, has 29 receptions for 356 yards and four touchdowns (tied for sixth in the league) through six games.

Players execute and that is naturally who Tuttle, Woods and others will focus on when game planning. Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, who went 5-1 as a defensive coach with the Rams against Kingsbury when he was the Cardinals head coach, has seen up close what the once wunderkind can do, and echoes his players' assessment.

"I think he does a great job of really tailoring it to his quarterbacks," Evero said Thursday. "Obviously, he had Kyler (Murray) while he was in Arizona. But when Kyler was down for an injury, you could see the plan change, the plays change, what they try to do, the intentionality behind it would change with like guys like Colt McCoy and others that played for him.

"And so, then you say the same thing with Mr. Daniels. And so, I think he's like most great coaches. They do a good job of not just, hey, making people do what they do, it's about your players first and you can see that he's very intentional and not just with the quarterback, it's with the passing game, with the receivers, the tight ends, what they do in the run game as well. I think he's very intentional about really designing plays and designing concepts and designing an offense that is based around his people."

Bringing up Caleb

In the months leading up to the 2021 NFL draft, Evero and his staff at the Los Angeles Rams were debating a topic that would define the class: who was the best corner amongst the group?

Was it Jaycee Horn, Patrick Surtain II or Caleb Farley?

All three were considered first-round worthy, and were eventually drafted as such. Horn taken No. 8 overall by the Carolina Panthers, Surtain one pick later by the Denver Broncos and Farley snatched up at No. 22 overall by the Tennessee Titans.

"All three of those guys were really, really good prospects and we had a hard time kind of trying to rank those guys," Evero recalled this week. Now the defensive coordinator for the Panthers, he has two of the three on his roster. Horn, as a starter outside and Farley on the practice squad, ready to work his way back from multiple injuries that have hindered his career.

As he becomes comfortable with the playbook and the defense, Evero is seeing the things that first put Farley into the discussion as one of the best corners in the draft.

"The ball skills. He had great ball skills, played receiver earlier in his career, then moved over to corner obviously," Evero said. "He's doing a great job. I've been really impressed by his demeanor and how he's just kind of going about his work. He's not saying a lot, he's just putting his head down and he's grinding away.

He's been asking great questions to me, to Jonathan Cooley to Burt Watts to De Hall. And so, he's going about it the right way, getting conditioned, getting his body back working on his craft, learning the defense. And so, he's been a pleasure to be with."

Farley had knee and back problems, limiting his appearances to 17 games (14 tackles, one pass defense). But as Evero noted on Thursday, "it's never too late" and the potential for Farley is still high, something the corner himself is keeping in mind.

"I feel like I got a good understanding of (the playbook)," Farley shared Thursday, "and I feel like things are going smooth. I'm just waiting for an opportunity and continuing to try to help these guys get better every day"

Added Evero, "I just love the way that he's approaching things right now and giving himself an opportunity."

Heading down Old Town Road

Xavier Legette has quickly established himself as a must-watch through six weeks of play. His skill set on 50/50 contested catches has been impressive – "I feel like all of them are going to be 100 for me" – and his vertical on jump balls harkens back to his days first dunking a basketball as a middle schooler.

But it's the touchdown celebrations that have really earned the rookie receiver the most notice.

Some guys like to change it up week-to-week. Others would rather have an established celebration, but it takes them a while to get there. Legette, an avid horse lover, rider and owner, knew from the beginning what he wanted to do: ride his horse Dolla Bill back to the sideline.

It's a celebration dance that has quickly become associated with the South Carolina native, and as he picks up more and more scores, he has plans to expand the dance.

"We even got talks about something all the players doing it. I got to give them permission first," Legette revealed Thursday.

It's been about two years since Legette has actually been able to ride the real Dolla Bill, while he saved his body for football.

"I had to do a lot of training with the Combine and everything…them horses, once you ride them a long time, it hurts your back and your hip," he explained. Which is why it was so special to hop back on — metaphorically – after his first score in the league, even if Diontae Johnson had to remind him of the plan.

Now that he has a couple of touchdowns and a couple of rides under his belt buckle, Legette is looking for a two-score game.

"If I can (get a second touchdown) I'll get off and walk him back to the stable."