Panthers
Panthers HC Dave Canales said DL Tershawn Wharton has grown into a leader by helping players with assignments and creating a sustainable culture for the organization.
“I think one of the great things I love about Turk so far, what I’ve seen is he’s got constant feedback,” Canales said, via the team’s website. “He’s talking to the guys that are out there when he’s not out there. When he does go, he jogs off, and he’s sharing something with coach (Todd) Wash. That kind of focus and intentionality, the guy’s been to four Super Bowls, won two. There’s a reason that that culture, he’s bringing that part of it to our team by just showing guys that all these walkthrough reps matter. Every time you get out there, go with everything you’ve got. He’s chasing the ball down the right way, with the understanding that you may only get four reps in this rack. Go for it. Find your conditioning. Find your technique work, and let’s continue to talk and improve our processes.”
Wharton said that the championship pedigree he brought from Kansas City involves building through the trenches.
“It sounds crazy, but a D-line room will really take you there as much as a quarterback,” Wharton began. “I mean, that’s where it all started. Like every time we made it (to the Super Bowl), our D-line, no matter who it was like we had Chris Jones, other guys probably unknown, but the level of play that you could bring—like we knew Chris was getting double-teamed. We know everybody else around him, we gotta eat; George Karlaftis. Another guy that probably doesn’t get as much credit as he should. But just knowing that when it’s time, just when it starts off, because I mean Week 1, you’re not going to be where you want to be, you know tough games come down, you got to know who to call on. Me and DB ( Derrick Brown ), it’s going to be times where it ain’t all about Bryce Young sometimes or all about Jaycee (Horn). Can you put pressure on the quarterback in these tough times? So I just know the defensive side of the thing is, Spags (Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) always was just on us. And then those moments of like two-minute situations like them are massive in games; you get a sack, two sacks in two minute (drills). (Coach Andy Reid’s) not only a Hall of Famer, but he emphasized every day before we play, O-line, y’all got to go, D-line y’all got to. It doesn’t go without y’all.”
Wharton talked about how Chiefs HC Andy Reid demanded accountability and said that everyone playing assignment football was paramount in their success, which he hopes to bring over to Carolina.
“We got a special, we got a special room. And it’s like, we got young guys, but you got to bring them along,” Wharton said. “They’re going to be good. They’re going to be good. So just bring them along. They got to know that they can’t, like them little penalties that somebody pushing you, you don’t want them pushing anybody back, that’s 15 yards, that’s costly. That’s costly. So just being disciplined. I think coach (Andy) Reid made us really disciplined. No matter who you were, you listened to him. No matter if you got $20-30 million, we all know when it comes down to coach Reid, we’re going to do what he says.”
Panthers
Panthers HC Dave Canales said the team’s tight end room has a ton of versatility. Even though nobody has stepped up as the clear starter, Canales is confident with the room and their potential.
“Those guys make us go,” Canales said, via ESPN. “The versatility. We ask them to do the dirty work, to block in the run game, pass protection at times, and they show up. Maybe we send them out on a route. If you’re talking about targets, that just kind of happens organically. The more comfortable Bryce gets with JT, with Mitch, when we get Tommy back, it’s that chemistry that’s going to create those opportunities for them.”
Panthers TE coach Pat McPherson said TE Tommy Tremble is still a part of the team’s plans as he recovers from off-season back surgery.
“He’s a huge part of it,” McPherson said. “He’ll be back when we get into the season.”
Panthers TE Ja’Tavion Sanders trimmed weight this off-season and has been working out with QB Bryce Young in California.
“It makes me feel confident about him going into the summer, having a plan for his prep and looking for a big year out of him,” Canales said.
Panthers
Panthers rookie WR Jimmy Horn sat down with former Panthers LB Thomas Davis and said that he is hoping to make an impact any way that he can in his first season with the team, emulating WR Steve Smith.
“My rookie year, I just want to go out there and impact any way I can,” Horn said on the team’s YouTube channel. “That could be from special teams, offense, taking five-yard catches to a 90-yard touchdown. I’m just trying to do anything I can do to help the team win. And then I feel like if I play that way, whatever accolades I’m looking for, it’ll fall on to me. The main thing I took from his game was like the physicality. He played tough and like he really on the field, he wasn’t going for nothing. So like that’s just something natural as a player that you got to have too. And I see that in me a lot too though. I ain’t really going for nothing on the field.”
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