Icege

The defense looked improved against the run. BC, Mays, and Zavala all looked serviceable and BC was able to play 100% of the snaps (good news regarding the recovery from the torn bicep). Diontae Johnson and Jaycee Horn have been battling and looking strong. JT has been getting more reps with Tremble + Thomas out and his blocking was better than originally advertised. The All-22 of the game shows some interesting things scheme wise despite the lack of execution.

The saga continues.

Jared Feinberg started working with Verge writing for USA Today Reviewing film for the Panthers' top performers from 2024 preseason opener Tweets from the article:

Adam Thielen when asked if he'll play in preseason

Thielen wrapping up today Likes contact in practice. Makes games easier when you have the grabbing and pulling in practice and they can't do it in games as much. At the end of the day, they're trying to get each other better. It's good in the long run and helps you be prepared for games though (sounds like he's a little salty about Jaycee blanketing him ). Thinks Bryce is feeling more comfortable and trusting it which is why he's fitting tighter throws that he wouldn't have tried last season. Doesn't know why, but imagines a lot of it is comfortability in the system and with what he's doing. Isn't in his head, but sees that he's more comfortable with what he's doing, where his reads are, how he's progressing, and trusting that the receivers will make contested catches. Receivers need to do better to make contested catches with players on their back to have his trust. Feels like everything is much more "on time" this year while last year there were times where he was moving a little too quick last year because of how fast he sees the game. Can really see that he's trusting his progression, going through his reads, and finding guys in rhythm/timing. Trusting his reads and where he's going with the ball more and syncing his footwork with the timing. Impressed with his ability to handle adversity. Uses that experience to show up the next day and go to work. Much more confident now. There's no hanging his head, no making a bad throw and blaming himself for other people, you can see that he just goes "Ok. Next play." People feed off of that mentality and it inspires the WR + OL to move on to the next play as well. Doesn't think that the offseason need preseason game reps, but it isn't his decision. Can tell that the coaches have a clear plan and that today was the next step in that plan. Wasn't roll the ball out there and play football, but try to simulate real football. The more that you do that and face other teams like the Jets coming in, it's another step to that process. If they want them to play preseason games, they'll play preseason games. There's a clear plan to get them ready for week one of the regular season. Doesn't know what the plan is with starters playing in preseason going into week one. Can appreciate the clear cut plan that is being executed by the coaches. Felt a lot better today than the last time they did it at Clemson. Figuring out how to approach preseason for a player (was asked about being with a vet in MIN vs a young guy in CAR) is answered by "What does the team need?" Feels like when there's a plan and a process that it needs to be stuck to no matter the results because when the plan is put together there's a reason for it. Feels like the coaches have done a great job of that so far. Doesn't think about whether or not he wants to play in preseason vs. joint practice. If he was a coach, maybe he'd have a different mentality but his is to show up and bust his butt every chance that he gets. Coaches probably opted for one day vs. the Jets to eliminate the fighting because that doesn't get anybody better. Understands that things are going to be amped up and there's going to be some exhaustion and aggression, but gets teams better. Tries to find moments to get better and help his teammates get better on the field and doesn't have time to be a coach on the field. Felt that it was a cliche because he's doing what guys should be doing on the field to better themselves and their teammates.

Diontae has the ball and his second foot has just hit the ground. His knee is about to touch the boundary. The ball pops out when he hits the ground. This is the deep shot down the sideline that folks were asking for. The only difference was that Johnson lost the ball while Brown held onto it in Washington's preseason game. ------- Thielen is up.

Eddie Pineiro up Very motivated and feels good to be out training with the team. Communicates with Hekker a lot on things like lining up the target, where he's going with his kick, where the wind is going, where he's gonna lean the ball, etc. Things have been really good. Hekker and him get competitive. The other day were picking targets on the field and trying to hit it as close as they can. Closest wins lunch (Eddie's gotten a lot of free lunches this camp he says, and Hekker has been irritated by it). Miss the bubble because they used to hit the ball off of it and do different things. Blessing to have a Latino head coach given his heritage. It's a blessing and brings awareness. Pretty cool. Been great getting to know Tracy Smith. Good coach, very honest. Feels really good and feels like he's striking the ball well. Feels like this is one of his best camps in his career. Working a little more on kick offs now with the rule changes and how to attack it. Wanted to kick in the first game, but knows that doesn't happen sometimes during the preseason. Was happy for Mevis to get an opportunity. Thinks teams are going to be experimenting a lot with the new kick off format. Has been asking the coaches about it and noticing the flags, guys not getting it to the landing zone which has happened to Eddie in practice. Curious to see if they'll keep it. Sounds like some guys think it might go away. Does he like it? "Uh... sure. Yea. I've been forced to like it. I love it." Some kickers that might not have the strongest leg on kick off might be saved because they're more accurate. Thinks that accuracy is one of his strong suits. Doesn't have to hit a bunch of touchbacks which means less wear and tear on the leg.

Canales up Had a nice move the ball period in the middle. Short yardage and goal line periods were to emphasize the physicality of the play. Aggression and physical play was there even without bringing guys all of the way to the ground. Special teams was running. Challenged the guys this morning and they responded. Flew to the ball on both sides. Means a lot when guys respond to a challenge and it showed him a lot about this group. We have to have the resilience. Sometimes the offense comes out a little slow. Sometimes it comes out ripping and that's great. Can't just come out, have a successful drive, and think that the game is in the back. Have to reset no matter how the game starts. Refocus in, what's the defense doing? Make adjustments. Had some great rushes and plays on defense. Need to finish plays with the ball in their hand on both offense and defense. Likes seeing guys challenging themselves and pushing their limits so that he can correct them later (re: Bryce throwing the pick). Going to go back and look at it to see where X was and what happened. "If we're not getting interceptions, we're not trying." We need to take those shots down the field so that we can hone it in, so that we can be crisp as we take those shots down there. Biggest change with the new kickoff rule is the returner. Kick off return specialists can become valuable and be a way for guys to make the roster whether it's in the RB, WR, or DB rooms. If you have a guy that has a feel for stretching those blocks and making those cuts, you're going to want him. Otherwise, special teams make up is still relatively the same. Ricky Lee had a fantastic preseason game. He's been battling during this camp. Goes up at Clowney to challenge himself at times. Has a lot to improve but took a step in the right direction. Some guys have a natural comfort level (Lee's is LT) but in order to make the roster as a swing tackle they gotta be comfortable on both sides. Was with Clowney in Seattle so he already knows how he works. Knows that he goes 100mph, works on his toolbox, and provides fantastic veteran leadership. Took a vet day to recover his legs and the team is being smart with the volume of reps he gets in practice. When they take care of guys it isn't to be nice, it's so that they can go full speed when they're out there. Won't say whether or not guys that are hurt will be ready for the Jets. Goal is to get them back. Mindset is focusing on who's ready right now as well as will be the case with Buffalo. Both of those games will be important for the team. Thought D'Shawn Jamison made some plays defensively against the Pats, but had one get away from him. Trevin Wallace ran it down from behind though and stopped Boutte at the 3yd line. Alex Cooke had a fantastic preseason game, tackled well in the open field. Eku Leota played so hard and gave effort in all phases. Was great to see Mike Boone have a couple of nice runs and see a guy that they can trust as they put things together. Didn't have a great day passing so it was hard to evaluate guys and some didn't take full advantage of their opportunities. The tight ends did take advantage though. Looking for more opportunities, especially in the receiver room, to evaluate. Was excited about the physical play before the game showing up in the game and in today's practice after the game. Jordan Matthews is absolutely seizing the opportunity. He's doing a fantastic job, they can count on him. He's giving everything that he's got on special teams and having a guy in the TE group that's doing what he's supposed to do with Ian and Tommy hurt is really valuable. Wants David Moore around because he catches the ball when thrown to him. Really strong at the catch, strong in 1v1s, finishes strong in team periods. Steady Eddy mentality and his ability to help on ST is huge. Having a veteran guy like him is huge for Plummer + Luton. Thompkins was mentioned as well, but then stated he was waived/injured due to a hamstring. Rod Moore is doing a fantastic job with the group. Yosh Nijman has a ways to go before suiting up. Had a reinforcement surgery in his leg and they're trying to be smart with guys coming back. Will continue bringing him along. Cam Gill should be back soon (had a surgically repaired hand) once the wound is done healing. LaBryan Ray had an illness that has gone passed 10 days. All hands medical wise helping him out with getting him back to normal. Jaden had to be waived to make room for an OL after the injuries vs. Pats.

Diontae caught the ball and it popped out when he hit the ground. You said to throw it to the inside shoulder with the DB having inside leverage. That was a good throw. There were at least two bad throws today that you could use to promote your argument, but seeing as there's no good faith in this discussion and you're just venting your frustration I'll once again disengage.

Hurray so far so good w/ the AC. Fingers crossed it stays that way.

Gotta head back up into the attic to check on the AC. Should hopefully just be 5min if everything is looking alright, but might be longer if somebody else wants to copy/paste.

Prior to the INT

Ew. This one was ugly.

25yds is a deep ball when Plummer throws it.

He literally made the throw yesterday and you said to throw to the inside shoulder vs. inside leverage. At that point, I accepted that addressing the irrational hate here is a waste of time and disengaged.