Panthers Players Postgame Transcripts 9/28
Jaycee Horn, CB
(On the result of the game)
“Yeah, it’s tough coming off the performance we had last week. To come out and play like that today is frustrating, but at the end of the day, a win is a win, and a loss is a loss, no matter the point differential. You’ve got to flush it, realize it is still early in the season and come back next week ready to win.”
(On Dave Canales’ postgame message)
“The same thing I just said, basically the same message. It’s a loss on the record. You get ready to come back next week. We’ve got to come ready to play. We got to be ready to play in all three phases. We weren’t. Offense wasn’t ready, defense wasn’t ready, special teams wasn’t ready. You can’t wake everybody up Sunday morning and have them ready to play. We had a great week of practice, I can tell you that. We prepared all week in practice. That doesn’t mean you are going to play good on Sunday. You’ve got to show up and do it and that’s not on him. We’ve got to be ready. It’s on all of us, not just Coach Canales.”
Nick Scott, S
(On the result of the game)
“We gave up too many explosive plays on defense. I’m on the field on defense, and we’re not worried about what’s going on in the other phases of the game. We came out and started fast, but we have to be better in disadvantaged situations. So, coming on the field with a short field, none of that matters, we don’t care where they get the ball. We’ve got to be a good defense and keep points off the board, and we didn’t do that today. We gave up too many explosive plays and we didn’t capitalize off of the disadvantage situations.”
(On becoming more consistent)
“We’ve just got to continue to trust the process and work. It’s the NFL, so any given Sunday. If you don’t come with your best stuff, this is going to be the result. So, we are going to continue to trust the process, learn from our mistakes, keep building and keep getting better. The best teams in the league at the end of the year are the ones that improve every week, not the ones that are the best at the beginning of the year.”
(On Dave Canales accepting responsibility for the loss)
“He’s a leader. That’s what leaders do. They look at themselves first, and they put it on them, but this is a locker room filled with a bunch of grown men, and we all know we can do better. It’s not just on the coach. The coaches aren’t out there with a helmet on and shoulder pads. We’re the ones on the field. So, while I appreciate that standpoint and can agree with it in some facets because he is a leader, and I respect his position, at the end of the day, I am going to put it on us because we are the ones on the field. They can put us in the best positions but we have to execute. We have to tackle. We have to make the calls, we have to do all that stuff. I appreciate it and respect that side because that is how you are supposed to look at it as a head coach, but from a player perspective, I say, that’s on me and our guys on the field.”
Akayleb Evans, CB
(On preparation for Marcus Jones)
“Yeah, I think we had good preparation. We have got to execute, take what we see in the film room to the game field. We are going to be better.”
(On if there is an issue with speed on the special teams coverage)
“No, I do not think so. I mean, we have done good in games. We just did not go out there and execute, but we are getting better, you know? Learn from this game and move forward.”
(On the difference from last week on special teams)
“It is definitely tough, but it is the NFL. Every week you get proof that we are a legit unit in all phases. So, we are going to take the lessons from this game, and we are going to move forward, and we are going to look to dominate.”
Derrick Brown, DE
(On any issues with effort defensively)
“No, the effort is not the problem, it is the execution. We want to be a player-led team, we have got to have execution for me, all the other leaders of the defense, and down. This is a competitive league, and in order to be good at it, the consistency is how you become good in this game, how you become what we want to be. So, for us to get better and have a better outcome, we are going to have to do that every week.”
(On Dave Canales saying a game like today is on him)
“Coach takes a burden for us all the time. We got beat. We have got to have his back, you know what I am saying? That feeling last week is one that we need to keep having and it is one that we have got to keep working on if we want to achieve every week, right? But this team knows that. So you know, we appreciate the, but this team knows that we want to be a player-run team, we want to be a player-led team to where it does not matter what he calls. We want to go out there and have execution at the highest levels so we can enjoy the fruits of our labor, you know what I am saying?”
(On his view on some of the returns today)
“I will tell you this, between defense and special teams, there are a lot of guys that play special teams on defense, so I can speak on that. We have got to be better, right? No matter if we get dealt a short field, no matter what happens before us, we have got to be better in all three phases of the game in order for us to win.”
Nic Scourton, OLB
(On the result of the game)
“I don’t know, it’s just football, man. We’ve got to go out and adjust and make plays. And I mean, that just is what it is. We didn’t do that today, so the result was what the result was.”
(On the frustration of the loss)
“It just comes from being a competitor. I mean, nobody likes to lose, especially like this, but we’ve got to come and make corrections and get better and get prepared for next week.”
(On getting more pressure on the quarterback)
“Like I was saying, I just think, we’ve got to rush the passer better. We’ve got to get after the quarterback better. We’ve got to start producing some sacks and pressure, but that comes down to stopping the run. You’ve got to stop the run first so you can get in those longer passing down situations, where you don’t know if it’s a run or a pass.”
(On the mood of the team)
“Obviously frustrated, but you know, we’re going to flush it, we’re going to make corrections, and we’re going to come out and be better next week.”
Mitchell Evans, TE
(On Patriots defensive adjustments after the first touchdown drive)
“I just felt like we were prepared for one thing all week and whatnot, and it was something that came out in a completely foreign look. They schemed too and they found some things that worked. But, we just have to execute better on the offensive side.”
(On his first touchdown in the NFL)
“Awesome. Obviously, the team didn’t come out on top, but it was pretty awesome to have my first touchdown, and the fact that it came from Andy Dalton was pretty cool. I grew up watching him a little bit, so now that he threw me a touchdown, that’s pretty sick. He kind of joked with me, he was like, ‘Hey man, you know it’s my first touchdown of the year, can I get the ball?’ and I was like ‘uhh,’ but he was joking so it was pretty cool.”
(On the transition from Notre Dame to the NFL)
“Yeah, I feel like coming from a place like Notre Dame, we play great competition pretty much every weekend. With the run we had last year, we were playing top-five teams in the playoffs, so I was going against really good competition. The one thing I noticed here, how it translates, is that every week, everyone is good. Like no matter what, there’s no downside, and with that, you have to really iron out and find out the little details, like your footwork, hand placement, and communication with the O-line all really matter. You can’t just rely on being the bigger, faster, tougher athlete, because everyone is big here. So, just really honing in on your craft and your footwork.”
Chuba Hubbard, RB
(On the difference between last week’s blowout win and this week’s loss)
“Last week was last week. I treat every week as its own. Obviously, we didn’t get it done today. I’m going to keep saying what I always say, keep chopping at the tree. That’s my mindset. I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing, keep working hard, just keep showing my best and the team will as well.”
(On Dave Canales taking responsibility for the loss)
“Yeah, I wouldn’t put this loss on any of the coaches. Obviously, Coach Dave [Canales] and everyone are going to take the blame, but us as players have to do better from every side of the ball— offense, defense, special teams. We just didn’t play our best today, it’s that simple. Next week we’ll have to come back, clean it up and be better.”
(On the struggle to get momentum early for the past several seasons)
“Yeah, every week you just have to treat it as its own season and go 1-0 that week. Obviously, it’s unfortunate to go back and forth, but this is the NFL. Every week you’re going up against a great opponent and a new challenge. We’ve still got a lot of season left. I’m not hanging my head on this loss. Obviously, it was a tough one, but like I said, I’m just going to keep working hard. I know the guys in this locker room are going to keep working hard, and we’re going to keep trending up.”
(On where the game got away from them)
“I think we started out great on offense, defensively as well. Obviously, there’s just a few things I feel like we shot ourselves in the foot. We have to be better in certain situations and just play complimentary football. We’ve done that before, and when we do it, it has a great outcome, so we have to do that next week. Like I said, we didn’t get the outcome we wanted today, but I’m not going to blow it up and make it seem like some miraculous thing happened. We just didn’t play clean football. So, next week, we’ll work on that.”