Darrin Gantt, Panthers.com, made Adam laugh hysterically at THIS tweet recently…

Panthers are in Baltimore.

Take on the Ravens coming up Sunday afternoon. Darren Gantt writes for panthers.com. We can ask the old guy and I want to start with the idea of a playoff push and this is what was written in the most recent ask the old guy mailbag. Uh, playoff push, which sounds weird, but hey, even the trashiest neighborhood can have an HOA and somebody's got to be president of it.

So the NFC South is going to send someone to the postseason regardless. Darren Gantt, you made me laugh when I read that the other day. Uh, how are you, sir? Then it was mission accomplished. That was a good day at work. If I can, uh, if I can make smart people laugh or pretty girls laugh, I feel pretty good about what I've done that day. Did you just call me a pretty girl? Oh, no, I use this with my wife as well. And he said, you know, if I, if I can get a laugh out of my wife, that's a bonus. That's what I say at home. So it was like, made a pretty girl laugh today. That's a pretty good day.

That is a, that is beautiful. All right. So just to the notion of a playoff push, cause you're right. Somebody is, somebody is going to have to come out of the NFC South. I don't believe that this team has constructed, uh, without a lot of things happening elsewhere. I don't think the Panthers can win more than seven games. Maybe they could get to eight, which I don't know, might be enough.

I have, I have to think the Buccaneers are going to get to nine, but, um, what have you liked from them over the last several weeks? Well, I mean, part of it is, and to channel the old John Fox, it's not who you play. It's not when you play, it's who you play. And if you look at the schedule, I mean, other than the box, I mean, they're in the, in the Ravens obviously are in a different category, but when you start stacking up games with the lions, the Broncos, the Steelers, those things that might've sounded different, uh, in September than they sound right now. So, you know, I understand as long as you're selling hope, that's the kind of stuff that you can say, okay, this is still kind of reasonable.

I'm like you, I think the box are still the problem. You know, they're going to have to fall off. It's going to take Tom Brady really, you know, coming off what we've used, what we've been used to seeing from Tom Brady.

But you know, I do think there are things, I think Steve Wilkes has tried to strip this thing down and simplify it in a lot of ways. I mean, it's, it's a very run heavy offense right now. And they, not that they didn't run with Christian McCaffrey, but this is different.

This is traditional. This is, um, you know, almost a, an old school college type running game anymore, but, uh, they're, they're running well. Deontay Foreman's playing well.

He's on a hot streak right now. We'll find out over the next seven weeks, whether that's just one of those Nick going hot streak, uh, where the guy who replaced all the hurt running backs back in the early aughts, uh, you know, called four in five, 400 yard games in five, I think it was with Nick. Um, and Deontay's on three and four now, but their line is blocking. Well, this is a, this is a more physical offensive line. And you know, for all the other stuff, when the story of this season's written and done with one of the things that will, that will last is they did the work to fix the offensive line that they needed to do for a long time, spending the money on Bradley Bozeman and Austin Corbett and drafting Icky Aquano are the three things that will make the most difference in 23 for whoever happens to be quarterback.

Cause that guy was probably not here right now. Darren Gant is joining us from panthers.com and I wanted to get to the old line, so let's do it now. Uh, first for in the preseason, Icky Aquano did not look ready for the NFL. Um, and Matt rule then the coach ACC, ACC rookie, not ready for NFL pass rush film at 11.

Uh, yes, exactly. Uh, Matt rule named in the starting left tackle anyway, even though we could watch and went, Oh really? Um, and that was sort of a wishful thinking type of move. I thought, uh, and then early in the season it was the same thing, but over the last several weeks, he looks like all of that trial by fire has paid off. He is getting better and better and it's making everybody else better. Isn't it?

Yeah, I think it is. And, and you know, listen, the decision to start him at left tackle was made back in April when you use the six pick in the draft on Icky Aquano, let's be honest with ourselves. But they knew at that point that Icky was a good run blocker. They knew he might need a little time to settle in and get comfortable as a, as a pass protector.

And it did. And he does look better now, but I think back there was story I wrote a couple of weeks ago about Icky and cam Irving and, and how cam has kind of become the Icky whisperer and camping was talking about Icky and said James camp and the outline coach was talking about Icky and he said, the thing I'd like about him is that if he, if he's faced with the same situation four times in a row, the fourth one's better than the first one. You know, he progressively gets better. It's like C minus C B minus B, you know, it's always moving in the right direction. And that's just kind of the way this season, I think as a whole has gone for Icky is that there's been steady growth.

You don't see the same mistake over and over and over. You know, last week kind of popped up with some penalties, but he's gotten significantly better as a pass protector. He was already good to dominant as a run blocker.

And again, with what they're doing right now, that kind of fits. So, you know, again, what it matters to this season, we'll find out over the next seven, eight weeks. But I think when you look at, you know, what this team's going to look like in 23, 24, 25, they're going to be really glad they've got this guy.

So there is no question that it does look like maybe he's not like an all pro left tackle, but he is definitely a starting left tackle and probably a top half league starting left tackle. And those guys you put on your roster and you pay and you keep for as long as they are still effective as players. So they hadn't had one of those around here since Jordan Gross retired. It's been a minute. There's no question about that.

All right. So they brought in break Baker Mayfield at the beginning of the season. You know, he was the number one. There was sort of a competition. I didn't think there really was a competition. We could debate that all day long. But he was the guy like the left tackle competition. Very, very much so.

Beautifully done. But Baker is now the starter again, sort of. But it's different because in my opinion, he is the starter only because P.J. Walker is hurt, not because he has done anything or P.J. Walker has ceded the position that I just assume that when P.J.

Walker is healthy enough to play, he'll be the guy again. Am I wrong? I don't know. I mean, you know, I really don't. It's unfortunate timing for P.J. because P.J. had played some competent football, but we we've lowered the bar significantly in our discussions of P.J.

Walker. We've we've made good games, games in which he does not throw three interceptions. Yeah. OK, so let's let's be honest about what P.J.

's done. He managed to not screw it up for a while at a couple of games where he turned around, handed off 30, 40 times a game and then have the gigantic mistakes. So that that's not the same as competent, good passing game in the NFL. So, you know, I think at this point, it's unfortunate that P.J. got hurt when he did it.

You know, I don't know. I wrote this in the mailbag. Also, it just feels like we're going to see Sam Darnold at some point soon, whether by accident or design. It just feels inevitable with the way the season's gone. So I think the one thing that's being clear about Steve Wilkes is he's approaching this interim gig as a series of one day contracts and everybody is on a short term deal.

And as long as you're playing well, you're going to play. So, I mean, I think it's Baker until it's not right now. But nothing's being promised.

I mean, nothing feels. You know, when Baker won the competition coming out of camp, it was like, of course, he won the competition out of camp right now. He's in that job. And if you ask me who's starting next week, I don't know.

Let's see how Sunday goes. Darren Gant is joining us here on the Adam Gold show. What are your thoughts on Wilkes as potentially the non interim, but the actual head coach? He does things that look like what you want a head coach to do. Now, I will not pretend to know what is happening in Dave Tepper's head. He does not ask me for advice on these topics.

I don't know. That's above my pay grade. But what I can tell you for sure is every day Steve Wilkes does this is resume. And every time he has, you know, handles a situation or does a thing, it gives you evidence of, OK, that's what this guy would do in this situation.

If you go out and you get in the market for the hot, young, offensive flavor of the month, whoever it happens to be, Shane Stike and Ben Johnson, whatever this off season, you aren't going to know how he responds in those situations. Dave's going to know exactly what Steve's going to do. He's going to know exactly how Steve handles an off field distraction or a situation with injuries or how he handles mid game adjustments, those kind of things because you have evidence of it. I think I think that Steve has shown everyone lately that he is qualified to be a head coach in the National Football League. Is he going to get the job?

Don't know. He doesn't know. But he's approaching it as if, hey, this is my job while it's my job and then we'll go on to the next thing when the next thing gets here. But I like the way he's handled it. I mean, he's been very direct.

He's been very decisive. You know, he goes in once he knows who the quarterback is going to be. He's not screwing around with these guys and saying, Well, let's see how the week goes. He walks in on Monday, sets them all three down, and he says, Okay, this week's gonna be P. J. Baker backing up.

Sam, see you next week. And they just move on. It's like, Okay, what's next? So I like the fact that he's direct. He's decisive.

He's good at messaging to that team. And if you look, the venture X card from Capital one gives you more of what you love, like premium travel benefits and access to Taylor Swift tickets. Oh, I do love her earn five times miles on flights and 10 times miles on hotels through Capital one travel. Enjoy your stay in sweet 13 13. That's Taylor's lucky number. Plus, get access to Taylor Swift, the era's tour presented by Capital one.

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See store JCP dot com for details. They've won two home games. The last two times they've been in Bank of America Stadium, and it's been a long time since any coaches record in Bank of America Stadium was about 500. So I think for Dave, seeing his home crowd, you know, I was just talking with people out on the practice field. One of the most unexpected things for me about that Atlanta game the other night was a that everybody showed up and stayed well past dark in the rain.

But be at the end of that game. Eddie Pinero goes out to take a late kick and a fan started chanting Eddie. And I didn't expect it. I mean, hey, you'd never expect people to really get behind an interim kicker, which is what Eddie Pinero is.

But hearing that, I mean, there was just a different energy in the building. And listen, I'm not gonna just automatically trash the guy who's not here anymore, simply because that's what usually happens. But I don't think you would have gotten that response six weeks ago.

It feels different around here right now. It should. I think Steve Wilkes exudes leadership and I hope he gets the gig. I said it after to me, it crystallized the way he hailed the Robbie Anderson thing. And I thought there's a guy that is exhibits leadership. And that's what I think is most important at the head coaching spot. Whatever the staff is, I mean, he'll make it. He'll formulate his own staff when we get right down to it.

And I completely endorse the question. It's a reasonable question to ask about Steve. You know, what's his plans at offensive coordinator? Would it be Ben? Would it be somebody else? Could he work with this guy?

Could he? Yeah, because staffing is one of those things nobody thinks about during head coaching discussions. And, you know, if Steve Wilkes was the guy, I think he walks in knowing, well, James Camp is going to be here. So is Chris Tabor.

So are those couple other guys. And not every coach walks in with that kind of latitude. Because even if you hire the hot young offensive flavor of the moth, there's no guarantee he's going to be able to acquire the staff he wants to hire. No question about that.

Final thing. I have 60 seconds for Darren Gant. We have not for obvious reasons because of injury, spoken about Matt Corral. There's so much speculation about, well, the Panthers are going to draft a quarterback high in this year's this year's draft. They traded a future asset to move up to get Matt Corral. Wouldn't it be isn't it going to be a waste if they just decided to take another flyer on somebody else? I mean, Jimmy Johnson rolled into Dallas and used a pair of first round picks, won a regular draft, won in supplemental on Troy Eggman and Steve Walsh. Right.

Duke it out. And that might be what happens to Matt Corral this year. I mean, he might be the supplemental pick that goes with next year's first round pick.

And let's just figure it out. I mean, Matt, that's a guy with a lot of promise and a lot of that's going to depend on who the coach is, what he prefers. Does he have his own guy in mind?

All that kind of stuff. I mean, there's a lot of things that are what way beyond Matt Corral's control, but yeah, he just rolled out here to practice. I mean, he's still in a booth, but he's engaged. I mean, on Fridays, he's on the headset during this.

He's, he's working, he's participating, he's in the meetings, he's doing all the stuff he can do. I think, you know, he's shown enough in his career, primarily at Ole Miss that makes you think he can be part of the equation moving forward, but what part? I don't know. I mean, I just think we're all kind of assuming right now they're going to draft quarterback in the first round to go with some veteran and then also Matt Corral, but you never know what happens.

You know, it was a road. Yeah. We don't know what order they're going to be picked in. We don't know who's going to be left when they're on the clock. So, you know, a lot of things up in the air.

I'd wait and draft Drake May next year, but that's just, we'll talk about that again another time. Darren Gant, I appreciate your time, my friend. Enjoy.

And we'll talk to you about it. Shop JCPenney for thousands of deals solo, no coupons needed. This weekend, save up to 50% on kitchen electrics from brands like Keurig and Cuisinart. Say yes, please to diamonds and gemstones. Now $19.99 each and bundle up the fam and coats starting at $14.99. We got your holiday. Offers valid on select items $11.18, $3.00, $11.20. Excluded from coupons, exclusions apply. See store or jcp.com for details.