Carolina Panthers vs NY Giants tonight!

But right now, we are focused on what's going to happen between the Panthers and the Giants in East Rutherford, New Jersey. After the game is over, I know three gentlemen who will get together and do a Panthers Playbook Podcast. Chris Lee, WRAL-TV5 Sports is part of that, as is our own Tim Donnelly and Dennis Cox. Chris Lee joins us on the Adam Gold Show. Are you already making notes for Podcast Episode, what is it, Episode 3, Episode 4? How many is it now? I want to say that the fourth one came out yesterday because we're three weeks in and we've already done one postgame show, so we're going to do, I guess, the fifth tomorrow morning at reacting to this Giants game.

Episode number five on the way. Frank Reich said yesterday he expects Bryce Young to play about the same amount as he did against the Jets. I'd actually like to see him play a little bit more and then not against the Lions in the last preseason game, but what are your thoughts on Bryce? I think it's more so to get a good look at what he's really going to look like because it's hard to evaluate the pace as far as Bryce Young is concerned from last week because he really had zero time. The offensive line did not hold up for him at all, and so some of the national folks are saying like, oh, Bryce didn't score any points.

Well, when he's running for his life and being hit by 300-pound men, it's kind of hard to score points like that. So I think I like seeing him for maybe about three series this week. Hopefully the line holds up, but they're also going against the Giants team where they have a defensive coordinator by the name of Wink Martindale who likes to throw a lot of blitzes at you.

So this will be yet another test. So if the Panthers offensive line looks exactly like they did last week, I think he has to play against the Detroit Lions a little bit to at least try to see what he can do with his offense as they're trying to manufacture some time for him to operate within the offense. Chris Lee, WRAL-TV 5, and again the Panthers Playbook Podcast will drop after the Panthers and Giants go at it. Tonight, a 7 o'clock friendly, at least it's not during the heat of the afternoon like last Saturday was, but your point about the offensive line, it is really, it was the one thing that absolutely stuck out about the game against the Jets was that the offensive line, Iki Iquanu, too, and certainly they want him to be an improved pass blocker from a year ago, but it didn't look like that in his limited time against the Jets. They just need to do better, but it's also the running game. They didn't block well in the run game initially against, you know, the first team that the Jets threw out there, so there's a lot of things that they need to do better across that front. Absolutely, I mean, and it's one of those things that's kind of head-scratching, too, because, you know, when last year ended, you know, we were praising the Panthers offensive line who was, they were bad for such a long time. They signed Austin Corbett, they drafted Iki Iquanu, they picked up Bradley Bozeman in the pre-agency, and all of a sudden everything's kind of looking like it's starting to click. You know, Taylor Moten was already pretty good, Brady Christensen coming along right there at left guard, and so you kind of figured, you know, of course Austin Corbett out with the injury, you kind of figured that still it would be at least able to hold up, and so that is the head-scratcher. So, especially with them having the same offensive line coach, that hasn't changed, so we're hoping that they kind of get their act together. And, you know, another thing with the run game, Miles Sanders is probably going to be out for the rest of the season and just kind of tweak this groin.

So, you know, it'll be on Raheem Blackshear, it'll be on Chuba Hubbard to look pretty good for them, you know, in the run game. But, another thing too is Frank Reich said after the game that they were very vanilla, they didn't do anything within their scheme. So, the plays that they called, the way that they approached offense last week is not how they're going to look in week one against the Falcons, according to Frank Reich. So, you know, I get that from a tape standpoint, you want to kind of take people by surprise, but also it's starting to get a little concerning as to how this team is going to look because, you know, with a bad coach and a fired coach and an interim coach last year, they were able to get seven wins.

And if they don't at least get that with more talent, a better coaching staff who knows what they're doing in the NFL, then, you know, that's going to look really bad on Frank Reich and maybe even David Tepper as well. All right. Well, I'm not quite there in the alarmist category. I'm not saying that you are. I understand that Panthers fans aren't given to optimism all that much, right?

I get it. I totally, I totally understand that we're always waiting for the other shoe to come crashing down on the Panthers. But Hey, Carolina Panthers fans, Chris Lee and Dennis Cox here. We're excited to offer you all the insight information on your team with the newest member of the Capitol broadcasting podcast network Panthers playbook twice a week. We'll keep you updated on your Carolina Panthers.

We're talking about locker room insight, exclusive interviews, and of course, in-depth looks at all of the Panthers wins touchdown Carolina Panthers playbook download and subscribe today at wrelsportsfan.com or wherever you discover your favorite podcasts with no fees or minimums and no overdraft fees banking with Capital One is the easiest decision in the history of decisions. Kind of like choosing Derek Jeter as the pinch hitter for your baseball team. Jeter you're in we need a home run. I'll give it a try.

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What's in your wallet terms apply see capitalone.com slash bank for details Capital One and a member of DIC. I think I kind of think the vanilla idea is a little bit of self medication. Like every team is vanilla in the priest. Nobody's showing nobody's doing razzle down. Actually, I have seen some teams do razzle down. I don't get it, but I have seen some teams do some creative things in the preseason. I'm not even sure why you would ever do that in in a game that doesn't matter. But I like but every team is pretty basic.

I know the Jets stunted a few times on the defensive front, which is a little odd and she's maybe shows you how they treat the preseason, which is kind of crazy. But I still think the basics should be able to be handled. You should be able to run block, even if it's just straight ahead. And you should be able to pass block better than they were. Here's the other thing though about them. And the Terrace Marshall injury, I believe also highlights another area of concern for me. I don't know how much Adam Thielen and DJ Chark are going to play. But there's an opportunity for somebody in the passing game. You know, I know they've used Laviska Chanel in kind of almost a Deebo Samuel-like role, but just not as often, obviously, for you know, for various reasons. They have other players who are better.

But maybe Shy Smith can step up. There has to be a weapon, like a dynamic weapon that they can use that isn't only DJ Chark. Yeah. And you know, speaking of Laviska Chanel, you know, kind of going back to your earlier point about the vanilla, you know, none of the alignments that I saw in practice at training camp, the three times I saw them practice, they didn't use any of that last week.

So that's a part of it. They just didn't use Laviska in the way that he'll be used in the regular season. And so that'll happen more often, I think, than, you know, what we saw against the Jets. But as far as another weapon stepping up, and another thing to consider, too, the Bear Bird, somebody they had a lot of hope for, used to be a Carolina Panther, went away, bounced around a few teams. You may remember at the game at Atlanta last year, burned a Panthers like 47 yard touchdown or something like that. Really bad, you know, hamstring injury, going to be out for a month or two or three months to put him on IR.

So his season is done already. And so they were looking at him being like one of the extra gadget guys or speed guys that you can have on the outside. So now I'm looking at somebody like Derek Wright, who actually was the, you know, highest rated quarterback, according to PFS. I'm sorry, wide receiver. Excuse me, a high rated receiver for the Panthers. You know, last week he had a pretty good week, you know, with the second and 13.

So maybe there's room for somebody like him to step up and in this place. And then also, I would like to see maybe them use the running backs and the in the passing game a little bit more. That's something also that we really didn't get a chance to see Bryce Young dumping it off to team Blackshear or to be hovered. So it will be interesting to see if any of that is different tonight.

That's one of the main things I'm looking for myself is, you know, I get it. If you want to be a little vanilla, as Frank Wright called it, but at least at least try to show a little bit more, you know, not only just for the fans sake, but also just to get these guys the necessary reps against the actual competition. Yeah. And again, I said at the beginning, I would I would play Bryce Young into the second quarter, but it really sounds like it's going to be two, three series again, I think about 10 to 15 plays for Bryce Young real quick for Chris Lee before I have to have to let you go defensive. We never talk defense because I think we're all very comfortable with what the Panthers will put out there defensively. But is there an area of concern on the defensive side of the ball that maybe concern is not the right word, but that you're looking for maybe some improvement over last week? Yeah, there are some missed tackles that I wasn't necessarily fond of. And you know, it's the first preseason game. You know, in these practices, these guys aren't really tackling each other. So it's been since, you know, the early first week of January since these guys have actually tackled somebody to the ground in live competition.

So it's probably going to be tough to get into that groove. That's what I want to see. And especially with Deon Jones, who actually had an exclusive interview with him, which he's on the latest Panthers playbook podcast. He was the lowest rated defensive player. And he's somebody that has been a really good defensive player for Atlanta and then had a good year last year in Cleveland before he got injured, he, he had two missed tackles last week. And then of course, Jamie Robinson, you know, came out of Florida state. He was, I think a fifth, a six round pick for the Panthers this year. A bonnet kind of really put a nice little move on him and like left him in the dust to score a touchdown in that jets game.

And so in, in Jimmy Robinson is known as somebody who's a great tackler, great hitter. So I'll be interested to see if the defense kind of shores that up a little bit. You kind of figure as, as the season goes along, that will get better.

But that is, that's the one thing I'm looking forward to. I'm wondering if, if Brian Burns is going to get a series or two, I know he didn't play last week, but it'll be interesting to see also what the Panthers defense looks like with a better pass rush because Burns nor Marquis Haynes or Justin Houston play last week. So those are going to be the main pass rushers. So I'll be interested to see what that looks like, but overall, I'm not too worried about the defense right now. Yeah.

I mean, there's not a real reason to be worried about one of the top 10 defenses in the NFL. Chris Lee, WRAL TV 5 Panthers playbook podcast. Be looking for it after the Panthers and giants do their thing at MetLife stadium. Thank you, man. Yes, sir. Thank you. You got it. Chris Lee here on the Adam gold show.