A former Panthers HC may be on track to take his team to the playoffs

I love catching up with a fellow Big 10 legend, my friend Chick Hernandez, WUSA9 in Washington, DC. Do you feel like a Big 10 legend, Maryland guy you are? No, I don't feel like I've ever been a Big 10 legend. One, because it's still odd to me that Maryland's into Big 10. Two, you know, I do play by play and been to Big 10 but never hire me, so I don't feel like a Big 10 legend.

No. You know, I just can't wait for John Elway to show up at an ACC football championship game as an ACC legend with Stanford. I just can't wait for that. That'll be... I just, yeah.

Just to travel alone. You know, schools fly on Fridays. You know, they're gonna go cross country on Friday and then play on a Saturday and some of these games, these games, they're not late.

They're not late games. They don't care. The schools don't care. They don't care.

The checks, as long as the check's clear, the schools don't, they don't care. All right, so the commanders, you're the only time I ever call them the commanders, by the way, Chick. Whenever I'm talking about them, I still call them the commandos, but when you're on, I call them the commanders. That's how much respect I have for you.

I appreciate that because, you know, I have to deal with those guys on a daily basis and I'm very good about not using the R word to begin with, so if you start putting commandos in my head, then it's just not a good picture for me. Four and five, coming off of, I think, a good win because New England is certainly not a patsy, even though they're, I don't think they're all that great. It's like beating the Jets. If you beat the Jets, you've earned the win, even though in the grand scheme of things, they ain't that good.

And by the way, Washington will play the Jets later on in the season. But four and five, we just get through the trade deadline and I almost get mixed messages from them. They're looking to the future, but I have to believe they still think they can make the playoffs, no? Well, I think they certainly think that, but I remember a couple of years ago, Ron Rivera didn't even realize that they were eliminated from the playoffs after a game, so I, they certainly think it and that's their modus operandi. But the reality is that they are, you know, that's why Montez sweats, the Chicago bear and chase young as a San Francisco 49ers. You know, now they've got five picks in the first 100. They have to start building for the future. And whether that's what Ron Rivera doubtful or not, that's what the ownership is doing. So, but no, the message to the players is no, no, we're still in it. And because the league is the league, they are still in it. If they, he's, he's historically been really good in the second half of the season, rather bear. So if they, if they make a run, you know, as, as odd as it seems when it's coming out of my mouth, then they're in the thick of things. And they certainly could, they got to face Dallas another time, the giants at the time. So it's, it's certainly conceivable in the way that their offense is playing, they're giving themselves a chance.

All right. The offense, Sam Howell, a North Carolina guy. We actually watched him here in Chapel Hill, but he's a native of North Carolina as well. Is the future Sam Howell at quarterback? It's funny because, you know, as soon as one report comes out and it's, you know, from an outside source who it was, you know, I think it was Diana Rossini who reported the ownership.

Well, we've all said, we've been saying it for weeks that, and Ron Rivera is flat out said, I think we found the guy he always finishes with. I really do. So, you know, it's, it's, it seems like it's in the future. I'd say why not? I mean, he's the second leading passer in the league. So it's hard to argue the numbers.

Yes. He's dropped back the most. He's also attempted the most passes, but he's the second leading passer, which means that they, they are getting to where they're supposed to go, except for that, you know, late first half pass, they are getting where they're supposed to go.

And so, yeah, what, what, I mean, they've had a myriad of here. Here's what I like the dude is standing. We've had a bunch of quarterbacks come in and absolutely get pretzel and like the first or second game of the season, this dude is the most fat quarterback in the league. And he hasn't had a hint of coming out of a game. So yeah, he's the future. He may, he, we remember him here. He's a tough kid. He, you know, it's funny. He had this great passing year and then the next year he comes back and all of a sudden he's a great running quarterback.

So he's got, he's got all the skills. You know, it's, it's where are the deficiencies offensively looks, seems to me, they need maybe another wide receiver or two, or maybe a better running back than Brian Robinson. I beg and differ the deficiencies in that O line.

Okay. Although it's gotten better, which I asked the coach, I talked with the coach every Monday and they made the switch, I think so last week. And all of a sudden Sam wasn't getting sacked 18 times a game. And I asked him, why does it take so long to use the backups? And he's like, well, you know, he didn't quite have an answer to that.

Cause he knew I'd had him. Um, I look, could they use another wide out? Yeah. I mean, John Dotson, if he catches the ball, he's really good. I'm Terry McLaurin is a beast. Yeah.

Just an absolute beast. Um, I I'm surprised that Sam hasn't gone to his college, made the army Brown more, um, right. Uh, all of a sudden out of nowhere, Byron, uh, Pringle came up with a couple, you know, five catches last week. Um, I, so I, I think their room is okay, but they use another back.

Sure. Uh, I think, I think secretly, not so secretly now that I'm saying it, I think, I think Brian Robinson is a little bit nicked up and I watched the practice and he's not quite the full speed, but he's also a gamer and, and, and he's really good. As I found out a really good locker room guy, he talked to a bunch of the young guys, the Quan Martin, the rookie corner, um, of the world before this week or before last week and said, you guys, you know, here's what it takes to be ready to play in the national football league. And he was in their ear all week and they remembered it. And they mentioned it in the post game.

So, um, you know, from a standpoint of B Rob being on that squad, I, yeah, they could use another back, but they've got to get somebody to protect. I was doing research because I was going to do a little thing on Doug Williams who had his name, uh, Trevor emblazoned at Grambling state on the field. And I'm looking through the numbers. And if you remember when Doug came out to Tampa Bay, I mean, he was getting pounded, crushed, right? And so I looked at the numbers and I said, let me see what his most stacked season was.

And I'm looking at Sam Hall at the time. So Sam Hall had been sacked 40 times. When I looked up Doug Williams, what do you think Doug Williams most sex season was? I mean, how many 30, 30, it was 23.

Wow. 23, 23 in a season. And in week seven, Sam Hall had been sacked 40 times.

So the kid is tough as nails. Um, and I, like I said, I think he's their leader, but certainly they could certainly they could use more. And Eric, the enemy is starting to use Sam how the way I think that it's going to work best. And that is the be be quick, quick off, you know, out of the gate in the first quarter to get a rhythm going. He needs to get a rhythm, but he makes some throws at him that a lot of not a lot of quarterbacks can make. He is finding his threading the needle on these passes. So I think it's a tremendous upside for Sam. And he's still getting his feet under. He's got to figure out what he's got.

All right. So let me ask you this as we have to say goodbye in a second with Chick Hernandez, W USA nine in Washington, DC, a big 10 legend. The future of the coaching staff, whether it's Rivera or B enemy, what what is it with a with new ownership? This is not the owner that hired everybody. So what is the future?

No, no, not the little devil. I think the future is that, you know, and, and it's kind of funny because, you know, Magic Johnson's part of the ownership group. And he's taking the mantle of being the guy that tweets out. And I think he's basically tweeting out what Josh Harrison company are thinking.

I think that unless Rivera runs the table, that he will no longer be the coach next year. He's a great guy. I've got to know him. He's just an he's a he's an average quarterback, a really good leader of men. But an average, sorry, average coach.

Yes, but a really good leader of men. He's a terrible quarterback. He's an awful quarterback. I would never want Ron Rivera to be my quarterback.

No, I wouldn't. But you know what? The commanders have done worse at times. So I think he's not there after the season. If they don't make a tremendous run, you know, they make the playoffs. I just find it hard to believe that Josh Harrison company are going to say, you know what? We're going to change.

Having said that, I don't think they make the run. Rivera might move to a front office position. I think there might be some angling there.

And I, and I think you move Eric, the enemy up. Oh, not that he's shown anything, right? But you don't want it. You don't want to retread.

You don't want to be a retread coach in. So, you know, why not give Eric the enemy the reins? He came in with a bunch of, you know, hoopla and let's see what he can do. Like I said, he's beginning to find his way with this office and he's tremendous in practice. I mean, everybody, he sees everything.

So, you know, nothing gets missed with the enemy. That's what I think happens barring a tremendous run by this day. Check Hernandez W USA nine sports also does play by play on CBS sports network. He is a man about town and a fellow big 10 legend, man. I will talk to you very soon. Tell Sam Howell, cause I know you're going to chat with him. Tell him that his, his friends in Raleigh, he doesn't know us at all.

Say hi. No, he doesn't. I will tell him and I'll tell him that Adam Gold says he'll buy the next burger. Yeah. I'll get him a barbecue plate. Perfect.

Appreciate you, man. Yeah. Sam has never had a hamburger. What? What?

He lived in North Carolina and he's yeah. He's never had a hamburger. That's everything.

The only meat he eats is chicken. Okay. Yeah.

We got, we got to talk. I mean, it's fine, but he's never tried it at least. That's what he says. Oh geez. I have no reason to doubt Sam hell.

So many things. You've never had meatloaf then or Turkey meatloaf. Maybe that's all he's ever had chicken or not.

Yeah. The other poultry chicken. I wonder what happens on Thanksgiving. That would be a great question. I should have told chick to ask him that. What happens on Thanksgiving?

Wow. He cooks a chicken instead of a turkey. I mean, why not?

I mean, kind of look, this is small turkey. I mean, they're pretty much the same. It's the same thing. Right. If you served both of them, he wouldn't be able to pick just make him mad. I don't know. Yeah, he might.