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Count on real-time product availability and fast delivery. Call clickgrainger.com or just stop by. Grainger, for the ones who get it done. Every Wednesday, I go on with our friends at WFNZ in Charlotte, Mac and Bone in the morning, and Chris McLean is the first part of that, and he joins us now as I'm bothering him. Chris McLean, what's going on down there? Is Dave Canales already on the hot seat?

Oh, my God. If you talk to the female Panther fans, they've definitely got him on the hot list. Oh, he is handsome. Oh, he's devastatingly handsome. But can he coach, though? That is the question.

I like that matters. If he's handsome, don't handsome people in general just get a pass? Like, Cliff Kingsbury.

Yeah, I've been getting one. What about you? No, no. See, it's the opposite. Like, Cliff Kingsbury. I talked about this last week when Steve Wilkes got fired and Cliff Kingsbury got yet another job.

Like, if he wasn't so damn good-looking, Cliff Kingsbury would be out of work. That could be his secret. I think that is his secret.

All right, so what's job one? Not just for Dave Canales. We know, I mean, his job is to, you know, put these players in position to win. Like, what is Dan Morgan's first order of business right now? Um, I mean, I think obviously, I guess the Burns thing is an easy one to say. I think Frankie Lubu is really important, too.

I mean, because, and maybe that's the first order of business. Because with Brian Burns, you've at least got that franchise tag to fall back on. You can only tag one of the two.

That's the one that feels trickier. So I would think the tag is going to go to Brian Burns. But Frankie Lubu, you feel a lot better if you can get something done before the free agency period opens, you know, and kind of keep him away from the market. And I know that there has been a report, you know, and I forget who had it, that, you know, there's expected to be some conversations at the combine next week about that. So I think getting him taken care of, I feel like is the most important one. You've got the tag and that buys you some time with Brian Burns.

Chris McLean at Mac FNZ, WFNZ here on the Adam Gold show. So I've been talking about Brian Burns now for two years since the trade deadline, not this season, but last season. And I have made no bones about the fact that it's not that I don't like Brian Burns as a player, but if you're going to trade Christian McCaffrey, you're throwing up the white flag anyway. And like, why didn't you also move Brian Burns? And they had the offer, Joe Person has confirmed it several times, you know, two ones and a three from the Rams.

Those would look great right now. Are they really going to franchise tag Brian Burns and keep him? And how does that impact their ability to reconstruct the roster around Bryce Young? Yeah, it's a great question.

It really is. And maybe, maybe this burns thing is one of the big reasons why Scott fitter is not here. I mean, I love Brian Burns as a player.

I think he, I think I personally want them to get something done with him. Although I understand it makes it harder, you know, to do, to do the things you want to do on the other side of the ball. I didn't think he's a 25 year old pass rusher. It's the most important position on the defensive side.

He's talented. Maybe he did have a down year. There's no doubt about it, but I just don't think, you know, you drafted him. You turned down what you did already for him.

I can't imagine the market would be the same, right? So I just, I think, I think you've got to do what you can to keep them, but that's the problem. I'm also trying to keep Lulu. I'd certainly want Derek Brown, you know, to get a long-term deal and hopefully they can do that this off season and not get into the same situation they are now with burns, but that's the problem without a first round pick.

I mean, I don't have a great answer. I mean, I think you've got to, you have a ton of cap room in the next two years, this year, they're around what, 31 million or so, but like the, you know, the following year in 2025, you're at 129 million. The year after that, you're at 254 million.

Like your, your, your slate is real clean. Then I think you can maybe, you know, structure contracts in a way where you're kind of leaning on those years and maybe going low with the cap hits this year on, you know, a free agent wide receiver, free agent, you know, offensive lineman, if you want to, but there's no doubt under my plan of keeping Brian burns, it does feel like you're sacrificing, you know, your ammo to help rice young. And maybe because we see this happen a lot with, I mean, what Aaron Rogers, cap hit with the jets this year was almost nothing.

And even this upcoming year, it's going to be relatively low. Now the cap it and the dead, the dead money kicks in the following year, but they can always restructure that and pay it off down the road. Anyway, maybe whatever contract you signed with Brian burns doesn't eat up most of that 30 some odd million in cap room.

Yeah. And that's the thing too. Like the franchise tags expensive right into here and now, right? Like that's I think over the cap said it's 22.7 million to tag him as an outside linebacker. And that's all coming off this year's, you know, books.

Whereas if you do get him signed to a longterm deal, you do exactly what you're talking about and you lower that number of big. So that's the thing too. Um, and it sounds like last year, uh, Joe person had a great piece about this whole burns conundrum.

And you're right. It feels like we've been, it feels like we've been talking about this thing forever, but it sounds like they were 3 million apart last year per year. Joe person said, you know, Burns was asking for 30, which I think we had heard before, but the new information was the Panthers were willing to go to 27 million a year.

I don't know. Burns had a down year. Um, you know, they hate the franchise tag as much as to you and me. It sounds like $22 million a year.

Sounds great. You know, he wants the security of a longterm deal. If they offer 27 again, does he bite on that? I don't, it's, it's going to be fascinating, but a longterm deal clearly is better than the tag, right? Uh, cap wise.

Uh, Oh yes, it should be like they brought in a capologist. So yes, uh, any longterm deals should be better, uh, for the cap, especially in year one. Now I don't, who knows about what happens as you get later in the deal, but certainly in the first year of the deal, uh, the cap, uh, the cap pitch should be lessened. Uh, my, my curiosity is that if you could get a mid first round pick for Brian Burns and maybe you get something else, another little sweetener, like a fourth, I just don't know if you don't do it. Like for me, I do it.

I do it. It sounds to me like you and I are maybe in slightly different places with Burns. Uh, but I mean, I'm not saying he's not a really good player, but I don't put him in like the upper echelon of, uh, edge rushers in the NFL on top of the fact that it just seems like it's a position that you can replace. I use the jets as an example. It's always bad to use the jets as an example of something the Panthers can learn from.

That's the, how bad does that paint you? If I say you should learn from the jets, but they're going to, they're going to, I hate to say it, brother. That's where we're at right now. I mean, we can learn from anybody at this point in time. For God's sake, there's middle school coaches that could teach our coaches a thing or two lately. The jets are going to let Bryce Huff, who also is, they're considering franchise tagging. He's an edge rusher.

They're going to let him probably walk. And the guy they drafted last year, they think has a chance to be just as good. So it just seems like it's a position. It's not, it's not easy, but it's like, not quite like wide receiver, but I think it's a position you can find guys to play well. Maybe not like when John Gruden had to replace Khalil Mack. And after trading him said, you know, it's hard to find a good edge rusher.

Like, well, you had one, but that was, that was a little different. Do you think David Tepper is going to take a step back? We're talking with Chris McLean of WFNZ in Charlotte, Mac and Bone in the morning.

You think David Tepper is going to take a step back and let these people do their jobs? Oh, man. God, I want it to be true so bad. You know what I mean? That's how my wife feels when someone asks her, you think he's actually going to remember to take the trash out this week? You know, my wife's like, damn, I really hope he does after all these years, all these weeks of me reminding him and him not doing it. But I don't think she'd bet money on me remembering, you know, and that's, that's where I'm at. I don't think I've bet money on it. I do think there are some encouraging signs though.

This off season. I think the fact that he brought in sportsology, he brought in the outside firm for assistance, I think is a good sign because early on, I'm not thinking anybody could tell him anything. He didn't. Well, I don't even know if he wanted to hear anything. It was, you know, I got this figured out.

I'm going to do this. So I do think that's a good sign. I think the restructuring in the front office, which I think is probably, you know, the idea of sports ology.

Right. It seems like there's a parallel between the way they restructure with Tillis and Morgan and the front and the front office structure is similar to the Niners and the lions who both use sports ology previously and that's exceeded fairly well. So I think those are some good sides. I think the fact that they hired Canales, it feels like, it feels like he probably trusted Dan Morgan on this hire, you know, I like to think so. Maybe he just was lost in Dan Canales, his eyes taking us back to our initial comments. But I think there are some signs there. I mean, at the press conference, I hope when he, when he told the reporters I'm in the background now, I hope that didn't just mean during that day. You know, I hope that kind of is a general thing. So I think there are some signs, but like it's one of those deals where if you say, Hey, how much money are you putting on?

I don't know if I, I don't know if my faith is there just yet. Right. And yeah, I don't think like FanDuel doesn't have a, doesn't have a line on, on how long Dave Canales will be the head coach of the Carolina Panthers.

Here's the thing about Canales, which, which this is one thing, maybe it's a little thing, but it really jumped out to me. It seemed to me that his press conference, he was very much off the cuff and I think he will be a very good communicator. And that's one of the most important things you can be as a head coach. Everybody can X and O, right? I mean, some are better than others, but everybody can X and O.

But you have to be able to translate that to the people that you're managing to get them to believe what you're telling them. Oh, no doubt. And he's, and I'll say this about Canales and getting a Vero back with the end and the whole defensive staff back. I thought it was a huge part of this because I think he, I think he, I'm less excited about the hire. If he has to then go hire a defensive staff to, in addition to the offensive staff, he filled out and the special team staff, he filled out. I think the combination of him focusing on the offense, a Vero and company holding down the defense that does have me a bit excited. And how can you not be excited about what he did with Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield?

And maybe it is as simple as the communication that you're talking about. You know, maybe that's what it is. He seems to be extremely positive. I mean, I think the building could use a little bit of that over there, you know, and we'll see if he can. It's the ultimate test of an optimist, though, is going over there and working for the Carolina Panthers. But I'm excited. I am excited about it, but I'll say this, though, Adam, I was excited about Matt Ruhl and Frank Reich, too. Like, so I don't know if you, I don't know if Panther fans want me excited.

Well, no, we want you excited. Here's the thing. Matt Ruhl came across to me as a regular dude. It was, it was only like during the season that we went, yeah, regular guy seems like I wouldn't mind like having, you know, a Starbucks with. But I'm not sure is any good at this NFL coaching thing.

That's what came across to me. Like he does seem, Ruhl seems like a really cool dude, but he just was a cool dude that just ain't good at this job. One more quick thing about this, and then I'll ask you one thing about Charlotte FC as we get ready for the start of the season on Saturday. The if you were Bryce Young, what's the number one thing you want from this draft from free agency? The first when you're making your your holiday wish list, what and you handed to Dave Canales.

Here's what I want. What's the first thing on that list? That's a tough one because my first thought is like, you know, help it wide receiver, just a game breaking player at wide receiver, somebody that's special and somebody that can, you know, ensure that Adam Phelan bless his heart as good as he is, is not your number one receiver.

Right. But on the flip side of that, I'm sure he would like to not be a sore on Monday morning. You know, I mean, they beat the heck out of him this year. And that's the one positive thing is I thought he showed physical toughness. I thought he showed a durability that, you know, even I was worried about, you know, as optimistic as I was about Bryce going in. But so I can see that he's going to want some big fellows up front. He's going to want that line to be improved. But I really think he's got to want a game breaking wide receiver, you know, which goes back to the birds thing.

Because if you trade him, you've got a lot more ammo to get that sort of guy. Now, I wonder if you've got a like my feeling. I wonder now if it's got to be like a Calvin Ridley type free agent. And then you get somebody in the draft, you know, at 33, you know, and you kind of double up that way.

I don't know if you, you know, tag burns. And then, you know, he certainly then can't trade for someone. I don't think like an iuke or a Metcalf. But I wonder if it's kind of that Calvin Ridley level, maybe. And that's still an upgrade for us.

Well, yes, almost anything would be an upgrade. You might be one at this point. Well, no, we're not going to go that far.

All right. Level of optimism. Year one, Dean Smith is back. We talked to Coach Smith about two weeks ago when they were out of Coachella. He seems like a very cool dude. He's got some pedigree.

He's he's managed in the best league in the world in the Premier League and the championship is, you know, maybe a top eight, nine league in the world. What's what's the level of optimism going into the season? And they start on Saturday night against NYC FC. Well, watching them in the preseason, you can't help but notice the donuts they keep posted right in the in the opponent's goal column. And I can't help but think back to last year and just defensively. How unsound it was and how Christian Tansy Oh, couldn't even make them sound defensively when they had leads late. Like like would continue to send defenders forward and be reckless with the lead late.

So I'm encouraged defensively. They haven't the attack hasn't necessarily been knocking it out of the park. And I do feel like they're a little light, like, you know, the dabbling they've done trying to offer. They've tried. David Tepper and company have offered big money on multiple attacking midfielders, which I think is has been something they have never. They've never gotten that number 10 that creative force at that attacking spot that's just special. And it sounds like they tried for one, you know, in Europe. And then recently the kid from Colombia Rodriguez and it sounds like it just fell through, but they were offering ridiculous amounts of money.

So that kind of sucks. I still think they're light on the wing. I think they could use a wing people over there. Well, how Dean Smith says himself, you know, a couple of weeks ago, he still thinks they're going to use at least one of those two DB slots here in the next, you know, few days a week, two weeks, something like that.

But I don't know. I think Dean Smith himself is a big addition to I think they're going to be a lot more organized and a lot more sound. You know, a great manager makes all the difference. No doubt about it. No doubt about it. And so I think they're going to be in a similar areas last year.

And if they can make those additions, and maybe it's not until the summer, you know that they make those additions to, uh, they make those additions up front. And I think they have a chance to definitely be better. I still thought last year, Adam, as you know what I mean? As disappointing as all the points they dropped from winning positions was like 20 points right from leading positions in the second half. I thought that they left a lot of meat on the bone.

It could have been a lot higher in Eastern Conference standings if they just finished games. So hopefully they'll do that with Dean Smith. Lord knows that Dean Smith, that we know best here in this state, knew how to finish games out. So hopefully this one will, too.

We hope that they don't try to hang this Dean Smith in effigy a handful of games in. Chris McClain, WFNZ in Charlotte, Mac and Bone in the morning, thank you much, man. I'll talk to you very soon. All right, man. Be good. Thanks, Adam. You got a Chris McClain here on the Adam Gold show. Grainger, for the ones who get it done.