Setting Expectations For The Panthers

The Carolina Panthers are going to be on television tonight.

That's right. To appease local affiliates, practice is going to be televised at 7 o'clock and that should be exhilarating. Robert Walsh, Jim Zocchi from the radio broadcast team will be part of that telecast and will tell us exactly what we'll be watching tonight when he joins us later this hour. But here's the question I have for Panthers fans right now. Assuming good health, what is the floor for this team in 2020? In other words, if this team's healthy, what is the worst case scenario? You can vote on that at Josh Graham Radio on Twitter.

I presented it online. Most of the votes say two to three wins. That's the floor for Carolina. For me, I think the story of the Panthers this year is going to be summed up with two words, exceeding expectations. I always like putting things in the context of movies because I am that guy, Robert, you can attest to this, that quotes movie lines maybe a little bit too much in social gatherings. But one of my favorite comedies of the last few decades is Dodgeball. And I remember Vince Vaughn's character being asked his thoughts on having goals and expectations.

And essentially his reply was, I found if you don't have any expectations or goals, you can't be disappointed. With Carolina, the bar is way too low for Carolina not to exceed it. I just told you that the floor, according to Panther fans, I would assume voting on this Twitter poll, two to three wins. Two to three wins.

That's the floor. It's almost like Panther fans are forgetting this team won five games last year. Somehow, someway, Carolina won five. Think about everything that happened. No Cam Newton. KK Short only play in two games. Ron Rivera being fired at the start of the final month, essentially tanking from that point on.

It was all bad pretty much. Carolina still won five games. This is not going to be a two or three win football team. I'm telling you that right now.

I'm getting you prepared for it. If your dreams are Carolina should draft Trevor Lawrence next year, that's not what you're going to be looking at. This is not one of the three worst teams in the NFL. That could change if Carolina has injuries. If Russell Okung goes down, if KK gets injured again, certainly it can get that bad. But assuming good health, which you have to do with any team at this time of year, this is not a two or three win football team.

I think the floor is four or five wins. Teddy Bridgewater on the exceeding expectations front. He's going to prove to Carolina fans they don't need to draft a quarterback in 2021. He's following a legend, and that's tough.

He saw it first hand when he went 5-0 last year. Everything was going right with the Saints, but the moment Drew Brees was ready to go, even in some minds rushing things back with that thumb injury, he had to take a step back. This is Teddy's team. He knows Cam is popular, but since Cam is so popular, it seems like nobody's given this guy a shot to be the franchise quarterback long term.

I don't think that's right. He is no doubt an upgrade from what Carolina had a year ago. If we're just looking at this, 2020 Panthers versus the 2019 Panthers, it's not close. Teddy at quarterback versus Will Greer, Kyle Allen, and Cam Newton playing on one foot. The offense, it's going to look a lot better. Russell Okun, he's the best left tackle Carolina's had since Jordan Gross.

Jordan Gross hasn't played in almost a decade. That is going to shore up the O-line. If the O-line is shored up, you can expect Christian McCaffrey to continue doing Christian McCaffrey things. Is there a point in Panthers history where the weapons were nearly as good as they are right now? I can't think of any point in Panthers history I would take the weapons of another team versus DJ Moore, Curtis Samuel, Robbie Anderson, Christian McCaffrey. You can maybe make the argument, I'd prefer Stephen Davis, Deshaun Foster, Musa Mohamed, and Steve Smith, and Ricky Prole as the third wide receiver in 2003. I'd still probably lean towards these guys because I don't think anybody is nearly as good as McCaffrey is right now. You can make the argument he's the best player in the NFL, all purpose. Your thoughts are welcome on the subject. If you're a Carolina Panthers fan, I want to hear from you.

336-777-1600 on Twitter, at sportsubtriad. So the offense, it's going to exceed expectations. Defensively, KK Short, I think his value's been understated. Cam Newton, he absorbs all the oxygen out of the room anytime he's in a room or on a football team. Last year, certainly.

He was the most discussed thing, and rightfully so. Former MVP, just a charismatic guy, been that way since he was in college, you know, always in the news. But I think most people forget, KK went down the same game Cam went down, their last game was the Tampa Bay Thursday night game. KK's a pro bowler.

KK's the only captain returning from last year's team. Just his presence on the interior defensive line is going to make this defense better. Adding another interior defensive lineman as a top 10 pick is a massive plus two. Also, Robert, would it surprise you if I told you Carolina was second in the NFL in sacks last year? Yes, that would surprise me.

Well, it's a fact. Carolina was second in the league in sacks, and I'll admit that's something I didn't even know until going over numbers a few weeks ago. Brian Burns, he was injured with his hand. I think he wasn't even top 10 on defense when it comes to snaps. Snaps played. That's going to change this year. I think he's set to have a breakout season. Shaq Thompson, he's stepping into a bigger role.

They picked up your Tergros Montos. If KK Short's healthy and Derrick Brown is as good as we think he is, this defense, again, to use the two words that I think will sum up the Panthers' season, it will exceed expectations. I want to shift things to Cam Newton, though, because I'm still amazed how people are surprised Cam is going to be the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots. Like, the moment Cam signed with New England, I knew that was going to be the case, but with Jarrett Stidham getting hurt, he's dealing with a leg or a hip. Now, even the Boston media have arrived at the conclusion we already knew was going to be the case. Cam's going to be the guy in Foxboro this year. You're not going to start Brian Hoyer over a former MVP. The Patriots, I think they're excited about Cam.

I think they're excited about the new associated with Cam. Anytime, I don't care what business you're talking about, what profession you've chosen, things can really get monotonous really quickly wherever you're at, if you keep doing the same thing. If you have the same people around you, if you're doing the same thing, it's why people like repainting their rooms at their homes every few years. You know, you like changing things up, getting new furniture, moving things around.

You don't want things to get monotonous. I think Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels, they are excited about the opportunities here with Cam Newton. Leadership comes in many different forms. Cam, he is a lot different than Tom Brady, his approach to leadership. Tom, very serious, very focused, tends to be pretty introverted. Cam, on the other hand, ultimate extrovert, dancing to music, laughing, positive. We saw the vibe all the years he was in Carolina and he hasn't changed a bit.

So I want to play this sound for WEEI in Boston. This is from Jed Fish, the quarterback's coach, earlier this week just talking about what has stood out to him about Cam Newton. He's extremely consistent as a person and, you know, whether it be the boisterous personality, whether it be the way he leads, whether it be really kind of everything he brings, his workout routine, his work ethic, it's the same every day. And I don't know if the surprise is the right word as much as really excited that that is the case. Cam Newton, his vibe is exactly what New England needs right now. 2020, it's tough. It's been a tough year for everybody. The Patriots, they might be lamenting the fact, returning players, all these guys have opted out, no Dante Hightower, Tom Brady, he's not around anymore. Cam, he's a positive guy. He represents hope for this New England team. That positivity, I think, can be very good for that Patriots building, breathing new life into that organization.

There's so much. Cam pointed this out when he was talking to OBJ, Todd Gurley, and Victor Cruz. There's so much McDaniels can call with Cam that he never was able to with Brady. RPO. Imagine, Robert, imagine Tom Brady running in RPO. What exactly that might look like. A PO. It would be a pass option.

Yeah, it's a pass option. Quarterback power, bootlegs. There's so much you could do with Cam.

He looks healthy, that's exciting. Also, Belichick, he thinks highly of Cam. Cam's 2-0 against Belichick with Carolina.

And anytime they played, he spoke glowingly about Cam. This was Belichick on the Rich Eisen show earlier this week as well. When I think of Belichick, I think of hard work. That's what values, that's the most important value to Belichick.

So I didn't think this was a small deal. This is what he pointed out in terms of things he's seen from Cam. He's an extremely hard-working player. First guy in, last one out type of guy. He really studied hard and tried to, you know, he has spent a lot of extra time trying to learn our offense and our communication, our calls and nomenclature and so forth.

So yeah, I've been very impressed with that. The perception is that Cam isn't a hard worker. He just worries more about his outfits and his hats and he's a prima donna, not a hard-working guy, just gets there because of his physical traits. I don't think it's a coincidence Belichick specifically pointed out hard work. That's the thing that stands out to him because when you think Belichick, you think do your job.

You think about hard work being the difference. Cam, he's going to be the quarterback in New England and it's still the most fascinating story across the NFL this year in my mind. Coming up, an NCAA ruling that might benefit Wake Forest more than any other school in America. This is a Wednesday Drive. Places everyone. Come on places please. We're ready.

Back to the drive with Josh Graham on Sports Hub Triad. The bubble got the best of me. I was just in a dark place. I really wasn't here.

I checked out. These past couple games, it was just difficult. That was Paul George after the Clippers win last night talking about being in a dark place and I think Paul George, his last week, it's exactly why there should not be any asterisk next to the 2020 NBA champion.

He's in studio with us right now. This is the greatest collective mental challenge any sports team has faced in our lifetime. Being asked to turn away family, friends, your home, to go on an adventure into an unknown unlike anything we've seen in basketball history and also do so while players feel close connection and responsibility to act on social justice movements that mean a lot to them. And we're seeing that right now as the Milwaukee Bucks have boycotted today's game that was set to start 10 minutes ago against the Orlando Magic. And we just got to remind ourselves that these causes are incredibly important to these players.

Incredibly important. If you don't believe me, if you think it might be BS or put on for show, listen to Doc Rivers last night and listen to what these guys are saying. Donovan Mitchell expressing regret being in the bubble played last night. That series is going to a game six that might be played tomorrow. Who knows what happens later on tonight as OKC is getting set to play Houston and the Lakers have the Portland Trail Blazers. Chris Paul, he is, I think, one of the most important players in the league and organizing players. Getting people on the same page, brokering relationships between the NBA league office in New York and the PA guys in the league. Is he going to follow suit with his Oklahoma City Thunder at 630? The most powerful player in the league is LeBron James. Is he going to do the same thing tonight as his team like the Milwaukee Bucks are up three games to one against the Portland Trail Blazers?

Those are the bigger questions that we have right now. We're only seeing that the Bucks are the team that is boycotting here. Is the NBA going to initiate a forfeiture? Are they going to take away a win or give Orlando a win for Milwaukee's forfeit? If Milwaukee is trying to amplify this message, they're trying to have the most people listen to what they're trying to say, would they prefer that Orlando get the win?

Like the fact they knew what they were doing. Orlando went on the floor, their season's on the line. Milwaukee's up three to one, they don't come out onto the floor. Are they saying, no, we want this amplified as big as it can be. We are willing to sacrifice a loss, taking a loss in the playoffs because maybe then you'll realize how serious this is to us. I don't know what they're thinking. I think you're spot on.

I think they knew they could gamble with a loss in the idea that you just say that they're up three-one. The fact that this did happen in Wisconsin and the Bucks. Forty-five minutes away from Milwaukee. How crazy is that? Kenosha, Wisconsin.

That's pretty strange. It hits home, but those are the three people I'm most interested in hearing what they think right now. Adam Silver, what are you going to do with the Bucks doing this? LeBron James, you're the most powerful player in the league.

You've spoken out since the Blake shooting. What are you going to do tonight with your team? Chris Paul, Oklahoma City, also on the schedule as well. Head of the NBA Players Union. Chris Paul just evens up the series against Houston. Among player representatives, excuse me.

Understood. Just evens up the game against Houston. Everybody's expecting them to go down probably three-one. A lot of people were talking about they would get swept once they went down two-nothing.

The first thing out of his mouth when he evens up the series two-two is Jacob Blake. Yeah. And we see the way that they're talking about it even a minute after they step off the floor as you're kind of noting there. But I think it all speaks to how difficult of a mental challenge this is. The mental monotony of being in the same place.

No fans, none of this. Different than anything you've ever dealt with. And you hear Paul George at the top of this talking about how he was in a dark place.

In the post-game interview he went even a step further. I underestimated mental health, honestly. I had anxiety, a little bit of depression. Just being locked in here and, you know, I just wasn't there. I checked out and it was, you know, games two, three, four. I wasn't there. I felt like I wasn't there. If Paul George is dealing with depression, which is a very serious deal and I'm glad he's bringing it up, if it's in fact so, and he's dealing with anxiety, 12 of 18 last night isn't going to fix it.

It isn't. So this might be something that affects him moving forward. It might be something, yeah, you had a good day, but anybody who's dealt with mental health can tell you.

One good day doesn't compound the number of bad days that you deal with when you have depression, you have what Paul George described to be being in a dark place. You're dealing with that. But it also is important that he said this because odds are if Paul George is dealing with this, he's not alone in that bubble or even in the National Hockey League bubble.

So I don't think anybody that suggests there should be an asterisk attached to this. I think this is the most difficult title to obtain we've seen in our lifetime. Where you have the best of seven series as normal, but you're doing so without home court advantage, being a factor whatsoever. The mental challenge of this, the greatest mental challenge we've ever seen a team have to take on collectively. And we understand that we've seen enough from the bubble to know that the playing field isn't going to be leveled by COVID. They've done a great job by keeping COVID out of the bubble. Again, knocking on wood that we haven't seen enhanced injuries with them being out for a while.

We haven't seen COVID thankfully take players out of the lineup that otherwise would be there. So competition hasn't been affected in that way. I don't view this in any way as an asterisk season for the NBA. For whoever wins, they have earned it. In fact, it probably was more earned than any title we've seen in our lifetimes. I mean, I disagree. I mean, for you to say stuff like there is no home court advantage is one of the biggest things that's the difference maker in the idea that, you know, you're knocking down free throws because you knock down those free throws on the road in Staples Center.

But let me say this, though. The NBA, unlike the NHL and to a degree the NFL, the last 30 to 40 years, the favorites generally are the ones that are winning. Like, I don't know the last time a team that wasn't one of the top two or three seeds in their conference won an NBA title. So these are teams that have generally home court advantage in series. Yes, but the home court advantage weighs heavily on the outcome of a lot of those games, especially when you get to a game seven type situation. I don't have the numbers. I'm sure you possibly slash probably do.

I don't. But how many game sevens have been won by the visiting teams? NBA Finals?

Yes. Well, the Cleveland Cavaliers did so in 2016 against Golden State. I'm trying to think off the top of my head. The Lakers beat the Celtics at home in game seven. So that doesn't count. Have there been other game sevens? San Antonio lost to the Miami Heat in game seven. Do you remember, not even necessarily a game seven, but do you remember a team winning a ship on the road, even if they finished it off in Cleveland?

That's it. Cleveland's the only one that comes to mind in the last decade. So to let you know, the home court advantage plays a huge part, Josh. But on the other coin, there aren't many game sevens to talk about. Golden State very dominant.

But that's what I'm saying. Just winning on your opposition's court period. Home court advantage plays a great deal, no? It does.

It does. But usually the better teams are the ones that have the advantage, which means if they don't have that advantage, it's a level playing field. Is this the exact same court they play on every time? No, there are multiple. They have two or three courts. That's why you can have games overlapping at points. You don't have to worry about disinfecting a court and a game tip-off being pushed back.

They handled this even better than I think the NHL did, and I think the NHL did it remarkably well. Final question, Josh. When you say knock on wood, do you actually have to knock on wood? Because you didn't. You just knocked on a folder. Oh, no, no.

That's a good point. I knocked on a folder in front of me. Actually, that's not wood either. Let me get to the door real quick. So you're one of the people that thinks you have to actually knock.

I had to knock on the wood over here. He actually got up and walked to the door. Can you hear that? Yes, we can hear it, Josh. He walked to the door, took his headphones off, and knocked on the wooden door.

Yeah, the headphone cord didn't reach that far. It's time for BDOT's grammar school. Actually, I lied.

BDOT's grammar school is next on the drive. You wanted to hear some great sports talk? Well, here it is. Oh, what an appallingly ironic outcome.

The drive with Josh Graham. It's not ironic. It's just coincidental. On Sports Hub Triad.

Before we get to grammar school, BDOT, he's hanging out in the studio with us. The breaking news. The Bucks.

Boycotting game five of their first round series that they're leading three games to one against Orlando. What is your general feeling right now about what the Bucks are doing? What is the feeling you have at this moment? Am I a black man at the moment? Am I a fan at the moment?

What perspective are you asking? You are BDOT. I'm I'm I'm shocked. I'm amazed. I wondered if they would do something like this with it being talks that the teams had thought about it. And I wonder if they even did.

It wouldn't even matter. But I do think it was powerful. And especially with Milwaukee being forty five minutes away from Kenosha, like it just it does strike close to home.

I had connected those dots until I come in here this afternoon and spoke with you about it. But I have a sense of pride in it. It just goes further to show that this is a movement and not just a moment.

And these guys are taking it serious. And then I honestly get a little sad, Josh, selfishly, because I really want to see OKC versus Houston tonight. I really, really do.

Just on a personal level. I feel like whoever wins game five of that series is going to win the series. I agree.

I agree. Like Houston, they have a history of flaming out and not meeting the moment in the playoffs. They've lost the last two. And if you're telling me they're going to lose three in a row, they're going to bounce back to win two in a row. Not going to happen.

Not going to happen. But if OKC loses, they were a younger team. I don't know if I think Houston has more talent. I don't know if they can come back and win two in a row against Houston down three to two. Also, Russell Westbrook is questionable for this game. So Russ is getting closer and closer to play.

And you have to imagine if it's an elimination situation, whether it be game seven or game six, he's he's going to be in the lineup for the Rockets. With all that being said, three months to the day of George Floyd being killed by police for Jacob Blake to be shot seven times in his back and now paralyzed from the waist down. It just shows you that the needle has not been pushed enough. Yeah. I understand the reasons why. We'll continue to follow what happens next. There's no good way to segue to the nonsense.

No, there isn't. So we're just going to do it. We're just going to take a hard left turn. It's time for B Dot's grammar school. Josh is going to attempt to learn B Dot's vernacular.

I'm on the old school. I got street knowledge. You know what I mean? You know what I'm saying? It's time for B Dot's grammar school. Less than an hour here and I just look on Twitter and I just see all the comments about the notebook and the dot list. And one guy's talking about working as a lifeguard at Emerald Point, people on dark meat chicken nuggets. Like this has been a very eventful hour, if I do say so myself.

Yes, I'd say so. And to close off, we will finish with grammar school today. Five new words. Five new words.

There are no review words today. If you've never heard this segment before, it is very simple. Josh Graham has five words or phrases here that are of the urban jargon a lot of times.

And, you know, just trying to get him a little bit more hip in some of these locker rooms that he's in. Robbie and I, I ask the questions and then I go to Robbie sometimes as a judge because that just proves that this is not race specific, right, Robbie? Because, you know, like I think what, 98 percent of these you've known? For sure.

Yeah, there's a couple that slip through the cracks. Absolutely. So with that being said, I've got one word, three different ways, Josh. One word, three different ways. First, what does it mean to get a fade? OK, well, a fade could be a haircut. That's for one.

I get a fade. Do I have to give you all three? Nope. That was that. Is that your answer? That is an answer. That is your answer? Yeah. OK, that is correct.

That is correct. To get a fade, to get a haircut, get a haircut. Is it any type of haircut or specifically a fade? Well, it's specifically a fade. A fade is a specific type of haircut. That's right.

That's right. What does it mean to catch a fade? Is this still number one? No, this is number two. Oh, my gosh. Catch a fade?

Yes. Oh, so it's like, OK, there's there's a there's a gambling side of this. If somebody is really bad at picking games, you say to fade that pick, like to diss that pick and ignore that pick. But then if you're playing football, catching a fade would be you're on the two or one yard line, throwing it to the corner of the end zone really high to the guy who's really tall. Rob Gronkowski is the guy who catches a lot of fades. I'm going to think you're going for the more broad word, the more broad definition, and it is kind of ignoring something. Hey, man, catch a fade. No, I'm going to go with the football definition.

I changed my mind. Catch a fade. That's what a fade is. Now, that is true. A fade route.

That is true. But that is not what catching a fade means. Catching a fade means to fight somebody. If somebody ever asks you, Josh, if somebody says, yo, you about to catch a fade.

Get out of there, Josh. I did not know that. Yes.

Catch a fade means to throw hands. Robbie, you knew that, correct? Oh, yeah. I was waiting for him to ask me so I could throw him off, though. Hopefully I'll be able to throw him off on this third one.

Absolutely. I need your help, man. Third one. Now we're going to leave the fades. I'm going to go here for my third word. Third one. Give me the third fade.

It's one and one. I want to see if I get two out of the three fades right. What does it mean to get faded? To get faded, man, is to get messed up. That's what that means.

That is exactly what that means. To get messed up. Get faded.

That's right. Does it have to be a specific way that you get messed up? Can it be different strokes? I think when you go to the moon, you're getting faded there. I think when you have too much to drink, you've been faded there. There you go. That's enough examples.

I think it's anytime you're just messed up. All right. I need one more to close this thing out. What is a simp? S-I-M-P. Simp. A-simp. So it's a noun.

Yes, it's a noun. It has to be a verb if you're caught simping. You can be caught simping. No question.

No question. Yeah. I'm trying to figure this out because I was thinking it might be like short for simple. Oh, man, that's simp. But no, that's not what this is because it's a noun or you could get called simping.

Say the sentence that you thought it was again, please. Oh, man, that's simp. Yeah, dude, that's simp. Come on now.

All right, Robert, give me a hint. Simping is whenever you chase after a girl and you're doing extra. You're bringing her flowers, you're doing whatever she asks.

She wants you to come rub her feet and you're already there. That's simping. That's you know, that makes a lot of sense. I'm going to go with that. Are you going to go with that?

Yeah. You're going to trust Robbie. I'm going to trust Robbie.

Well, that was a good guess because Robbie is correct. That is what simping is. So it's just doing a bit too much.

Bending over backwards for a girl who could care less about you. Fact. If you can simp over the right girl, it's not simping.

Correct. If you simp over a girl who wouldn't give you the time of day unless you were simping, that's being a simp. You're a simp. That was me my entire high school years. I simped all the time all throughout high school.

You were. No, you didn't simp all the time. You were a simp. I was a simp all throughout high school.

Don't say that again out loud. I thought that this girl liked me because she came over to my house and watched a movie once. And then two days later, she started dating my good friend and my best friend tried to console me saying, Oh, dude, they'll break up like in the next week or so. I'd never even saw him hanging out. They are still together.

There you go. True story. First time my heart got broken. They are still together.

It still hurts. Are you friends with him still? Oh, no, I'm not friends with that guy.

No, you're not. All right. All right. Last one. You've already won.

Last one. What does this phrase mean? Say I won't.

What does this phrase mean? Say I won't. OK. Say I won't is what you say in response to somebody who says you won't do something. So it's kind of like a way to say, oh, you don't think I will?

Yeah. You don't you don't think I will? Oh, you're wrong.

Say I won't. That is correct. That is correct.

It's a way to get your friends to give you that added courage to do something that you wouldn't normally do. Now to our listening artist that has been your list for today where Josh got an amazing four out of five. Correct. And your homework, if you're listening, is to use one of these words in your everyday life at some point this week. Get a fade, catch a fade, get faded. You don't think I would use these words in my teasers otherwise? No. Say I won't.

That was good. I mean, dude, if you suggest something like that again, you could catch a fade. That's what I'm saying. I mean, you will get faded if you try to go head to head with me or at least you'll feel like it. Yeah.

Maybe we can get faded this weekend. I don't know. There we go. There we go.

There we go. My hair. Take your hat off.

How's your how's your hairline looking? I'm cool. No, you don't. Yeah.

You don't need to get a fade. I do. Probably by the end of the week, going to the beach at times, man, I feel like these teasers. I'm just doing a little bit too much. Like, I feel like I'm simping hard. Or I just feel like I'm a simp.

I just feel like I'm a simp. There we go. Trying to make. Except B. Dot, I like B.

Dot and B. Dot likes me for some reason. I do. I do.

Oh, is that right? I do. All right, B. Dot. Is that my tagline and I didn't even really know it, Robbie?

Is that my thing? I do. B. Dot, thanks. Thanks for being here, man. Thanks for having me, man.

I do. And thanks for my sour, big, chewy nerd balls. That's right. On the way, I'll tell you why the Carolina Panthers season can be boiled down to two words. Exceeding expectations. It's next from the drive.