It is a new era for the Carolina Panthers organization as they are looking to change their identity with the hiring of new head coach Brian Callahan and especially new general manager Dan Morgan. The way the culture will change for the team according to Morgan is that they will be looking for “dawgs” to be on the Panthers according to David Newton, an ESPN Staff Writer.
“We've got to get some guys that are passionate about football, that love football, that want to come out every day and compete on the practice field, in the weight room,” Morgan said. “We need competitors. … We need some dawgs.”
This should be a given, but the best way to seek out “dawgs,” is to be one yourself. Per a source from Newton, Morgan is described as one as he will look to fill the new era of Carolina with them.
“Dan Morgan's a dawg,” Newton's source said. “He's done it. And those are the types of players he will be looking for.”
Not only is this mandatory for the team to propel forward instead of backward, but they are looking to improve from what the Panthers were last season as they finished with an NFL-worst 2-15 record. If there is someone that that can understand the everyday life of a competitor, it would be Morgan who played linebacker for Carolina from 2001-2007.
High praise about Panthers GM Dan Morgan
Bills general manager Brandon Beane was a member of the personnel department during Morgan's time as a player and had nothing but high praise for him. Despite being competitive, Beane described him as being a problem-solver when situations go awry.
“He's a ball-buster,” Beane said. “He's very serious, competitive, he's going to do it right. But he's a good guy to have on staff because he also has that side that helps when things aren't always going well.”
There is no doubt that Morgan wants the Panthers to live up to their namesake and be a feared team in the NFL, despite their recent struggles. He said when he was first introduced that feeling is his goal for the team, which he would admit it's not at that point at the moment.
“When teams drive up to this stadium we want them to fear that (Panthers) logo,” Morgan said. “Our logo has to be feared again, because right now it’s not. So we have to get that back.”
Morgan gives examples of the players he wants with Carolina
Going back to wanting players who are “dawgs,” Morgan would provide examples of players who were embodied this like former Panthers stars Steve Smith Jr., Thomas Davis, and Luke Kuechly. He values people who have a “chip on their shoulder” and that are “competitors” according to the Associated Press.
“We want players like Steve Smith who play with a chip on their shoulder — no holes barred, and he’s not taking any prisoners. We need those type of guys,” Morgan said. “And the instincts and tenacity of a Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly, guys like that who make plays. We need playmakers. And we need competitors like Jake Delhomme, guys that are going to compete in everything they do and are not going to stop until the win.”
New Panthers head coach Dave Canales excited to work with Bryce Young
Part of the piece of the missing puzzle is hiring a head coach which Morgan will have a partnership with Dave Canales, former offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While the Panthers are seen as a rebuilding team, he said his timeline is “today” in his introductory press conference.
“My timeline is today,” Canales said. “It’s first-and-10 and I have a new set of downs and my whole call sheet is at my disposal — and I’ve got a bunch of fantastic people to go to work with today.”
With the thought of bringing in and developing “dawgs” on Carolina, the biggest player that needs to get to that level is quarterback Bryce Young who was taken with the first overall pick in the last NFL Draft. He had a forgettable rookie season where he threw for 2,877 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, but Canales is excited about coaching him.
“The more that I got ready for this interview, started watching Bryce, looking at my notes from his [pre-draft] eval … I just got more and more fired up about the opportunity to have this amazing talent,” Canales said. “And he's the guy. He's the right guy that you all talk about when you have that quarterback, that save the franchise type of player. And that got me really excited.”
Challenges with an “undersized” quarterback
Young is going to have a lot more added pressure on him as besides being the first signal-caller taken in the draft, the one that went after him in Houston Texans star CJ Stroud is already seemingly on his way to be an elite quarterback. With the University of Alabama product being seen as “undersized,” Canales has worked with some of the best within that frame like Russell Wilson and recently Baker Mayfield who had his best season under the head coach in Tampa Bay.
“There are certain challenges,” Canales said. “I'm not going to tell the whole NFC South what those advantages are. That's kind of a proprietary deal that we're going to own here. But I will say there are certain things you can do to help. There are ways to find what that quarterback is comfortable seeing. Whether you're 5-11 or 6-1, you can't really see over any of the alignment, so, there's an approach to it.”
“There's a way to win games in the NFL,” Canales continued. “It's defense, it's run game, it's an explosive pass game that comes off of that run game. We are going to become what Bryce is good at in the pass game. We are going to grow to the capacity that he can handle.”
Canales calls Panthers job “dream of a lifetime”
If there is anything to take away from the Morgan and Canales partnership, they are bringing in an intensity that hasn't been seen from the team in a while. There will also be passion as well as Canales calls the Panthers job a “dream of a lifetime.”
“This is a dream of a lifetime that [wife] Lizzy and I have had that goes back 20 years, of honing this opportunity to get in front of an ownership and sell a vision of who we can become,” Canales said. “It's in my DNA. It's a part of who I am.”
Since 2018 when Dave Tepper purchased the Panthers, the team is 31-68 which tied for the worst record with the New York Jets. They also haven't been to the playoffs since then as well, a trend hoping to change soon for Morgan and Canales.
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