CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As the Carolina Panthers get set to open the 2024 season at rival New Orleans, new coach Dave Canales sat down with WCNC Charlotte Sports Director Nick to discuss the upcoming year, his positive attitude and his belief in quarterback Bryce Young.
Canales comes to Carolina from Tampa Bay where he served one season as offensive coordinator, and is credited with helping Baker Mayfield with a resurgent 2023 season.
The 43-year-old has been quick to show his energetic, enthusiastic, and optimistic personality while leading the Panthers.
Q: Your optimism has rubbed off on players, staff and even media. Is there a method to the madness -- or happiness?
Canales: "Honestly it's just a joy for life. I would hope we could all capture just how blessed we are. Every day we go out there on the field pursuing our dreams together, even when I walk into, you know, the, the interviews, post practice and all that is like we are all living out our dreams. Hopefully if they take anything from me, they're just taking what a gift every day is."
Q: Does that attitude fit in with the longtime Panthers' slogan, "Keep Pounding?"
Canales: Absolutely. And I think it's just always true. Even when you're having your worst day, I think that when you can stop for a second and you look around and go, yeah, this sucks, this day is hard, this day is sad, this day is challenging. This is the only day I have, I'm alive. I have breath in my lungs and I'm so excited about it.
Q: When you got the call from owner David Tepper that you got the job, what was your first thought?
Canales: "Probably excitement to call my wife. It's been our journey, and 20 years later here we are. I couldn't wait to call her. The news got leaked before I even got to the phone call. But it was a sweet moment."
Q: You started in 2004 by coaching the JV at Carson High School in California. What's still the same when you're out on the Panthers practice field as an NFL head coach?
Canales: "What are we good at? Game on the line, what's the call, offense or defense? It's whatever they look most confident in. You can see their body language shift and change when you make a call that they love. You can see their body tighten a little bit when it's something they're not quite certain about. And it's the same pursuit. Can we find our identity?"
Q: We've seen rookie player singing performances, but maybe haven't seen a rookie head coach singing performance. What were you feeling as you stood in front of your team and sang Bob Marley and the Wailers' "Three Little Birds."
Canales: "First of all, kind of ballsy for (defensive tackle) Shy Tuttle to call the head coach up there. Speaking of three little birds, I had a little bird kind of give me a tip that that might happen. So I started shuffling through my favorite songs and realized I didn't know the words to any of them. And the Bob Marley song was one that I knew. These guys can't sing. So consider your audience,. They might be critiquing you, but at the same time, they just want you to know the words, get us to the chorus so we can sing together."
Q: What makes you a believer in Bryce Young?
Canales: "I just want him to be another guy. I want him to be a pro. I want him to just be 1/11th of the offense. That's all I want for him is to just play his part in it. He's the point guard."
Q: When you talk about seeing a player's body language after playcall, what do you think Bryce Young is most excited about in your offense?
Canales: "I think options. I think its versatility, different ways to position our skill players and get him access at the line of scrimmage. Whether it's with the motion, a formation or personnel that just gives us an advantage some way, somehow. Then, the consistency of the core schemes. We're running the same plays. We're just presenting them differently over and over with different looks so the defense can't quite be on top of exactly what you're doing."
Q: You're credited with helping Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield to resurgent seasons. What's important to you as a coach when you start working with a highly-touted quarterback who has been through rough times in his rookie season like Bryce Young?
Canales: "Just remembering who they are. Remember that he was the best player in high school football. He was the best player in college football. In the NFL, just be that guy. Just be Bryce. You've been a fantastic player. Continue to be that. And that's the message for Geno. That was the message for Baker who was another Heisman Trophy winner. I just remind him first and foremost: You are awesome. You're amazing just the way you are before you even throw a pass today. I'm proud to work with you. I'm proud of the work we've done. And I can't wait to see what you do today."
Q: The Panthers went 2-15 last season and have not made the playoffs since 2017, as a rookie head coach walking into that situation, what was the first step in creating a consistent winner in Carolina?
Canales: "It all starts up front. We're gonna run the football, play great defense, run like crazy on special teams. It all starts on the offensive line. I knew we could establish the type of attitude that we wanna establish as a football team. Fortifying the line of scrimmage up front because that's what I truly believe. Football all starts right there and then it extends to the perimeter. The focus for this year and the way that I would define success for this football team is can we capture our play style?"
Q: What do you want the play style to be?
Canales: "Great effort, great enthusiasm, great toughness, playing smart and situational football and finishing. Finish everything we do. I haven't talked about points. I haven't talked about scheme. I've talked about a belief system and a mentality for how we approach football."