Panthers Tracks: 3 things we learned about Carolina through Week 1 of NFL training camp
Week one of the most unusual training camp in Panthers’ history is almost in the books.
Since Monday, the team has held multiple walk-through practices with the entire roster. Players and coaches are now fully in the team’s practice facility that has been adapted to accommodate for social distancing and other measures related to COVID-19.
While practice will only ramp up over the next couple weeks, there are still some early takeaways from the Panthers’ first days out on the practice field together.
Player-organized practices prior to training camp was a big help: Despite the NFL Players Association advising players not to gather for practices prior to the start of camp, those types of gatherings took place around the league.
Many Panthers’ players gathered in Charlotte right before the start of camp to get to know each other better. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater sent out a group text to organize the efforts, with everyone from offensive lineman to tight ends showing up. The goal was for players to get in a grove and not have training camp be the first time they connected on a football field.
“We were very safe with it, but we didn’t want the first pass to be day one of training camp. We didn’t want the first time we get to know each other be the first day training camp, so we went out in groups,” running back Christian McCaffrey said. “We had our own little rules that we would abide by, but just getting routes out there with everybody getting familiar with each other, understanding each guy’s playing differences, similarities and going from there.”
Wide receiver DJ Moore said that working with Bridgewater in that environment helped them get the timing down and got the team comfortable with some of the verbiage the quarterback wanted to use.
Defensive players seem to be vibing with coordinator Phil Snow thus far: Of the Panthers’ new coordinators, much of the attention has been on offensive coordinator Joe Brady, while Phil Snow on the defensive side of the ball just hasn’t been getting the same amount of attention. However, when any defensive player was asked about their general impression of Snow this week, there seemed to be a general consensus that he has started off on the right foot.
“I love Coach Snow. He’s very energetic, very enthusiastic and he just wants all of us to play great football,” cornerback Donte Jackson said. “He’s very detail-oriented and he loves the game, so he’s good with me. I love Coach Snow.”
Pass rusher Brian Burns said he speaks to Snow, 64, on the phone often and that he was excited to play in this defense. Snow has a unique challenge this year of blending the returning veterans on the squad with the many young players and rookies that Carolina has on defense.
“Phil is a guy, he’s coming with energy. He’s like one of those guys that don’t back down from a challenge and just being virtually and right before the COVID thing happened, being here, just talking to him in person, fired up, he’s ready,” defensive tackle Kawann Short said. “He feels that he’s got the right tools to make this a great defense, and we’re all on board and we’re just ready to complete this task that he’s got for us.”
So far, so good with the cronavirus: It’s still very, very early in the NFL’s battle against COVID-19. But so far, the Panthers have not had to place a single player on the league’s reserve/COVID-19 list, which would indicate a player either tested positive for COVID-19 or was in close contact with someone who did.
There are many weeks to go, but it’s certainly a good way to start. General manager Marty Hurney discussed this week how the team’s biggest priority was focusing on the facility being as safe as possible. The facility was transformed to comply with social distancing, and everyone in the building is wearing trackers to monitor their distance from others.. From what several players said over the week, the message has gotten across on the importance of being safe in and out of the building.
“Guys got to be smart. You can’t be selfish. During this time and during this COVID, you’ve got to think about other guys and their families and their health issues or whatever they have going on,” linebacker Shaq Thompson said. “You’ve just got to be smart about that. Especially the young and single guys who want to go have fun. Stuff has to wait. Wait until next year and wait until we figure out COVID. But right now during the season, if we want to play, you’ve got to be smart and think about other people instead of yourself.”
Stadium attendance
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced Wednesday that Phase Two of the state’s reopening plan will be extended until at least Sept. 11. The Panthers’ first game of the season is scheduled for Sept. 13 against the Raiders.
Phase Two limits outdoor gatherings to 25 spectators at outdoor sporting events. The Panthers have not determined exactly what attendance will look like at Bank of America Stadium this fall.
Last month the Panthers announced that there would be reduced seating at the stadium, and gave Personal Seat License owners the opportunity to not pay for or attend any home games this year and still maintain their ownership for 2021 and beyond.
Panthers’ voting initiative
As part of a league-wide effort, the Panthers and the team’s Player Impact Committee announced a nonpartisan initiative Thursday that aims to educate, register and mobilize voters in the Carolinas.
Members of the committee in June said that voter registration is one of the issues they are focusing on this year, alongside improving police-community relations.
Bank of America Stadium had already been selected as one of 33 sites for early voting in October. Spectrum Center and Bojangles Coliseum on Independence Boulevard have also been chosen. Using large spaces will help with social distancing during the voting process.
From Oct. 15-31, registered voters in Mecklenburg County can come to the stadium, regardless of their designated polling place, and cast their ballot early. Voting will be held in the Luxe lobby, where luxury suite ticket holders typically enter, and an adjacent area on the north side of the stadium.
The Panthers will also offer team employees the opportunity to train as poll workers.
The team has created a web hub with important information on voting and registering to vote in both North and South Carolina. They will be working alongside local, state and national nonpartisan voter engagement organizations to encourage voters and help make the voting process safer and easier.
“Voting is something that gets taken for granted, but it’s a way for every citizen to have a voice. I think it’s very important that we all vote, that we all do our part as citizens of wherever we’re from and research what’s going on, learn about what’s going on, and then use your knowledge and your opinion in your vote,” McCaffrey said Thursday. “I love this organization, because we don’t take that stuff lightly and brush it to the side and that’s something that I know coach (Matt) Rhule takes a lot of pride in. I think from the top down, it’s something that this whole entire organization, even going to the locker room, takes a lot of pride in as well.”
What do you want to read?
As The Observer plans Panthers’ coverage over training camp and the 2020 season, we want to know what you want to read. What are some topics you want to know more about? What isn’t covered enough? Send ideas, suggestions or questions to agetzenberg@charlotteobserver.com.
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