Meet the Charlotte Observer’s new Carolina Panthers beat writer
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It was a beautiful summer day in Hendersonville, but all I could think about was racing to the nearest computer. I had been at sleepaway camp for the past few weeks, and had missed a lot.
While I was trading CDs with fellow campers (Eve 6’s “Horrorscope” is still in my CD case somewhere), the Charlotte Hornets selected Kirk Haston in the first round of the 2001 NBA Draft. While I was celebrating my 13th birthday, WCW World Champion Booker T was invading the WWF (now WWE) at the King of the Ring pay-per-view.
So, when given the opportunity, I dashed to the site of the next available computer with working (dial-up) internet. While roughly 25% of my time at the computer was spent impatiently waiting for a loading page, I was able to fill my need for information that has fueled my journalism career as an adult. Kwame Brown was the first overall pick in the NBA Draft, Edge won the King of the Ring crown (can you believe it?!?) and “Shrek” topped the summer box office.
And while I spent only two summers in the beautiful North Carolina scenery, the state, particularly Charlotte, has always been a place I’ve enjoyed visiting for football and fun. Now I’ll happily call the Queen City home, and write the stories that kids at sleepaway camps read when they get internet time – hopefully with better service than I did.
It is an absolute honor to join the Charlotte Observer as the storied paper’s new Carolina Panthers beat reporter.
As the new guy in town, I’m obviously coming in at an awkward time. The Panthers are already three games into their 2022 campaign and, well, things aren’t particularly stable following a preseason full of injuries. I feel like I’ve shown up in the middle of the dance, but at least I have a lot of new friends (and talented journalists) to partner with – namely Ellis Williams and Scott Fowler – as I begin to document the latest chapter in the whirlwind story that has been the Matt Rhule era.
Showing up late isn’t a new thing for me, as I have been thrown into chaotic situations throughout my career. I started my NFL beat writing career in 2015 as a Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for a TV station that created the role specifically for me after I’d spent years blogging with SB Nation. Through three seasons, I covered the worst of the Gus Bradley era and the best of the Doug Marrone era, including a wild run to the AFC Championship Game.
During the 2018 preseason, I was hired by NJ Advance Media as a Philadelphia Eagles beat reporter, and I didn’t start until Week 2 of the season, taking a trip to Tampa Bay before even moving to the northeast. I spent the next four seasons in the South Jersey suburbs while covering the Eagles after their Super Bowl LII win. My time on the beat featured the rise and fall of Doug Pederson and the hiring of Nick Sirianni.
Following the Eagles’ playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I was approached by Pro Football Network to cover the entire league as their Lead NFL Reporter. It was a daunting challenge, and one that I enjoyed, but in my heart I truly missed beat writing and informing and interacting with a local fan base. The opportunity to join the phenomenal team at the Charlotte Observer was just too great to pass up. And during my limited time covering the entire league, I realized how knowledgeable and intense the Panthers fan can be.
I didn’t take a “typical” path to the newspaper business, and frankly, I’m not your typical beat writer. I’m more interested in why a roster move was made than simply presenting the who and what of the transaction. I’m focused on the players under the helmet and shoulder pads just as much as I’m monitoring how often Ben McAdoo calls 13 personnel plays. The Panthers have 53 players on their active roster and 16 members of their practice squad, and I want to cover them all. Like my favorite band, Foo Fighters, I enjoy playing B-side tracks just as much as tending to the greatest hits audience.
Die-hard fans want to know everything and anything about the Panthers, and I do too. I also want to know what you’re thinking, and that’s why you can expect regular interactions with me on Twitter (follow me via @mike_e_kaye) and the Observer’s various platforms. Given my broadcasting background, you’ll also see me pop up on TV, radio and with Ellis on the “Panthers Tracks” podcast.
When I’m not running after my 3-year-old son or watching “House of the Dragon” with my beautiful wife, I’ll be focusing on the Panthers and working on the stories that need to be told. If that means following a quarterback’s every move throughout a training camp practice, chronicling a player’s personal adversity, or detailing the background story of a young player on the rise, Ellis and I will deliver.
And in between all of that, you can expect tweets about my fondness for fullbacks, my championing of the film “Tombstone”, my love-hate relationship with wrestling (yes, still) and my general musing on the game of football. I’m ready for Week 4, and I hope you are, too.
This story was originally published September 27, 2022 at 2:56 PM.
