On the latest episode of Processing Blue, the team runs down all the story lines heading into the Panthers’ second preseason game against the Giants.

By Drew Nantais & Makayla Holder / The Charlotte Observer

More from The Charlotte Observer:
Subscribe:
Twitter:
Facebook:
Website:
Digital news subscription:

Foreign The processing blue podcast Alex zetlow Is with us today my man Alex do you know Why we call this processing blue yes of Course I did I was in the meeting then The focal group meeting yes tell the People why we call it processing it's Because that is the official color of Your Carolina Panthers there you go There you go the man with the ashes also The man in 95 degree weather with a Sweatshirt on I want to know the Backstory of the sweatshirt my man is it Cold in the apartment well it is quite Cold in my apartment but if you must Know I am very loyal to my roots and as Langston knows I came from the Rock Hill Herald which is a McClatchy property of McClatchy newspaper at three years ago I Was crying and doing High School sports There so I had to represent Shout Out The Herald and Rock Hill yeah they did a Wonderful job down there um got to find Somebody that gives you to come into Your place Um tell me uh 30 000 foot view of the Panthers should Panther fans panic Because the Jets came in here and beat Him like a sculpted dog on Saturday Being like what That's a fan that's a fantastic metaphor That I haven't heard before Um Langston I think you knew know what I'm gonna say prior to you even

Finishing your question no Panthers fans Shouldn't Panic this is a preseason Football I can call my Grandma and tell Her to relax yes you can if you'd like Um you can make sure that happens That said uh there are a few things that The Panthers probably need to address That they didn't think they needed to Prior to game one Um of the preseason among them an Offensive line that was supposed to be Among the team's most senior units Supposed to be a group that you know we Don't really have to worry about that Much All of a sudden they are in the Foreground and they're a unit that's not Even supposed to be mentioned really at All by people like us and they're in the Foreground Um another thing too there's we're gonna Get into this later in the podcast but What do we do at the quarterback Situation after Bryce young or really After Andy Dalton because Andy Dalton is Going to be there and he didn't play on Saturday because he kind of used the Veteran card to get out of his preseason Game but like like is Matt Corral Uh occupying an a roster spot is is that What's going to happen what are we going To do at running back if miles Sanders Can't dress out so there and when I say We I'm speaking for the Panthers

Obviously but Those are kind of the questions that Need to be answered Panic no but new Questions yes okay well let's talk about One of those new well maybe not a new Question but Matt Corral go ahead and Played at 358 days Alex he goes out he Doesn't play well Um but we saw the 49ers last year get to The end of the season to the most Important games having to play a former Panther Christian McCaffrey a Quarterback does that help him stick on This roster because maybe in the back of Frankenreich's mind he's thinking I Don't want to get to the playoffs and Not have a quarterback Well that's a great question the firstly I think we need to litigate the fact That if the Panthers are thinking that Far ahead of hey what am I going to do Once we get to the postseason then I Think they're getting a little bit of Ahead of themselves you know what I'm Saying they still need to conquer what's Expected to be one of the uh weakest Divisions in NFL next year Not one of the yeah yeah of course Um so if they're thinking that far ahead I think they're getting a little ahead Of themselves I think also Matt Corral's Stat line was a little Um shaded by some late game mistakes Like his one interception was a toss-up

At the goal line right at the end of the Game was literally the final offensive Play of the game for the Panthers Um Right there were four sacks which but Bryce young even took a sack and was Pressured a ton and that kind of also Falls on the offensive line and then you Can also make the argument that Um of the two fumbles only one was Really his fault the other was a Mishandled snap under Center which is Also Matt Krause fell but also could be On the center so at the end of the day If you look at a stat line uh you know 15 of 22 126 yards no points which is Seven possessions yes yes and also uh Yeah no several possessions without any Points he also only made it across the 50 a couple times two times entire game For the Panthers so that's not good this Is not good but I think if if you just Look at the numbers they don't tell the Full story 5.7 yards per pass worried me A little bit but more worrisome was that He just said this is processing blue he Seemed to be processing slow yeah You agree yeah yeah the The strip sack uh which wasn't one of His best moments uh if you can't Remember he kind of held the ball in the Pocket for about four to five seconds That's what I'm saying right and he even Mentioned it he had to clean up his eyes

A little bit At this and and also the defensive Lineman who ultimately stripped him and Recovered the fumble was not coming on His Blind Side either it was coming from The left side which is on borderline Unacceptable but you know I I watched the game and I did not come Away thinking man Matt Corral has not Improved Matt Corral is not who the Panthers thought he was last year I Ultimately kind of came away lukewarm From it and You know you gotta remember he hasn't Played like you said Langston in 350 Plus days this guy is a rookie as much As he has the age on him he is Ultimately a rookie so Um that's something to keep in mind yeah Me personally I want to see more from Him I mean I know he's kind of you know Coach Wright said he has some flashes And you know he had the mobility and you Saw a little bit of the arm you know he Just looked a little like he hadn't Played in a while so you have to you Know give him a chance and hopefully Play better the next couple exhibition Games but for him to play well or any Quarterback to play well the offensive Line has to play better and should Panther fans already just start making Plans for the 2024 NFL draft start Researching guards and tackles because

Offensive line isn't good enough or was It something else Well that remains to be seen like I Mentioned earlier this unit is among the Most senior parts of this Carolina Panthers organization I mean if you look Across the entire offense you look in The backfield you got miles Sanders who Came in last year chuba Hubbard who is Still young still working through his Rookie contract you got a quarterback Who is brand stinking new yeah Bryce Young you got receivers who it's gonna Be a piecemeal project like the the top Three receivers at least as I see it Right now are Adam thielen DJ shark and Jonathan Mingo mingo's rookie draft pick Uh shark is coming off of he is going Into a sixth NFL season but he jumped Around from Jacksonville to Detroit and Then uh Phelan is a veteran as well but He isn't like he's new to the Carolina Panthers so if anyone was supposed to be Relied upon it was supposed to be this Offensive line and they did take Accountability after the game James camp In the offensive line coach did call a Team meeting which Drew uh either the Ire or the hope of a lot of panthers Fans after that disappointing preseason Game performance And I don't think that they are already Planning to answer your question I don't

Think they're already planning for the 2024 NFL draft because you do have some Youth you have a good mixture of Youth And uh veteran leadership on this Offensive line remember you're also You're also not having your best Offensive lineman on this unit right now Because Austin Corbett is out The pup list he can boost four games Right and he and he is a guard like the Issue is Right Guard yeah I mean Cade Mays is one of the most versatile Offensive linemen like at least for his Age in the league which is great But they are missing us in Corbett but Does it worry you Alex though that They're calling team meetings after a Preseason game it's not like you know Week seven week eight this is like the First dress rehearsal and we're having To have a team meeting that's to me that Was worse To me that is actually a better thing Because they're like yo this is actually Our standard and I cannot believe I am Flabbergasted that we showed our fans That this is who we are to me if you Kind of just shrug it off it would be One thing if it was game two of the Preseason and you put in a decent like Performance week one right like I think I'm cool with the fact that they had This team unit meeting whatever and also Who knows what was said in there we I

Talked to Two off two or three offensive linemen In the locker room after the game Mike Talked to two more they all kind of said The same exact thing like literally Verbatim we didn't play up to our Standards we will be better we need to Make sure Bryce stays healthy we will be Better we didn't play up to our Standards Etc et cetera et cetera so who Knows what was said in there Over on the sacks on Friday too I I uh that's that's a difficult Question let's call it over because oh Okay all right yeah yeah yeah Um and speaking of Bryce I guess you may Have been a little underwhelmed by his Performance what do you take from four Out of six to 21 yards and not very much Time to do much Well I take away the fact that he can Really take a hit which is not the top Takeaway that you wanted from your Rookie quarterback but that was the Ultimate storyline about that was the Ultimate shortcoming that people wanted To tout about Bryce young coming into The league was he is too small he won't Last long and of course it was one game Of course it was three series but Remember in those three series he had Three different offensive linemen Starting at Right Guard he had Six past seven drop backs

Three of which were rushed and one and One of which was ended up being a sack So Um His his Debut did not go well but was that all On him I would say no and I think most Panthers most reasonable Panthers fans Would say no I think there is still Plenty of reason to buy stock in bryceum How big a deal is it for him to play Well on Friday just for his confidence And a lot of confidence because he Probably won't play a lot the last game So how big of a deal it is for for Friday oh it's it's huge he he needs to Get a couple first downs he needs to Make it past the 50-yard line he needs To get some points on the board Um and of course it's not a Bryce young Issue it is a team issue if you if you Just kind of inherit this identity that You can't score points that's not ideal To use Um really generic terms but but of Course Frank reichen is post-game Pressure on Saturday night did Acknowledge the fact that this was a Pretty generic Playbook kind of a Vanilla Playbook because they didn't Want to completely show their and and of Course because they're still installing An offense with all of these new pieces Right that I mentioned earlier right so

I think as we go through this preseason Opening up the Playbook more and more Will be important and hopefully it'll Lead to some inspiration because it was Pretty uninspiring on dad this question From a reader on uh Facebook this Morning do you think Hayden Hurst and Terence Marshall will play bigger roles In the offense as we get to the regular Season I think Panthers fans certainly hope so And I also think the Panthers coaching Staff certainly hope so Terrace Marshall Had He probably had the best training camp Of the receivers if you asked Mike K he Certainly did because Mike K wrote about Him like four or five times but like hey And Hayden Hurst He has shown his leadership he has shown Like his value that he can bring and Also Frank Reich does value tight ends That's ultimately why Hayden Hurst came Here because he was like this is my Sixth year in the NFL I'm gonna be Entering my six different offensive System but I'm in the best shape I've Ever been in my life and I'm like primed For this role because I know that I'm Gonna get the ball a lot so I think Those two guys will see the ball more All right well we talked about a lot of Guys who didn't play well in the Exhibition let's talk about a couple

Guys who did linebacker Mari barno had a Sack can he stick on a depth chart I think he certainly will I think he'll Make the team Um of course that linebacker spot is Getting more and more and more deep as We kind of go through yeah crowd is the Proper word as we get through it Justin Houston is going to be listed as an Outside linebacker he's really just a Pure pass rusher but he was signed his Pro bowler coming from Baltimore 34 year Old he literally is signed to Mentor This next wave of linebackers and of Course you got Frankie luvu in there of Course you got Shaq Thompson in there of Course uh you even got guys like Who has really like established himself This up this Panthers training camp so Like you said it is going to be crowded But I do think barnos showed enough on Saturday and really showed enough all Training camp to say that he was worthy Of it and I don't I don't know how he Looked in person because I wasn't there On Saturday but Steve Smith raved about This guy running back Spencer Brown he Like he had a burst you could catch the Ball at the backfield a couple nice runs Uh what'd you think about his Performances he a guy I think it's sick On the roster It's really hard to evaluate anyone from The offense on Saturday because it was

That better I mean it was I mean I mean Like when we when we say they got the Ball past the 50-yard line two times Yeah in 60 minutes of football when we Say that like I mean looking at these numbers Bryce Young average 3.5 yards a pass or a Completion Matt Corral averaged 5.7 Yards of completion it's really Difficult to discern where the offense Was Spencer Brown was a positive eight Carries 34 yards But that's I mean I personally didn't Like see Spencer Brown and be like oh Snap he's gonna be he's going to be Competing for Miles Sanders's job even To the Hubbard's job the fact that he Could prove that he could catch the ball Out the backfield that is a weakness of Tubas and I think that he'll even say That yeah but I think that he is kind of Solidly where he is in the depth chart Last year as you know the Panthers got Decimated in the defensive backfield the Injuries and they got bombed by a lot of Teams CJ Henderson Eric Rose Sam Franklin had a pick on on Saturday did You see something good on the backside Of that defense Absolutely the thing that's kind of Difficult about this whole thing discern Making discernments after preseason game Is a lot of these guys were out of their Pads from the beginning and among them

Brian Burns and a couple defensive Leaders But JC horn didn't play after the first Series you know a couple defensive Backfield guys didn't play after the First series so really just seeing one Rep like virtually what what was that First draft like it was something like Eight plays it was it was a long drive But just watching them play against Zach Wilson it's hard to discern what to make Of it all Um and Zach Wilson obviously won't be Starting Aaron Rodgers will be starting Week one for the Jets so it's hard to Discern what to make of it all the only Thing that I was disappointed about in This defensive backfield was Franklin Had a chance to actually get the Panthers on the board he got this Interception All he had to do Get the ball on the end zone was to like Juke out the quarterback he got tackled And he was so and they were so happy the Defense was jubilant they were running Down about to push for the camera in the End zone and Scott Fowler our columnist Turns to me and says the Panthers aren't Scoring today I was like yeah they're Not that was their chance so that was The one thing I was just pointing yeah I'm sure he probably enjoyed that in the Film room and they showed that all right

Man last question we're coming up to the Giants on Friday you know what do you Need to see from these Panthers against The Giants and the lions in these last Two preseason games to make you think They're ready to go beat the Falcons on September the 10th when the real fur Flies Oof Um I need to see a more confident Bryce Young I need to see an a competent Offensive line I need to see a Playbook That resembles the one that we have Heard of Frank Wright being this Quarterback Guru this offensive guy who Is really trustworthy can find Completions can find yards can sustain Drives we need to see that ultimately Um the Jets are an exceptional defense That is that is one thing that Carolina Can take solos in it's that the Jets are Exceptional and they will be and they Were touted as such Um and the the Giants and the Lions also Have pretty good defenses but You just need to see a more competent Offensive line a confident pass a Confident passer someone who doesn't Think they need to throw the ball in two Seconds without like risk of getting Injured and then of course we kind of Want to see the Playbook open up and see What it'll actually resemble week one But again just to Circle back to your

First question this is the preseason What can truly be discerned from this It's hard to say Um Panther fans don't panic all right so Bad the fans we want to make sure they Get past the 50 more than twice yes and We don't want the old saying about cam They used to say cam will go back to Pass One Mississippi I mean they say Peyton Manning would go back as fast one Mississippi two Mississippi Three Rivers Said before and Cam Newton would go back One Mississippi oh oh so we don't want That we want to have a little more time To pass and more times past the 50-yard Line thank you Alex for coming on our Processing blue we're gonna have to get You back in rotation because this was Fun next time no sweatshirt no Sweatshirt definitely not all right Thank you Foreign

Moving to Charlotte North Carolina

Events, Life, Sports, Weather, News

The city of Charlotte offers residents plenty to do if you want to get out and explore. From the museums and shows at Discovery Place to a tour of the historic city or a comedy tour, there is something for everyone. There are also a variety of indoor attractions like the IMAX Theatre or the popular North Carolina Music Hall.

If you are more into athletics, there are a variety of teams to cheer on. The professional hockey team, the Charlotte Checkers, play in Bojangles Coliseum and the city is home to the NBA basketball team the Charlotte Hornets (formerly known as the Bobcats). And of course, you cannot forget the city’s passion for NASCAR – it goes without saying that race week in mid-October turns the whole city into wall-to-wall NASCAR coverage.

Charlotte’s warm-weather months have a high beach/pool score and moderately dry days, making them ideal for outdoor activities. The muggiest time of year is from May through September, while the least humid month is February.

Charlotte is a safe city with a low crime rate and a friendly community. The locals have a small-town feel and are very welcoming to newcomers. You will find that you quickly become part of the Charlotte family. This is the reason that many people are moving to Charlotte. The city’s booming banking industry, which includes the headquarters of Bank of America and Wells Fargo, has created countless opportunities for career growth and employment.