Fitterer answered questions on the Panthers’ rebuilt staff and players going into the start of training camp.
So far it's been a really good first day You know all the players showed up on Time they were excited uh everybody Passed their physicals today so it's Just the the four guys that were on pup The other day those are the only guys That didn't pass And so uh It's fun to see the guys just the Excitement that they've had you know you Can feel a good energy about them you Can feel what the coaches we have the Conditioning tests and the guys are out There having fun it's just a really good Feeling and good environment to be in Right now so Basically from a GM standpoint it's a Great first day for us it's a good win So any questions Dante Jackson Is clear to go fully cleared yeah fully Cleared a guy like Dante just coming off The Achilles and you may manage how he Bring him along start right at the Beginning just to make sure he's in Shape but he's full go Brian Burns showed up today uh obviously Everybody's looking at the pass rusher Market how is that kind of played into Your summer plans and and what is the Conversation been with him and his foes Yeah those will be ongoing conversations You know there's no timeline to it They've been you know good conversations Uh he's represented by a great agent and
Um you know it's not like we have to say Hey listen it has to be done by this Time or that time we'll just keep Talking and when the time's right and You know that we make a deal where it's Right for him and right for us That'd be great he's a big part of the Organization we'd be excited to have him You know we love having Brian around He's really grown as a leader not just As a player but as a leader he's matured And he's one of those guys that you just Love being around is it fair to say that He's a better fit for a 3-4 scheme than A 4-3 I mean I guess you can argue it either Way but this scheme isn't just like a True three four this is like you know You're outside pass rusher getting off The ball and that's what he does well Darren reported earlier that Aware of those Now what do you think You think before Again just no time frame uh out of Respect for the you know the whole Process and the agent and on our team And I can go into details but there are Conversations ongoing Where do you guys how do you guys view That group right now you know months Removed from the draft we like it but we Always need to add more you can never Have enough pass rush so if there's a
Pass rusher out there that upgrades our Roster you know we're going to pursue That and you know that's just our style We're aggressive and we're always Looking at It's got what similarities have you Noticed in your role in team development From year three in Seattle to now year Three in Carolina yeah it's been very Similar you know just how you go about It building with defense you know build The offensive line drop the quarterback In Um you know how you surround them with Good talented players around them to Support a Young quarterback you know I Think back then it was Marshawn that Came in and we bring in Miles Sanders And miles is a guy that you know he can Run the ball and he can catch the ball It's a good safety net that's a good That's why we he's a guy that we Earmarked during free agency and went Out and gone Under a lot of Us focused certainly sure why do you Think that is that you guys as jams Talked about what you guys can do to Help that situation no we really haven't But I you know I I've seen it and I've Read about it all I can really say is Like the way we look at it and obviously We still value the running back the Frank's offense it's the running back is
A very important position not only just A guy that can run the ball if they can Catch the ball and you can couple that With a rookie quarterback you really Need a good running back so but we think We have three that can really support Our quarterback so that's why we still Value the running back position why were You will May really give miles the only contract That a running track got this house Uh because of that because we needed Someone that's well-rounded some of them Catch the ball at the backfield we knew We were going to go and get a rookie Quarterback we liked the backs we had Obviously black sheer is good at running The ball catching the ball chube is a Good runner he's coming along in the Passing game he's a really really Developed in that area and we just Thought miles and do Staley's you know You know basically history with him Frank's offense the way they would use Him he's got that 50 yards as or 50 Receptions as a rookie he's at like 124 For his career so that's a that's really Important to us Sky water And just jumped out at you about Bryce In the ta's mini camp anything in Particular that you've been For us about yeah just you know Everybody talks about the intelligence And the the processing
It's reaffirming because we saw that we Saw that in an NFL offense we we saw him In a huddle growing up in the line of Scrimmaging managing lion calls and then Not only just managing the land calls But you know postnap being able to Process and go through it while you're Dropping back it's not just out of the Gun like you are in college grabbing it And throwing it you know he's going Through progressions of an NFL offense And that was really encouraging is there A certain toys about him and like yeah No he doesn't no he's uh he's Unflappable you know we saw that at the Dinner we talked about that before he's He's a grown man you know he looks young In the face he looks really young but He's a grown man Trend and recent years seems to be Getting away from Them Frank about the plan with Bryce and Would you expect him not to get many Actual preseason games I think he needs Reps it's uh I don't know about you know We're not gonna put him out there before He's ready so you know I'll let Frank Decide that with Josh and Thomas brown One's the right time if it's that's if It's the Jets game it'll be that game if It's week two you know that's when he'll Get those reps he needs those reps uh Just like Matt Corral is going to need
Those reps Andy Dalton's probably the One guy that doesn't need the Reps as Much but I would expect the two young Guys to get a lot of reps this preseason With that said how how important are Those Jets joint practices huge yeah Huge just because the Jets have such a Good defense and they're aggressive and They get give you a lot of different Looks that'll be great that's that's one Reason why Frank said Hey listen I know Salah and you know I have a history with Salah as well we think the Jets would be A great test for us to get us ready for The season and so that's that's one of The reasons why we did that are you Satisfied with the state of your Cornerback situation like I said just Like past Russia we're always looking to Add you know whether it's a veteran or a Young guy at the 53 cut that or a cap Casualty we're always looking to upgrade And uh we're never satisfied with the Roster we like the guys we have but We're gonna we're gonna look to upgrade Would you say the secondary is probably The most stable part of the defense at This point well I I You know it's hard to say that because You know you have Derek Brown up front Yeah Brian Burns you have some of these Other guys You have Shaq and Frankie luvo Linebacker I like where we're at I
Really like our safety depth you know When you have Xavier back there and Von Bell and the other guys I mean you talk About the intelligence and the Communication on the back end it's not Just the the phys the physical Play It's The ability to direct traffic on the Back end communicate with JC and Dante And CJ I like where we're at but we can Get better Thing from Jonathan Mingo so far a lot Yeah he's been awesome uh he saw really Good hands he saw a lot of power you do See the speed you know he's not an Instant twitch guy but he's a long speed Guy I think he's going to play a pretty Good role for us this year Potentially you know he's got to keep Developing it's on him but he's he's Pushing With You've got some late round mid round Draft picks from over the years that are Getting the opportunity to step up maybe In bigger roles is there a guy maybe From the previous draft classes a guy or Two that just kind of stood out to you Under the Uh Yeah you know obviously chuba would be Wine some offensive lineman Um yeah Cade May's gonna play a role This year while Corbett's on his way Back that'll be good to see
Um just trying to go through in my head Who those guys are But every time there's a new you know New coaching staff there's great Opportunity for those guys to take the Next step so it's okay may it's going to Be the right card no I don't know that It's a wide open competition the good Thing is we have numbers in there we Have versatility in there Brady's back He's fully healthy uh Austin you know He's pushing to get back he's ahead of Schedule we'll see what that means we Won't know until like cut day like where He's at Um but those young guys really need to Push and Zavala coming in unfortunately You know he tweet this hamstring you Know last week so he's gonna be a couple Weeks but he'll be in that mix so as if All this means Zavala Cade Mays Justin McRae all those guys pushing And we like that group inside what about Frankie that I made him such a good fit For the other previous staff it makes Him a good fit with this thing You know he's got he's got traits that Transfer over he might be playing a Different position but his instincts is Just Reckless style his his pursuit to The ball that follows everywhere on Defense Um and we'll still use him outside he's Not just gonna be solely inside inside
Linebacker there'll be some Rush Situations where we put him outside and We Blitz them and do different things With him he's gotta talking About two Marquis in terms of trying to Figure out what a depth chart looks like Yeah I think uh the one thing with Defensive players especially as you get Closer to the ball it's really hard to Tell until you put pads on you know you Saw some athletic traits out of them but We really need to see it on the field we Need to see that production on the field And you know Marquis has done it for a Couple years so you hate to you know Push DJ up he's got to earn it and he is He'll he'll earn it but we'd have to see It first It was a penicini's status and his Injury yeah so he's got a calf injury That he tweaked Um you know back in the spring it's kind Of lingered on him you know I think when You're that size when you're you know Your muscles are that big it's it's Tough uh but it was just to have to see How he progresses but it's uh it's he's Done it a couple times so far so it's a Little bit of a concern Yeah and I don't know what Frank shares I don't want to share too much just Because you know you want to surprise People but he is his skill set uh is More than what we've seen out of him in
The past he can run routes he's just not Like a swing screen guy you know where You take it and run with it you know you Want to get him on Slants but you can Get them over on deep overs Um you can give the ball quick and let Him run over guys you know and you might Be able to do some other things with Them and I think Frank's looking into Training camp when the guys are Off they're like in the team meeting Today you know they're just Administrative meeting just seeing all The guys it's like the first day of School but there's You know it's funny there's such an Energy like I was saying that's the First time I saw all of them in the same Room you know I've seen them in the Hallway while they're doing the Physicals but it was loud it was loud And the guys were interacting it it's a Really cool vibe that we have going Right now Frank Set up and schedule how will that differ Maybe I think uh The mornings will be the same you know We're gonna have the early morning walk Through 10 o'clock practice get out of This heat and get them off their feet And learning um You know I don't know how much different It's going to be
You know from a structured schedule Standpoint but Frank has been around Knows how to take care of these guys Um and that's what he's going to do With May's baked into this kid Well I think I know like next week or Later this week he's got a double walk Through so instead of having him Practice like once in the morning and Then having to walk through prior to That he'll do a walk through break meet Walk through again so it's just little Things like that taking care of your Body in this heat down here That's helped him earn the respect of His teammates how humble he is and just How like genuinely nice he is to see how He treats everybody to see like I saw Him this morning he was running an Errands like He felt like a rookie because he's like Hey where do I go like kind of just like You expect so much on him but you Realize he's a rookie and he's he's Trying to figure out how to do like Little things around the dorms and where To go and so it's kind of cool to see That but he's just such a humble guy Saying earlier about certain positions And you're looking to potentially Upgrade certain positions sure how quick Into the practice process are you Looking at you guys can see that after One practice two practice are you going
To try to give some guys maybe a week or So yeah you want to be fair yeah you Want to be fair to the players that are Here that went through OTAs with you you Know we had a workout today a lot of That's you know We have plans for those guys uh injuries Happen in Camp and you want to have Physicals done and grab a guy and do a Quick physical and put them on the field We want to know who they are so we had a We worked out 10 players this morning But I have another one in a couple days Uh the important thing is let's see what We have here for a couple days with These guys are they in shape do they Know what they're doing if they haven't Done their homework then maybe we'll Move on at that point but you want to be Fair to the player you want to be fair To the agent you want to be fair to but You gotta be fair to the other players On our team as well get guys in there That can perform In terms of But just generally speaking Why is he so important To the team going Uh just you know everybody knows about The physical You know trade city has and who he is as A player uh just the person too like his Leadership his uh Yeah his influence in the locker room
His energy that he brings those are all Important really important things for Him the joy that he brings is also Something That's palpable yeah God loves we gotta Loves football and you can't have enough Of those guys How is Jeremy chin done in this new role You know what that was a good question Going into like what's the role what's The fit in you know talking to the staff Early on they're like okay we'll try Them here and then aziro really said oh My goodness that you know you realize What kind of athlete he is and how you Can play him and I think there's a lot Of excitement how our defensive staff is Going to use them where did Run the errand was it for like a Teammate I mean no it wasn't it wasn't Like a teammate thing he was just Running a personal errand um Yeah and like an everyday thing that the College kid might struggle to do he's on His own what's that No not for me no no What was the feedback you heard from Them why they wanted to be part of the Caroline family I think you know people see what's being Built here they see a commitment from Ownership and then you put together a Coaching staff like Frank and his staff That he's put together I think people
Ought to be a part of something they Want to be a part of building something Some guys want to jump on and ride you Know hey this team's ready to go to a Super Bowl right now it's easy let's go Get a ring some people want to be a part Of a build and that's that's there's a Real joy to that and I think you know That's that's one feedback I got from Several guys how's the expectations uh Compare for you this year compared to Your first year Totally different I mean it's every year Is a new year you know every team is Different so I can't say you know like Of course I was excited for my first Year I was excited for the second year I Had a lot of Hope in last year I think This year I haven't been through a team Like this uh you know kind of going back To Seattle you kind of feel it coming You kind of see it coming I think There's a lot of good pieces in place You know there might be like a some Teams might have six or seven Superstars I think we have a really solid core some Really when we do have some superstars On this team I think the more teams People see us on TV the more we win the More those names get built up but I Think we're at the beginning of some Special here Scott what did you learn About Thomas Brown during the Collaborative process throughout the off
Season and what have you learned about Him kind of on the practice of instance Yeah Thomas has a lot of good ideas you Know Frank knows what his offense is but I think Thomas came in and I don't want To say challenge Frank but you like Helped add to the Playbook and brought Different ideas and I think Josh having A lot of different experiences in Different teams that brought in Different ideas Parks Frazier has done That I think we and Jim Caldwell I mean We can't forget about Jim and all his Experience You know Frank hasn't said hey this is This is my playbook this way I'm going To run it he's been open to it all and If there's something that's good if they Can fit and there's a nice flow to it They're open to it they're going to try It and if it doesn't work you know They'll throw it out but at least They've tried it is there a Rams element To it with Thomas's there's a little bit There's a little bit yeah Yeah it's just not Frank there's Thomas definitely has his Fingerprints in this Style from Frank Is that encouraging is that something That you expected when you came You know he came through in the Interview you could see what he he was a Grown man in the room like he is he's
Very calm he's very well thought out uh He listens like he's a great listener And then he Recaps once you're done with The conversation he says Hey to recap Kate this is what I'm hearing and you Make sure we're all on the same page and So it's it's a really cool process You know and he's not afraid to say Hey Listen I disagree with this but uh he's Very open to suggestions Awesome all right thanks guys No but it was nice it was fun for a Couple
Charlotte North Carolina – A Vibrant City Full of Fun Things to Do
Events, Life, Sports, Weather, News
Among the fastest-growing cities in the United States, Charlotte is a bustling metropolis with an impressive skyline, a surplus of fun things to do, and a surprisingly affordable cost of living. The city boasts a booming financial industry, and its unemployment rate is slightly lower than the national average. It also offers superior walkability, outstanding city parks, and a plethora of top-tier restaurants.
Residents can get to know the area by exploring its exceptional neighborhoods, which range from upscale downtown districts to historic, tree-lined suburbs with charming city centers. Uptown Charlotte, known as the heart of the city, is an especially sought-after residential neighborhood with a superb walkability score and a plethora of top-notch shopping, dining, and entertainment options. Its most popular attractions include the Spectrum Center, the ultra-modern Bank of America Stadium (home to the Carolina Panthers NFL team), and the Museum of Modern Art.
The city’s vibrant and eclectic food scene is one of its greatest assets, and its restaurants overflow with Southern comfort dishes as well as global flavors. You’ll find everything from trendy craft breweries to old-fashioned barbecue joints. You’ll also be able to sample a wide variety of libations at the 18 breweries, including a local favorite named Heist Brewery and a renowned beer bar in the historic Plaza Midwood neighborhood.
The best time to visit Charlotte is in the spring and fall, when temperatures are moderate, and the humidity is much lower than it is in the summertime. You’ll find that the city’s beach/pool score peaks during this period, and it’s also great for those who prefer a mild climate and don’t want to deal with heavy snowfall.