His traditionally respectful approach with his players when the going gets tough is no longer working. It’s time to change the public narrative, if only for change’s sake.
Less than a year ago even the players were throwing up their arms in utter despair. Now, an AFC North Division championship, if not more, appears well within their reach.
They should be better for having added Mike Williams and Preston Smith via trade. But getting Cam Sutton back from suspension might really alter the equation.
The Panthers have gone from three wins to intriguing faster than you can say ‘Eli Holstein.’ But it’s not just a quarterback that’s making college football fun again on the North Shore.
There’s a different approach this season, and it’s one that needed to be embraced. It won’t be popular but it might serve the franchise well in the long run.
Everyone’s anticipating a competitive training camp for a change. But unless it leads to actual change, the season ahead is destined to deliver more of the same.
The season has imploded but the organization is apparently resisting the urge to start over, again. One reason why might be that there’s no need to this time.
The first game that counts is obviously a much-anticipated event. Just don’t read too much into it as a barometer of what’s in store for the season ahead.
The season teased long enough to inspire dreams of October. But it’s imploded into another nightmare that’s more on who they are than what they’re spending.
The veterans appreciate it and the newcomers almost can’t believe it. But the connection that’s annually forged at training camp is as heartfelt as it is difficult to explain.
They can’t brawl every day, as they did in a high-profile, all-inclusive scuffle on Wednesday. But there’s a mentality, a camaraderie and a competitiveness that are fostered by such things, and that matters.
Our annual obsession with training camp is about to commence. And while the particulars are destined to be overblown, there’s a method to the madness that matters.
They need to add offense to maximize the opportunity at hand. But even if they don’t, and their history says they won’t, the postseason may yet be within reach.
They know they have to develop their next wave sooner rather than later. Development camp was an example of how hard they’re working to make it happen.
