Remembering successful recipes of the past, taking inventory of what is in the pantry and what needs to be added, and preparing numerous elements that everyone involved will critique until the next opportunity.
That is the rundown for the week of Thanksgiving, but it is also the lay of the land for Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales this week and every week of the NFL season. In recent days, there has been added emphasis on whether those responsibilities weighed too heavily on Canales, following a disappointing and imbalanced Monday Night Football performance.
Dave Canales Still Pursuing Panthers’ ‘Best Football’
When the Panthers left Levi’s Stadium on Monday night, carrying the loss that the San Francisco 49ers handed them, attention rightfully turned to the fact that Carolina’s running backs combined for only nine carries in the game. The ground game has been the Panthers’ most reliable path to success, so the deviation in a primetime matchup was particularly noticeable.
In his Tuesday press conference, Dave Canales said, “It started off with our run game. I have to make sure that comes alive. That’s part of who we are. It’s a part of what we believe in, and we have two great backs that contribute to this team. The offensive line was blocking well, and that was a missed opportunity by me, and I’ll do better in that regard.”
Canales came across as genuine, acknowledging that the volume simply was not where it should have been. Then came the social media stir after Panthers running back Rico Dowdle posted an emoji that suggested confusion, which most presumed related to the six carries he received in Week 12.
Dowdle’s 82.9 score per PFSN’s RBi metric was the fifth-highest of any running back for Week 12. His 38 rushing yards (6.3 yards per carry) ranked 29th, and the six carries tied for 39th out of 61 running backs who received a rush attempt for the week.
Asked whether he had spoken to Dowdle about the emoji post on Tuesday, and if he planned to, Canales responded, “I have not,” and “Not right now.”
By Wednesday, Canales did, in fact, address the entire Panthers team about the imbalanced offensive approach during the loss, per Mike Kaye for The Charlotte Observer.
Dowdle told reporters, “Yeah, like I said, he addressed it with the team and he talked to me this morning about it. You know, we got to run the ball in order for us to have our best chances.”
On a follow-up question, Dowdle was asked whether he was satisfied with what Canales said to the team and to him. He responded that he “definitely was satisfied.” Dowdle continued, “He took ownership of it, we take ownership of it as a team.”
Asked what it means to the players to hear their coach take that ownership in front of the team, Dowdle threw his support behind the Panthers’ head coach, answering, “That’s a great coach. A lot of coaches don’t — they won’t take that ownership.”
Canales said during his Wednesday press conference that the team’s goal is to find its best football and improve overall. He added that he evaluates himself by being transparent with players and acknowledging areas where he can do better.
This season is Canales’ third as an NFL offensive play-caller and second as the high man on the totem pole as head coach. Carolina’s 71.7 score is 21st in PFSN’s OFFi metric, which assigns a numerical score and a letter grade to a team’s offensive performance.
Canales understands that and acknowledged it, saying, “Every week is a lesson for me. Every week there’s something to take, and I have great people around me that we talk to, that we have accountability with. And I lean on those guys, because I want to get better, as well, as we continue to do this process.”
Positive Update on Linebacker Trevin Wallace
In other news, Canales provided a pertinent update on starting linebacker Trevin Wallace ahead of the Week 13 home game against the Los Angeles Rams. In response to a question asking if Wallace would be back for the upcoming contest, Canales divulged, “We should, yes. He [Wallace] was out there today participating.”
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Wallace’s return will be welcomed with open arms, as his replacement, Claudin Cherelus (concussion), faces an uphill battle to clear the league’s protocol before Sunday, especially considering the Panthers are on a shorter-than-usual week with the Monday game last week.