Derrick Brown and the Carolina Panthers locker room have (apparently) spoken.
On Tuesday, the third-year defensive tackle woke up with Good Morning Football, joining the popular NFL Network program to talk some shop. And Brown, of course, got to talk about interim head coach Steve Wilks—who he hopes won’t have that “interim” label in 2023.
“I’ll speak for everybody in that locker room and say that we want Coach Wilks to be our next head coach,” he told host Peter Schrager. “That’s for sure. I think every single week when we come in, he’s gonna tell you exactly how it is. He doesn’t sugarcoat nothin’. He keeps it plain Jane, per se. He lets you know exactly what’s going on.
“You can be one of the best players, but you walk into that building on Monday and he’ll tell you exactly how he felt about how you played. And that level of clarity—that’s exactly what we want.”
“I’ll speak for everybody in that locker room and say we want coach Wilks to be our next head coach.” pic.twitter.com/AjI9UC3Vho
— Michael Rimmer (@avl_mike) December 27, 2022
Well, the players have told inquiring minds exactly how they feel about Wilks—as Brown’s words are just the latest endorsement from a Panthers player. Starting right guard Austin Corbett got the same point across about a month ago, stating the guys have bought into their leader.
Since taking over for the departed Matt Rhule, Wilks has guided Carolina to a 5-5 mark and a very real shot at an improbable NFC South title. With destiny in their own hands, the Panthers just have to win both of their two remaining games to clinch their first division title in seven years.
And maybe by next year, the Wilks will have the title of NFC South champion and Carolina Panthers head coach.
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