Tag: dan morgan

Sights and sounds from Dan Morgan and Dave Canales’ introductory press conference

Here are the best sights and sounds from Thursday’s presser

Did you miss Thursday’s press conference for the Carolina Panthers’ new power duo? And if you didn’t, do you just want to take it in again?

Well, we got you covered.

Here, courtesy of some of the game’s very top reporters, are the best images and clips from this morning’s introductions for president of football operations/general manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales:

Best photos from Dan Morgan and Dave Canales’ introductory press conference

Join us in aligning the best shots from the Panthers’ introductory presser for GM Dan Morgan and HC Dave Canales.

In case you’re not aligned with the Carolina Panthers just yet, let’s take a look at the best photos from Thursday’s introductory press conference for president of football operations/general manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales:

Panthers fans react to Dan Morgan and Dave Canales’ introductory press conference

Panthers fans are already feeling the energy from their new power duo.

So, were Carolina Panthers fans feeling the alignment, energy and vision from their new general manager and new head coach this morning?

Here are some of the best reactions to Thursday’s introductory press conference for Dan Morgan and Dave Canales:

Biggest takeaways from Panthers’ introductory press conference for Dan Morgan, Dave Canales

On Thursday, Dan Morgan and Dave Canales gave us a glimpse into what they want the Carolina Panthers to become.

For the second time in as many years, the Carolina Panthers formally introduced their new head coach. But this time, he had a buddy by his side.

Here are the biggest takeaways from Thursday’s introductory press conference of president of football operations/general manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales:

David Tepper doesn’t take questions at Thursday’s press conference: ‘I’m in the background now’

Panthers owner David Tepper stayed in the background during today’s introductory press conference for Dan Morgan and Dave Canales.

Carolina Panthers fans have been imploring owner David Tepper to take a backseat following yet another miserable season. Well, he took one on Thursday.

This morning, the organization held its introductory press conference for new president of football operations/general manager Dan Morgan and new head coach Dave Canales. But outside of leading in for his new power duo, Tepper elected not to speak at the event.

Here’s what he did say at the podium when setting up the presser for Morgan and Canales:

“Let me tell ya a little bit about Dan and Dave. They are tremendous people, well respected and they are both connectors. Dan has 14 years of front-office experience throughout the league. When Dan was a player, he kept the defense connected and on the same page. And I’ve seen those traits with him translate throughout this building with everyone—including scouts, players and coaches. He keeps everybody moving in the right direction. As a player, he had a relentless pursuit of excellence, which he’ll bring to this organization.

“Dave Canales brings that same quality to players and coaches, and on the field every day. He has a track record of bringing the best out of players. He is a connector. He takes the time to work with players to create an environment that will earn their trust and maximize their ability.

“Each of them brings experience from winning programs. They share the same vision for our organization and are aligned on how they’ll get there.”

So, as opposed to last year’s intro for former head coach Frank Reich, today was a one-and-done for Tepper.

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Dave Canales asked about his active social media presence, hopes fans keep him accountable

Panthers HC Dave Canales wants fans to keep him and the team accountable online.

Carolina Panthers fans learned, no less than an hour after the hiring was officially announced, that their new head coach is very much online.

Last Thursday, Dave Canales was named the seventh full-time head coach of the organization at 8:30 p.m. ET. Then—at 9:27 p.m. ET—he changed his profile picture, updated his banner and tweeted this:

But that wasn’t all.

He even replied to a fan early the next morning:

Since then, he’s posted almost daily—hitting his followers with a bit of gratitude, some keys to success and even a few #KeepPounding’s.

It’s not exactly common for a person in Canales’ position to be so active on social media, even in an age where the 42-year-old is not even amongst the 10 youngest head coaches in the NFL. So, he was asked about it during this morning’s introductory press conference.

“What’s important to me is that we all grow to have a relationship,” Canales replied. “And as we have a chance to get into more detail about what we’re lookin’ for from a football standpoint, my hope is that I can show you what to look for in what we’re trying to become.

“My hope is that if I put this out there and I say, ‘This is who we’re gonna be,’ that we’re able to have this relationship where, like, you keep me accountable. ‘You said we’re gonna play this brand of football, you guys are crazy about the ball—we had three turnovers last week. We were -2 or we were -3.’ And I’ll be able to say, ‘That’s a great point. That’s not the kind of football we wanna play.’ So my hope is that we can kinda grow in that relationship as we have that expectation of who we’re gonna become.”

You heard him, fans—keep him accountable!

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Dan Morgan on hiring Dave Canales: ‘Diversity is a big part of what we do here’

Dave Canales is currently the only HC of Latino descent in the NFL. GM Dan Morgan was asked about the importance of the hire on Thursday.

When the Carolina Panthers officially hired Dave Canales last Thursday, he became the only current Latino head coach in the NFL. And a week later, the team’s other part of their new power duo spoke about the importance of the decision.

Canales and president of football operations/general manager Dan Morgan were introduced in their new roles during a press conference this morning. Morgan was asked about the organization’s thought process in hiring a head coach who not only fits the bill, but represents a culture that’s experiencing substantial growth in the area.

“First of all, diversity is a big part of what we do here with the Carolina Panthers,” he replied. “Dave just happened to be Mexican-American, and also a really good coach and a really qualified coach. So, I’m really happy that he’s here with us and we’re really blessed to have him.”

Residents of Mexican descent currently make up for the largest group of the region’s Latino population. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Mexican population in the Charlotte area increased by 27 percent from 2010 to 2020.

Canales, additionally, is now just the fifth head coach of Latino descent in NFL history—joining Tom Fears, Tom Flores, Brian Flores and a pretty familiar name in Ron Rivera.

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Dave Canales expects DC Ejiro Evero back in 2024

New Panthers HC Dave Canales has a tremendous amount of respect for DC Ejiro Evero, who he expects back in 2024.

The Carolina Panthers presented a fresh and aligned vision on Thursday. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re starting completely anew behind the scenes.

President of football operations/general manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales hit the microphones for their official introductory press conference this morning. Canales, who has already gotten to work on reshaping the coaching staff in his own vision, was asked about current defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.

“Oh my gosh, just the respect factor that I have goin’ against him—I know the scheme goin’ against it, I’m really excited to learn more about the ins and outs as far as how the calls come in, the adjustments and all that,” he said. “I just know it was really difficult on me for years—whether it was in Seattle goin’ against the Rams and that family, or this year goin’ against EJ twice.

“And this is really important for me, especially as a first-time head coach. I’m here to make sure we get our football right, especially on the offensive side. That we have that continuity with the players. With EJ, just bein’ able to have the mentality that I saw that was really challenging to play against.”

Evero’s defense was a bit of a challenge for the rest of the league as well. Despite having to deal with a plethora of injuries to key players and a lack of complementary football from an especially bad offense, the Panthers allowed the fourth-fewest yards per game in 2023.

That work has certainly gotten some outside attention—as Evero has not only interviewed for multiple head-coaching opportunities this offseason, but has also drawn interest for other defensive coordinator jobs.

So Canales, of course, was asked if he expects to have Evero on his sideline for 2024.

“Yes,” he replied. “A huge piece of what we’re doin’.”

Canales has already brought a handful of offensive assistants onboard in assistant head coach/run game coordinator Harold Goodwin, running backs coach Bernie Parmalee, wide receivers coach Rob Moore and offensive line coach Joe Gilbert.

No changes or additions, however, have been made to the defensive staff.

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Dan Morgan on rebuilding after messy 2023 season: ‘We all wanna be aligned’

“Alignment” was the big theme for new Panthers GM Dan Morgan on Thursday.

As it turned out, assembling an “all-star” coaching staff only resulted in some all-out anarchy for the Carolina Panthers in 2023.

But that won’t be the vision for president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan, who was officially introduced in his new role on Thursday. His hope, alongside new head coach Dave Canales, is for the organization to achieve alignment from the top to the bottom.

“I think it’s about alignment and process,” Morgan said early on in the presser. “We gotta have processes in place and we gotta be aligned in our building and we’re all moving towards the same direction—and that’s towards a championship. To put it simply, we gotta roll our sleeves up and we gotta get to work. And we gotta find the type of players that we wanna infuse into our locker room, into our building. Get winners in this building.”

There weren’t many winners in the building this past season, especially behind the scenes. In what may have been an attempt to mold a mecha-coaching staff of sorts, owner David Tepper and his braintrust picked and plucked minds from all different backgrounds to put on the sidelines.

What reportedly materialized, however, was a “Hunger Games culture,” one that saw coaches form factions within the building rather than forming one cohesive unit. Oh, and the team finished at an NFL-worst 2-15.

So, Morgan was asked how his Panthers can stray away from that toxic environment.

“I think it has to do everything with just movin’ forward,” he replied. “We’re not lookin’ back, we’re lookin’ ahead. We all wanna be aligned—the business side, the football side, the locker room, the weight room. Everybody on the same page, same mission, same vision. That’s what I’m talkin’ about when I talk about alignment.”

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Dave Canales on Bryce Young: ‘He’s the guy’

Panthers HC Dave Canales is fired up about the opportunity to work with QB Bryce Young.

Bryce Young is a big reason why Dave Canales is where Dave Canales is today.

The new head coach of the Carolina Panthers spoke about his new quarterback during Thursday’s introductory press conference. And Canales, who comes over with a proven track record of coaching up success from under center, was asked how he can get Young where he needs to be.

“Attention to the details, first and foremost,” he replied. “It all starts off with relationship, Bryce and I just getting to know each other. I want him to know I have his best interests at heart. I want him to be the best possible version of himself. That’s the same approach that I’ve taken since I’ve been coaching positions in the NFL and that’s really the approach I wanna take with him.”

Canales, from 2018 to 2022, served as the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks. That run included a pair of career campaigns for Russell Wilson and Geno Smith, who led the league in completion percentage during Canales’ final year there.

He’d do the same in 2023, as the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Baker Mayfield finally appeared to fill the billing of a No. 1 overall pick, completing 64.3 percent of his passes for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns en route to an NFC South title.

Young, unfortunately, couldn’t say the same this past season. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick struggled mightily, passing for just 179.8 yards per game with 11 scores and 10 picks.

Nonetheless, the stats aren’t what have Canales excited about Young.

“In Seattle, like, we never we anywhere close to touching the first overall pick,” he later added. “And the more that I got ready for this interview and started watching Bryce, lookin’ at my notes from his eval—that’s just a year ago. We’re evaluating him as a player, as a person. And with all the information that we could, I just got more and more fired up about the opportunity to have this amazing talent. And he’s the guy. He’s the right guy that we all talk about when we have that quarterback—that face of the franchise type of player.”

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