Panthers training camp tracker: Observations and takeaways from Fan Fest

Fans who filed in to see Bryce Young at Bank of America Stadium on Wednesday night probably weren’t disappointed.

The Carolina Panthers took a brief break from Spartanburg on Wednesday, returning home to Bank of America Stadium for this year’s edition of Fan Fest.

Let’s run down the top takeaways and observations from the fun fan-filled night:

 

Frank Reich takes blame for Bryce Young’s Fan Fest interception

Panthers HC Frank Reich took the blame for Bryce Young’s lone blemish from a sharp Fan Fest debut.

Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Bryce Young had just one blemish on what was a sharp-looking showing in his Fan Fest debut. And that one blemish, according to head coach Frank Reich, wasn’t even of his own doing.

Reich spoke with reporters following Wednesday’s practice at Bank of America Stadium. When asked of Young’s pick, which came on his final pass of two-minute drills, he took the blame.

“When you get in those situations at the end and you got 15 seconds left, so what do you wanna do?” Reich explained. “Do you wanna take a shot into the end zone? Well, that’s what the defense is gonna do. So sometimes it’s just good to take your medicine, kick the field goal with 15 seconds to go. And then, you gotta kick off.

“But, in this situation, sometimes what you find is—man, I feel like we’re in midseason form right now, this is good stuff. Sometimes you wanna see, ‘Is the defense gonna screw it up?’ I wanna see what the defense is gonna do. So I said, ‘Hey, let’s just go out there and run four verts, see if the defense plays the wrong coverage and then we’ll just throw it away. And then they got a pretty good rush and I put him in a hard position.”

That position saw Young take a shot at wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. in the end zone. His ball, however, was tipped by cornerback Herb Miller and ended up in the hands of summer standout and linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill.

Outside of that experimental shot, the No. 1 overall pick completed 11 of his 16 attempts in his second straight step forward.

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Rutgers football to host Fan Fest on Sunday, August 20th

Rutgers football will host Fan Fest on Busch Campus in front of the Rodkin Academic Success Center on August 20.

One sure fire sign that Rutgers football is back – the Fan Fest is almost here.

Rutgers football will host its annual Fan Fest on Busch Campus in front of the Rodkin Academic Success Center on August 20 from 5 to 7 p.m.

Fans will have the opportunity to meet the team during the free event with the chance to receive autographs, the official 2023 Rutgers football season poster, and enjoy The Rutgers Boardwalk. Also,  food trucks will attend the event, providing sandwiches, wings, ice cream, and more.

Fan Fest will include a photo booth, face painter, caricature artist, free carnival games, and an inflatable obstacle course. After the conclusion of Fan Fest, attendees can walk over to Yurcak Field to watch Rutgers women’s soccer host Hofstra.

The Scarlet Knights made the NCAA Tournament last year.

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The Scarlet Knights open their 2023 season home on Sunday, September 3, 2023, against the Northwestern Wildcats (noon, CBS). The 2023 season will be the first time Rutgers football will start the season against a Big Ten opponent at home since joining the conference in 2014.

After their match-up against Northwestern, the Scarlet Knights will remain at SHI Stadium for three consecutive home games against Temple and Virginia Tech. Rutgers’ first away game will be in week four when they take on the Michigan Wolverines. After their game against Michigan, the Scarlet Knights will return home to take on Wagner to cap off their fourth home game in September (Seven 2023 home games total)

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Panthers WR DJ Moore breaks up fight between fans

Thanks to Panthers WR DJ Moore, Thursday night’s Fan Fest didn’t turn into a slugfest.

No wonder why Carolina Panthers wideout DJ Moore got paid so much this offseason. Not only is he a highly effective pass catcher for the organization, but he’s also a highly effective security guard as well.

During the team’s annual Fan Fest event at Bank of America Stadium on Thursday night, two men appeared to be growing rather heated with one another in the seats. That’s when Moore, who apparently climbed up the stands to get to them, decided to deescalate the brewing argument.

You tell ’em, DJ. This is a family function, sirs!

The 25-year-old receiver, who is entering his fifth season in Carolina, has taken on a leadership role for the franchise—both on (and quite clearly) off the field. His production, toughness and kindness has made him a favorite amongst fans—and this latest instance of Moore’s character is only going to endear him even more to his supporters.

So while Panthers fans may disagree on many things, they can all agree upon their love for No. 2—a well-respected player, father and peacemaker.

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Panthers HC Matt Rhule hilariously acknowledges ‘Fire Matt Rhule’ chants

While Matt Rhule was speaking with reporters after Fan Fest, a Panthers fan was heard loudly chanting “Fire Matt Rhule.” And Rhule definitely took note of it.

Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule hasn’t exactly endeared himself to fans over the past three years. And although he’s heading into the 2022 campaign with a refreshed outlook, for both himself and his team, he still has detractors.

One of those detractors was in attendance at Bank of America Stadium on Thursday night for this summer’s edition of Fan Fest. While Rhule was chopping it up a bit with reporters following the light practice, said fan could be heard (quite clearly) chanting “Fire Matt Rhule!”

It was so clear, in fact, that Rhule couldn’t help but acknowledge it mid-answer.

“Between soccer, between the concerts, between football, to me—it’s been tremendous to see the atmosphere, to see the people coming out.” Rhule said when asked what the event means for the fans and the city. “So, I’m happy everyone’s here, even the guy saying ‘Fire Matt Rhule’ right now. I’m happy that everyone’s out here.”

(To get a look and a listen, the action starts right around the 1:00 mark below.)

Well, many fans may want Rhule to lose his job, but at least he hasn’t lost his sense of humor.

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Gator Collective hosts fan event to boost NIL’s public image

Florida fans got their first taste of the Gator Collective.

On Wednesday, Gator Collective hosted their first (and hopefully annual) Fan Fest, an event that included opportunities to interact with over 40 of the university’s athletes. It was held at Touchdown Terrace in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, and over 200 fans came for the three-hour event. Aside from the obvious appeal of meeting their favorite players, the event was held in an effort to raise fans’ awareness of the positive impact of name, image, and likeness laws.

NIL can be confusing and incites a lot of strong feelings, but the Gator Collective is helping to navigate those choppy waters. It supplements benefactor support with contributions from the fanbase to connect Florida athletes with NIL opportunities.

“Fan donations toward the Gator Collective allow athletes to earn compensation in exchange for exclusive content and experiences with UF athletes for those fans, such as last Saturday’s event,” explained On3’s Zach Abolverdi.

Gator Collective is best-known for their splashier moves, such as the “very lucrative” package they put together to persuade [autotag]Colin Castleton[/autotag] to return for a third season at Florida.

However, arranging for paid appearances like Wednesday’s event is a way to appeal to current athletes to stay with the Gators. It’s about as subtle as your uncle’s Facebook board, but putting money in the hands of players already enrolled at Florida is important for the health of the program. Furthermore, it could be easy for it to fall through the cracks when so much of the media is obsessed with player acquisition.

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Chargers training camp: Struggling kickers booed by fans

Fans at SoFi Stadium were left disappointed by the kickers on Sunday.

With the Chargers starting kicker job up for grabs, no one was able to move the needle on Sunday.

In fact, the showings were so underwhelming that they received boos from fans who were in attendance for the team’s Fan Fest at SoFi Stadium.

Michael Badgley went 4-for-7, with his misses coming from 41, 49 and 51 yards. Badgley did manage to make one from 55 yards out to end a two-minute drive.

Tristan Vizcaino finished 4-for-6, missing kicks from 38 and 49 yards. Undrafted free agent Alex Kessman’s day wasn’t any better, ending his session 2-for-6.

Sunday’s performance didn’t offer much to be optimistic about for those watching, considering incompetent special teams is what cost Los Angeles some games last season.

All kickers have split the uprights from beyond 50 yards up to this point, but no one has separated themselves from the pack when it comes to consistent accuracy.

Still, with a handful of practices and three preseason games, there is plenty of time for someone to prove themselves to the coaching staff.