Tag: Shaq Thompson

Bryce Young ‘brought the house down’ at Panthers’ rookie talent show

Panthers QB Bryce Young went with the stylings of Keyshia Cole for his rookie talent show act and apparently brought the house down in Spartanburg.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young kept his act on the down low ahead of Wednesday night’s rookie talent show. But apparently, there was nothing low about it.

The No. 1 overall pick may have very well been the star of the team’s annual training camp display, where first-year youngsters are tasked with entertaining the vets. Just check out this sparkling review from the organization’s second-longest tenured player, linebacker Shaq Thompson:

“He had a hell of a performance. I thought I was at a concert, to be honest with ya. Bryce had a hell of a performance.

“Everybody enjoyed it. He got into it. Tryin’ to tell ya, it was like a concert. He set the stage. He set the stage.”

Second-year left tackle Ikem Ekwonu also spoke about the spectacle following Thursday’s practice. Ekwonu, who was the featured performer from last year’s show, was asked if Young topped his 2022 rendition of “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye [to Yesterday]” by Boyz II Men.

“I’d say so—because last year, they didn’t sing along with me,” he replied with a smile. “They clapped it up though, I got a standing ovation. But we definitely sang along with Bryce. So I’ma give him the one-up on that one.”

So, what did Bryce belt out?

“He sang a Keyshia Cole song,” Ekwonu added of what he called an ‘A+’ showing. “I can’t remember what it’s called. He brought the house down. He brought the house down. It was crazy.”

As of this writing, there is no word on if Young and Ekwonu will branch off as an R&B duo.

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Shaq Thompson: This staff knows how to take care of players

Panthers LB Shaq Thompson praised Frank Reich and his staff for how they handle practices.

There’s a stark difference between the current and previous coaching regimes for the Carolina Panthers, and it’s becoming even more obvious by the day.

Linebacker Shaq Thompson refused to speak specifically of the latter following Thursday’s training camp outing. But when he was asked about his feelings on Frank Reich’s staff compared to the last one, the words the ninth-year veteran didn’t speak might’ve spoke volumes.

“I ain’t gonna talk about the other staff—but this staff, man, they just know how to take care of players a little bit,” he said. “You see our practices—we come out here, get our work in and we get off the field. Tryin’ to beat the heat, come in, work. We gonna start doin’ situational stuff—he’s bringing in that because it’s all about situational football. Things happen. Two-minutes happen, four-minutes happen.

“So it just brings a lot of knowledge into us and makin’ sure everybody knows what they’re doin’ handlin’ situations. Nobody folds under pressure. And that’s what they’re doin’ out here for us.”

Thompson, who’s seen quite a bit here as the team’s second-longest tenured player, probably saw some much different stylings out of former head coach Matt Rhule. In fact, it might’ve been the same stuff Cam Newton, Steve Smith Sr., Teddy Bridgewater and Tommy Tremble all saw.

But with all of that now in the past, the present and future looks pretty bright for Thompson, Reich and the ruly Panthers.

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Kamu Grugier-Hill shines, picks off Andy Dalton in 2nd straight practice

LB Kamu Grugier-Hill may be the (very) early star of Panthers training camp.

The Carolina Panthers may have a bit of an occasional opening right in the middle of their defense, one a newcomer is already making a hard push for.

For the second straight practice, linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill picked off veteran quarterback Andy Dalton during team drills in Spartanburg. Fellow backer Shaq Thompson took some time after the session to speak about the defense’s early star of training camp.

“Kamu’s one of those guys that’s just like a silent killer,” Thompson said. “They brought him in for special teams, but I definitely think he’s gonna be one of those guys—they gotta put him on the field somehow, some way. He’s been making plays, he’s fast, he’s smart, he’s a veteran. I feel like you gotta find a way to get everybody on the field, and you definitely gotta find a way to get him on the field.”

Grugier-Hill, who signed a one-year deal with the Panthers this spring, has been primarily used as a special teams player for much of his NFL career. He did, however, pick up each of his 363 snaps from the 2022 campaign on defense for the Arizona Cardinals.

While Thompson and Frankie Luvu will likely command the vast majority of looks at the two inside linebacker spots, the unit’s realignment to a 3-4 base under defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero should allow for some creativity. And if Grugier-Hill continues to make plays this summer, Evero may have to get creative this fall.

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Panthers players exchange trash talk with Cowboys fan at training camp

A few Panthers players had a bit of fun with a loud Cowboys fan (no, not Skip Bayless) who attended Thursday’s practice.

There was an undeniable buzz at the beginning of Carolina Panthers training camp on Wednesday. In anticipation of a new and exciting era for the organization, fans flocked to the scorching fields of Spartanburg—lining up over an hour early to see their team go to work.

But the next morning, while relatively packed again, was highlighted by a little fun with another type of fan.

Prior to the start of Thursday’s practice, a few Panthers players were seen chopping it up with a *gasp* Dallas Cowboys fan—who seems to be quite the fixture over at Wofford College this time of year.

Unfortunately, Thompson, Tuttle and the rest of the crew won’t get their chance to really stick it to the fan this season. “America’s Team” is not on the schedule for Carolina here in 2023.

But albeit a playful defense, at least it’s nice to see the Panthers guard their home away from home—especially after the noted takeovers of the last two years.

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‘Madden NFL 24’ ratings for Panthers middle linebackers revealed

The Panthers are a bit little in middle throughout these “Madden NFL 24” ratings.

Unfortunately for the league’s middle linebackers, the quarterbacks—as usual—commanded the spotlight during Friday’s “Madden NFL 24” ratings reveals. So, we’ll let ’em shine a little here.

Check out the marks for the Carolina Panthers’ backers:

3 positions the Panthers should address before training camp

The Panthers still may have some work to do before reconvening for training camp later this summer.

The Carolina Panthers have been remarkably active this offseason. Yet, their work on the roster seems far from done.

Here are the three positions the teams should address before entering training camp later this month.

Panthers’ LB corps placed in middle of PFF rankings

According to PFF, the middle of the Panthers defense is pretty much as mid as it gets.

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The middle of the Carolina Panthers defense is, well, mid—at least according to Pro Football Focus.

Site contributor Dalton Wasserman recently ranked the NFL’s 32 linebacking corps. Carolina’s bunch, headed by Shaq Thompson and Frankie Luvu, come in at No. 16.

Wasserman writes:

The Panthers’ linebacking corps is a Jekyll-and-Hyde situation. On the one hand, they posted the third-best run-defense grade in football and finished the regular season with a league-best 159 defensive stops. On the other, their 53.0 coverage grade ranked 22nd in the NFL, and they allowed the second-most touchdowns (8) into their coverage in the regular season.

Starters Shaq Thompson and Frankie Luvu return, so things don’t figure to change much. They both put up elite 90.0-plus run-defense grades, bested only by Bobby Wagner. Luvu also offers value as an edge rusher, with his 23 pressures and seven sacks both top-five marks at the position.

The problem is that these two combined to give up over 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns into their coverage last season. Cory Littleton was the best cover man in Carolina’s unit, and he left in free agency.

Thompson and Luvu are good players, but there isn’t anyone on the Panthers’ roster who profiles as a good coverage linebacker. That caps the ceiling on this unit’s potential.

That part of the field will, however, look a bit different in 2023.

For one, defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero will be employing a 3-4 base defense—giving the unit a fresh look on its front. So not only will the Panthers have pass rushers coming off the edge of their linebacking corps, but they’ll also look to get a little creative with a few other intriguing pieces.

The most intriguing should be safety Jeremy Chinn, whose role isn’t exactly defined just yet. His versatility, though, should allow for Evero and his staff to patch up those coverage issues from the middle of the field and use the talented fourth-year defender as a chess piece of sorts.

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Panthers’ Frankie Luvu, Shaq Thompson make PFF’s top-32 LB rankings

Frankie Luvu and Shaq Thompson were named two of the NFL’s top 32 off-ball linebackers by Pro Football Focus.

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For a franchise that’s rostered a handful of premier linebackers over the years, the Carolina Panthers have gotten little in the middle of late. Nonetheless, they still have a few of the game’s best.

Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus recently ranked the top 32 off-ball linebackers in the NFL. Included on the list were a pair of Panther backers, starting with Frankie Luvu at No. 13.

Sikkema writes:

Luvu looked like he was about to put himself in the conversation as one of the best linebackers of 2022 with how he was playing early on. He was a top-tier run defender, earning an 89.5 run-defense grade.

Luvu’s positioning places him in the third tier of these ranks—alongside the likes of Chicago’s T.J. Edwards, Kansas City’s Nick Bolton, Los Angeles’ Eric Kendricks and Miami’s David Long Jr. And he got there thanks to a career year, one in which he posted bests in starts (14), tackles (111) and sacks (7.0).

Joining “Uce” was Shaq Thompson, who squeezed into the 21st spot:

Thompson shined as a run defender in 2022, earning a 90.2 run-defense grade, but his coverage grade dipped from a 72.6 last season to a 57.4 mark in 2022. His 74.3% completion percentage allowed and 64.9% open-target percentage were high.

Thompson, a fifth-tier backer on this list, remained in Carolina following what was an uncertain start to the offseason. He too is coming off one of his best pro campaigns after posting a career-high 135 tackles.

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Panthers veterans give early impressions of rookie QB Bryce Young

Like the rest of the organization, Panthers vets Shaq Thompson and Brady Christensen are highly impressed by rookie QB Bryce Young thus far.

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The Carolina Panthers brass is, obviously, extremely high on quarterback Bryce Young. You kinda get that sense after the organization used this year’s No. 1 overall pick on the kid, no?

But how do Young’s new teammates feel about him?

Carolina Blitz editor-in-chief Vashti Hurt took that pulse on Thursday. Following the latest installment of organized team activities, Hurt asked two pretty pertinent veterans for their early impressions of the rookie passer.

The first was linebacker and second-longest tenured Panther Shaq Thompson.

“Man, I think that kid is smart,” he replied. “He understands football, he understands the playbook. He’s making great throws out there. And he just learnin’ how to be a pro, ya know?

“He’s a Cali kid, so shoutout to California. And he’s just one of those kids who’s coming in and I think he’s gonna be great. He has Andy Dalton there, Josh McCown, all these other quarterback coaches around him. So, it’s gonna be an awesome thing to see and I can’t wait for him to grow and see what he got.”

Next up was a guy who’ll likely be protecting him when he finally hits the pro playing field—guard Brady Christensen.

“Can’t speak highly enough of him,” he said. “Just the way he carries himself, his leadership, his confidence. You can tell—I’m just really excited to be able to protect him and see what he can do.”

So, there seems to be a lot of can’t-wait-and-see when it comes to the new face of the franchise.

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Panthers LB Shaq Thompson on transition to 3-4 defense: I actually love this

Panthers LB Shaq Thompson, whose future in Carolina was a bit uncertain just a few months ago, feels confident in working with the team’s new coaching staff.

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So, how’s the Carolina Panthers’ transition to a 3-4 base defense going?

Linebacker and second-longest tenured Panther Shaq Thompson was asked that question on Thursday. Following the latest session of team organized activities, the ninth-year veteran told reporters that the switch is moving along swimmingly.

“It’s been good,” he said. “I played it [Ron] Rivera’s last year. So, it’s not any different. I actually love this. We’re more visual. Get to play off the quarterback, play fast and just be free.”

As Thompson noted, this is Carolina’s second move to a 3-4 in the last handful of years. The first came under Rivera in 2019, his ninth and final campaign with the organization.

But now, Thompson is working with a whole new coaching staff under defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero—one he’s been quite impressed by to this point.

“But this staff has been a blessing,” he stated. “Over 200 years of experience—it was like, ‘Why wouldn’t you feel comfortable?’ Everybody knows the game, they’ve been coachin’ for a long time. So there’s no reason not to be confident and comfortable with these coaches.”

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