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.
