NOTABLE QUOTES
The Panthers finished with at least two preseason wins for the fifth straight year. For what it’s worth, they’ve won at least than many exhibitions ahead of each of their seven playoff seasons.
Coach Ron Rivera’s assessment of the past five weeks?
“I think we are headed in the right direction,” he said. “By no means are we were I want to be, but I feel very comfortable with us.
“Going back to last week, I would have really liked for us to get the ball into the end zone. You move the ball like we did and it’s disappointing. But looking at what we did in the whole preseason, I’m obviously pleased with that. I think there were some really good things in the first two games, and as I said in the third game, the only thing that bothered me is we didn’t finish the plays.”
Because coaches want rookies to get as many reps as possible, CB James Bradberry’s name was a surprisingly inclusion on the did not dress list.
“Nothing was wrong,” Rivera said. “We decided not to play him. We had some other guys we really wanted to look at, and I don’t know if you noticed the rotation we had with all the defensive backs, the corners specifically.”
Understandably, WR Keyarris Garrett disagreed with the questionable call that erased his incredible 1-handed leaping grab in the corner of the end zone.
“(The official) just said, ‘You pushed.’ I was like, ‘Pushed him where?’ Garrett said. “I didn’t even touch him at all. No sir, there wasn’t pass interference.”
QB Joe Webb played all four quarters, completing 17 of his 29 attempts for 200 yards. His most impressive moment came late in the first quarter after he handed off to RB Brandon Wegher. When Webb saw Wegher bounce to the outside, the QB sprinted ahead and dropped his left shoulder into CB Jordan Dangerfield.
“I sell out for my teammates,” Webb said. “If I see them break outside, and I can throw a block to help spring them, then I’m going to lay my body on the line.”
LS J.J. Jansen pounced on a third-quarter punt that bounced off the leg of Steelers’ LB Steven Johnson. It was Jansen’s first fumble recovery since he began playing football.
“It feels good, but everyone told us that now it’s for real. As in next week. So I guess this didn’t really happen,” he joked afterward. “I don’t think it counts because it’s preseason.”
LB Jeremy Cash has put on about 15 pounds in the fourth months he’s been in Carolina. When asked how he’s put on the weight, the undrafted rookie replied: “Eating.”
While many of us are on a similar diet, adding bulk was a job requirement for the converted safety.
“I would eat every 3 or 4 hours snacking throughout the day and taking in as many calories as possible,” Cash said. “Obviously good calories because it would’ve been easy to just eat a bunch of burgers and put on bad weight.”
Asked if it was tough to pack on pounds, Cash replied:
“Oh no. You can’t get big eating small. I love food. Food’s good.”
We hear you, Jeremy. We hear you.