Well, absolutely.

And you know the thing that I like about this morning anything else is you know, the c is a team that's played very well at home.

This is also a team that you know, has been able to keep games.

Close enough that you get into that fourth quarter, anything can happened, and if the defense can step up corral a little bit of that rams offense, I think this anything can happen.

Attitudes is going to give them a chance to win a football game.

Coach yesterday, Canalis was talking about how he was telling his guys, you know, embrace the hype, the city's fired up, you know, play into that.

Was that always your mindset?

Did you tell your guys like, embrace the city when it's fired up like that, or did you try to like calm the waters and keep your guys focused on the task at hand.

What was your mindset when it came to playoff time and all the outside noise that happens.

It was about feeding off the energy, it really was.

You know, our guys could create a lot of energy themselves, but anytime that we had that stadium packed, and when that stating was packed, a gets rocky.

And that's what's exciting about who these guys are.

I mean, you know, the city got behind us and we felt their energy and it was really supportive.

And I really do believe that this city's been waiting for an opportunity.

I think what Dave Canalis has done in rallying his team, putting them in position, and again, it's all you need to do is you just need to get into the game.

We're talking with Ron Rivera, Panthers legend.

Last time the Panthers hosted a playoff game, it was twenty fifteen.

It was the dang NFC title game, and my lord, it was one of the best knights ever to be a Panther fan.

And Coach Rivera's with us here talking about this team being in the playoffs, and we're reminiscing a little bit I mentioned in the intro Coach about Cam your QB.

It took a.

Little while here.

There was you know, there was definitely it seemed like, you know, some they weren't on the same page Cam in the organization.

But now it sounds like he's going to be back Saturday to pound that key, pounding drum and the excitement of fans, you would think he's suiting up again.

I mean, fans are everybody's so excited just to see him there and have him be a part of this moment.

So I just I want to ask you about this aspect of Cam.

What did you think of his ability to just, I mean, put people into a frenzy.

I mean, he is an absolute I mean entertainer.

I mean he just I mean I've never seen anybody like that with an ability just to get you know, people in Charlotte to go bizark.

You know, I'll tell you one of the things that he really learned to do was endear himself to the city.

He knew how to endear himself to his teammates, and I think that's one of his special qualities that he does get people rallied around him and can really just make things happen.

And I'm so happy to hear that he's going to be back there.

I really am, because he is a special guy and he is part of the legend that the twenty fifteen team was, you know, he was the ringleader.

And just very happy to hear that he's going to be back there because you know, the city embraced him.

He embraced the city, and you know, for a little bit, there was a little bit of a split right there.

But I really truly am glad to hear that.

So he is special.

He really is.

And I think with the things they're trying to do bringing all that energy back, I think that's going to be big this for this football team come Saturday.

Coach, what's one camp play that you think back when you coached him that is like the one play that stands out for you.

There's a lot, whether it's the flip against Houston, he's dragging falcons around the city down there he did.

There's a lot, But is there one where you look back and smile and say, that is the cam and that play I remember most, you.

Know, I will tell you this the one thing that still sticks out in my mind more than anything, and I go back and look at it, and you guys have seen the highlight over and over and over.

It was the play he made against New England on that Monday night when he scrambled around forever I picked up that big time first down.

I mean, the guy was just such a phenomenal competitor, you know, when it looked like they just had him, he just kept working, kept running, kept making moves, doing his thing, and it just it epitomized.

But the other play that sticks out the most though, and I really do think about this one quite often.

We talked about you remember when we were when we were down in New Orleans.

It was twenty thirteen.

We're playing New Orleans at home, and it was a fourth down situation and and the Saint zero blitzed us and he threw that touchdown into the corner of the end zone to take the lead, and we held on to win that game.

And everybody thought New Orleans was going to win the division that day.

And because he played he made that play at the very end of the fourth quarter to win the game, we ended up winning the division in twenty thirteen.

It was one of the greatest, you know, composure plays that you have to have where you sit in that pocket, you know where the pressure's coming.

He delivered a perfect strike at the corner of the end zone for the touchdown, but he also took a big hit and got up and hey, it was like nothing happened other than he scored the touchdown for us.

It was amazing.

The building was shaken like that, There's not It's one of a few times out like well, this bill thing is shaking Hixon right now on it.

Yeah, that was it.

That was it.

It was dominic, No, it was It was a great thrill and a great catch.

That's a good call.

Good call by you.

So, coach, what do you what do you think about coach Canalis?

You've mentioned him here, like, do you have you chatted with him at all?

Liked?

Do you know him at all?

And what do you think about the work that that he has done with the Panthers.

You know, we've talked several times, we've texted back and forth on occasion.

But I really like him.

I really like who he is.

I think he handles things very well.

He's got the pulse of the team, you know.

I think he's been very good for Brian.

I think the development of the quarterback has been really really special.

He's still learning, he's still growing, but I think with the way Dave has handled it, I think you can see it, you know.

I think the thing that everybody has to understand that you know, with time, things start to grow and happen, and that's what we're seeing right now.

I think, you know, mister Tepper's kind of staying in the shadows, giving him an opportunity to go out there and let coach Canalis was saying, has been a really good thing.

You know.

When they came and played the forty nine ers out here, I went in to spend those time in the in the box with mister Tepper and got a chance to watch the team.

You know, they battled.

Unfortunately, they didn't win that game, but you could see that Dave was really doing a great job.

So I'm very happy for him as well.

You know, because anytime this this Panther team gets rolling, as wins football games and gets in the playoffs, it raises the city, you know, it really does.

And I think that's a real neat thing when the community gets involved as well.

Oh yeah, what's the piece of advice you have for Canalis in his first playoff appears, or any coach that's that's going at this thing for the first time.

I think the biggest thing is to make sure the players understand one thing and is they control their own destiny, you know.

And one of the things that we talked about that I think was one of our mantras, especially in twenty fourteen, was you don't have to be the best team.

You just have to be the best team that day.

It's the team that plays the best that day that wins.

And that's why I hope he's telling the guys, now, hey, let's just take it one game at a time, one play at a time.

Let's literally go out there and be the better team.

I like it.

I'm ready to go now.

I want to play coach.

Somebody couldn't like that.

Uh okay.

I want to ask you about Luke Keigley another subject.

I'm sure you have no problem waxing poetic about played the same played the same position as you, so I know that, I know he was special to you.

He's a finalist to get in for the Hall of Fame.

They changed the rules a little bit here where it seems like it is the amount of votes that you need to get in.

It seems like it's going to lower the classes.

Last year was only three and he didn't make it.

I'm sorry I watched him.

I feel like I watched the first ballot Hall of Famer.

Like he has to get in his second year, right, Like what what?

What would be your pitch to the voters for why you got to get this dude in here as soon as possible, is that this is a.

Guy that helped transform the transcend the position of linebacker.

Okay, when teams prepare for you, when teams copy the things that you you do.

Because he was one of those linebackers that could cover, could get out into space, make plays out there.

He was a guy that could play downhill, but a very physical make contact.

When the other players on the other teams talk about the guy knew what we were going to do.

He was calling out our plays before they happened.

Okay, and then he was so productive.

He was so very, very productive.

You know.

I kind of felt he got penal life for having a shortened career.

Yes, that's the only reason I don't think he got in right away.

If he'd been able to play a couple more years and you know, remain healthy.

To me, he would have been a shoeing as a as a first ballot.

Unfortunately, I think they held against the fact that he didn't play, you know, twelve years.

So I think this is his shot.

I think he deserves to be in.

And again, as I said, when people start, you know, preparing for you, when they talk about you before they talk about the rest of the team, that means you're pretty special.

Coach.

I would never want to embarrass Mac in front of you.

But during that draft, I still hard for you guys to draft Luke, Keigley and Matt questioned it a lot, just so.

You know, I didn't want you all to draft Cam.

If I was running the show, all these memories we're talking about, coach, we wouldn't have.

I wanted to play coach.

I wanted playing Gabbert.

He did put a championship with Tampa, but still I don't think I was right on that one.

Good I'll tell you what.

It was a special group of men, and I was very, very proud to have had the opportunity to be their their head coach.

I really was, just because you know, that team came together, that team did some great things.

My only big disappointment, like I said before, is I really wish we could have won it for the for the city.

I really do, and I you know, it's just something that still bothers me today because, uh, you know, it's a special city.

People have no idea what Charlotte's all about until they come in and then they go, what a great place, coach.

One more question for me over here.

We just had Olsen on in the last hour.

Greg Olsen who's calling here?

You who's calling the game for for Fox here?

What what made him so special and important to the cause.

Was it his ability to almost be an extension of the coaching staff that was so important to came in the offense.

Yes, it really was, because you know, a guy like that can can really help in so many different phases, you know, especially working with Cam.

He and Cam had a tremendous set of dynamics that was just amazing that you know, he could always support Cam in the huddle and then get out on the field, and then when Cam needed an outlet or somebody to go to is there was Greg just waiting for the ball.

So you know, just this overall knowledge of the game.

And now you see it with him coaching pee wee or not pee wee, but junior high school football.

You know, you see how much energy he has.

Well, that's what he was like on the field for us every day too.

Coach, last thing, let's acknowledge what you're doing now.

I'm sure it's pretty busy time for you as the general manager of Cal Football.

You kept the quarterback around and we saw him play in the ACC man he can play.

But obviously you've had losses and you're having additions.

How do you feel about the current climate and as a general manager navigate this transfer portal with it seems like few regulations.

How hard is this right now?

It sucks?

It really does, because there's no rules, there's no parameters, and then there's always somebody who's trying to figure out how you can circumnavigate the supposed rules that are out there.

And so when that happens, it creates chaos.

Why because well, they're cheating, they're doing it.

Why can't we do it, Let's do it, you know, And until somebody steps in and says, look, these are the rules, this is how we have to do it, You're going to have some chaos.

You're going to have some very unfortunate situations, circumstances, just like the young men and Washington's got some sort of issue about tying a contract now leaving.

You know.

It's just it's very difficult right now to really wrap your arms around the NCAA or college football and say, wow, this is a lot of fun, this is great.

It's not it's taking away from what it really is supposed to be.

I don't disagree with the judges assessment that there should be some revenue sharing.

That should be it.

That should just be end of it.

Revenue share is truly what you know, what we do.

What we had in the NFL, and that was you know, we had a cap.

We had a hard cap.

You know, you couldn't go out there and and and and and and funnel money somewhere to pay somebody above the salary cap.

That was wrong.

That's illegal.

It should be the same thing in college football.

You have an opportunity to have uh a mirror of the greatest game in the world right now as far as the NFL is concerned, the college football should be right below it.

Right now.

We're losing that opportunity.

Why because there's so much chaos going out there, and and you're not seeing programs being built the right way as much as you know, to sustain championships, to be competitive all the time.

It's just it's not as it's not where it should be.

And that's that to me is disappointing.

Coach.

I know that you said in a previous answer that you feel bad about the Super Bowl, but you still led the greatest era Panther football, and hope it makes you feel good that when we talk about that time period, the memories, and we talk about like who should the Panthers honor going forward, and we bring you up because we think you should one day be honored a lot of fans and we know how fans are about coaches, but a lot of the fans that miss you and remember those you get a lot of support for what you did.

You are able love figure in this city.

So the championships one thing, but your status here is never questioned.

Well, thank you guys.

I really do appreciate it.

And like I said, you know, there was a tremendous love affair for Stephanie and I to be there and spend as much time.

We didn't be able to do what we accomplish, you know, and like I said, it's a great city.

They embraced us and we really appreciate that.

So thank you very much,