Jaguars - 26, Panthers - 10
DAVE CANALES: That's a picture of where we're at right now, obviously not good enough: The turnovers, the explosive plays, I thought our tackling was not great. We let a couple of plays out that we had stopped essentially for nothing. We let them get through to the second level.
Any time you have four turnovers in a game, you give an offense with a bunch of weapons more opportunities. This is the outcome. This is what happens here.
I'm proud of the guys for finishing. I'm proud of them for continuing to play, but they know as well as I know that's not good enough, but it was a good chance to just look at them in the eye and say, look, this is where we are at right now. We've got to look at the tape. We have to grow from this. We have to take care of the basic things that we've been working on and just take a next step this week.
Certainly disappointed in how we played today, especially with all the things that we emphasize.
Q. Given the way the passing game was operating, when you decided to go empty on fourth and one, what was the logic behind it?
DAVE CANALES: We just liked our matchup. Felt like we had a good concept right there, and it didn't work out. But that's a situation where it's a play that we know, wanted to put our guys in a comfortable position with good answers for it, and we didn't execute.
Q. At the end of that play, Bryce comes to the sideline and he slammed his helmet. Was he upset with the play call?
DAVE CANALES: I'm never going to share that kind of stuff publicly. I think that's something that he and I will work through and talk about, but his frustration wasn't directed at me in that. We were just talking about we've got to keep playing ball.
I've been in these situations. I've been in these games. We're sitting there with an offsides opportunity thinking, shoot, let's get it, let's go score again and try to keep hope alive.
It was just a frustrating day in general. I think there's a lot of guys that would come up here and tell you they wish they could do better.
Q. It seems the snaps were coming a little higher, things like that.
DAVE CANALES: We've really just got to figure out calming down the cadence part and getting everybody sorted out in the protection. Got to give credit to the Jags. I thought they did a good job of presenting some issues with pressures. We had some success against what they did. They got us a few times. They chose a very aggressive approach, but we had a plan for it.
I think it's just making sure we get the whole rhythm and organization from the center and everybody else on the same page so that we're ready to go.
Q. You guys spent the entire summer working on what you were going to do on offense and defense. This is the second week 1 in a row where you guys have been blown out in a game. What do you think the disconnect is going from training camp to week 1?
DAVE CANALES: I wish I could tell you that. It's disappointing. We're all disappointed. Felt really good about the work we put in. It did not show up today.
That was something I was able to talk to the group about. Guys, we know what we have in this room, but it just comes down to finish. Finishing plays. Finishing drives when we get our red zone opportunities, stopping them when they get down there. It really just comes down to that. That's a part of our game we have to pride ourselves on, and that's the growth that we have.
Q. What is the mood in the locker room?
DAVE CANALES: Honestly, disappointed, but at the same time, I think there's a look of surprise a little bit for the guys because they know what kind of group we have in there, and this was not up to the standard of our expectations for how we play.
The guys are pretty focused on like, all right, we get back to work. This is words coming right from the players. We get right back to work tomorrow. We have another week coming up going out to Arizona. We have to make sure we're able to take the lessons, grow, and flip the switch so we can get back to work.
Q. This has happened a lot of years, this sort of opener, and I know you've only been here for two of them, but I wonder what you would tell Panther fans who have suffered through a 2-15 before you? A lot of them will look at this result and think, man, it's the same old Panthers again.
DAVE CANALES: We're just going to get right back to work, fix the things, watch the film, grow, and continue to advance our football.
Q. You guys spent a lot of money in free agency on this defense, and last year you guys gave up a ton of rushing yards. This game is pretty much the same thing. What do you think the issue is there?
DAVE CANALES: Got to look at it. I think some of it's tackling, just fundamentals of football really and also opportunities. We turned the ball over four times. Really the last one was at the end of the game, but you're talking about three meaningful turnovers throughout the course of the game.
When you give an offense that has talent, that has special players like that and you give them more opportunities, then we start to expose ourselves. That's part of playing complementary football is we have to be able to take care of the ball on offense, and then we've got to be able to get off the field on defense.
I think it really just -- it plays both ways. When you don't play complementary football, then all of a sudden you're giving the other team opportunities.
Q. Pretty long weather stoppage. Did you talk during that time? It felt like you all would come out with a pop, and it just didn't happen.
DAVE CANALES: Both teams, we both had to go in for the weather delay. We talked to the guys, worked through some adjustments with the amount of film and things that we had going in, got their body right and ready to go to come out again. It was just a little bit more of the same.
I think it's just a matter of us looking at the film and continuing to improve on our fundamentals.
Q. On your young receiving, Legette has a play and he doesn't get his toe down, T-Mac has a play in the end zone that he didn't get a second hand up. Should both of those plays have been made?
DAVE CANALES: Absolutely. Looking for those guys to just finish the plays, to execute. I'm excited for this group that we have. I'm excited for what I saw for the couple of drives that we put together to see the guys win and get open and make their plays, but we've got to make all the ones that you're supposed to make. That's the sign of consistency. That's a sign of maturity, to continue to grow and make those plays. We're counting on them to do that, and we'll keep giving them ops. That's just what we're going to do.
These are the guys we have. I love them. We're fired up for this group, but they'll be the first ones to tell you I've got to make that play. That's what I want them to just grasp. The consistency it takes to be really good is you make all the ones you're supposed to make and some of the special ones every once in a while when you have to.
Q. What did you say to Bryce after the game?
DAVE CANALES: Back to work. Let's go back to work. Really to Bryce, to the whole group really, we have to look in the mirror. This is where we're at today. The film is the truth. This is where we're at. Do we have the character to keep pushing forward, to keep getting better at our fundamentals?
Q. What is the status of Terk Wharton?
DAVE CANALES: We're evaluating him for a hamstring, so we're going to get an MRI on that and have more information. We had to shut him down for the game.
Q. Any other injuries?
DAVE CANALES: Pat Jones had an ankle, and I think that was pretty much it. A couple of this and that, but those are the two main ones we'll look at.
Q. You all are 8 of 15 on third down, which at first glance is pretty good. How do you absorb that and bridge that gap with the final resule?
DAVE CANALES: Turnovers, and that's really what it is. When you have a 50 percent or better day on third down, that typically means longer drives. That typically means more rushing yards, more chances for explosives that, as the defense start to show us their hand and what they're doing.
To end it in turnovers, we weren't able to capitalize on a day that could have been a really consistent, complementary day of football.
Q. You mentioned the snaps and you said calm down the cadence. Can you clarify what you mean by that?
DAVE CANALES: I think it's just Austin and Bryce, as we're going through, just making sure we have the protection right, just making sure we're on the same page.
Q. How did Yosh do in his debut?
DAVE CANALES: I thought he had a solid day. For the most part, really no issues. He got beat a couple times, which Josh Hines Allen is a fantastic player, but I thought he did a solid job filling in there, especially being able to run the ball, being able to throw the ball when he had to. I'm really appreciative of having Yosh, and I was really proud of what he did today?
Q. Do you feel like you had the team prepared well enough?
DAVE CANALES: I believe so. I thought we had a great camp. I thought we had a fantastic amount of work. I think the fitness of the group was excellent. When I looked out there, we're finishing the game, playing hard still. To me, the physical readiness was there.
I have to look at myself and say, okay, how did we not prepare these guys to be able to finish the way we want to, to be able to finish the plays consistently? You have to look at that.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports