DAVE CANALES: All right, exciting day around here. Charlotte FC getting ready for the big game tonight. We went out there on the field, beautiful day, got our practice in.
Just tightening up some things in the game plan and getting the full group out there to evaluate them and getting them ready for the weekend.
Q. Dave, what's the story T-Mack?
DAVE CANALES: Yeah, something popped up in practice, so we shut him down for part of it. He was able to take a few reps but precautionary. We'll look at him again tomorrow morning though just to make sure he's ready to go.
Q. Any serious concern or you feel pretty optimistic?
DAVE CANALES: Concern. Concern, certainly, so we will just take a look tomorrow and see where he is at. Hoping he can go.
Q. Tershawn, coming off a strong game against the Packers after missing four games, is he starting to round into the difference maker that you expected?
DAVE CANALES: Absolutely. It's the energy, it's the aggressiveness, the violence of play, being able to be disruptive, and that's what we counted on. That's why he's here.
Q. And his chemistry with Derrick? How is that developing?
DAVE CANALES: Yeah, they play off each other really well. Two different style of players, but at the same time, like the focus is the same. It's the high energy, the way they finish, the way they chase things down, which is infectious for the whole group.
Q. Dave, is there any time, a specific timetable that you can share with us about Chandler?
DAVE CANALES: No specific timetable. He'll be out this week, but we'll reevaluate him through the weekend, certainly look at him on Monday and see if we can't get him back out there.
Q. Is it week-to-week or day-to-day?
DAVE CANALES: I would say week-to-week, Bruce; is that fair?
Q. And then Brycen Tremayne obviously is questionable. What does he bring beyond his receiving qualities? Why is it important for him to be out there?
DAVE CANALES: Yeah, he's a great contributor for our special teams unit. Does a lot of cool things for us there, and certainly in the run game he's a physical blocker.
But on top of all that, just a really conscientious player. Very smart. He gives us the flexibility and probably goes without noticing but he pops in for a play at X for T-Mack at times. He pops in for a play for Xavier at Z at times; plays the F position. And he's been really versatile with what we can do with him in the run game and the pass game.
Q. Obviously very different body type, but how comforting is it to have a Hunter Renfrow available to you who you have seen plug in this year and make some plays?
DAVE CANALES: I'm so glad Hunter is here. The way he goes about his work, what he's been -- his reputation speaks for itself. The way that he works and the way he is focused and locks in really affects the group in a positive way.
Q. Would it be Hunter more so than Chisena?
DAVE CANALES: We have to work through all of that this weekend and make sure we take a look at the guys and see who's available.
Q. How did Rico look today?
DAVE CANALES: Looked great. Yeah. Had a full day, full day of work. Really looking forward to him on Sunday.
Q. Think he'll start?
DAVE CANALES: Yes.
Q. Dave, speaking of Rico, we haven't had a chance to talk to you since he launched his GoFundMe. According to -- I just checked a couple minutes ago -- 744 donations, $25,000 raised for the Children's Home in North Carolina. When you hear that, how do you absorb that?
DAVE CANALES: I just love the whole part of just -- I know in the situation it's something that we can certainly learn from and grow, but in every situation there is a positive that can come out of it.
I'm so proud of Rico and the way he approached this and just said, okay, this is what it was. This was the fine. This is an opportunity to create awareness and bring the community together, which is what's happened with this thing.
So really proud of the way he's handled it.
Q. Have you talked to him and others about alternative celebrations that don't involve one, two, or three pumps?
DAVE CANALES: We certainly covered that, yes.
Q. Just real quick one. I saw an interview where Tre'Von is learning to play guitar and is forming a heavy metal band back home in the offseason. Just an off-field question, but when you were young did you ever learn an instrument?
DAVE CANALES: I played a couple different instruments. Sang a lot in church. Grew up in church so a lot of worship music and Christmas plays, different things that came up.
So I'm very familiar with that part of it. I do think it helps. It helps with the creative side of your mind to be able to take different situations and maybe something that might look different. I just feel like it creates a lot of creativity. It's something that really encourage people to pick up an instrument, look into music, reading music, all these different things.
It really expands your brain with how you take in information and assimilate things.
Q. Play piano or...
DAVE CANALES: A little bit of piano, a little bit of drums, tiny bit of guitar. We had all those instruments at all times and we were at church a lot, so you tinker and try different things. It's part of our family background and history. My grandpa played guitar; grandmother played the organ or the piano for church.
So it's a huge part of our family.
Something I learned about Tre early on was some of different things he's interested in. I'm mostly interested in the rock band he's creating in the secondary. That's my main focus right now, and I know that's his, too.
Q. I imagine after a momentous win like the one in Green Bay, a lot of priority will be refocusing.
DAVE CANALES: Yeah.
Q. Getting back to work. How do you think the team responded to such a win in practice this week?
DAVE CANALES: I think they responded great coming back into work on Wednesday and understanding -- it requires all of our energy to be focused on the opponent. The Saints are coming in. We got to look at all the stuff and be locked in.
There can be distractions. I want to make sure that guys take from the Packers game the lessons of winning the turnover battle. We turned one over, but we were plus one in that, and all the critical variables that led to success, that led to the win. Let's capture those things more so than trying to make it more than what it was.
It was a win. Every win is great for us. It's the confidence in our process. It's the confidence in the style of football that we play that works for us.
And those are the lessons this we have to take and we have to carry over week after week.
Q. Dave we've seen Rob Hunt out there a couple days this week. What's his timeline?
DAVE CANALES: I can't give you a specific timeline. I know he's running around and moving, doing a lot of upper body rehab and getting his legs going and making sure his cardio base and lower body strength is there as his arm continues to catch up in RTP.
They're bringing him along. He's right on track and he's into it. He's been there like all day just working with the training staff. So just counting on him to take week by week and see where we are at.
Q. Chance you have him this year?
DAVE CANALES: There may be. It gives us an opportunity to go into the bye week to kind of evaluate where he is at physically, so that gives us a little bit more space and time having four games after the bye to kind of evaluate that.
Again, it's going to be week to week it's and all going to depend on making sure he can do his job well in a safe manner where he's not putting himself at risk and he can be effective the way we know he can.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports