Rhule: He just has to worry about playing quarterback right now
Posted July 28, 2021 9:21 p.m. EDT
Spartanburg, S.C. - Back like they never left. Kinda. They leave every August following a couple weeks of training camp, but you get the point. The Carolina Panthers returned to Wofford College on Wednesday to open training camp in Spartanburg for the first time in two years.
Right off the bat the most noticeable sight was the fans; or the lack thereof. Perhaps it's the lingering COVID-19 pandemic or the fact no autographs or photos would be allowed with the players. What ever it was, only about 100 fans sat on the hills looking on to the Panthers practice fields.
As for the team itself, nearly every player was accounted for. And of those players, head coach Matt Rhule was pleased with the shape they were in.
"Guys looked good; they're moving around, guys know what to do. We're not a really competitive team on the first and second day as we put pads on," Rhule siad. "We'll be a little more tomorrow. Really, trying to ramp up this first week so when we hit pads next week we can go and not have to think and be in great shape. Credit to the guys, I think they came in in pretty good shape."
Today also marked the first training camp for Sam Darnold in a Panthers uni. After an up and down start to his career in three seasons with the Jets, Darnold has worked on learning the Panthers offense and getting better every day. That's all Rhule wants him to focus on as well.
While most quarterbacks seem to be natural leaders, Rhule doesn't want his new QB worrying about that. Instead when meeting with reporters Wednesday morning he took the burden of being a vocal leader for the team right off Darnold's back.
“Sam’s 23 years old (he actually turned 24 in June). He just has to worry about playing quarterback right now,” Rhule said. “We’ve got great leaders. We’ve got Christian McCaffrey. We’ve got Matt Paradis. We’ve got DJ Moore, Robby Anderson, Dan Arnold. We’ve got all these veteran guys that have played a lot.
He's not completely off the hook when it comes to being a team leader. Think actions speak louder than words.
"What I’m really looking for from Sam right now is to be the first guy in the building and the last to leave,” Rhule said. “I want him to just absolutely grind and outwork the competition.”
Robby Anderson, who played alongside Darnold with the Jets, knows first hand the style of leadership that fits the Panthers new QB.
“Sam’s going to lead with his actions. He’s going to lead with his voice, but he’s definitely going to lead with his actions and he’s going to work,” Anderson said. “He’s like a head-down, keep-grinding mentality.”
As one of the first and last players off the field on Day 1 of camp, he's already leading by example. Rhule says if your quarterbacks work at that level, it means a lot more than words.
“If they’re spending so much time on the tape that they walk on the practice field every day and they know what to do — the more you’re around all the great quarterbacks or the more you hear about them, their level of preparation sets the tone way beyond anything else."
