Panthers head coach Dave Canales says he’s “pushing” to get more playing time for young players on defense.
Canales was asked why young players didn’t get much playing time on defense in Sunday’s loss to the Jaguars, and responded that it’s something he wants to see.
“I’m pushing that,” Canales said. “I’d love for all of our young guys to play. I really believe that it’s so valuable for those guys to be out there. Are they going to be perfect? No. Will every rep that they take be valuable and beneficial for their future? Yes. And so I would love for those guys to get opportunities out there so that we can see what we have. And then also just knowing it’s a long season and a lot of people are going to play at different times, it’ll help us going forward.”
Asked if he’s pushed for more playing time for young guys in a conversation with defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Canales said he talks about it with his coaching staff.
“Just collectively, as a staff, it’s just like, ‘Hey guys, let’s play these young guys. We’re gonna need everybody,’” Canales said.
The reality, however, is that Canales is the head coach. He decides who plays. He doesn’t have to “push” anything, he can just send the young players on the field. The Panthers turned in an ugly performance in Sunday’s opener, and if Canales wasn’t satisfied with who was on the field, he should have changed that during the game.