The Carolina Panthers are the only team in the NFL not to have a prime-time game scheduled for the 2024 season. But that doesn’t seem to bother first-year head coach Dave Canales.
Canales spoke with reporters following Monday’s session of organized team activities. He was asked about Carolina’s lack of national exposure for the campaign.
“Yeah, you gotta earn it,” he replied. “You gotta earn prime-time games. Those things just don’t come along. Every year, you don’t start out that way. They don’t just throw you on prime-time games for no reason.
“We have to build a version of football we’re proud of and be able to accentuate the strengths and talents of our guys that we have. And then I think the world will wanna see that at some point. But we got a long way to go and we gotta earn those type of opps [opportunities].”
The Panthers certainly didn’t earn those “opps” considering what went down in 2023. Not only did they end up with the NFL’s worst record at 2-15, but they did so while fielding the absolute worst offense in the league—one that averaged 13.9 points and 265.3 yards per game.
Canales was then asked if he’s taking the scheduling as motivation for 2024.
“I’m not a negative motivator,” he said. “I’m about possibilities. I’m about how good we can become. And so, I think maybe some guys would be naturally motivated that way. If they do, that’s just never really worked for me.
“I don’t know who the teams are. Look at the schedule, I can’t tell you whether I’m excited about it or not. It just makes it more real for me. Now that it’s on paper and it’s a solid schedule—it’s like, ‘Ok, now this feels real. This season is gonna happen. Whether we like it or not, here it comes.'”
Hopefully, they like it.
