Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero doesn’t seem like the man to step down to a challenge, even if it’s the biggest one he’s faced all season.
During his media availability ahead of Thursday’s practice, Evero wasted no time addressing the elephant in the room. Well, maybe it’s more of an aquatic mammal than it is an elephant—a very fast, a very explosive and a very lethal one.
“Obviously, we got a big game ahead of us this week,” he said of the upcoming matchup against the Miami Dolphins. “We are excited for the challenge. We know they got a great offense. Lot of speed, quarterback’s playin’ at a high level, good backs—all those things. But we’re excited about our continued improvement. And gettin’ closer and closer to the defense and the team we wanna become.”
Conversely, the Dolphins have quickly become the offensive boogeyman of the NFL. Simply stating that they currently lead the league in total yardage and scoring would be an extreme injustice, as they’ve averaged almost 110 more yards and three more points than the next closest teams.
They also have the game’s leading passer, leading receiver and second-leading rusher—who, luckily for Evero and the Panthers—won’t be in uniform for this one. So, he was then asked if this Miami group is the most explosive he’s schemed for.
“Yeah, they’re definitely dynamic,” Evero replied. “A lot of speed, [Tyreek] Hill, [Jaylen] Waddle, the backs. Yeah, they got a lot of explosive players. I think Mike McDaniel is as good an offense coach as there is in the league. And you saw that effect he had when he was with the Niners and, obviously, bringin’ it over to Miami. They’ve done a great job with their design—and not just him, the entire staff. So, yeah, they’re tough to deal with and it’s gonna be a great challenge.”
Oh, it’ll be great—one way or another.
