Playing in an upgraded stadium seems to be an exciting prospect for Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales. But as of now, he’s focused on upgrading what could be put inside that venue.
On Monday, the organization announced their proposal for a massive renovation to their home of Bank of America Stadium. Canales, following today’s outing of organized team activities, was asked about the plans.
“As far as the stadium itself—what I try to sell to the guys is . . . it’s gonna be green, it’s gonna be 53 and a third, it could be grass, it could be our artificial turfs that we use, it could be frozen, it could be kind of, late in the season, a lighter tan color,” he replied. “So for me, it’s all about what happens in that 53 and a third right there and the guys on the sideline.
“That’s been a focus. I stole that straight from Coach [Pete] Carroll. And for our guys, for us—it just didn’t matter whether we’re home or on the road. It was what happened inside those lines.”
Canales battled inside those lines alongside Carroll for 13 seasons. That time saw him serve as the Seattle Seahawks wide receivers coach (2010 to 2017), quarterbacks coach (2018 to 2019, 2022) and passing games coordinator (2020 and 2021).
He continued.
“With that being said though, all the excitement of the new stadium—I can’t help but just get fired up about that. Saw the renderings that became public. And for me, as you get to know me, it’s like I have this huge possibilities mindset of just like picturing what it would be like to have championship-caliber team, a team that the Carolinas can be proud of, to get that football part ready.
“So as much as I get focused and excited about what’s happening, it just brings me right back to this practice today. And we got a long way to go to be able to play the kind of ball that we want, with the communication and all that. But it’s certainly an exciting time.”
