Full comments from Dave Canales following Panthers' preseason loss to Jets

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales evaluates the team's second preseason game.

Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

The Carolina Panthers finally scored a touchdown on Saturday night, snapping a 15 quarter touchdown drought dating back to last year. Unfortunately the touchdown and two field goals weren't enough to take down the New York Jets.

Following the game, Panthers head coach Dave Canales spoke to the media.

Opening Statement

"Just the finish of it, you know. It just felt good, running the ball the way we want to, that tough style – pushing the pile. Dillon [Johnson] did a great job for us just finishing off the game right there. Jake [Luton] organizing us with about 20-some-odd seconds right there to get one more play off. I know everyone's kind of hoping at that, especially the Jets, hoping, ‘Hey, are we going to take it in?’ But couldn't help it. Too good of an opportunity to finish, so I'm really proud of the way the guys did defensively responding to adversity – two big returns got out – flipped the field right away, ended up in holding them to field goals on both of those, so I thought that was fantastic the way the defense responded there. We came out pretty clean, a couple of guys to evaluate. Anthony Brown, we're evaluating something in his hand and Mike Boone we thought might have had something. He came back and he would have been up at the end there. Lamar Jackson, yeah, just being evaluated. So not a soft tissue, but something in his leg so they pulled him out to make sure we could get a look at it, and he wasn't able to finish, but I think that's it."

Running the ball on the final drive

"Yeah, a combination of two things: just giving our guys an opportunity to feel what it feels like late in the game. We’ve got to be able to run the ball. And in my mind, I'm imagining we're in this four-minute world. Can we finish with the ball? Can we finish all the way through? And the guys really came together. Couple guys I really got to say thank you to – Mason Brooks who just got here two days ago and then Ike Boettger who got here yesterday, so spent time with ‘Goody,’ [Harold Goodwin], with Joe [Gilbert], with Keli'I [Kekuewa], Dean Petzing, all those guys just rallying around together to make sure we got through this game. So, really four guys that have come to us in the last week, two in the last two days and I just couldn't be happier with those guys being able to help us out and evaluate everybody tonight."

Decision to rest starters

"Yeah, really just looking at the guys, the health of the full unit. We're going to get more people back, so, again, this week would be another week to evaluate. We're going to have more of those guys that would be playing with that starting group, so this could be a good opportunity for that this week, but, again, it all depends on how practice goes. It all depends on the depth of the guys we have to finish games, so, again, that's really just where my head was at. Like if we throw a group out there but we're missing a bunch of pieces, it's not really giving us the full look at working together and doing that, so I want to make sure that they're able to do that together and so that kind of was what went into the decision."

How 38 inactives impacts evaluation

"Yeah, every single play, every time these guys have an opportunity to show us who they are, to show us how they can help us, we're looking for the style of play. We're looking for the tough, aggressive finishes. We're looking for guys to be heady in situations, whether it's third-down or red zone or whatever situation might come up, so this is gold. This is gold for the guys that get these opportunities to play on special teams. That's a big thing for us. If a guy can cover a kick, if he can be a reliable blocker in the return game – these things really speak volumes for our group, so love the opportunity for them."

RB Chuba Hubbard injury update

"Yeah, he was. So, he came out clean there, so we'll get him back out on the field this week and we'll be able to continue to work as a group."

Demani Richardson’s interception, evaluating his preseason

"Yeah, for him it's like every day is new lessons. Learning different lessons, leverage and all that, and the cool part about Demani is he had an opportunity tonight, he took advantage of it. Sometimes we get those (opportunities) and the guy either can or can't come up with the ball, so he did a fantastic job of finishing that play, putting us in a good situation, getting us back on the board and really making it a three-point game at that point so that was awesome."

Joint practice performances carrying over to the game

"You hope to see the guys making plays, whether it's in the receiver room or the secondary. You love seeing those guys, okay, practice is one thing, now can he carry it over to the game? So just a great opportunity on an overthrow, so I was fired up for him there."

Performances of the defensive backs

"[D’Shawn] Jamison did a great job. Dicaprio Bootle made some nice plays today. Lamar [Jackson] made some fantastic plays on the ball tonight. Chau Smith-Wade was all over the field at corner. He made a nice play in the end zone on a go ball (opportunity) and really looked savvy in there at the nickel spot. That group is really making a statement for themselves as we go forward."

Possibility of adding another corner

"We'll see. We'll see. These guys have – really to answer that the right way, we have to respect these guys' opportunity. They’re out there the whole entire game, some great film to evaluate and we start with us. We start evaluating and competing in our own rooms and then we'll see what happens after that."

Why WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette played most of the game

"Yeah, just trying to give him opportunities to show what he can do as a receiver, certainly as a returner, and he's been reliable. He's been doing the things we've asked of him. Got a couple of short pass opportunities, would love for the ball to get pushed down there to him down the field at some point to see what he can do there, but I'm really pleased with Ihmir [Smith-Marsette] and what he's done so far in camp, so just trying to increase the amount of opportunities."

Jammie Robinson's performance

"Yeah, good, tough football, versatility, playing nickel, playing safety. He's on all the teams. Plays with great energy, you know, a beautiful play in the post right there. It was a bang, bang play, the officials saw it as a pass interference. We all knew it was a really good play and it was marginal, it was quick. But for him to be able to continue to make those plays, finishing off tackles on runs, you just see him flying around all over the field, that's the style of football that we want to play on defense."

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