HEAD COACH DAVE CANALES
Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, September 28, 2025
DC: Certainly not the execution we're looking for. This is in all phases, first and foremost, giving the credit to the Patriots. They outplayed us in every phase, offensively, defensively, on special teams, with the big return yardage on that. When it's a full team effort like this, I have to put that on myself. I have to look at how I'm preparing the team, how we're going about our work. I have to look at that and compete to find an edge to get these guys to work together, to focus so we can get the execution that we're seeing happen in our processes. But this is the only way to work through these things is to go right back to work, to attack it head on, and with the guys, I told them in the locker room, hey, a loss is a loss; we've got to look at this stuff, we've got to look in the mirror and figure out who we want to be as a team so we can get the execution that we're calling for and that we're looking for.
Q: (Indiscernible).
DC: I can honestly say that the effort and the energy from our guys is there. It keeps coming back to the execution. I have to look at that myself; are we putting our guys in the best situation to be successful in every phase. I have to make sure that we have those conversations and that we keep progressing our football forward. I know who our guys are. I know they're not going to quit. I know they're going to continue to punch, they're going to continue to fight all the way through it. But it's not enough. We have to be able to come out and execute for four quarters to become the football team that I believe we can become, and the work starts right now. It starts with me. It starts with our coaching staff. Our players understand as well, this is not acceptable, and this is something that we have to come together and make sure that we're together on this thing so we're pushing forward.
Q: (Indiscernible).
DC: I loved the effort. I loved the way the guys were flying around, and we have to find the balance of being overly aggressive in certain situations and just making sure we're in good position, good leverage to make the play, and again, I have to be able to evaluate that and make sure that we understand that.
Q: (Indiscernible).
DC: Well, just the collective execution. When it happens in all phases, I'm the common denominator, and I have to take responsibility for that. I have to make sure I'm pushing the guys the right way. I have to evaluate what we're doing, how we're working, how we're preparing our guys. I felt confident about that part, but we're not getting the results. So this is something that I have to just really press in and make sure we're not overlooking anything and making sure we're having the right combination of guys out there in every phase.
Q: (Indiscernible). How do you observe such a difference in (indiscernible)?
DC: I've got to look at the film first to really see where the breakdowns were. We knew they had gifted returners. We were aware of that, and it just felt like we weren't getting quite there on our coverage. I have to be able to see the film to see exactly why that was and how that played out. But I know we had a couple of shots at the guy, and he made a couple people miss, and then the rest of their blockers were unfazed. That's a part that we're going to have to look at and evaluate.
Q: (Indiscernible).
DC: I've got to look at the film, honestly, to give you a true assessment of what that was like, whether it's a combination of the rush and the coverage, were we in the right position. I'll be able to tell you more about that once I get to see the film.
Q: (Indiscernible).
DC: Absolutely. Counting on him to keep pushing us forward, counting on him to keep us on track. There were some near misses across the board, some penalties that put us in weird situations, a couple of protection issues, and one of them where he slipped and kind of put us in a bad situation.
But I still feel that he's being confident out there. He's leading the group. He's getting us out there with good energy and focus. He'll continue to play.
Q: (Indiscernible).
DC: Well, I like our 12 personnel attack, but when D-Mo goes down early, then Dalevon Campbell is out and all of a sudden you're playing with three receivers. I felt like we needed to be a little bit more 12 personnel, 13 personnel heavy to finish out the game, and that's really what amounted there. I like our different 11 personnel packages, but we've got to be smart about making sure our guys were out there with the right energy.
Q: (Indiscernible).
DC: Absolutely, and that's where I start with myself because, again, I'm the common denominator when all phases aren't executing the way that I expect us to execute. I have to look into our processes and I've got to make sure that we're pushing, we're competing every single day the right way so that our guys are in position to be successful.
Q: Any update on David Moore?
DC: We're going to be looking at it week to week. It was an elbow injury that happened on the first play, which was a really nice run by him, a guy that we're counting on, so we'll be week to week with D-Mo.
Q: Bryce and T-Mac really seemed to have chemistry all season. What's happened to that? Today it seemed to be pretty way off there.
DC: I agree. It was some near misses there. That's something we've got to look at on film and just make sure that they're on the same page.
Q: You talked about the common denominator; would you consider giving up play calling?
DC: Not right now. I believe that I'm the right person to be able to push our concepts and our schemes forward. I think it's a combination of a bunch of things. Execution-wise am I calling the right plays rhythmically for the guys to have success based on what the defense is doing to us on that day. That's something that I'll definitely look at, though.
Q: You've been through different combinations of linemen. What went into that?
DC: Yeah, we had a heavy package planned for Brady and then also for Brandon. The other part is Brady is our backup center, so we went with Brandon first to just make sure that Brady was available in case anything else happened at the center position. But we wanted to make sure we came out of this game with Brady having a chance to be out there and play, just kind of looking into the future and the next couple of weeks to see if that's a place where we're going to really need him, and so we kind of went with that approach after Brandon had that first series.
Q: Last week you're 30-0, feeling good. How do you explain these two extremes?
DC: Yeah, I wish I could tell you. That's going to be a lot of film study and just looking at the players, looking at how we're executing our plan with our base calls and some of the things on both sides really. Again, to me, this game is about consistency. Can we consistently play good football, and today was not that. Today the Patriots played excellent football in all three phases, beat us that way, and that's when you get that type of margin of victory is when you're firing on all cylinders in all phases. That's something that we have to look at and make sure we're taking the right steps forward.
Q: (Indiscernible).
DC: Not right now, no, but we're going to look at all the stuff tomorrow, put our heads together and make sure we're pushing forward the right way.
QUARTERBACK BRYCE YOUNG
Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, September 28, 2025
BY: It's on me. It's on everybody in that locker room. We talked about that after. We all take accountability. We all have to look in the mirror. We all have to understand what we can do better. It's definitely not on one person. It's all of us that have to be better.
Q: You and T-Mac (Tetairoa McMillan) had a really good chemistry for preseason, first games, but today you seemed off by a little bit. What do you believe caused that?
BY: Missed some stuff. I take accountability for that. It's on me. Missing my opportunities. We'll watch film, and I'll be better and we're all be better.
Q: How do you keep the guys (indiscernible)?
BY: We just have the next-week mentality. It's not fun right now, of course, but we have another one next week, which is a blessing. We have to learn from the tape, own it, wear it, but after 24 hours, we wash it and make sure that next week we can be the best version of ourselves.
Q: Bryce, what was working on the first drive that ultimately didn't work thereafter?
BY: We were just executing. Wasn't anything magical happening. We were executing. Obviously we have to be able to sustain that moving forward.
Q: You said there was nothing magical about it, but you started (indiscernible) is it purely just executing? Is there anything else?
BY: There's execution; that's all it is.
Q: Do you think people were trying too hard to execute?
BY: No. It's just we have to execute. We all take ownership of that. We all take ownership. Good or bad, we have to play the next play. We have to do a better job of that next week.
Q: David Moore's injury, I know it was the very first play of the game, but how did that impact things thereafter?
BY: Obviously we all feel for D-Mo. Obviously what he brings on the field, in the locker room, everything else. He's such a great energy. Just having that veteran presence and just that joy about ball that he brings every week, obviously when you see that, that's rough. Unfortunately that's the sad part of the nature of the game. There's no excuses for anything. Things happen, unfortunately. We have to make sure that we execute. There's no excuse not to do that.
Q: When you're building a team, you've got to build depth, and you've lost a lot of key players. Was that showing up today do you think?
BY: Again, that's part of the game. Unfortunately, roster things happen. We feel for everyone who things happen to. That's the NFL. It's part of it. We have to make sure it's on us to execute.
ADDITIONAL PANTHERS PLAYERS
Jaycee Horn, CB
(On the result of the game)
"Yeah, it's tough coming off the performance we had last week. To come out and play like that today is frustrating, but at the end of the day, a win is a win, and a loss is a loss, no matter the point differential. You've got to flush it, realize it is still early in the season and come back next week ready to win."
(On Dave Canales' postgame message)
"The same thing I just said, basically the same message. It's a loss on the record. You get ready to come back next week. We've got to come ready to play. We got to be ready to play in all three phases. We weren't. Offense wasn't ready, defense wasn't ready, special teams wasn't ready. You can't wake everybody up Sunday morning and have them ready to play. We had a great week of practice, I can tell you that. We prepared all week in practice. That doesn't mean you are going to play good on Sunday. You've got to show up and do it and that's not on him. We've got to be ready. It's on all of us, not just Coach Canales."
Nick Scott, S
(On the result of the game)
"We gave up too many explosive plays on defense. I'm on the field on defense, and we're not worried about what's going on in the other phases of the game. We came out and started fast, but we have to be better in disadvantaged situations. So, coming on the field with a short field, none of that matters, we don't care where they get the ball. We've got to be a good defense and keep points off the board, and we didn't do that today. We gave up too many explosive plays and we didn't capitalize off of the disadvantage situations."
(On becoming more consistent)
"We've just got to continue to trust the process and work. It's the NFL, so any given Sunday. If you don't come with your best stuff, this is going to be the result. So, we are going to continue to trust the process, learn from our mistakes, keep building and keep getting better. The best teams in the league at the end of the year are the ones that improve every week, not the ones that are the best at the beginning of the year."
(On Dave Canales accepting responsibility for the loss)
"He's a leader. That's what leaders do. They look at themselves first, and they put it on them, but this is a locker room filled with a bunch of grown men, and we all know we can do better. It's not just on the coach. The coaches aren't out there with a helmet on and shoulder pads. We're the ones on the field. So, while I appreciate that standpoint and can agree with it in some facets because he is a leader, and I respect his position, at the end of the day, I am going to put it on us because we are the ones on the field. They can put us in the best positions but we have to execute. We have to tackle. We have to make the calls, we have to do all that stuff. I appreciate it and respect that side because that is how you are supposed to look at it as a head coach, but from a player perspective, I say, that's on me and our guys on the field."
Akayleb Evans, CB
(On preparation for Marcus Jones)
"Yeah, I think we had good preparation. We have got to execute, take what we see in the film room to the game field. We are going to be better."
(On if there is an issue with speed on the special teams coverage)
"No, I do not think so. I mean, we have done good in games. We just did not go out there and execute, but we are getting better, you know? Learn from this game and move forward."
(On the difference from last week on special teams)
"It is definitely tough, but it is the NFL. Every week you get proof that we are a legit unit in all phases. So, we are going to take the lessons from this game, and we are going to move forward, and we are going to look to dominate."
Derrick Brown, DE
(On any issues with effort defensively)
"No, the effort is not the problem, it is the execution. We want to be a player-led team, we have got to have execution for me, all the other leaders of the defense, and down. This is a competitive league, and in order to be good at it, the consistency is how you become good in this game, how you become what we want to be. So, for us to get better and have a better outcome, we are going to have to do that every week."
(On Dave Canales saying a game like today is on him)
"Coach takes a burden for us all the time. We got beat. We have got to have his back, you know what I am saying? That feeling last week is one that we need to keep having and it is one that we have got to keep working on if we want to achieve every week, right? But this team knows that. So you know, we appreciate the, but this team knows that we want to be a player-run team, we want to be a player-led team to where it does not matter what he calls. We want to go out there and have execution at the highest levels so we can enjoy the fruits of our labor, you know what I am saying?"
(On his view on some of the returns today)
"I will tell you this, between defense and special teams, there are a lot of guys that play special teams on defense, so I can speak on that. We have got to be better, right? No matter if we get dealt a short field, no matter what happens before us, we have got to be better in all three phases of the game in order for us to win."
Nic Scourton, OLB
(On the result of the game)
"I don't know, it's just football, man. We've got to go out and adjust and make plays. And I mean, that just is what it is. We didn't do that today, so the result was what the result was."
(On the frustration of the loss)
"It just comes from being a competitor. I mean, nobody likes to lose, especially like this, but we've got to come and make corrections and get better and get prepared for next week."
(On getting more pressure on the quarterback)
"Like I was saying, I just think, we've got to rush the passer better. We've got to get after the quarterback better. We've got to start producing some sacks and pressure, but that comes down to stopping the run. You've got to stop the run first so you can get in those longer passing down situations, where you don't know if it's a run or a pass."
(On the mood of the team)
"Obviously frustrated, but you know, we're going to flush it, we're going to make corrections, and we're going to come out and be better next week."
Mitchell Evans, TE
(On Patriots defensive adjustments after the first touchdown drive)
"I just felt like we were prepared for one thing all week and whatnot, and it was something that came out in a completely foreign look. They schemed too and they found some things that worked. But, we just have to execute better on the offensive side."
(On his first touchdown in the NFL)
"Awesome. Obviously, the team didn't come out on top, but it was pretty awesome to have my first touchdown, and the fact that it came from Andy Dalton was pretty cool. I grew up watching him a little bit, so now that he threw me a touchdown, that's pretty sick. He kind of joked with me, he was like, 'Hey man, you know it's my first touchdown of the year, can I get the ball?' and I was like 'uhh,' but he was joking so it was pretty cool."
(On the transition from Notre Dame to the NFL)
"Yeah, I feel like coming from a place like Notre Dame, we play great competition pretty much every weekend. With the run we had last year, we were playing top-five teams in the playoffs, so I was going against really good competition. The one thing I noticed here, how it translates, is that every week, everyone is good. Like no matter what, there's no downside, and with that, you have to really iron out and find out the little details, like your footwork, hand placement, and communication with the O-line all really matter. You can't just rely on being the bigger, faster, tougher athlete, because everyone is big here. So, just really honing in on your craft and your footwork."
Chuba Hubbard, RB
(On the difference between last week's blowout win and this week's loss)
"Last week was last week. I treat every week as its own. Obviously, we didn't get it done today. I'm going to keep saying what I always say, keep chopping at the tree. That's my mindset. I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing, keep working hard, just keep showing my best and the team will as well."
(On Dave Canales taking responsibility for the loss)
"Yeah, I wouldn't put this loss on any of the coaches. Obviously, Coach Dave [Canales] and everyone are going to take the blame, but us as players have to do better from every side of the ball— offense, defense, special teams. We just didn't play our best today, it's that simple. Next week we'll have to come back, clean it up and be better."
(On the struggle to get momentum early for the past several seasons)
"Yeah, every week you just have to treat it as its own season and go 1-0 that week. Obviously, it's unfortunate to go back and forth, but this is the NFL. Every week you're going up against a great opponent and a new challenge. We've still got a lot of season left. I'm not hanging my head on this loss. Obviously, it was a tough one, but like I said, I'm just going to keep working hard. I know the guys in this locker room are going to keep working hard, and we're going to keep trending up."
(On where the game got away from them)
"I think we started out great on offense, defensively as well. Obviously, there's just a few things I feel like we shot ourselves in the foot. We have to be better in certain situations and just play complimentary football. We've done that before, and when we do it, it has a great outcome, so we have to do that next week. Like I said, we didn't get the outcome we wanted today, but I'm not going to blow it up and make it seem like some miraculous thing happened. We just didn't play clean football. So, next week, we'll work on that."
