Rookie running back Christian McCaffrey is on pace to either fall just short of or tie the NFL record for most receptions by a rookie in their first campaign. He met with reporters yesterday to talk about what might be wrong with the Panthers offense, whether he’s taking on too much, and how the Panthers can pick up some momentum and get bigger plays. Read the entire interview below.
You can potentially break the rookie reception record, at what point would that become important to you?
Never, really. I think football’s such a team game and the only way it’s important is if we’re winning. If it happens, great, but I really just want to help the team win.
How would you describe the offensive identity right now?
You know, we’re looking to the next game. We have such a good offense, and we know how good we can be, and like Coach Rivera always says, ‘potential is a scary word in the NFL because everybody has it and everybody can be good.’ We’re still working, we know we’ve got a lot to get better on, but it’s positive because we have the capability to do so.
Is it more frustrating because you guys are struggling but, the talent is there, you can see it in practice?
Listen, we’re 4-3 and still in the hunt, we’ve got a lot of football left. Nobody on this team is getting down on anybody, we’re looking to next week, we’re staying positive and we’re controlling what we can control.
Is there a part of you that makes you shake your head that there’s a ‘sky is falling’ mentality about a 4-3 team?
There’s always going to be people that when you’re down, they’re gonna tell you you’re down, they’re gonna tell you that you didn’t play well, that game was frustrating. Ain’t no such thing as a pretty loss, a loss is a loss; ain’t no such thing as an ugly win, a win in football is great, that’s something that’s true in this league, and so for us, it’s a question of how can we get better each week and we’re taking the past and throwing it out the door and looking to this week.
What do you know about this Bucs defense?
They’re good, they’re really good. They’re talented all the way around; they have a lot of takeaways so it’s going to be important to secure the ball and make sure that we are continuing to be efficient.
What’s the mental adjustment going from college where you were getting big play after big play to here where it’s been more in small doses?
You’ve got to be patient, you know, the big plays will come. Right now, it’s just being patient, you’ve got to let the game kind of come to you; you can’t press, can’t try to make something crazy happen when nothing’s there. You’ve just got to keep pushing.
Why do you think the big plays haven’t come?
You know, it takes all eleven guys to make a big play. I think we have had a lot of great plays, we’ve had a lot of big plays; sometimes a one-yard gain for a first down on third-and-one is a big play. People take that for granted, it might not be a seventy-yard touchdown, but you’ve got to play winning football. Sometimes that stuff is going to help the team win.
How would you rate your own performance through seven weeks?
Nobody’s more critical of me than me, I have a lot to get better on. I think I also have to be honest with myself when I watch the tape; I have all my notes written down, and I’ll just keep working to get better.
You have the opportunity on Sunday, facing a divisional opponent, to pick up a big win. What kind of opportunity is this for you guys?
It’s a huge opportunity, a division game, but for us, it’s just the next game. We’ve got an opportunity to win each week, and right now it’s about us and what we can do to be efficient.
Cam was talking about how sometimes the offense feels lethargic, and I think he was speaking to what you mentioned, when there aren’t big plays because those can bring a lot of energy, do you feel that a big play can really energize this offense?
Definitely. Football’s a game of momentum, and big plays are great and negative plays aren’t so great. It goes in waves and at the end of the day, you’ve got to have a ‘next-play mentality’ whether it’s a good play or a bad play, you’ve got to look to the next play, because there’s a lot of football left, especially if something happens early, we’ve got to turn the page because there’s still a lot of football left in the game.
How good was it to see Luke back out there today?
It was great, it was good seeing him on the field. Being able to compete against him is really fun, working against probably the best defender in the league, so it’s great seeing him back out there.
Now that you’ve been around him a little bit more, do you appreciate how coaches and scouts said that you have ‘Luke-type’ DNA?
Definitely, that’s one of the best compliments I’ve ever gotten, because he’s one of those guys that you look up to. That does it the right way.
Can you put in perspective how much you’ve had to learn this year?
I’ve had to learn a good amount, that’s for sure. A few positions on offense and some special teams stuff, but it’s nothing I can’t handle, that’s something that I’m not mad about; the more I know, the more I can do, the more I play, and that’s a positive thing.
You don’t think that’s too much on you?
No. I can handle it.
Coach Rivera said Monday that maybe we need to simplify the offense. From your perspective, you don’t need it any simpler?
Simplify, in my opinion, it’s just doing your one-of-eleven, you can put in all the plays in the world but if the guys aren’t executing, then it’s not going to work. Or you can put in one play and you can execute it a hundred times, so simplify, in my opinion, is really just doing your job. Simply do your job. Whether it’s a trick play or an easy play, I think it’s important that we all try to be efficient and do our job.
You seem confident that big plays are coming. Why are you so certain about that?
Because I know we have a lot of weapons on this offense. They’re all hungry and we know we can play better. They’ll come.
