When Ryan Kalil announced in late January that 2018 would be the last season of his career, he was adamant that he didn’t want the season to turn into a farewell tour, no tongue-in-cheek gifts of rocking chairs or canes at every away game in his plans – but as he enters his final training camp with the team he’s started 129 games for over eleven seasons, it might be less of a four-month ‘Bon Voyage’ party and more of a semester’s worth of opportunity to pass on the lessons he’s learned over the past decade of snapping the football.
“I had a bunch of guys when I first came into the league who were gracious enough to come and give me pointers even when I wasn’t coming and asking, so I’m very grateful for that,” said Kalil after practice Friday. “I learned a lot from Jordan Gross; Jake Delhomme was somebody who spent a lot of time with me – Travelle Wharton, Geoff Hangartner – that’s just something I try to pay back to the younger guys, even if there are guys that aren’t asking me, guys that I think have a shot at having some longevity in this league, I try to impart some of that wisdom to them and pay it forward that way.”
One of the players that has received that tutelage is center Tyler Larsen, who started 15 games over the past two seasons as Kalil has battled injuries – Kalil says that he is fully healthy for his final go-round, and is ecstatic that he got a full offseason to work out after having to skip much of his training due to shoulder surgery in 2016; the 33-year old was able to run and lift weights as he has done during previous offseasons.
“He’s the best center in the league, he really is,” said Larsen about the five-time Pro Bowler. “Every little question I have, without a doubt I’m going to try and go to Ryan and figure out what the best thing to do is and I’m just trying to set my game up and try to get at least somewhat where Ryan is – I’ve got a long way to go.”
“I’m one of the most lucky guys in the NFL right now to play underneath someone like that.”
Kalil says that it’s not just waiting for the younger players – Larsen is six years Kalil’s junior – to ask him a question, it’s about volunteering the information himself without being asked; while sometimes it can be a technical question about hand placement or footwork, Kalil says that the hardest thing to have in the NFL, particularly as an offensive lineman, is confidence. When you’re on display on every play, a player can get humbled quickly and even though it’s easy to get down on yourself, “the faster you can trust yourself, the faster you can find your footing, the better off you are.”
Winning the Super Bowl is the ultimate goal for any franchise, but it seems like there would be extra motivation for a team that is expected to lose at least two of their captains at the end of the season – is the mantra of this season “Win one for TD and Ryan?”
“Get one for them, but I want to get one for myself too,” smiled Greg Olsen, who was drafted 28 picks before Kalil in the 2007 draft. “Coming so close a few years ago and realizing just how hard it is to get there and then fall short I think adds to that urgency. A lot of us having been playing this game for a long time – there’s no guarantees at anything, so you’ve got to take advantage when you can.”
“I think every year there has to be that urgency because I don’t think any of us can predict when that year is going to happen.”
When you start asking other players about Kalil and not only what his impact on the team was, but what life will be like post-Kalil, most don’t even want to talk about it; Cam Newton refused to speak on it during a press conference Saturday, saying that he didn’t want to bring the whole room down, boiling his sentiments down to only one sentence about the player he’s taken snaps from every season since he was drafted.
“I love the hell out of Ryan Kalil and I respect the hell out of him,” Newton said. “It’s deeper than football.”
Captain Munnerlyn, who has played with Kalil in two separate stints over his ten year career, didn’t even want to think about it.
“The things he brings to the locker room, the leadership, the jokes, making the videos and things like that,” said Munnerlyn as he shook his head. “He definitely will be missed – man, I don’t even want to start thinking about it, because now we’ll have to start finding another Kalil after that.”
Kalil reminisced after practice about his early days in the league – impending retirement will prompt some memories – and recalled a story former Panthers great Jordan Gross told him about his first rep in the NFL, which was against Julius Peppers, who promptly buried him with a bull rush. Kalil couldn’t recollect his own first rep, but he was more than happy to chat about his second start in the NFL, a 34-21 loss to the Houston Texans in 2007 which he called his “Welcome to the NFL” moment – Panthers fans might remember this game for the iconic Steve Smith touchdown in which he broke six tackles and raced 74 yards to the house – but Kalil remembers it for the three sacks he allowed and the verbal dressing down he received from quarterback Jake Delhomme.
The bad plays that plagued him in 2007 still happen, although they are much fewer and farther between; the last time Kalil was healthy for a full season, he started 15 games, the Panthers went 15-1 and Kalil was voted both a first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowl starter – but what separates him from some of his peers is not just making the great plays, but moving past the bad ones quickly when they do happen. Playing offensive line is a dirty job that doesn’t get you much attention – except in a negative connotation.
“It doesn’t matter your first year in the NFL or your twelfth year, I promise you that on Sunday, I’m going to have some bad plays that you’re going to talk about and write about,” said Kalil. “But the difference between me and the next guy is my ability to fix my mistakes, move on and get ready for the next play.”
Not many next plays left now.
