Dave Canales wanted some hot and humid weather for the Carolina Panthers' joint practice against the Houston Texans.
He got it.
Carolina will start the campaign at the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1. Their trip to Houston gave them a chance to acclimatize to similar conditions. There were some good moments, especially on offense, but the conditions took their toll on the players. Some wilted under the pressure.
Carolina Panthers players must fight through adversity (and the heat) or face the consequences
This didn't go unnoticed by Canales. The head coach wants his squad to be more disciplined, even when they're tired. They can get away with sloppy mistakes for now. But if they rear their head when competitive action commences, that has potentially graver consequences attached.
"Fatigue, lack of focus, that's something that we have to learn to do better. We have to be able to fight through fatigue, fight through exhaustion, it's going to be hot. We're going to go to Jacksonville in Week 1. It's going to feel like this. Can we maintain that level of focus play after play, regardless of what the last play did? Can you breathe on your way back, and then can you execute? And I saw the penalties pile up when we were tired. That's something that we have to get better at."Dave Canales via Panthers.com
This was the rude awakening Canales was looking for. The Panthers have to overcome the elements as well as the Jaguars to kick off their campaign on the right foot. He wasn't entirely thrilled with what he saw from the players, and expectations on how to fare better have been made abundantly clear.
The squad should be in better physical conditioning in three weeks. At the same time, competing in a regular-season environment in the Florida humidity is a test that Canales' men cannot truly replicate beforehand.
This won't be the first time any player has performed in the heat. But looking at the ill-discipline when they became weary, the Panthers must adjust quickly in pursuit of achieving an opening weekend success.
Canales saw it. He knows what awaits the Panthers, and the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator knows that standards (and fitness levels) need to be raised quickly. This ambitious team cannot afford to start on the back foot, so this represents a gut-check that must bring a positive response.
Being hot and tired is par for the course. But fighting through any fatigue to reach their common goal could make a huge difference when push comes to shove.