There was nobody more relieved about the Carolina Panthers finally picking up some positive momentum than Dave Canales. The head coach endured a baptism of fire to begin his tenure. After navigating some rough waters, his team is on the right path at long last.
The Panthers have won their last two games. Granted, they were against the New Orleans Saints and the New York Giants, but Carolina wasn't favored in either contest. There's growing confidence in the building and players are getting healthy. More importantly, Canales is seeing his vision for the franchise come to life.
Tougher tests are coming for Canales. The Panthers' schedule gets a lot tougher at the business end of the campaign. They also have a gauntlet coming off their bye week with the Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Philadelphia Eagles in quick succession.
Dave Canales sets out bye week objectives for Carolina Panthers
That's why the Panthers must make the most of their extended rest period before the two-time defending Super Bowl champions come to Bank of America Stadium. Canales outlined his aspirations for the coming days, which center on rest, reflection, and building on some newfound positivity.
"I just expect a great opportunity for guys to kind of reflect. We've got 10 games now under our belt to think about what their roles have been throughout. Also, just to heal, get our legs back, and get our minds back. We've thrown a lot of football at guys, Especially the young guys, as they go through and as our game plans kind of stack up. It's just a really good reset, for all of us to kind of look at what is the core of what we're doing? What can we build on, and what do we want to get out of these next seven weeks? And it starts with the Chiefs. But it's just a great opportunity to hit a good reset and try to get refreshed from a physical and a mental standpoint."Dave Canales via Panthers.com
This is the correct approach. There will be some aching bodies after a grueling campaign up to now. Taking some time away is never a bad thing. One could argue the bye week came at a bad time with Carolina getting hot, but better it happens now than too early or late.
It's almost bang in the middle of their regular-season engagements. Canales will have a good indicator of where he is or what more might be needed. This is a good time for the Panthers to implement any strategic changes, get some players back healthy, and capitalize on some extra time to prepare for Patrick Mahomes and company.
The Panthers aren't playing for anything other than competitive pride the rest of the way. That's helping relax the players. Canales is trusting quarterback Bryce Young to deploy his offensive strategy effectively with Chuba Hubbard alongside him in the backfield. Carolina's defense is also displaying improvements in all phases to further raise encouragement.
Canales could also use a short break. Just switch off from it all, focus on his family, and get back to work with his customary enthusiasm attached. He should welcome this after going through a rollercoaster of epic proportions.
Embrace the bye week. Get the most out of it. Because it will be gone in the blink of an eye.