Dave Canales made no secret of his desire to get some of his young Carolina Panthers' defenders more involved. The head coach even claimed that he'd been pushing Ejiro Evero and his staff to implement an infusion of youth after a demoralizing Week 1 defeat.
Whether it'll happen remains to be seen. But the defensive coordinator sent a loud message of infuriating defiance via the Panthers' depth chart before Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals.
The Panthers' defense reverted to its embarrassing type after so much hope for improvements over the offseason. Evero's unit gave up 200 rushing yards versus the Jacksonville Jaguars, which instantly drew the ire of fans. After all, this followed on from conceding the most single-season points in NFL history and more than 3,000 yards on the ground during the previous campaign.
Carolina Panthers look set to keep Nick Scott as their starting safety in Week 2
Just why Canales doesn't display some authority regarding defensive adjustments is anyone's guess. He's the head coach. He's the man who'll carry the can if things don't go well. One couldn't imagine coaches like Jim Harbaugh, Andy Reid, or Dan Quinn simply 'pushing' for changes if they were needed.
Evero didn't bow to Canales' demands if Carolina's depth chart for Week 2 is any indication. D.J. Wonnum and Patrick Jones II were listed as the starting edge rushers over Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen. That wasn't a great surprise, but veteran safety Nick Scott keeping his spot alongside Tre'von Moehrig was far more contentious.
Everyone knows what Scott can do. They know his limitations as a liability that opposing teams often target as a weak link. Canales and Evero have praised his communication, but that doesn't make up for his distinct lack of consistency from snap to snap.
Scott played every defensive rep at EverBank Stadium. Second-year pro Demani Richardson and fourth-round rookie Lathan Ransom were proverbial bystanders. Fans, and probably Canales, want that to change. But Evero's stubbornness is renowned and disappointing in equal measure.
Hitching his wagon to someone like Scott comes with huge ramifications attached. The Cardinals' passing attack looked efficient during their Week 1 win over the New England Patriots. Carolina needs explosiveness to counteract this threat — something that the Penn State product just doesn't provide.
It's an unofficial depth chart, of course. But the fact that Scott was on the field for the defense's entirety in Week 1 indicates Evero has not lost faith just yet, even though he probably should.
If Scott plays every snap in Week 2 and cannot raise performance levels, Canales must take this personnel decision out of Evero's hands. Anything less is organizational malpractice.