Dave Canales compares Panthers to Pete Carroll's Seahawks

Long before Dave Canales became the head coach of the Carolina Panthers, he worked under Pete Carroll with the Seattle Seahawks from 2010-22. 

Shortly after Carolina improved to 4-11 via Sunday's 36-30 overtime win over the Arizona Cardinals, Canales spoke with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated about how the Panthers could potentially mimic a franchise that made two Super Bowl appearances and won one championship during Carroll's tenure. 

"Honestly, it’s caring about the same things — caring about the ball, caring about playing really good football in situations, making smart decisions and then finish," Canales explained. "Finish is a habit, it looked like a daily thing. Those are the things that impressed me the most as I was able to be with Pete for a really long time. To not try to replicate what he did but just seek what he sought, which was the toughness, the mentality, the effort, the ball awareness and all those things. That’s what I hope for." 

Of course, it didn't hurt that Carroll found the greatest quarterback in Seahawks history when he made Russell Wilson a third-round draft pick in the spring of 2012. As for Canales, he can't for sure say if the version of Bryce Young he inherited will ever become what Wilson was for Seattle. 

Canales benched Young after just two games in September, and the Panthers have won three of their past eight contests with the first choice of the 2023 NFL Draft back in the lineup. At the very least, it certainly seems like Young has earned the right to compete for the Carolina starting job next summer. 

Meanwhile, Canales is focused on ensuring his players don't tap out on the final two weeks of a season filled with more lows than highs for the rebuilding club. 

"Culture is what you celebrate — and we can point to the guys doing right in critical situations," Canales told Breer. "That’s where we can capture our group and capture the mentality of just keep doing right longer to finish. That’s how we finish. It does give me the ability to point to those things in the coaching staff as well." 

Canales' Panthers will try to play the role of spoiler when Carolina faces the second-place Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7) Sunday. As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Panthers as eight-point underdogs for that road matchup.