The Carolina Line

Yes! Your favorite podcast is back to talk the draft, where the Panthers roster stands, why the Trai Turner trade may have made more sense than you think - and it doesn't have to do with cap space - and what it's like to go through a rebuild from the point of view of a player.

Both Al Wallace and Kevin Donnalley have been through a rebuild and they know what the Panthers are in for - but that doesn't mean they won't take some time to talk about where they stand on Cam Newton, Christian McCaffrey, the rest of the Panthers positional groups and if the Panthers are going to nail the NFL Draft, which positions they should be going with as they go round-by-round without player names to talk where they think the team needs help.

Oh, and does Greg Little fit inside at guard now that Russell Okung is on the roster? That and much more on this edition of The Carolina Line!

The Carolina Line is a proud part of The Riot Network, powered by OrthoCarolina - be sure to rate, review and subscribe to get all of your Panthers podcast fix throughout the offseason!

What do NFL players do in the offseason?

Kevin Donnalley and Al Wallace talk about what it means to get better in the offseason, how the Panthers can change the culture in their locker room and be playing for the love of the game, trying to get some wins instead of just going for likes and thumbsups on the field. They'll also talk about which coach they prefer, who the Panthers need to keep and examine the Cam Newton situation.

They'll also trade stories about what it was like during coaching changes and rebuilding efforts during their combined 23 years on the NFL field, including stories of beating Jordan Gross in a race, LOSING to Julius Peppers in a race and you do not want to try and take Al Wallace's seat, especially not after he's just driven 15 hours to get to Spartanburg.

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After a week in the Bahamas, Al, Kevin & Kelli are BACK to talk about who's been naughty and nice this season - it ain't hard to figure out which side of the line Vernon Butler falls on, but where does Dennis Daley land? Will Grier? Donte Jackson?

What do the Panthers need to do on the long road to rebuilding - which players do you want to keep around next season? Is Greg Olsen worth his cap hit next year? Is there anything that Christian McCaffrey can't do? 

Plus, they'll weigh in on whether or not Greg Roman is a good fit for the Panthers, whether Mike McCarthy would be a good leader for this team after politicking for this job and why the Panthers should be looking for someone who knows how to use the tight ends. And then, of course, Kevin has a CHRISTMAS SURPRISE for all of the listeners - you're welcome and happy holidays to all!

The Carolina Line is a proud part of The Riot Network, powered by OrthoCarolina. Be sure to rate, review and subscribe as we head into the offseason so you don't miss an episode!

Al Wallace and Kevin Donnalley take you into an NFL locker room with an interim head coach, with a losing record and the fanbase chanting for you to lose games for better draft picks - they'll talk about why tanking isn't a possibility in football, when they're ready to see Will Grier and their memories of former Panthers coach Ron Rivera.

They'll also weigh in on Donte Jackson's decision to take his thoughts on the playcalling to the public, why it's so hard to be an interim head coach and much, much more. 

REMINDER: The Carolina Line is off next week as both Al & Kevin travel to the Bahamas --- although they may record a minisode from the beach with pina coladas in their hands.

The Carolina Line is a proud part of The Riot Network, powered by OrthoCarolina - make sure to rate, review and subscribe to share the love!

Al & Kevin are FIRED up this week talking about how the Panthers' sacks don't do anything for them because they don't have the right personnel up front on the defensive line, how their stats are filled with trash sacks and they try to explain where it went wrong and where it all fell apart - they'll start with the offensive line and wonder where the old Daryl Williams went, why the defense can't get the job done and how the Panthers made a non-athlete like Dwayne Haskins look better than he actually is.

They'll talk about how the playcalling wasn't  to Kevin's liking as the team lacked misdirection, how if you let a team hanging around long enough, they'll believe they can get it done and why when the Panthers aren't playing complementary football, they can't trust their teammates.

The Panthers are lacking a spark and how their former teammates provided it for them in their experiences, Al & Kevin will talk about what it's like to be in a locker room during a lost season when fans are piling out of the stadium mid-game, how empty stadiums hurt the players and how the new scheme has hurt Luke Kuechly and the rest of the Panthers defense. 

Not to mention shower pills, holding on the goalline and much more, including a preview of the Falcons game featuring slaps in the tunnel guaranteed to fire you up - if you haven't listened to an episode of The Carolina Line, this is a great place to start - be sure to rate, review and subscribe if you're enjoying the show! 

The Carolina Line is a proud part of The Riot Network, powered by OrthoCarolina. 

Al, Kelli and Kevin say bye bye to Rashaan Gaulden and discuss a heartbreaking loss in New Orleans and how to deal with it when things go wrong  in the NFL - they'll use their experience to discuss the issues the team has had on the offensive line, how to - AGAIN - fix the issues in the run game, seeing an impressive performance from Kyle Allen and why he's so much better indoors than outside and how quickly they can get the dome up in Charlotte.

What was up with the Cam Jordan punch? How can you put Curtis Samuel into the game plan? Did Al pull guys down by the hair? Is Kevin the dirtiest player in the game? 

Those questions and more answered in this week's episode of The Carolina Line, proud part of The Riot Network, powered by OrthoCarolina.

With Kelli Bartik attending to other duties, Al and Kevin aren't happy with the Panthers performance against the Atlanta Falcons and they're ready to spread the blame around.....Kyle Allen's Happy Feet, the offensive line getting consistently bullrushed and how practices turn into a dance class - which is why the Panthers have been so susceptible to it, and where players find their motivation. 

It's not shocking to see that three interceptions in the first half crippled the offense, sacks put them into third-and-impossibles and how the crossing routes killed the Panthers throughout the day. Donte Jackson was out of sorts against Calvin Ridley, how to drop a ball into a trash can behind the goalposts and how they're not sure the pass protection can be fixed this season unless four out of five guys up front can step up - it ain't easy to be a rookie on the offensive line.

The Carolina Line is a proud part of The Riot Network, powered by OrthoCarolina - be sure to rate, review and subscribe to share the love!

Kevin, Kelli & Al talk through how a defense thinks when you're running the ball near the goalline, why Kevin doesn't necessarily agree with "Analytical Ron" and his decision to go for two in the fourth quarter after he and the 2003 Panthers were chasing points in the Super Bowl, how using your gut vs. analytics isn't always an easy decision, why Aaron Rodgers is so tough to stop and more.

Plus, more talk about the run defense, what it means to actually "pin your ears back" on a pass rush, playing in snowy conditions and where the Panthers go from here. 

And you know they'll share experiences from their time in the league and talk about how they were impressed with the growth of Kyle Allen - and especially his chemistry with his pass catchers is improving. OH, and you know they have some thoughts about how to fix the run defense and what roughing the passer exactly means.

The Carolina Line is a proud part of The Riot Network, powered by OrthoCarolina. Be sure to rate, review and subscribe!

Kevin, Al, & Kelli are back this week to talk about a big bounceback win for the Panthers, how Christian McCaffrey is on his way to being MVP, how Curtis Samuel and DJ Moore are leveling up and how the defense - including the Flavor Flav of the NFL - doesn't care about yardage, only about points.

They'll also spend some time discussing the Cam Newton situation that's on everyone's mind and why injured reserve is the loneliest place to be - plus how the team can still win with Kyle Allen under center. Plus, you know there's some offensive and defensive line talk.

Due to audio difficulties, this episode is cut short at 41 minutes and omits the guys previewing the game in Green Bay. We apologize for the inconvenience, but rest assured that everything they said was absolutely correct.

The Carolina Line is a proud part of The Riot Network, which is powered by OrthoCarolina - be sure to rate, review and subscribe!

Al Wallace & Kevin Donnalley are joined by Kelli Bartik to talk about a blowout loss in San Francisco and how the Panthers can't let this define their season like the game they had in Pittsburgh last season did - they'll talk about how to mitigate disaster when the defensive line is as INSANE as the 49ers is. They'll also talk about how unbelievable Nick Bosa is and how the Panthers are still trying to find the five guys that they can go to war with on the offensive line. 

Kevin Donnalley uses his experience on the offensive line to talk about why Ron Rivera may have wanted to go with Daryl Williams instead of Dennis Daley, but ultimately went back to the rookie - then Al will talk about what Ron meant when he said that the defense was playing "behind the ball" and why it ultimately cost them the game in San Francisco.

They'll also discuss when they got to 5,000 reps as players, what it means to be an enforcer and why when it's time to eat, it's hard to pull people away from the table.

The Carolina Line is a proud part of The Riot Network, powered by OrthoCarolina - don't forget to rate, review & subscribe to share the love with your friends!