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Panthers Hall of Honor WR turned NFL Network analyst Steve Smith Sr. joined the Kyle Bailey Show earlier this afternoon to weigh in on the Brian Burns situation as well as the Panthers season opener against the Falcons.
The conversation with Smitty started with Brian Burns not participating in practice on Monday as he looks for a contract extension Steve thinks Brian has handled this situation very well while looking for a new deal, but he doesn’t know if he will play on Sunday, and he doesn’t blame him because you need to get the money while you can because he can get hurt on Sunday and lose out on a lot of money. Steve also pointed out that the injury to Marquis Haynes only gives more leverage to Brian Burns in the contract negotiations.
The focus turned to Sunday’s game against the Falcons as Steve wanted people to expect that the Panthers defense will have growing pains with or without Brian Burns due to the drastic scheme change under Ejiro Evero, and he thinks the Falcons want to see if they can move the D-Line down the field, especially if Brian Burns is not present.
When it comes to the offense, Steve told Kyle the Panthers have to have a WR step up on offense, and Carolina needs to keep Bryce Young on his mark with his throws in order for him to find a solid rhythm in his first start.
