When Jake Dickert was hired as Wake Forest’s new football coach, expectations weren’t high for the Demon Deacons in 2025, but they’ve proved doubters wrong, as they are 4-2, and are a few plays away from having a ranked win over Georgia Tech and being undefeated overall. A big reason why is their head coach, […]

After back-to-back wins, the Panthers find themselves at .500 this late into a season for the first time since 2021, when they were 5-5, on their way to a 5-12 season. All three of Carolina’s wins have come at home, where they have scored 30, 27, and 30, respectively, in wins over the Falcons, Dolphins, […]

It was another glorious Panther Monday on the Mac & Bone Show, after the Panthers beat the Cowboys 30-27, to improve to 3-3 on the season, after back-to-back wins at home, where Carolina is 3-0. While Bryce Young was efficient in the passing game, throwing for three touchdowns, it was the Rico Dowdle show once […]

The Panthers host the Cowboys on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium, and former Panthers tight end and current analyst for FOX, Greg Olsen, will be on the call for the game, like he has been for the last couple of years when the two teams have faced off against each other. Earlier this morning, […]

As we head into the second weekend of October, the college football regular season is starting to heat up, as conference racing are starting to take shape across the power conferences and the Group of 5. This weekend alone features three ranked matchups, around a handful of rivalry games as well, setting the stage for […]

After falling behind 17-0 in the first quarter, it looked like it was going to be another angry Panther Monday on the Mac & Bone Show, but behind Rico Dowdle, the Panthers completed the largest comeback in franchise history, beating the Miami Dolphins 27-24, to improve to 2-3 on the 2025 season, and in the […]

It’s a big weekend of football in the ACC, with the Miami/Florida State rivalry set to renew, and Dabo Swinney takes his Clemson Tigers to Chapel Hill, to take on Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels, and that doesn’t even mention a sneaky important game between nationally ranked Virginia and the Louisville Cardinals. With the calendar officially […]

Clemson entered the season with hopes and dreams of winning a national championship, but those dreams died quickly after a 1-3 start, with losses to LSU, Georgia Tech, and LSU. That start has led coach Dabo Swinney to defend himself, and his program, going as far as to let it be known that if Clemson […]

A week after dispatching the Atlanta Falcons 30-0, the Panthers followed that performance up by getting blown out by the New England Patriots, 42-13, in a game that should’ve come down to the final quarter, maybe even the final possession. After scoring a touchdown on their opening drive, it looked like Carolina was ready to […]

For the first time this football season, Victory Monday made its way to the Mac & Bone Show after the Panthers got in the win column yesterday, with a 30-0 win over the Atlanta Falcons, to improve their record to 1-2 on the young 2025 season. The win was the second straight over the Falcons, […]

It hasn’t been the start to the season that the Carolina Panthers had hoped for, as they find themselves at 0-2, entering Sunday’s home opener against the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium. After a strong finish to the 2024 season, many people thought Carolina was ready to take the next step under Dave […]

This upcoming weekend, Charlotte FC will look to set the MLS record for consecutive wins in the shootout era, after tying the mark at nine over the weekend, with a dominant 3-0 win over Inter Miami and superstar Lionel Messi. The historic winning streak has vaulted Charlotte FC back into contention in the Eastern Conference, […]

Two weeks are in the books for the Panthers, and they find themselves in a familiar spot, winless, and the outlook looking bleak for the rest of the season, after yesterday’s 27-22 loss to the Cardinals, in a game where Carolina trailed 27-3 in the third quarter. Sure, the run defense looked much improved from […]

After a lackluster slate of games last weekend, the schedule heats up in a major way this weekend in college football, with the SEC taking center stage, with high profile matchups in all three time slots. Alabama hosts Wisconsin, Georgia makes the trip to Knoxville to take on Tennessee, and LSU hosts a Florida team, […]

The Panthers suffered another season-opening blowout loss yesterday, this time to the Jacksonville Jaguars, 26-10, in a game that was effectively over at halftime, giving the team a 4th straight 0-1 start to the season. Poor defense, combined with subpar play from QB Bryce Young, hindered Carolina from being competitive in a game where, on […]

On Monday night, UNC got blasted 48-14 by TCU, spoiling Bill Belichick’s debut in the college game. After much hype and anticipation, there has been a lot of reaction to what took place on Monday night in Chapel Hill, with many people surprised by the lack of fundamentals and mistakes the Tar Heels made in […]

After a long off-season, the start of the 2025 NFL season is officially here, with the Eagles set to host the Cowboys on Thursday night, the Chiefs and Chargers will meet in Brazil on Friday, before a full slate of games on Sunday, as another football season is upon us. The Panthers will open the […]

The college football season gets started in full tonight, as ECU takes on NC State, to kick off five straight days of games involving teams from the Carolinas, including tomorrow’s Duke’s Mayo Classic, featuring App State and Charlotte, two programs that are breaking in first-year head coaches at their respective schools. Dowell Loggains arrives at […]

The college football season gets started in a big way this weekend, with the ACC taking center stage, playing in high-profile games five straight days, beginning with NC State/ECU on Thursday, and concluding with North Carolina/TCU on Monday night. For a league that is looking to build off last year’s success, getting two teams into […]

Last week, the Panthers preseason came to a close, with a loss to the Steelers, pushing Carolina’s preseason mark to 0-3, ahead of the 2025 regular season. Since the conclusion of the game last Thursday, all attention and focus have been on finalizing the roster for the upcoming season, as the roster must be trimmed […]

The 2025 preseason came to a close last night for the Carolina Panthers, with a 19-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, as Carolina failed to win a single game in the three-week tune-up ahead of the regular season. Dave Canales gave the starters the night off last night, allowing the coaching staff to have a […]

The second preseason came and went without much fanfare, as the Panthers lost to the Texans 20-3, to fall to 0-2 in the preseason, having been outscored 50-13 in the process. After claiming that the starters would play at least three series in their final tuneup before the regular season, they instead only played two […]

Week 2 of the NFL preseason gets underway starting tonight, with the Carolina Panthers back in action tomorrow, as they’ll take on the Houston Texans, with the starters expected to get around three series of work, after playing two drives last week against Cleveland. Like they did last week, the two teams held a joint […]

The second week of the preseason is officially here, as the Panthers will face the Texans on Saturday afternoon in Houston, with the starters expected to play at least 3 series on both sides of the football. Later this week, Carolina will have a joint practice session before the preseason game, effectively ending Panthers training […]

The 2025 preseason got started last week, with the Carolina Panthers falling to the Cleveland Browns, 30-10, despite Bryce Young connecting with Jalen Coker on a touchdown on his second and final drive of the first quarter. Before Carolina took out the starters, they had outscored the Browns 7-0, although Cleveland didn’t play hardly any […]

After a long, but productive off-season, we have finally made it to the first preseason game of the season, as the Panthers host the Cleveland Browns later tonight at Bank of America Stadium, with the starters expected to play at least one drive on both sides of the football. Carolina hosted Cleveland for a joint […]

Dan Morgan is entering his second season as the GM of the Carolina Panthers, and with him is Dave Canales, who is set to begin his second season as a head coach in the NFL. After a 1-7 start to his coaching career, Canales guided Carolina to a 4-5 finish down the stretch last year, […]

After Dan Morgan joined the Mac & Bone Show earlier this morning, the big-time guests didn’t stop making their way by the “Suck Up Suite”, as QB1 of the Panthers, Bryce Young, made his way by to talk with the guys. Young is entering his third season in the NFL, and even though he’s just […]

It’s the second full week of Panthers training camp in Charlotte, and today, the Mac & Bone made their way out to camp to broadcast live, ahead of today’s practice, before tomorrow’s joint practice sessions with the Cleveland Browns. During their time out there, they were joined by many players, including JJ Jansen, Lathan Ransom, […]

Ever since David Tepper became the owner of the Panthers, the organization has been looking to rebuild in his image. The issue has been that the team has struggled to get that part right, going through a handful of head coaches and GMs, while one losing season stacked on top of another. When the team […]

The biggest downside for the Panthers training camp this year has been that fans aren’t allowed to attend, due to the construction the team is doing, as they are in the process of building a training facility for the team to use, after the plan to build in Rock Hill fell through a few years […]

Monday was the first padded practice of 2025 training camp, with Dave Canales challenging his team to set the tone for the physical nature he wants his team to play with come Sundays this fall. Once the pads go on, the intensity goes to another level, and that was evident by a fight that broke […]

After a long off-season in Carolina, training camp opened up this week in Charlotte, ahead of the 2025 NFL season, with two practices officially in the books, and pads set to be put on next week. A different vibe is around the team after a strong finish to the 2024 campaign, but there is a […]

Big 12 media days are under way this week, next week the SEC takes center stage, and the week after it’s time for ACC Kick-Off, as we’re inching closer to the college football season. The Mac & Bone Show has been busy previewing the start of the season, bringing on the best guests in the […]

It’s Thursday in the NFL off-season, which means that Panthers long-snapper JJ Jansen joined the Mac & Bone Show for his weekly apperance, as we are inside two weeks away from the start of training camp, ahead of the 2025 season. During today’s visit with the guys, JJ discussed his summer coming to an end, […]

You know the college football season is near when the annual Phil Steele magazine hits the shelves at your local Barnes & Noble bookstore, and that’s exactly where we are in the off-season calendar, with media days starting this week, and fall camp just around the corner. Phil Steele has been publishing his annual magazine […]

Last night, the Charlotte Hornets drafted Kon Knueppel, 4th overall in the NBA Draft, making the former Duke standout the latest draft selection for the team. They would round out the night by adding Liam McNeely 29th overall, after trading away Mark Williams, to the Phoenix Suns. Knueppel emerged as a potential candidate after a […]

With the spring transfer portal window and spring practice behind us, the countdown to the 2025 college football season is officially on, with conference media days just over a month away, the excitement is starting to build. There’s a lot to be excited about locally, given that the three Group of 5 schools, Charlotte, ECU, […]

It’s mandatory minicamp week for the NFL, with all 32 teams conducting their respective minicamps before the league takes a break for the summer, ahead of training camps, which open in late July and early August. There’s a lot of positive energy around the Panthers after a strong finish to the 2024 season, combined with […]

It’s the off-season for college football, which means many different lists are being put together to hype up the upcoming season. One of those annual lists is a ranking of the best coaches in the sport, and that list became more intriguing once UNC hired Bill Belichick last December. Last week, Bill Bender of the […]

With Memorial Day behind us and magazine season ahead of us, the hype for the upcoming college football season is starting to build. Conferences have already held their annual spring meetings, or are conducting them this week, ahead of the kick-off events that take place in July, right before fall camps get underway. Last night, […]

Spring practice has come and went, and while rosters are still filling themselves out via the transfer portal, the off-season is here for college football, before fall camps open up later this summer. App State is entering a new era after firing Shawn Clark after a disappointing tenure with the Mountaineers and hired South Carolina […]

The second major of the golf season is here, as the 107th PGA Championship makes its way to Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte. After a heavy week of rain, the course figures to be even more difficult than it normally is. Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy (fresh off his Masters win), and Bryson DeChambeau all show […]

Last night was supposed to be filled with hope for the future, but many Hornets fans were left with nothing more than anger and despair, after missing out on the #1 pick for the 2025 NBA Draft, receiving the fourth pick in the draft, in the latest example of how the NBA’s lottery system continues […]

The biggest question that the Panthers had to answer last season, was could they build a winning team around Bryce Young, and they believe they answered that in the back half of the season, going 4-5 in the final nine games, with two close losses to the Chiefs, and the Eagles, the two teams that […]

The spring football period has come and gone, marking the end of Tim Albin’s first spring with the Charlotte 49ers after getting hired away from Ohio last off-season. After two disastrous seasons under Biff Poggi, Charlotte is looking for stability on and off the field as they try to establish themselves as contenders in the […]

Panthers GM Dan Morgan has been busy this week, conducting a media tour, that had him visit the Kyle Bailey Show earlier this week, and just yesterday, he joined the Pat McAfee Show, to talk about the NFL Draft class he put together last week, ahead of the start of off-season activities, which will be […]

After months and months of hype, anticipation, mock drafts, and other NFL Draft scuttlebutt, the 2025 NFL Draft came and went this weekend, with the Panthers adding eight players, four on offense, and four on defense, ahead of the 2025 season. After drafting a wide receiver in the first round, Carolina was able to address […]

The NFL Draft is finally here, and the Panthers will be on the clock shortly after 8 PM, as they hold the #8 pick. In addition to the draft taking place over the weekend, off-season programs have started this week, with voluntary conditioning underway for the Panthers. There was a strong turnout, headlined by quarterback […]

After a long process, we’ve arrived at the eve of the NFL Draft, which will begin tomorrow night live from Green Bay, with the Panthers set to draft 8th overall. The rumors around what Carolina wants to do, and will look to do, continue to heat up, with Dan Morgan’s preference to trade down and […]

If you go and look at the MLS table, you’ll find Charlotte FC at the top of the Eastern Conference standings, after their home win last weekend. It marks the first time Charlotte has been in first place in their young history, but it is a sign of how far this organization has come and […]

Slowly but surely, we’re getting closer to the NFL Draft, which will be held in Green Bay next week, with the Carolina Panthers holding the #8 pick in this year’s draft, the fifth time since 2020 that Carolina is selecting inside the top 10. Yesterday, Dan Morgan, the GM of the Panthers, met with the […]

The NFL Draft is just over two weeks away, and the Panthers are in the process of hosting prospects this week, as they begin the narrow in on their first-round selection will be later this month. After beefing up the defense in free agency, Dan Morgan has a plethora of options at his disposal, although […]

We’re just a little over 48 hours away from the start of the 2025 Final Four, as Duke, Houston, Auburn, and Florida will play on college basketball’s biggest stage for the right to determine this year’s national champion. For the second time ever, all four #1 seed have made their way to San Antonio, making […]

The 2025 Final Four is this weekend in San Antonio, and for the second time ever, all four #1 seeds, including the Duke Blue Devils made their way to the Final Four, matching the 2008 Final Four, which was also held in San Antonio, as the only time the top seeds have made it to […]

Charlotte FC is off to its best start in club history, earning 10 points in the first five matches of the season, which features three wins, and one draw. Their most recent result, a 4-1 win over San Jose came at the expense of the club being down three starters, who were off due to […]

Over the weekend, Panthers offensive lineman Austin Corbett resigned from Carolina on a one-year deal to remain with the team for the 2025 season. Corbett had spent the last three seasons in Carolina, and after a strong finish for the team in 2024, he wanted to return, to be a part of the rebirth the […]

The NFL legal tampering period gets underway at noon, but before then, teams are allowed to sign their restricted free agents. The Carolina Panthers made a big splash earlier this morning, signing Jaycee Horn to a four-year contract extension worth $100 million, with $70 million of it guaranteed. Horn is coming off his best season […]

RJ Davis's storied career is winding down, with the regular season coming to a close this weekend, as the Tar Heels host Duke, in the latest matchup between the two storied rivals. When Davis takes the floor on Saturday night, it'll be his final game in the Smith Center and will make it the 170th game he's played in, the most in ACC history. The Tar Heels currently find themselves on the outside looking for 2025 NCAA Tournament participation, but a win over Duke, or a strong showing in the ACC Tournament, could secure UNC a spot in the tournament, and a chance for Davis to continue his climb up the scoring ranks at both UNC and in the ACC. 

Tomorrow afternoon, Charlotte FC will kick off their 2025 home slate, as they host Atlanta United in the first home match of the season. The Crown earned a point on the road last week at Seattle, but they will look to earn three points tomorrow, against their rival. This week, Willie P joined Wes & […]

The NFL Scouting Combine officially gets underway on Thursday night, as the next generation of NFL stars will workout and interview for teams over the next week in Indianapolis. Panthers brass Dave Canales and Dan Morgan met with the media yesterday to address the goals for upgrading the roster in the NFL Draft and free agency. After speaking with the media yesterday, Dave Canales joined the Kyle Bailey Show yesterday, and today, GM Dan Morgan joined Mac & Bone live from Indianapolis. 

With the Super Bowl now two weeks behind us, the next item on the NFL’s schedule is the NFL Draft, and that process heats up in a big way starting this week in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine, where many players will workout, and interview for teams, ahead of the draft later this spring. […]

Believe it or not, the 2025 MLS season gets underway this weekend, which means The Croqn is back in action, as they officially kick off their fourth season of MLS play. It has taken long for FC to make its mark on the sports landscape in the Queen City, creating arguably the best environment in […]

It’s Thursday, which means that JJ Jansen joined the Mac & Bone Show on WFNZ earlier today, for his weekly conversation with the guys, and today’s conversation was lively and full of energy. During his time with guys, Jansen expressed why he was disappointed to hear what Cam Newton had to say about the state […]

The Charlotte FC season gets officially underway next weekend, and earlier today, FC and WFNZ made the announcement that Anna Witte has joined the broadcast booth for the 2025 season after Jessica Charman left to explore other career opportunities earlier this off-season. Shortly after the announcement, Witte joined the Mac & Bone Show in the […]

Tomorrow night, the annual NFL Honors ceremony will take place ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Chiefs and the Eagles. While many awards will be handed out, what Panthers fans and the franchise will be focused on is the Hall of Fame class that will be officially announced, with both Steve Smith and Luke […]

While many local sports fans had their eyes on Saturday’s Duke/UNC showdown in Cameron Indoor Stadium, you may have forgotten about the 2025 Senior Bowl taking place down in Mobile, Alabama, the first real sign that the NFL off-season is around the corner, and the focus for many teams will turn to free agency, and […]

Tomorrow the greatest rivalry in sports renews itself, as Duke will host UNC in historic Cameron Indoor Stadium, in the first of two matchups between the two blue-blood programs. Typically the game is headlined by two teams worthy of competing for the national championship, but that is not the case, with UNC squarely on the […]

It’s Thursday, which means JJ Jansen joined the Mac & Bone Show on WFNZ earlier today for his weekly conversation, and that is exactly what happened, as the long time long snapper of the Carolina Panthers, talked about the conversation surrounding the Super Bowl after the Chiefs and Eagles advanced once again, he gives insight […]

It’s the time of the year when college hoops step into the spotlight, and become the focus for many sports fans around the country, now that the Super Bowl is set, and March is just over a month away. For many casual fans, the season officially begins whenever the first Duke-UNC game takes place, and […]

With the month of January coming to a close, and the Super Bowl matchup officially set, the college basketball season really starts to heat up, not only here in the Carolinas but across the country as well. A sign of that is the first of two matchups between Duke and UNC, which will take place […]

During the off-season, Mac & Bone are joined by JJ Jansen, the longtime kong snapper for the Carolina Panthers, to talk about sports, life, and whatever crazy thing is going on in the world currently. Earlier this morning on WFNZ, Jansen joined the guys for his weekly conversation and weighed in on the results so […]

The Panthers season ended over a week ago, setting the stage for one of the more important off-seasons in franchise history, with the belief that the organization has found its QB to build around in Bryce Young, and the head coach to do it with, in Dave Canales. After a 1-7 start, Carolina finished the […]

Last night in the Spectrum Center, the Tar Heels fell to #7 Florida, in arguably the best game in the short history of the Jumpman Invitational, losing 90-84, in a game that drops the once preseason top 10 Tar Heels to 6-5 on the season, a week before Christmas. As has been the story most of the season, Carolina fell behind double-digits in the first half, for the sixth game this season, all against power conference competition. Florida built a 46-34 lead at the half, after shooting 53% from the field and connecting on seven three-pointers. As the Tar Heels have done plenty of times this season, they responded in the second half, starting the second 20-minute stanza on a 9-0 run, to make it a ballgame the rest of the way. The Heels now only got back in the game, they took a lead at the under-8 timeout, and as you can imagine, with a lot of UNC fans in the building, it felt like the Heels were on the verge of taking control of the game. At the 4-minute mark, Carolina had built an 81-77 lead, but that would be the end of the good times. Florida would outscore UNC 13-3 down the stretch, going 8-8 from the foul line, and grabbing 4 offensive rebounds. 

It was another doom and gloom Panther Monday on the Mac & Bone Show, after the Panthers lost to the Cowboys yesterday, 30-14 in a game that wasn’t even that close. Bryce Young struggled to protect the football, turning it over a career-high 4 times, including turning it over on the opening possessions of the […]

For the third straight week, the Carolina Panthers lost a game, and once again it was a highly contested matchup, that came down to the final play, this time losing 22-16, to the Philadelphia Eagles, a team some people believe happens to be the best in the NFL. The loss drops Carolina to 3-10, but […]

There’s no denying that Bryce Young has looked like a different QB, since taking back over for Andy Dalton five weeks ago, after Dalton injured his thumb in a car accident. Young, led Carolina to back-to-back wins, for the first time since 2021, and most recently went throw for throw, against Patrick Mahomes, and Baker […]

It was another sad Panther Monday on the Mac & Bone Show, after the Panthers lost to the Bucs in overtime yesterday, 26-23, to fall to 3-9 on the season. The Panthers took the lead, with 30 seconds left in the game, but allowed Tampa Bay to force OT, kicking a field goal, as time […]

The Panthers two-game winning streak came to an end yesterday, at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs, 30-27, as KC won on another last-second field goal, to improve to 10-1 on the season. Despite the loss though, many Panthers fans were encouraged by what they saw from QB Bryce Young, who led the team […]

Earlier today, former Panthers head coach, Ron Rivera, joined the Mac & Bone Show, on WFNZ, to reflect on his time in Carolina, with the Panthers. Rivera orchestrated the greatest era of Panther football, which saw the team win three NFC South titles from 2013-15, play in Super Bowl 50, and go to the NFL […]

After a 1-7 start to the 2024 season, the Panthers have won back-to-back games, against the Saints, and most recently against the Giants in Germany, to get to 3-7 on the season. The wins have been highlighted by improvement from Bryce Young after he was benched after Week 2, and a defense that is coming […]

For the first time in six weeks, the Mac & Bone Show, got to celebrate a Panthers win, after Carolina took down New Orleans, 23-22 yesterday, at Bank of America Stadium. It was the Panthers first win since they blew out the Raiders back in Week 3, and it was the first win for Bryce […]

Tomorrow night, Charlotte FC will host Orlando in the Game 2 of the opening round of the MLS postseason, making it the first time in eight years, that the city of Charlotte has hosted a playoff game, in a major sport. The Crown lost Game 1 on Sunday, 2-0, and will need to win tomorrow […]

The Carolina Panthers are 1-7 and haven’t taken the steps forward that they had hoped to take, after restructuring their front office after a disastrous 2-15 season, which led to the hire of Dave Canales, a young, up-and-coming offensive coordinator. Canales was brought in to get the most out of former first-round pick Bryce Young, […]

It was another sad Monday show on the Mac & Bone Show, as the guys had to talk about the 28-14 loss to the Broncos, to fall to 1-7 on the 2024 season. Bryce Young made his return to the lineup, and started the game 5-5, for 39 yards, and a touchdown, before the Broncos’ […]

The Hornets opened their 2024-25 season, with a dramatic win over the Rockets 110-105, after they erased an 18-point deficit, to win their 4th straight season opener. While LaMelo Ball was the star of the show, he got help in the form of Tre Mann, who added 24 points, off the bench in a way […]

The MLS postseason officially got underway last night, with the play-in games to decide the final playoff field. In the meantime, Charlotte FC is busy getting ready for their first-ever playoff series as an MLS franchise, as they’ll take on Orlando City FC, in a best-of-three series, which starts on Sunday. The Crown have quickly […]

Another week has come and gone in the NFL, and the Panthers suffered yet another blowout loss, after losing to the Washington Commanders 40-7 yesterday, to fall to 1-6 on the season. The defeat, marked the third time this season that Carolina has been beaten by 20 points or more, as they clearly have the […]

After dissecting the loss to the Falcons the past couple of days, it’s time to move on to this week’s Panthers game, against the surprising Washington Commanders. Carolina is 1-5 and will look to earn their second win of the season and snap a three-game losing streak. When the schedule first came out, many Panthers fans would’ve thought that this game would be a win, considering the state of the Commanders on and off the field, after bringing in a new coach, and QB last off-season. Instead, the Panthers are arguably the worst team in the NFC, and Washington finds itself at the top of the standings in the NFC East, making it hard to see a path that Carolina wins on Sunday afternoon.

It's only the first full week of October, and yet the Panthers have once again endured a season's worth of frustration after 5 games. At 1-4, the Panthers have already benched their #1 overall pick Bryce Young, lost defensive veterans Derrick Brown, and Shaq Thompson, as they've allowed the most points in the NFL, and trade rumors abound, for wide receivers, Diontae Johnson, and Adam Thielen. David Tepper appears to be in a patient state of mind, as he hasn't pulled the trigger on firing Dave Canales or Dan Morgan, both of whom are in their first season in their respective roles. But at 1-4, and once again, not heading anywhere, the question is fair to be asked, what is next? 

Another NFL Sunday has come and gone, and like clockwork, the Carolina Panthers were blown out, this time by the Chicago Bears, 36-10, as Carolina fell to 1-4 in the 2024 season. The Panthers actually took a brief 7-0 lead, before the Bears scored the next 30 points, as Caleb Williams, put together his best performance at the NFL level. To make matters worse, the Panthers were left with many injuries upfront, as Austin Corbett and Taylor Moton both suffered injuries, along with Jadeveon Clowney on the defensive side of the ball. After beating the Raiders two weeks ago, and competing admirably against the Bengals last week, reality has once again set in, and we all know this is going to be a long season in Charlotte. 

On Monday the Carolina Panthers made the decision to bench second-year QB Bryce Young, in favor of veteran backup Andy Dalton, in a move that initially took the fan base by storm, and by Wednesday was a talking point on every national show, across multiple platforms. The response hasn't been positive, as many people are being blamed for Young's shortcomings in the NFL, most notably, owner David Tepper, who has the franchise into the ground, as he's been unable to identify the franchise's next QB post Cam Newton. 

There isn't a sport that flies by quicker than the college football season, and evidence of that is that after the last weekend's action, 1/6 of the regular season is already over, and it's only the middle of September. And though it's early, we have already learned about teams on the national scale, and of course in the ACC, with multiple conference matchups already in the books.

The Panthers opened their 2024 season yesterday, but it felt more like a repeat of the last six seasons, as they fell to the Saints, 47-10 in blowout fashion, as Bryce Young, the trenches, and the coaching staff all had a day to forget. The thing is that the fan base hasn't forgotten the last couple of seasons, which has seen multiple head coaches fired, and a front office overhaul. After the way it looked yesterday, it's hard to rule out more changes coming in the future. 

Believe it or not, when the Panthers take the practice field tomorrow, it'll be the final training camp practice of the summer, as we're inching closer to the end of preseason, and the start of the regular season. Tomorrow's practice will be the biggest of this training camp, as it will be a joint practice with the New York Jets, ahead of Saturday's preseason game. Today though, the Mac & Bone Show was on location ahead of today's practice session, and multiple Panther players and coaches made their way by, to talk about many different Panthers topics. 

Panthers training camp has rolled into its second week, and the preseason opener is later this week, as we continue to inch closer and closer to the start of the 2024 regular season. WFNZ has been on site for training camp since it started, and today, the Mac & Bone Show was supposed to be on-site for today's practice. But the threat of weather forced the morning guys to stay inside the studio, a week after they told GM Dan Morgan, they'd be there, rain or shine. The good news is that the Panthers helped take training camp on the road, and had a trio of Panthers call into the morning show, earlier today. 

We're inside 48 hours from Julius Peppers, the first Panthers-drafted player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the second Panther to go into Canton in the last three seasons. With that, it's been a week of reminiscing about the great defensive end, and the Mac & Bone Show has been bringing on many of his former teammates to talk about Peppers, and what it was like playing alongside him. Yesterday, the guys had on Brentson Bucker to talk about Peppers, today, they had two more guests on, one who played on the defensive line with him, and the other, an offensive player who saw firsthand how hard Peppers made life during practice. 

Believe it or not, but preseason football gets underway tomorrow night, with the annual Hall of Fame Game, featuring the Bears and the Texans, in Canton, Ohio. The argument could've been made for the Panthers to play in the game, given that Julius Peppers, will be inducted in the Hall on Saturday night. Peppers may not have played his entire career in Carolina, but most certainly will go into the Hall of Fame, as a Panther, becoming the first player to exclusively do so in the history of the franchise. 

Training camp turns a week old tomorrow, and after having their first padded practice of the summer, and Fan Fest on Thursday night, football season is right around the corner. Before you know it, the Panthers will be playing their preseason games, and start the process of trimming down the roster, ahead of the season opener. The franchise enters a new era, after firing both Frank Reich and Scott Fitterer after a disastrous 2-15 season, Dave Canales was hired as the new coach, and former Panther, Dan Morgan was hired as the GM. Earlier today, both joined the Mac & Bone Show, as they broadcasted live from training camp. 

College football is set to embark on a new journey, as they enter a new era, with the 12-team College Football Playoff set to make its debut this season. With the expanded playoff, the SEC and the Big 10 are expected to dominate the party, with both conferences positioned to send at least three teams to the expanded postseason on an annual basis, starting the season. While no one knows the future of the ACC, there's no denying the QB star power that the conference has entering the 2024 season, meaning they could feature some of the best, most explosive teams in the sport this season. With the ACC not as deep as the SEC or the Big 10, that could allow them to have many teams reach double-digit wins, but what does that mean for the ACC? 

After what feels like an eternity, the NFL season is just around the corner, with multiple teams having already opened their training camps, with the Panthers set to join that list tomorrow. Last Friday, rookies reported for camp, and tomorrow so will the veterans, in what will be a historic camp for Carolina, as it will be hosted in Charlotte for the first time ever. After an off-season spent trying to surround Bryce Young with more weapons, and a staff that believes in him, it's time to see how Dave Canales will fare as an NFL head coach, with a roster given to him by first-time GM, Dan Morgan.  

With SEC Media Days currently underway, and ACC Kick-Off just a week away, it's another sign of just how close we are to getting college football back in our lives, after another interesting off-season. With the return of the EA Sports college football video game, the excitement is at even higher level than in years past, even with all the unknowns around conference realignment, NIL, and the transfer portal. 

Bryce Young is set to enter his second season as an NFL QB and is looking to solidify himself as the QB of the future for the Carolina Panthers. If Young's struggles from last season continue, it'll likely force the franchise to go in a different direction, to find the franchise QB they've been looking for since Cam Newton. 

Earlier this week the Big 12 held their annual media day, to preview the upcoming college football season, next week the SEC takes center stage, with their media event, and the week after that, the new look ACC will come into focus, when they hold their preseason media session in Charlotte, as they will welcome Cal, Stanford and SMU to the conference. While the ACC was left out of the College Football Playoff last season, the conference is poised to be as deep as it has been in recent years, with as many as six teams likely being ranked in the preseason.

With the 4th of July behind us, sports fans everywhere are gearing up for the football season, which isn't as far away as it currently seems. Next week the SEC will conduct their annual media days, the week after the ACC takes center stage, the Big 12 has already released its preseason media poll, and before we know it, Heisman odds will be all over the place. With that in mind, it's not really talking season until Phil Steele, the author of the Phil Steele college football magazine, a Bible for college football fans, gets behind the mic. Well, that's exactly what happened last week, when Steele stopped by WFNZ. 

After cleaning out the front office, and hiring a new head coach, the Panthers aren't expected to compete in 2024, instead, they are looking to see progress from their QB Bryce Young and position themselves to compete in  2025. With that being said, they do play in the NFC South, arguably one of the worst divisions in the NFL, and anything is possible, in a league where teams go from worst to first on a yearly basis. While that isn't the expectation, that isn't stopping former Panthers from thinking that it's possible that the team could at worst compete, even after going 2-15 just last season. 

The NBA Draft has come and gone, with the Hornets making two draft selections, Tijdane Salaun in the first round, and KJ Simpson in the second round, both players that fit the vision and the culture, new head coach Charles Lee wants to establish in Charlotte. The Hornets selection of Salaun caught many people off guard when it happened because his name was rarely mentioned in the pre-draft process, and while Hornets fans are conflicted about the pick, the draft analysts have had nothing but good things to say about his potential. 

Last night, the Hornets drafted Tidjane Salaun with the sixth pick in the NBA Draft, a move that surprised virtually every Hornets fan, as he wasn't mentioned during the draft process. Salaun is from France, and is very raw, but has the potential to be the four-man, the Hornets need as they move into this new era of Hornets basketball. On the surface, this feels like a boom or bust pick, something that Charlotte didn't necessarily have to do in this draft, even though it's been regarded as one of the weakest drafts ever. If their core of young talent were to finally stay healthy, there's a chance they could compete for a Play-In spot next season. With that in mind, you'd think they'd draft someone that could help them next season, like a Dalton Knecht, but instead, they opted to draft someone that is at least two years away from producing at the NBA level. 

While the focus is primarily on the NBA Draft tonight, Charlotte FC is coming off a big road win over the weekend, as they continue to climb up the Eastern Conference standings. A big reason why The Crown has enjoyed success so far has been a transformation into a defensive juggernaut, as they lead MLS in clean sheets, which has been necessary with their lack of offensive firepower in the first half of the season. The man behind the defensive turnaround is first-year manager Dean Smith, who arrived in Charlotte after a successful stint overseas in the Premier League. Smith has been able to maximize the most out of the current roster, and with the summer transfer window looming, Charlotte FC is poised to position itself as a legit contender in the second half of the season. 

It's the eve of the NBA Draft, and it's still uncertain which direction the Charlotte Hornets are going in, as they hold the sixth pick in the draft. The latest rumors have them zeroed in on drafting Dalton Knecht, Reed Sheppard, or Stephon Castle, but there are rumors that Charlotte could look to trade up, or trade back to make their 2024 selection, to pair with LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Mark Williams. 

Believe it or not, draft week is here, and on Wednesday night, the Hornets will draft a player with the 6th pick in the NBA Draft, as they look to improve their roster, ahead of the 2024-25 season. As you can imagine, there are rumors flying from every direction, about what Charlotte is looking for, and willing to do in the draft, as they look to find a piece to add to their young core of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller & Mark Williams. As we sit roughly 48 hours away from draft time, the Hornets appeared zeroed in on Dalton Knecht, Reed Sheppard, and Stephon Castle as their likely pick, but again, this is all evergreen, as the rumors continue to swirl. 

Believe it or not, we're closing in on the NBA Draft, and sooner after that, NBA free agency will take place. The Charlotte Hornets are looking to add to a talented young roster, as they hold the sixth pick in the draft, but it's unknown how aggressive new ownership will be in the open market. They have to make a decision on Miles Bridges and if they want to invest in him in the long term, as it's unknown if they can adequately replace his production in the draft. 

After an off-season that saw the Carolina Panthers trade up to draft Bryce Young with the #1 overall pick, combined with putting together an All-Star caliber coaching staff, competing for an NFC South division title wasn't out of the question, in Year One for Frank Reich. Instead, Carolina is off to its second-ever 0-6 start, and as they enter the bye week, the first change we saw made was Reich officially giving play-calling duties, turning that responsibility over to Thomas Brown. While Reich stated earlier today in a press conference that, that will be the only move on the coaching staff this week, the job security of Scott Fitterer has been called into question, as many Panthers would like to the general manager out of a job, after putting together this roster. 

The start of the college football season is getting closer, with conference media days already underway. Locally Clemson will garner most of the national hype, as they look to end their College Football Playoff absence. South Carolina will also get a lot of publicity after the way they finished last season, upsetting top-ten teams in Clemson and Tennessee. Another local program that is going to receive some hype, with be North Carolina, even after they lost their final four games last season, to finish 9-5, after a 9-5. The main reason for the hype is because of quarterback Drake Maye, who is a Heisman hopeful, and a top NFL Draft prospect for 2024. But Carolina will need more production from the guys around him, as last year was a clear example, one guy can't carry you to a conference title. 

We're inching closer to next week's NBA Draft, and with the Finals over, that is now the focal point in the basketball world. The Hornets have been preparing for the draft since January, after a brutal start to the season, had them out of playoff contention right off the bat. A disappointing 27-55 record, did payoff when Charlotte did earn the #2 pick in the draft, just barely missing out on generational talent, Victor Webmanyama. With Charlotte being in control of how the rest of the draft will unfold, they have to decide whether or not to draft Brandon Miller, or Scoot Henderson, both of whom would be potential #1 overall picks in every other draft. 

Saturday night produced one of the best sports environments in the city of Charlotte, as Charlotte FC began their second season on the MLS pitch in front of 69,435 fans in Bank of America Stadium. While the result wasn't what the majority of those in attendance were hoping for, the near-capacity crowd and rave reviews from those who were there show that Charlotte FC will once again be making big waves with Charlotte sports fans in 2023.

The Deshaun Watson saga continues to be the most dominant headline around the NFL as the league gets set to turn the calendar to a new league year tomorrow morning. Last Friday, the criminal cases against the current Houston Texans quarterback were dismissed and while there are still civil depositions that still need to be resolved, the trade market for him has hit its peak since before the allegations were initially brought to light.

All week, the focus around the final Saturday of the regular season was on Coach K's legacy ahead of the final home game of his legendary career as he and Duke welcomed the Tar Heels to Durham. As a result, Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels were given no chance in his first trip to Cameron Indoor. However, thanks to what may have been the team's most complete game of the season, the Tar Heels walked in and pulled one of the most unexpected upsets in college basketball this season, handing Coach K a loss in his final game at home on a night where they honored him afterward.

Saturday night, Duke's men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski will take to Cameron Indoor Stadium for the final times as the team head basketball coach when they welcome the rival North Carolina Tar Heels. This is a game that many expect the Blue Devils to show out in with it being Krzyzewski's last game and with the way that this same team beat the Tar Heels earlier in the season in Chapel Hill.

The first match in the history of the expansion MLS franchise in Charlotte, the Charlotte FC, is now less than four days away, as the team travels to Washington DC to take on DC United in their opening match. Charlotte FC is coming off of a winless preseason down in Charleston, but there is a good feeling around the team following the final friendly against Inter Miami over the weekend, where the team got its first goal in 2-1 loss where Miguel Angel Ramirez said that he felt the team played much better than the score showed.

It is no secret that it has been a down year in ACC basketball this season, but there have been some teams that have had nice seasons, outperforming their preseason expectations with the help of their head coaches. Mike Brey and Notre Dame were picked preseason eighth in the conference and currently sit at 19-8 (12-4) and might be the biggest threat to Duke right now in the conference's regular-season race. Jim Larranaga and the Miami Hurricanes were tabbed to finish 12th in the conference in the preseason and currently sit in third in the conference with a 20-8 (12-5 record and have a win on the road at Duke in their favor. However, the favorite of the group should be Wake Forest head coach Steve Forbes, whose team was picked to finish 13th in the preseason polls and is now staring down a tournament appearance sitting at 21-7 (11-6).

Sunday was the 64th running of the Great American Race, the Daytona 500, from Daytona International Speedway, as rookie Austin Cindric took home his career win at the Cup Series level in his first full-time start in the series. This was also the regular-season debut of NASCAR's new NextGen car, a car that some are hoping will bring more parody to the sport than the previous car.

When it comes to the 2022 NFL Draft and the Carolina Panthers, it feels like the majority of the buzz right now surrounds the fact that the team looks like the most likely spot for the first quarterback to be selected. The success of Malik Willis has some wondering if the Panthers could be looking in that direction with the glaring need at the position and Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports has reported that people inside of the Panthers building are also really excited by what they see from Kenny Pickett.

The Panthers completed what will hopefully be their final round of hires for Matt Rhule's rebuilt staff this offseason earlier this week with the hirings of Kevin M. Gilbride (tight ends coach), Joe Dailey (wide receivers coach) and Robert Kugler (assistant offensive line coach) to the offensive staff on Monday. This completed a nearly complete revamp of the team's offensive staff, which saw four members of this past year's group either parted ways with or moved on from on their own, headlined by the in-season departure of offensive coordinator Joe Brady who was replaced earlier this offseason by former Giants head coach and offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo.

On Thursday night, the NFL announced that the Carolina Panthers will get their first Hall of Fame inductee later this summer after they announced during the NFL Honors Ceremony. Mills played for the Panthers from 1995 to 1997 to close out his career, totaling 331 total tackles, 10.0 sacks and seven interceptions. In those three seasons, Mills finished in the top five in Defensive Player of the Year voting and was voted All-Pro in 1996. In his 12 year NFL career, Mills played in 181 career games, racking up 1,265 total tackles, 20.5 sacks, 23 fumble recoveries and 11 interceptions, earning five trips to the Pro Bowl and being named All-Pro the one time.

The NBA trade deadline was expected to be a silent one for the Charlotte Hornets, but shortly after 2:00 PM on Thursday, Shams Charania reported that the team was acquiring Montrezl Harrell from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Ish Smith, Vernon Carey Jr. and a top protected 2023 second round pick.  While this may not be the rim protecting big that that Hornets have been in search, this could be the energy boost on the inside that this Hornet team is needing, especially on the offensive end where this team has been struggling.

As the 2022 NFL Draft continues to draw closer and draft season takes full effect, the question surrounding the Carolina Panthers seems to be about which key offensive position they value the most and would be willing to spend a high draft pick on. Is it the offensive tackle position, where the team had yet another chance this past draft to get their long-awaited left tackle of the future to finally replace Jordan Gross after all of these years, or is it the quarterback position, where the team decided to take a flier on a veteran quarterback that struggled and has them in an even worse spot that a year ago?

Last Monday, legendary quarterback Tom Brady announced his retirement from the league after 22 seasons via his social media platforms and over the weekend, he spoke for the first time publicly about the decision. One of the most interesting quotes that came from it, though, was when he was asked about the possibility of being approached by teams at some point before or during the season when a quarterback goes down with an injury. "I'm just going to take things as they come," Brady told his co-host on the Let's Go Podcast, Jim Gray. "The best way to put, you never say never, but at the same time, I feel very good about my decisions. I don't know how I'll feel six months from now, and if that will change, it most likely won't."

The Hornets have hit a rough patch over the two and a half weeks, losing their last five games and seven of their last nine overall. With that, the Hornets have fallen to 9th place in the Eastern Conference after spending a majority of the season inside of the top six in the conference. However, the Hornets do still remain above .500 and are still closer to 6th place in the conference than they are to the 11th spot.

The Tar Heels entered Saturday's meeting with the Duke Blue Devils in Dean E. Smith Center coming off of a four-game winning streak, but in Coach K's final game in Chapel Hill, the team simply got embarrassed. The Tar Heels never led and were down as much as 28 points late in the second half and never got within single digits of the lead after the 16:20 mark of the first half. 

Saturday night in the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, one of the best rivalries in all of the sports will add a new chapter to it's story as the No. 9 Duke Blue Devils travel down US 15-501 to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels in a game that will determine who is in first place in the ACC as we head just past the midway point in conference play. The Blue Devils, on paper, are the better team heading into this matchup, but the Tar Heels have been a much different team in the Smith Center this season than they have been on the road, where a lot of their issues have popped up.

The biggest story this week in the NFL looked like it was going to be the official retirement of Tom Brady after 22 years in the NFL, but that has pushed to the back burner and rightfully so, for the lawsuit filed against the NFL by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores. In the suit that was filed on Tuesday, Flores says that prior to his scheduled interview with the New York Giants, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick texted him a congratulatory message on getting the job as the team's head coach. Shortly after sending the message, Belichick responded apologizing and saying that the message was intended for Brian Daboll, who eventually was eventually named the Giants coaching earlier this week.

The Tar Heels will head to Louisville on Tuesday night as they look to continue the momentum that they built off a three-game homestand that they swept last week in the Dean Dome. The hope is that this can be the turning point for a season where the Tar Heels have had a lot of inconsistencies especially on the road and has left many fans frustrated after similar issues to close the Roy Williams era, even with the fact that this is Hubert Davis' first season as a head coach at the varsity level.

The Tar Heel basketball entered last Monday meeting with the Virginia Tech Hokies needing a win about as bad as any team in college basketball as they had fallen squarely on to the bubble. While it may not have been the prettiest win, that was the starting point for a 3-0 week which included a 100-80 win over NC State on Saturday that was desperately needed for this Tar Heel team to avoid falling completely out of the tournament field.

The Panthers have a lot of work to this offseason as they look to turn the rebuild back in the right direction under Matt Rhule in Year 3. It starts at quarterback and left tackle, the two spots that have been talked about since the middle of the season as glaring question marks for this team. These are two positions where there is a strong chance that the team addresses this at all costs, whether that is through the draft or in free agency.

Tuesday, the future of the NFC South was shaken up a bit around the Carolina Panthers when Saints head coach Sean Payton announced that he was stepping away from the New Orleans Saints after a 16-year stint as the team's head coach. This is a major blow for a Saints team who was already going through the process of replacing the legendary Drew Brees and will now have to find a way to replace the most successful coach in franchise history.

It's no secret that the Panthers are in desperate need of offensive line help and late last week, ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. had the team addressing that need. In his first mock draft of the season, he had the team taking Mississippi State offensive tackle Charles Cross, the third tackle off the board behind Alabama tackle Evan Neal, who he had going 3rd to the Texans, and Ikem Ekwonu, who he had going 5th to the Giants.

Jim Phillips, the commissioner of the ACC, is one of the main reasons that the College Football Playoff committee has not been able to agree on a deal to expand the playoff field. On a call with the media a couple of weeks ago, he explained that this is not an issue with the playoff itself, but rather with everything that is going on with college athletics at one time. Phillips has said that he wants to take a more "holistic approach" to the expansion and that right now the idea of staying at four teams is best for the time being.

The Panthers' offensive line issues are extremely well known locally and might be the biggest thing holding this Panther offense back under Matt Rhule. While there may not be an easy solution to the question mark that is this Panther team in the trenches, Joe Marino of The Draft Network released an article the other day breaking down how he would go about repairing this offensive line and allowing them to draft a quarterback this offseason in one fell swoop.

The Hornets suffered one of, if not their most disappointing loss of the season on Friday to the Orlando Magic in Charlotte, but they had an opportunity to get things back on track against a New York Knicks team that appeared to be getting themselves together after a rather disappointing start. They did just that with a dominant 97-87 win which was led by a career performance from Miles Bridges, who dropped 38 points on 14-20 shooting, and another nice afternoon from Terry Rozier, who finished with 22 points of his own.

Arm length had been a big storyline around Matt Rhule and the Panthers ever since he made the comments about them thinking of Brady Christensen as a guard because of his short arms. Rhule told the Mac Attack on Thursday that one of his biggest regrets from the season was not sticking with Christensen at left tackle after the Giants game where he struggled, making many fans angry that this was something that he didn't realize in season. Combine that with the fact that he revealed to the Mac Attack in his interview that the staff passed on second team All-Pro Rashawn Slater because they felt that he was a guard and the team wasn't willing to take a guard that high.

Panthers head coach Matt Rhule's job status might be the most polarizing storylines in both the city of Charlotte sports and in the NFL as the days go by and the owner of the team remains silent. Albert Breer of Monday Morning Quarterback said in answer a mailbag question on the site yesterday that nothing can be officially ruled out here because of what happened with Jeffrey Lurie and Doug Pederson a year ago where Pederson was let go more than a week after the conclusion of the season. On Thursday morning, Rhule took to the airwaves of WFNZ and talked to both the Mac Attack and the Wilson & Norfleet show to discuss his job status heading into year three and much, much more.

While the expectation that the Panthers will end up keeping Matt Rhule for his third season with the Carolina Panthers, yesterday's firing of Joe Judge by the New York Giants has some wondering whether or not there is still a chance that David Tepper could still make the move for a new head coach. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk was on with the Panthers earlier this morning and said that we won't really know what the exact decision until Tepper comes out and confirms it. Florio believes that Jay Glazer, who reported that Daivd Tepper is looking for Matt Rhule to hire a rockstar offensive coordinator, is right and that Tepper could be waiting to see what Rhule comes up with before making an official decision, something that he says is crazy.

For the first time since 1980, Georgia Bulldogs fans are waking up as national champions in the sport of football. After four losses for Kirby Smart against his mentor Nick Saban, all of which saw Georgia hold double-digit leads, Smart helped rally the Bulldogs with 20 4th quarter points including two touchdown passes for quarterback Stetson Bennett who had looked rather shaky before then. The Georgia defense was picked apart by Bryce Young for 369 yards despite throwing a lot of pressure at him but the bowed up where it mattered, in the red zone. The Crimson Tide had four trips inside the 20 on the night, but came away with just one touchdown in large part due to the pressure that they were able to get on Young. The Bulldogs also forced Young into a couple of key mistakes, including the game-sealing pick-six by Kelee Ringo in the final minute of the game with Alabama attempting to drive the field.

The college basketball season has started to heat up, as conference play is in full swing. Believe it or not, we are just under 9 weeks away from receiving the 68 team bracket, for the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Duke entered the season with high expectations, as they brought in another loaded recruiting class, for Coach K's final season as their head coach. The Blue Devils have earned some marquee wins early on in the season, topping both Kentucky and Gonzaga on neutral floors. Their only blemish before Saturday's loss home to Miami was at Ohio State, a team with legitimate Big 10 title aspirations. One of those highly touted incoming freshmen was Paolo Banchero, who will be a lottery pick later this summer in the NBA Draft. While Banchero has lived up to the hype, as he's averaging over 17 points per game, you could make the argument he hasn't been the best player for Duke this season. That title belongs to junior Wendell Moore Jr, who is averaging over 16 points, nearly 6 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. After an up and down start to his college career, the game has slowed down for Moore, and he is reaping the benefits, and earning praise for his play. Former ACC standout Randolph Childress, joined the Mac Attack this morning, and had this to say about Moore's play"

With the Panthers heading into the final week of the regular season out of the playoff race, the focus for the Panther fan base seems to be on positioning the team in the best spot in the draft to get a piece that this team desperately needs. Left tackle is the spot that most people are looking at with the Panthers top ten pick with names like Evan Neal, Ikem Ekwonu and Charles Cross amongst those that are being looked at in this range as part of a strong tackle class.

The Tar Heel football team in 2021 was riddled with inconsistencies and the same looks as if it can be said for the Tar Heel basketball team so far this season. Following arguably the best all-around performance of the season against Boston College, the Tar Heels were picked apart on Wednesday night by a less than stellar Notre Dame, especially on the defensive end of the floor. The Fighting Irish shot 47.5% (29-61) overall on the night and 41.9% (13-31) from beyond the arc in what was another questionable effort defensively from the Tar Heel that left fans with something to desire.

As we head towards the eighteenth and final week of the longest season in Panther history both figuratively and literally, all of the attention is focused on head coach Matt Rhule and whether or not the head coach will return for a third season. Following a 3-0 start, the Panthers have proceeded to lose 11 of the last 13 games and take a proverbial step back from the season that they had a year ago. Rhule currently has the worst record in the first 32 games of a coaching tenure in franchise history, as he sits at 10-22 heading into Sunday's meeting with the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay and as Joe Person of The Athletic reported on Friday, there is talk that David Tepper is unhappy and frustrated with the results based on the contract that he signed Rhule to when he brought him in.

Sunday's loss to the New Orleans Saints may have been the Panthers eleventh loss in thirteen games but it seems like many around the league are still sold on the fact that the Panthers will be hanging on to head coach Matt Rhule for year number three. While there have been a lot of people that have seemed to come around to the idea of Rhule coming back, one guest on the Mac Attack earlier today said that this would be a bad move for the Panthers and owner David Tepper.

The story of Sam Darnold and the Carolina Panthers is a confusing one. For some reason the Panther front office signed his fifth-year rookie extension earlier this offseason without even seeing him play a game as a starter at the NFL level. After a strong start to the season in the first three and a half games of the season, Darnold's season has taken a turn for the worse, as he has thrown for just 200 yards once since Week 4 after doing so in each of the first four weeks and has just a 2-9 TD-INT ratio since that Dallas game.

The 2021 Tar Heel football season mercifully came to an end on Thursday afternoon in Bank of America Stadium with a disastrous 38-21 loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks, a team that came in with one of the worst offenses in all of college football. That loss may have been the final time that Sam Howell will suit up in his college football career and, like it seemed happened too often during his three year career in Chapel Hill, he walked away with a loss that he did everything to avoid with his play at the quarterback position. Howell has yet to make his intentions for his future public yet, but if this is it, it's hard not to feel like the Tar Heels weren't able to do enough with the best quarterback in school history.

Prior to Sunday's home finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it was announced that the Carolina Panthers and owner David Tepper were leaning towards bringing Matt Rhule back for his third season in Charlotte. Following that report, the team would proceed to beat down by a depleted Bucs team 32-6, though, looking lifeless throughout the majority of the game and failing to score a touchdown in a game for the third time this season. Later that night, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk said on Football Night America that Matt Rhule is someone to keep an eye on in terms of his job status.

The Hornets had no issues with the Huston Rockets on Monday, disposing of them 123-99 in what was their largest margin of victory of the season. Terry Rozier led the way for team in the win, dropping 27 points on 10-17 shooting from the field and 7-12 from beyond the arc, but the bench production led by Kelly Oubre Jr. and Nick Richards was once again a big part of the success in this one.

The Panthers playoff hopes are officially done as of Sunday after a blowout 32-6 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the team's home finale for the 20212 season. The team was dominated from start to finish by a Bucs team that was as beat up as any team that the Panthers have faced this season, allowing 391 yards of total offense, 6.3 yards per play and 159 yards on the ground, all while facing a team that was without their leading rusher and their top two receivers. Meanwhile, the Panthers continued their struggles offensively, totaling just 273 of total offense and somehow only putting six points on the board in this one.

It's no secret that the Panthers have two major question marks personnel-wise moving forward that the team still has to address, the left tackle and the quarterback positions. Left tackle is a spot where Panther fans have grown frustrated by the fact that the team hasn't taken many risks and has tried to solve the position with band-aid instead of a long-term fix. The quarterback position is an area where the team has been more aggressive, but simply has swung and missed on the three quarterbacks that they have acquired since Matt Rhule's arrival two years ago.

The Hornets dropped their third game in a row on Monday night in Utah, falling 112-102 despite battling all the way back into the game, even taking the lead at one point after being down as many as 21 points in the first quarter. Those first quarter struggles have become a major issue for the team during this road trip, as the team has trailed by at least 17 or more points at some part of the first quarter this week and have been outscored 113-55 overall in the quarter in those three affairs.

Wednesday was early signing for the class of 2022 in college football and it may have been the wildest signing day in the history of the sport. Not only did teams like Alabama, Georgia, Texas and Michigan have big day in terms of landing prospects, but the college football world was sent into a state of shock when the No. 1 player in the class according to 247Sports Composite player rankings, Travis Hunter, flipped his commitment from Florida State to FCS Jackson State. The move sent college football fans into a tizzy and began speculation about what led to the move from the extremely talented defensive back from Suwanee, GA.

Bank of America Stadium was the focus of the Queen City sports fan on Tuesday night and for the first time in a while it wasn't about the struggles of the Panther franchise that has some concerns about its future. Instead, the focus was on the MLS expansion franchise that held its expansion draft as they selected five players for the new franchise. Forward Orrin McKinze Gaines II (Austin FC), defender Anton Walkes (Atlanta United) and Joseph Mora (D.C. United) were the players selected by the franchise that they held on to at the conclusion of the night and will be a part of the inaugural season of MLS soccer in Charlotte. The team also selected defender Tristan Blackmon (Los Angeles Football Club) and Ismael Tajouri-Shradi (New York City FC), both of whom were traded to other teams in exchange for valuable General Allocation Money (GAM) that can be used in free agency.

James Bouknight might be the most polarizing player on this 2021-22 roster in terms of his role with the team. In the midst of playing in just seven of the team's first 24 games of the season, fans were calling for him to be given an opportunity and now that that has happened, fans want more and rightfully so. Bouknight has played in each of the last five games during this period of COVID issues for the Hornets and has played well. He is averaging 10.0 points per game and shooting 50.0% from behind the arc while averaging 17.7 minutes per game during that stretch, leaving to wonder if he deserves a role in the rotation for this team even when they return back to full strength.

Sunday really felt like a last ditch effort for the Panthers to save a season that was going off the rails after a 3-0 start and that last ditch effort fell short against the Atlanta Falcons thanks to three turnovers and another lackluster overall performance in their eighth loss in the last ten games. This is the fifth straight loss that the team has suffered at home after two straight wins to begin the season, wins that look even less impressive now than they did at the time.

For the first time in their life, the Martin twins were separated this offseason, with Caleb heading to Miami, while Cody stayed here in Charlotte. "That's my best friend," Cody told the Mac Attack when he joined Mac and Bone on Friday morning. "We been together forever and whether it was playing sports or whatever the case is, we've done everything together. It's an adjustment; it's still an adjustment." Both guys have seemed to make the most of the separation, as both are having career years so far this season. Caleb is averaging a career-high in points per game (7.6), field goal percentage (48.9%), effective field goal percentage (56.3%) and rebounds per game (3.2) while playing the most extensive minutes of his career so far this season in Miami. Cody, meanwhile has become an extremely important piece for the Hornets this season, posting his career-highs in points per game (8.6), field goal percentage (48.8%), 3-point field goal percentage (50.0%), effective field goal percentage (57.1%), free throw percentage (57.1%), assists (2.4) and steals (1.4). Not too bad for guys what are still supposedly adjusting.

With the news that Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliot is likely headed for Charlottesville to coach the Virginia Cavaliers and athletic director Dan Radakovich heading to Miami to take over the Hurricanes athletic program, there is a bit of adversity around the Clemson football program. While Elliot former co-offensive coordinator Jeff Scott may have departed for South Florida a couple of seasons ago, this is the first major shake-up that the Tigers have seen to their coaching since becoming a national title contender year in and year out under Swinney. Swinney must now find replacements for both Elliot and defensive coordinator Brent Venables all while attempting to keep a recruiting class together that is already starting to lose some commits.

"Head coach next." Those were the words that Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk said he was told by a league when asked about Joe Brady's firing earlier this week on Pro Football Talk. Florio, as he does every week, stopped by the Mac Attack to clarify what exactly he was a hearing in reference to the situation in Carolina, a franchise that he referred to as a "dysfunctional" one. Florio is of the belief that this was a move made out of desperation by Matt Rhule with the pressure that he may feel from a less than patient David Tepper. "From the timing of the announcement to the fact that it happened a week into a two week bye and the way that it was discussed and explained, there 's just something about it that doesn't seem right. I feel like there is a heck of a lot more to it. Part of that more to it could be that the head coach realizes there is a good chance he'll be next."

The Hornets back-to-back the past two days against the Hawks in Atlanta and Philadelphia at home was a tough enough task as it is, but the Hornets' COVID issues made it an even tougher stretch than it had to be. After four key players missed the game on Sunday night in Atlanta, Ish Smith, the team's backup point who had to start the other night due to the scenario that the team is dealing with, was also placed in the NBA's COVID protocol yesterday afternoon, leaving the Hornets even more short handed than they were the night before. That means the pressure was on some of the remaining players to step up and Kelly Oubre Jr. has answered that bell. Oubre had another huge night on Monday, dropping 35 points on 13-24 shooting from the field overall and 6-13 shooting from behind the arc, continuing what has been an extremely successful seven-game stretch for him. In those seven games, Oubre has averaged 25.3 points per game, a team-high during that stretch and it has begun to generate the question as to whether or not he should be considered for a starting role.

The Hornets came into this weekend looking to get back on track after three straight losses that included one to the lowly Rockets. The team was able to do just that last night with a 130-127 win in Atlanta despite the team being short-handed without three starters, LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier and Mason Plumlee, and one role player in Jalen McDaniels who were all placed in COVID protocols on Saturday afternoon as first reported by Stadium's Shams Charnia.

To say that this Panthers season has been a roller coaster is an understatement. The team raced out to a 3-0 start to begin the season, getting the talks of the playoffs stirred up early on before the team would be brought back to Earth and left searching for answers with a six-game stretch where they lost five games, including four straight after the 3-0 start. The franchise was reinvigorated when they resigned franchise legend Cam Newton prior to the Arizona game and followed that with a big win on the road against the Cardinals, making some reconsider whether the Panthers could make a playoff push. However, those thoughts have seemed to be dashed in a lot of people's minds after two straight losses, including a blowout loss to the Dolphins on Sunday.

The Hornets 2021-22 season has been a season of winning and losing streaks and the Hornets are currently marred in one of those losing streaks at the moment. Despite 36 points from LaMelo Ball on Wednesday night, the Hornets dropped their third straight game in a thriller 127-125 to the Milwaukee Bucks on the road. 

The Carolina Panthers start to the bye week has produced more disappointment following the two-game losing streak that has pushed to the outside looking in at the NFC playoffs. On Monday, running back Christian McCaffrey was deemed out for the season with an unspecified leg injury which has left many confused and wondering about the future of the star running back. Tuesday shifted the focus to the other side of the football when Donte Jackson was placed on the IR with a groin injury.

The North Carolina Tar Heels closed out their 2021 regular season with a collapse against the NC State Wolfpack on Friday night that closed out an extremely disappointing season overall. Tar Heel kicker Grayson Atkins nailed a 50-yard field goal with 2:12 remaining to take a 30-21 and seemingly put the game away, but the Tar Heels would allow the Wolfpack to score twice within the final two minutes to complete one of the worst collapses in college football history.

Coming into last Sunday reunion game in Bank of America Stadium with the Washington Football Team, the Carolina Panthers had some high hopes about the remainder of the 2021-22 season and who could blame them. The team had just brought back arguably the most iconic figure in the history of the franchise and then proceed to go on the road to Arizona and take down one of the NFL best teams in dominant fashion.

The Panthers currently have the eighth toughest remaining schedule based on winning percentage down the stretch of the season, headlined by the brutal four game stretch to finish the season. That stretch makes Sunday's game in Miami for the Panthers as important as just about any game this season for the Panthers as they look to make a playoff push at the direction of the Cam Newton. Earlier today Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk joined the Mac Attack and described just how important this game is for the Panthers.

Amazingly, this weekend is the final weekend of the college football regular season and among the matchups that will headline rivalry weekend will be a matchup between the Clemson Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks that feels much more competitive than in years past. The Tigers have rebounded from a tough 2-2 start to the season and are now in position to still find their way into a NY6 bowl game, while the Gamecocks will enter the game off a huge upset win over Auburn that makes them bowl eligible in Shane Beamer's first season in Columbia. Not only does Matt Hayes of Saturday Down South, who stopped by with the Mac Attack earlier this morning, believe that the Gamecocks can keep it close, he thinks they have a legitimate chance to pull the upset thanks to Beamer.

Sunday afternoon was supposed to be another perfect chapter to the story of Cam Newton's return to Carolina. The first drive of the game provided a lot of promise for those thoughts, as the Panther offense drove straight down the field to take the early 7-0 lead on a Cam Newton 10-yard touchdown pass to D.J. Moore. However, after that, the Panthers were in a battle with a Washington Football Team that many expected would roll over in the crazy environment that was Bank of America Stadium on Sunday. Instead, Washington was able to move the football up and down the field against the Panthers, finishing with 369 yards of total offense, including 190 on the ground.

In a press conference earlier this week, North Carolina Tar Heels head football coach Mack Brown said that this was going to be quarterback Sam Howell's final game in Kenan Stadium on Saturday afternoon when they face the Wofford Terriers for Senior Day. While Howell said later in the week that he has not made an official decision on that yet, it seems likely that with him looking like he is going to go in the first round of this year's NFL Draft that the Tar Heels will be searching for a new signal-caller ahead of next year's crucial fourth year under Brown second tenure in Chapel Hill.

The Hornets continued their hot streak on Wednesday night, taking down the Washington Wizards, 97-87, giving them their fourth straight win overall and their second consecutive win over a conference leader. While the Hornets scoring has dropped to an average of 106.3 points per game during the win streak, the Hornets defense has cranked it up on the defensive end of the floor, allowing just 98.3 points per game to opponents during that span. 

The Clemson Tigers have rallied in the past few weeks to a 7-3 record following a slow start to the season and still have the opportunity to end up in the ACC Championship Game. Even with the rally, which can be topped off with a win over No. 10 Wake Forest this weekend, there are questions abound for a program that has been one of the most dominant in all college football for the better part of the last decade. One of the biggest ones that have been tossed back and forth the most recently has been if this is a one-year trip up or if this is a long term issue that could cause them to be a different team than the one that we have become accustomed to them being.

The Charlotte Hornets entered last Wednesday's game with the Memphis Grizzlies on a five game losing streak and were in need of a win to get something out of the road trip. Since that point, they have responded to real off three straight wins including a huge win at home over the Warriors on Sunday. Radio voice of the Hornets, Sam Farber, joined the Mac Attack earlier today to talk about the win and pointed to a big second half from one of the veterans in this one.

For Carolina Panther fans, this past week still probably feels like a dream and rightfully so, especially after Sunday. As former Panther and current NFL on FOX analyst Greg Olsen said on Friday on the FNZ airwaves, this Cam Newton-Carolina Panthers reunion was something that most never saw coming and that no one could have imagined happening so quickly either. Newton signed a one-year deal with the team on Thursday and traveled to Arizona in a game where most didn't even know if he was going to be active and felt he would be extremely limited if he was. Newton was pretty limited playing just eight snaps in the game, but no one could have predicted the course of how things would happen on Sunday.

Jonathan Stewart shared a backfield with Cam Newton from 2011 to 2017, as the pair combined to run for 8,899 yards and 83 touchdowns while helping lead the Panthers to one of the most successful stretches in franchise history. On Friday morning, Stewart dropped by the Mac Attack to talk about his former teammate's return to Charlotte and discuss the impact that it will have on the locker room. "It makes people want to come to work, man," Stewart said regarding Newton. "The Panthers have guys whose first year of professional football they were locked in quarantine and they have to go through all of these different protocols as rookies and that's all they know. So getting Cam's energy, getting his presence, his wisdom, his insight in that locker room is gonna be a game-changer." 

It's safe to say former Carolina Panthers tight end and current NFL on FOX analyst Greg Olsen was a little caught off guard by his former teammate and now new (or old) Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton's return to the franchise. Hot off the red-eye for Los Angeles, Olsen joined the guys over at the Mac Attack on Friday to explain why he was so shocked. "I have to be honest, I did not see this coming. It just seemed too good to be true." Olsen also talked about just how palpable the excitement is right now in the Charlotte area. "You can't really describe it, unless you live in Charlotte, what this means to the fanbase and to the organization. It's a day that no one thought ever might be possible even in a going-away party, you know like a retirement, let alone him being in uniform, under center."

With the struggles that this team was already having, Matt Rhule's job has been made even tougher as he tries to get this season back on the rails. The question now has to be, how important is it for his future with the team that he does get this turned around? As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk told the Mac Attack on Wednesday morning, David Tepper's quick trigger may make it more important than you realize. "With David Tepper, you never know. Look at how he is ripping through quarterbacks. So I could see that attitude being directed to the coach. He has shown as it relates to quarterbacks that he is not patient so why would we think he's going to be patient with everyone else.

Even with the issues the Hornets have had on this road trip so far, though, Farber told the Mac Attack that it's not time to panic just yet. "I still feel good about the way Charlotte is playing overall," he said. "The schedule has not been kind; the Hornets at this point in the season have played more games and more road games than any other team in the NBA, so this has not been an easy stretch. They are going to even out in the end, the schedule will become more favorable on the back end and if the Hornets can weather this storm and continue to play in this manner, I feel good about where Charlotte sits."

The Panthers struggled to move the football in this one, totaling just 240 yards of total offense, including just 78 rushing yards on 23 carries. While the Panthers had their issues offensively, it wasn't as if the Patriots faired much better, as they finished the day with just 273 yards of total offense to their name and averaged just 4.6 yards per play to the Panthers 4.2 per play. As Jim Szoke, one of the voices of the Panther Radio Network explained, though, turnovers were the biggest difference in this one. "In a game like this, that's when the turnovers become so critical," Szoke told the Mac Attack on Monday morning. "Yesterday they (New England) had two, but the three we had were so egregious in terms of why they happened." The Panthers turned the football over three consecutive drives with back-to-back-to-back Sam Darnold interceptions, which resulted in ten points for the Patriots, seemingly putting the Panthers away late in the third quarter.