Sir Purr
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- Mar 16, 2019
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THEY JUST DECIDED TO
The Panthers' struggles in the third quarter were well-documented, and Rhule said they came up with a simple way to combat them last week.
"I think we just spoke it into existence," he said with a bit of a laugh. "We just decided it wasn't going to be a problem anymore. Even at halftime, we said, 'OK, it's the third quarter, this is our quarter, let's go.' And then we made some plays and got there and scored.
"It was something that everyone resolved, we were going to get it fixed. We didn't do anything differently, we just did it better."
The Panthers outscored the Lions 10-0 in the third quarter, a quick implementation of Rhule's revolutionary plan.
INJURY UPDATE
Rhule said that since quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was medically cleared to play Sunday, he expects him to practice Wednesday as he recovers from his right knee injury.
From there, they'll be able to better determine Bridgewater's status for Sunday's game at Minnesota, though the fact he was so close last week suggests things are moving in the right direction.
Rhule was less specific when it came to running back Christian McCaffrey, still referring to him as "week-to-week" with his shoulder problem, and saying they'd see if he practices Wednesday.
MAKING ADJUSTMENTS
In normal times, teams will often give players the day off after wins as a reward and some needed rest.
Since players have to report to the stadium every day for COVID-19 testing, the concept of "victory Monday" doesn't carry the same weight, but Rhule said he's tried to adapt his schedule over the course of the season.
"The process is never the schedule," he said. "If I think they need a day, I'll give them a day. We're not in that position right now. I think our Mondays are fair to the players; we meet and then we lift.
"I've changed the schedule up to give them time at different times. To me, process is a mindset of attacking every day. So if I think we need, and I'm not always right as the schedule-maker, but if we need five hours, go five hours and attack it. If we need two hours, just attack whatever's there."