{"id":189707,"date":"2024-09-14T15:47:37","date_gmt":"2024-09-14T19:47:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=189707"},"modified":"2024-09-14T15:47:37","modified_gmt":"2024-09-14T19:47:37","slug":"labryan-ray-ejiro-evero-keeping-faith-panthers-beat-up-defense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/09\/14\/labryan-ray-ejiro-evero-keeping-faith-panthers-beat-up-defense\/","title":{"rendered":"LaBryan Ray, Ejiro Evero Keeping Faith In Panthers\u2019 Beat-Up Defense"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Some things take precedence. After learning of Derrick Brown\u2019s season-ending knee injury, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/panthers\/\" target=\"_self\">Carolina Panthers<\/a> reserve defensive lineman LaBryan Ray checked up on the Pro Bowl defensive end before tackling anything else.<\/p>\n<p>A top reserve, Ray didn\u2019t pause to check on the team\u2019s depth chart or if he should contact position coach Todd Wash to talk about a possible starting role against the Los Angeles Chargers at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday. He did neither. He felt compelled to \u201ccheck on DB (Brown) and make sure he\u2019s good first because he\u2019s a brother,\u201d Ray said after Wednesday\u2019s practice.<\/p>\n<p>Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero maintains faith in the unit, despite losing its star.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have a lot of confidence,\u201d <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.panthers.com\/video\/ejiro-evero-talks-about-opportunity-in-week-2\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Evero told reporters<\/a> during Thursday\u2019s press conference. \u201cThese guys have been working their butts off and they&#8217;re ready to go.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Panthers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Panthers<\/a> defensive linemen execute a turnover drill during Wednesday\u2019s <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NFL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#NFL<\/a> practice \u2026 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/n92KfgWJsA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/n92KfgWJsA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jeff Hawkins (@WriterHawkins) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WriterHawkins\/status\/1834795575260148119?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 14, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2><span data-contrast=\"none\">Ejiro Evero: &#8216;So, It&#8217;s The Next Man Up&#8217;<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">They better be ready. The Panthers\u2019 defense, with Brown participating in 60 of 66 plays, didn\u2019t show much resistance to the host New Orleans Saints, suffering a 47-10 season-opening defeat. The Saints dominated the NFC South matchup, scoring on their opening nine offensive possessions. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The Panthers returned to Charlotte, N.C., only to learn Monday that <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.thecharlottepost.com\/news\/2024\/09\/12\/panthers\/carolina-panthers-moving-on-without-derrick-brown\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brown injured his meniscus<\/a> and would require surgery. Brown compiled 103 tackles last season, becoming the first defensive lineman to reach that milestone. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cHe\u2019s not really sure (when it happened),&#8221; Panthers head coach Dave Canales said Monday. &#8220;It\u2019s a physical game, so when you play on the interior there\u2019s a lot of funky positions you get into. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">The one thing I can say is like you look at this game and regardless of the time or the score, it\u2019s PAT or it\u2019s field goal and Derrick is rushing with full effort the whole time.\u201d <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Evero remained confident that Ray or Nick Thurman would help maintain a constant pocket presence. Led by <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.panthers.com\/team\/players-roster\/eku-leota\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">outside linebacker Eku Leota<\/a>&#8216;s sack among three tackles for loss, the Panthers, at least, generated pressure against the Saints, even though they failed to prevent several big plays. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">&#8220;So, it&#8217;s the next man up,\u201d Evero said. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Several Panthers parroted the mantra. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cYup, next man up,\u201d Ray said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW125409998 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW125409998 BCX8\">Could that be Jayden Peevy?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\u2066<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Panthers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@Panthers<\/a>\u2069 DT unit runs through an agility drill during Wednesday\u2019s <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NFL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@NFL<\/a> preseason practice ,\u2026 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/oUiiSGrwtn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/oUiiSGrwtn<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jeff Hawkins (@WriterHawkins) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WriterHawkins\/status\/1826430808736858190?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 22, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2><span data-contrast=\"none\">Jayden Peevy Could Earn Week 2 Start <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Listed as the primary backup at both end positions for Week 1, Ray remained in the same position on the <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/news\/other\/updated-carolina-panthers-depth-chart-going-into-week-2-matchup-vs-chargers\/ar-AA1qlN7O?ocid=BingNewsSerp\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Week 2 depth chart<\/a>. Except this time, Peevy was listed as a starter. An undrafted free agent out of Texas A&amp;M, Peevy spent most of the past two seasons with the Tennessee Titans. The third-year professional assisted on his first career tackle last week against the Saints. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Ray, who registered 19 tackles as a rookie last season, explained how the Panthers prepared to cope without Brown. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cEverybody\u2019s got to focus on their job, from play to play,\u201d Ray said. \u201cCollectively, we can go out and do what we can do. Come in ready to work, work hard (and) compete so we can get better as a unit.\u201d <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The Chargers are expected to employ a run-first offense, evidenced by their Week 1 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Paced by J.K. Dobbins\u2019 135 rushing yards on 10 carries, the <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/boxscore\/_\/gameId\/401671659\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chargers produced 176 yards on the ground<\/a>. The<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\"> strategy likely will not fool the Panthers, who yielded 180 rushing yards to the Saints. They just need to execute better. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cI think everybody, as a unit, has to be ready to play,\u201d Ray said. \u201cThat\u2019s really what we\u2019re focused on. Everything else will take care of itself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>In other words, have faith.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Prepping for <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Panthers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Panthers<\/a> home opener Sunday \u2026 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/RZheGS2uvS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/RZheGS2uvS<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jeff Hawkins (@WriterHawkins) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WriterHawkins\/status\/1834793896775143732?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 14, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Main Image: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Some things take precedence. After learning of Derrick Brown\u2019s season-ending knee injury, Carolina Panthers reserve defensive lineman LaBryan Ray checked up on the Pro Bowl defensive end before tackling anything else. A top reserve, Ray didn\u2019t pause to check on the team\u2019s depth chart or if he should contact position coach Todd Wash to talk [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4299,"featured_media":189753,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[30,18,28,36],"tags":[32764,329,9552,32815,32816,32814,1501,309,40,32817],"class_list":["post-189707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-panthers","category-chargers","category-saints","category-nfl-news","tag-bank-of-america-stadium","tag-carolina-panthers","tag-ejiro-evero","tag-home-opener","tag-jayden-peevy","tag-labryan-ray","tag-los-angeles-chargers","tag-new-orleans-saints","tag-nfl","tag-nick-thurman"],"modified_by":"Drew Crabtree","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4299"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=189707"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/189707\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/189753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=189707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=189707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=189707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}