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Mac & Bone Show - Aaron Duncan Interview · Mac & Bone Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now up is a man we love to talk to
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Aaron Duncan at Dunk on Demand d U n C
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: O N D E M A n D. He's with
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Bleacher Report. He's on his YouTube channel. Check out all
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: his content again at Dunk on Demand from the Unnecessary
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Blunting his feed Dunk. What's up, man, it's been a while.
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: I hope you're doing well.
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: It has been a while, man, get the top to you,
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: I know, get that feeling their football season, getting you.
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: Hear your voice to be here. We hear your voice.
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: We start to see your your tweets about the season,
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: and it starts to rev up a little bit of
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: of all the new additions to the team, whether it's
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: draft picks, free agency. Hell, you can even throw in
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: Brooks if you want to, at running back, because I
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: view him as relatively new at this point. What player
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: are you most excited to watch here at camp end
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: of the season.
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: I gotta go with Devin Lloyd. Man is killing a
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: Panther fenemy with all a good line and it feels
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: like it's been a while we had one of those
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: type of guys in the middle. I mean, I'll credit
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: due to the shack of course, some of the down
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: the stretch, he has some injuries, but like, it just
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: feels like linebacker has been something we've been starving for
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: for a few seasons now. So I know sometimes those
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: interceptions that he got last year, they're not easy to replicate.
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: But I just think having somebody like that in the middle,
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: with that seed and the way he can run a
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: hit is just something that we needed for a while
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: and I'm excited to see kind of hopefully take our
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: defense to the next level.
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: Have you seen some national people like Ben Sole like
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: of ESPN question the fit of Devin Lloyd here and
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: what do you think about that and where he best
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: fits with this defense and what he's going to do best.
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: I feel like the ESPN questions the whole existence of
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: the Carolina characters like literally every week.
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: That's true, that's a good point. That's good point.
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: There's an article. But I get it. They're saying the
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: system fit thing and all this and that, and yeah,
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: I mean, NFL is all about fitting. But in my opinion,
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: I think Jira Emro he needed a linebacker, and I
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: think he doesn't get as much credit as he deserves
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: with some of the creativity he's able to do, especially
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: like with Morig last year, putting him more in the box,
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: putting him at the edge a time, put him at nickel.
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: That was something we hadn't seen much from Morig in
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: his career, and he had a productive year as of safety,
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: just using him as a chest peas. So I think
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: when you give him certain players, he can put them
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: in certain positions to be successful. We just haven't had
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: that linebacker, like I said, so, now that we have
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: a LOWD that can blitz but also can cover, I'm
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: expecting to see some big things. I don't know if
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: it'll be all pro again, I would love it, but anything,
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: there's there's a low bar right now for where our
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: linebacker position has been.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: We've been talking about the potential for this defense to
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: be top ten, which is crazy to think about from
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: where there were two years ago. Is that the vision
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: in your mind that the defense can be ranked that
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: high or is that a little too far up? What
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: do you think of the ultimate defensive ranking where this
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: team might fall.
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean tamous and this is of course, but
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: I don't think knocking on the door should be out
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: of the question. I mean twelve. When I say knocking
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: on the door, because the missing thing for us last
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: year was pressure, and you get one of the top
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: pressure getters, the top pressure getter on the market, in
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: Jalen Phillips, and so there's some issues obviously with them
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: converting those pressures in the sacks. But when you have
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: a guy like that that can affect the whole, it
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: can affect the whole group. You know, Derek Brown's gonna
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: be able to collapse the pockets. You're gonna get another
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: year of Nis Gorton being better. So I think being
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: able to get the pressure increased, it's gonna help our
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: third down metriest and which was a hard source spot
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: for us, but it was stopping to run and stop
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: in the past, we couldn't get off the field. So
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: I think being able to get out to the quarterbacks
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: it's gonna help us tremendously. And I think that's what's
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: gonna being able to off the field. Adding at with
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: maybe another year to get turnovers like we had last year,
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: we're gonna be we can't really knock on the door
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: and be one of those top defenses in the league,
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: and we'll just see how everything plays out with that.
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: We're talking to our guy Aaron Duncan. He's dunk on
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: Demand on Twitter, d udc on Demand Unnecessary button.
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: His feed.
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: Bleacher Repport does a great job covering all things pant
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: Thursday in Day Out. Jonathan Brooks is someone we're talking
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: about all the time. We've been waiting to see him
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: really in full for a while. Now, what do you
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: think we're gonna get from Brooks this year? The other
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: day back to ESPN, they said the running back room
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: is the weakest position group on the team, and I
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: thought that potentially could be ridiculous because we don't even
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: know who Brooks is yet for this operation.
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's kind of a speculation, and we were hopeful,
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: obviously because we're the Panthers fans. And I'll say this,
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: I was one of those guys that was was still
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: believed in Jonathan Brooks even when things seen kind of grim,
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: just because even the flashes that we saw was just
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: enough to make you want to see more. So if
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: we get anything close to that, I think it's a
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: little bit far fast to say that it's the weakest
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: group on the team. And I'm so touoe be Hoover.
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: He had a calf injury last year. He's not that
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: far removed from having an over one thousand yard resting year,
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: and a lot of that, in my opinion, had to
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: do with Robert Hunt being hurt, so good Robert Hunt
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: being healthy. Obviously we know the old line is going
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: to go through with injury, but having that guard accommindation
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: that we had back in twenty twenty four with Hunt
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: and Lewis, I just think that people are underselling the
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: fact that Robert Hunt being bad is going to help.
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: They're running again tremendously, particularly to Bhobber, and then if
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: we can get Jonathan Brooks, who's two years removed from
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: that ACL injury, I just think that there's a lot
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: of potential here and this guy, it seems weird to say,
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: but he has low mileage, didn't have a ton of
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: carriers in college, didn't have a ton of carries in
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: the pro. It's just the health, and so if it
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: can be healthy, I think this guy is going to
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: be somebody that people already need to pay attention to.
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: Aaron, what do you think of Bryce Young and your
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: expectation for him this year? Are you thinking it's going
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: to kind of be what it was? Is he going
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: to go up a level. What are we going to
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: see from Bryce here this coming season.
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: I think he's got an elevator game, and I think
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: the Robert Hunt then again is going to help the
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: protection up front and just hopefully bring some balance when
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: we can get down running game going, I think Bryce
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: is going to need that running game. I know some
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: people want us to open it up, but I think
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: having that running game is going to help us control
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: the clouds and to compliment the defense and allow Bryce
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: to play within himself. I think he's got to use
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: his legs more. We saw it in the playoff game
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: and how effective it can be and kind of like
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: neutralizing things because some guys down the field, every time
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: they get they can they can get kind of clamped up,
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: and then if Bryce can be slippery enough to just
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: take advantage of that with his legs, I think that's
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: something that can tap into our office. Down the field,
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: We've seen the proviles and the numbers showing he's one
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: of the most proficient guys down the field. I think
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: he needs to continue to build on that, but I
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: think he also needs to be consistent in the intermediate
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: and the short game. We can't have those fifty yard
• 6:40
  Speaker 2: games coming out here like we had against the Seahawks.
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: We just need to see some consistency. I think we
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: can get consistency from him. I think that's all we
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: really need because we have enough complimentary pieces, whether it's
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: at receiver with Telerogic millions. We talked about Brooks and
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: then the guys that we have on defense. If we
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: can just kind of be consistent there and know we
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: can get there, I think that's the thing that we
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: can build on, and I think they'll be exactly what
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: they want from Bryce.
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: To be honest, Doug, what's your biggest concern that you
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: have with this team right now?
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: The biggest concern is it's obviously it's Bryce. It's bright
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: because we've seen what he can do when he's on it.
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: You know, I have confidence in our defense is going
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: to be better. But I just think that Bryce playing
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: to what we know he can do is going to
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: be the X factor on a week to week basis.
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: There's some games that we let slip, there's some games
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: that we won that he was part of the reason
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: that we dot the hole. So I think if we
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: can get that consistency and just know where he's at
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: and just give us those games like get those the
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: higher the lowers have to go. We just need a
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: steady state, give us some elevated games towards getting in
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: those close games. We know how clutch he can be,
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: but I think him him being the X factor of
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: not digging this in the hole, and if we're in
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: these close games, be that guy that we know you
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: are in the clutch that's going to make or break
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: everything for this team.
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: Do you think, even though we got a long way
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: to go through the camp in the season, how would
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: you rank the teams in the NFC South right now
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: as you see them.
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: I gotta put us number one until somebody dethrowns the champs,
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: I'm take us off of that seat. But number two,
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: I'm not gonna lie. I'm expecting the Falcons to actually
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: be better, really have They have weapons. They have weapons,
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: and I just I'm not a big Pennis fan. It
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: doesn't seem like he's gonna win that battle. I think
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: as long as two is healthy, which has been the
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: story of his career, they can actually make some noise
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: because they have some speed on defense, they have another
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: year with the defensive coordinator. It's just and they have
• 8:42
  Speaker 2: the weapons that they've been paying a lot of money
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: to this offseason. I think they'll be number two. I
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: have these Saints probably at them in the Bucks. They're
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: kind of they're a tough center for me. They've lost
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: some pieces on defense, the veterans the Saints have at least,
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: and so with the Mario Davis and a lot of
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: take Taylor. So I'll just be curious to see how
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: they do. But Brandon Staley is a defensive coordinator you
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: can't really sleep on. And I'm just not buying the
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: Tyler hype. I think there may be a sophomore slump
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: and then the Bucks they lost some pieces toit. They
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: lost Evans of course, and on defense they lost a
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: couple of corners. But they had a pretty good offseason.
• 9:16
  Speaker 2: But I'm just not a big believer in Todd Bowles
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: at this point. I think this is the year that
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: he finally kind of let the kind of lets things
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: kind of fall apart, and he's kind of out of
• 9:25
  Speaker 2: the door for this year. So I'll be curious to
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: see how it plays out. But I definitely got us
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: at the top and the rest of it.
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: It kind of doesn't make that to me is the
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: biggest question about the Bucks is you know they didn't
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: finish well last year. If they get off to a
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: slow start through September early October, are is it gonna
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: turn bad for Todd Bowles that for all the talent
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: that they have. You're right with Todd Bowles that that
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: may go bad early and that could really set the
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: Bucks up for not the year. We anticipate, Doug, go
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: ahead and promote your content and all the stuff you're
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: working on each day. There unnecessary blundness, Yeah.
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: Un necessary blunness on YouTube. You can follow me there.
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: I know there's a lot of ends and continence and stuff.
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: So it's at ub Sports Talk on YouTube if you
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: look it up. You can follow me on Twitter at
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: dunk on Demand d u n C on Demand. I'm
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: on Bleacher Report as well, doing short form content and
• 10:18
  Speaker 2: I'll be streaming during the year, So if you follow
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: the Panthers on Bleitcher Report, you can find me there.
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: And I'm probably on Twitter talking some trash to a focustan,
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: so you can find me there in the immediate.
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: All right, man, we're gonna talk to you hopefully during
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: training camp.
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: All right, mat, Yeah, it sounds good.
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: Thanks that man, all right, there is Aaron Duncan unnecessary
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: blundness