North Charlotte Today

CHARLOTTE — Panthers head coach Dave Canales has discussed throughout the offseason his reliance on advice from mentors such as Pete Carroll and Tony Dungy as he enters his rookie year. On Monday, he highlighted the support from former head coaches on his staff, Jim Caldwell and Dom Capers.

"Just having that kind of experience, I'm surrounded by a lot of guys who have seen a lot of football," Canales said.

Caldwell, 69, brings seven years of head coaching experience with a 62-50 record during his tenure with the Colts and Lions, including four playoff appearances. He has accumulated 44 years in football, with 20 in the NFL, and was also the head coach at Wake Forest.

Capers, 74, had two four-year stints with expansion teams: coaching the Panthers from 1995-98 and the Texans from 2002-05. Despite a 48-80 record, he led the Panthers to the NFC Championship Game in their second year. His career spans 50 years in football, including 38 in the NFL with 11 teams and 25 years as a head coach or defensive coordinator.

Canales emphasized how much he relies on them for guidance. Caldwell encouraged him to establish a leadership council of players for regular consultation.

"That was something that coach Caldwell did, and I thought it was a really powerful tool so that we could talk about the direction of our team with a group of guys that have been around the league and have good input," Canales said. "And we can take all those things into consideration."

Capers advised decentralizing meeting times to allow players more interaction with position coaches for detailed game planning.

"I think with coach Capers...his commitment to playing good football and making the focus on the Xs and Os," Canales stated. "So coach Capers is always encouraging me to get back to the football."

Canales appreciates having these experienced mentors as resources while trying to imprint his own style on his first season.

"I think the thing that Pete always told me over the years was whenever you get your opportunities to make sure that you care about the things that are important," he said regarding Carroll's influence. "So I've watched...the ball, both sides of it all phases...All those things are really just kind of like in my DNA from the years I spent with Pete."

He aims to find "the Panthers' way" based on their staff and players' character while incorporating lessons learned from other mentors like Todd Bowles during his time in Tampa Bay.

"And I think that's what made me...if I can stay focused on the things that matter...then I feel like we can really build a good solid team with mentality and philosophy."