North Charlotte Today

CHARLOTTE — Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard felt remarkably fresh this week despite touching the ball 26 times on Sunday. He attributed his condition to the team's offensive line.

"I feel good. I mean, I was lucky there's times where I wasn't touched so my body feels pretty fresh," Hubbard said on Wednesday. "I mean, the O-line, I was saying they were throwing guys out of the club, receivers were blocking downfield, everything was just coming together. We were all playing for each other."

The Panthers' offensive line has been noted for its significant blocks recently, particularly from right guard Robert Hunt and left tackle Ikem Ekwonu. This is in line with head coach Dave Canales's vision for the team.

"It's a goal we set for ourselves. We want to go out there and dominate on the field," Ekwonu stated. "So the more opportunities you can put that on film, the better."

Hunt added that these kinds of blocks help build a team's personality and spirit.

"It boosted it up, man," Hunt said about watching their performance on film. "We go out there like yo, you ain't going to get more than me... So it's not a competition thing. It's just like, hey, let's do it."

Hubbard acknowledged the positive impact of these efforts.

"I mean, it just juices you up," he said. "That's what we work for."

Canales emphasized how crucial this aggressive approach is to their game plan.

"It was Robert on the screen. It was Ickey on a run late where he kind of launches a guy on the edge and really gives Chuba a chance to bounce the run and get an 8 or 9-yard run," Canales explained.

The message resonated with players early in Canales's tenure as head coach.

"I mean when he talks about running the ball... it's kind of like he's talking directly to us," Ekwonu remarked.

Austin Corbett moved into center position seamlessly given his confidence in his teammates' abilities.

"No one's ever gonna complain about that when you guys of their size and athleticism and strength... Eventually they're going to get out of gap and that's when you get a big 10-to-15-yard or explosive,” Corbett noted.

Corbett further highlighted their focus: "It's going to be nasty; it's going to be dirty but we want it that way."

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