Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales isn’t afraid to talk at the podium.
Ahead of the Week 7 matchup versus the New York Jets, coach Canales made some interesting comments about star cornerback Sauce Gardner.
“Yeah, you gotta be able to catch contested passes, and he is gonna be there. He is sticky, he is sticky in man coverage. When he is in zone, he is playing off the quarterback’s drop. He is a fantastic player, and you have to come off the rock with speed, you gotta be able to use your hands, he is not afraid of a penalty here and there. He is a really confident guy, and that’s exactly the type of opportunities and challenges that bring out the best in our guys. So gotta meet the challenge, and you’re gonna have to catch the ball when he is near you,” Canales explained.
Canales, making a jab at Gardner for his penalties, got some responses on social media.
“That means they are going after Gardner because he is a penalty machine. He will be good for about 30-40 yards in penalties Sunday,” one fan speculated.
Another fan responded, “they bouta pick on my boy . Hope he ready.”
Despite the Social Media Noise, Gardner Is Coming off an Elite Performance
The Jets may have lost 13-11 to the Denver Broncos in Week 6, but it wasn’t Gardner’s fault.
NFL Network Researcher LaQuan Jones revealed that, “Courtland Sutton got lost in the ‘Sauce.’ Lined up against Sauce Gardner on 86% of his routes and allowed an average of 1.8 target separation and one catch for 17 yards. Bo [Nix] only looked Sutton’s way twice.”
“I think he has been better than most people have given him credit for this season. Now, it’s not to say there wasn’t some deserved criticism of Sauce Gardner this year, but I think some of it gets a little bit over the top. Sauce Gardner leads corners in separation prevented in the NFL. So this metric is focusing on coverage, measuring how well a defender prevents a receiver from getting open. He has allowed a 47.6 reception percentage this year. That is 10 receptions on 21 targets. Of corners who have played 200 or more snaps this season, that puts him fifth in the NFL. The point being, some of the Sauce hate is unwarranted. Not all, but some,” Jets content creator Matt O’Leary explained.
Gardner Is in for a Tough Assignment
The highest-paid corner in football will likely be shadowing Panthers star rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan.
He has been having an outstanding year to date with 27 receptions for 380 receiving yards and two touchdowns. McMillan has averaged 14.1 yards per reception through the first six games of the season.
McMillan’s imposing size, at 6-foot-5 and weighing 212 pounds, could give Gardner some problems.
Week 3 Nightmare Flashbacks for Gardner
This isn’t a fair comparison to make, but it’s hard not to connect the dots on size.
During the Week 3 road matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Gardner struggled against Mike Evans. Evans is also listed at 6-foot-5 and weighs in at 231 pounds.
The former Texas A&M product finished with four receptions for 33 receiving yards, and he caught a touchdown. He ended up exiting the game with an injury.
He was able to bully Gardner around and box him out. McMillan doesn’t have the same credentials as Evans, but he does have the size to pose some of the same problems.
Gardner better make sure he ate his Wheaties this week because Carolina is likely going to test him during the matchup.
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