Panthers RB Miles Sanders on new team culture: 'Night and day' difference from last season
Carolina Panthers running back Miles Sanders is hoping that his 2024 is completely different from his 2023. And so far, his new head coach has that hope off to a good start.
Sanders spoke with reporters following Sunday's session of training camp. He talked a bit about the team's new regime under first-year head coach Dave Canales.
"It's a different type of culture that we're building here that there's been here previously," he said. "It's nothing but positive vibes, but he's honest. The stuff that we're harping on—as players, within each other—he's harping on in the meetings, and then he don't really like say too much on the field. Player-led teams are the ones that have the most success."
The Panthers didn't experience much success last season, which also happened to be the worst of Sanders' five-year NFL career. After signing a four-year, $25.4 million deal to join Carolina, he went on to hit lows in starts (five), attempts (129) and rushing yards (432) while averaging 3.3 yards per carry—the third-lowest in the league amongst all qualifying players.
Two major driving forces behind Sanders' move to Charlotte were former head coach Frank Reich and former running backs coach Duce Staley, both of whom were dismissed in the middle of the 2023 campaign. But now, the landscape seems at least a little calmer for Sanders—who sees Canales' positivity as a breath of fresh air.
"It's night and day from last year to this year," he stated. "But that's the whole point of making changes. You hope for the better. So I can say what we got right now is good. We just laying the foundation and all we gotta do is keep grinding, get better every day."
Related
Panthers HC Dave Canales lists expectations for 2024 preseason opener
Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield: 'Optimist bully' Dave Canales will be good for Bryce Young
Panthers' deal with Miles Sanders listed amongst NFL's worst contracts for 2024
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers RB Miles Sanders on new team culture: 'Night and day' difference from last season
