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Panthers head coach Matt Rhule spoke to the media for the first time on Monday since the team traded quarterback Sam Darnold.
Rhule resisted naming Darnold as the starting quarterback of the team, but it apparently left little doubt that the team expects the 2018 Jets selection in the first round to be at the start of the regular season. He said the team is hopeful that the move to Carolina will result in a “great time” for a player who they believe can play at a high level.
“We believe in Sam,” Rhule said. “We believe in his skill. We believe in his approach. . . . I do not think there is a game you watch, he does not make a play where you do not say ‘there it is’. I think his arm talent, his movement, suits the guys here very well with whom he will play. ”
Rhule said he met Darnold in person for the first time a few minutes before the press conference, but he had the chance to speak to him while interviewing the Jets head coach in 2019. While Rhule and the Jets could not. at that point an agreement was reached, the two men were still working together.