But when Canales was asked if he’d be monitoring the score of the Bucs-Dolphins game, his answer was quick and clear.
“I will not,” he replied. “We can’t approach it that way. We have to make sure, especially for us — I appreciate the question — but as we’re trying to create consistency in our product of what we do on the field, game in and game out, that’s what we’re after, and that’s what’s out there for us to find our best football.
“We have to approach it that way, and we have to make sure that we approach this game plan that way as the game continues to go however it goes. It’s like, I’m trying to win this down. I’m trying to win this series right here, and we all have to be locked in there. We can’t afford to do that in the place that we’re in, collectively as a team. We have to continue to find consistent football.”
There was a little more nuance to a discussion of how they’d deploy personnel if the game got out of hand. Even with a loss to the Seahawks, the Panthers can clinch the division next week with a win at Tampa Bay, so the obvious question was whether he’d consider parking players if the score dictated it wasn’t feasible to win.
“I don’t envision us doing that,” Canales said. “That’s a conversation that Dan (Morgan) and I have to have philosophically about how we’re approaching this. But, again, I think it kind of goes back to answering it the same way. All these reps are so valuable, every series, as we continue to grow together as a team. Every series matters as we’re trying to develop our schemes and our concepts and make sure that we go into each week with that. And then so that we can learn the lessons so that we can take the next step when the Bucs week comes on, but we have to all of our focus has to be right here, right now on the Seahawks.”