INDIANAPOLIS — Brad Idzik could not conceal his enthusiasm late Tuesday afternoon on the NFL mix.
The Carolina Panthers‘ offensive coordinator was just a few hours faraway from being handed playcalling duties by Dave Canales lower than two months after the pinnacle coach emphatically said he wouldn’t give them up.
With his father, former New York Jets normal supervisor John Idzik, standing a number of toes away, the 34-year-old jokingly informed reporters he ready for at the present time by taking part in “a lot of Madden.”
He was beaming.
“Yeah, I’m excited,” Idzik mentioned. “I’m allowed to be excited about this. You get into coaching and everyone’s like, ‘Oh, I want to be a head coach.’
“My subsequent step was to get an opportunity to name performs and constructing one thing and watching it unfold and being part of the way it unfolds. Just the subsequent step for me.”
It’s a giant step for Canales too.
Canales loves calling performs. That’s why he was so adamant throughout and after the season that he would maintain that position. That he selected Idzik, whom he watched develop from a teen to one among his most trusted buddies and colleagues, might be thought-about a wise gamble.
Idzik is the one Seahawks assistant Canales took with him to Tampa Bay in 2023 when he turned the offensive coordinator for the Buccaneers. A 12 months later, Canales made Idzik the offensive coordinator at Carolina when he took his first head teaching job.
In some ways, they’re joined on the hip.
“I was excited to be a first-time position coach when I moved to Tampa,” Idzik said. “And [Dave] mentioned, ‘I would like extra out of you. I would like you to assume like I achieve this I can have an excellent sounding board.’
“And over the last three years we’ve continued to build this offense. We’ve had joint experiences through this journey as a playcaller. … I do think I’m ready to go. I know I’m ready to go.”
Canales has put a lot of faith into a colleague he calls the “architect” of his offensive system. He insists he did it so he may spend extra time working your entire crew through the week and on sport days, when calling performs typically obtained in the way in which of issues such as coping with officers.
There can also be little question that the offense wants to enhance to ensure that the Panthers, 8-9 in 2025, to take the subsequent step after making the playoffs for the primary time since 2018. They ranked twenty ninth in complete yards and factors per sport (20.1) in 2024 and twenty seventh in complete yards and factors per sport (18.3) final season.
Quarterback Bryce Young continues to be attempting to show worthy of being the highest decide of the 2023 draft, and normal supervisor Dan Morgan mentioned Andy Dalton must compete for the backup position with a youthful quarterback Carolina plans so as to add by way of the draft or free company.
The offensive line needs to be addressed, as properly. The Panthers haven’t introduced a restoration timeline for left deal with Ikem Ekwonu after he suffered a ruptured proper patellar tendon within the playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams, although it sometimes takes six to 12 months to utterly heal, leaning extra towards the latter.
There’s additionally the rehabilitation of 2024 first-round decide Xavier Legette, who had a disastrous second season that rendered the large receiver primarily a non-factor.
“Hopefully, Dan’s able to give us some offensive players,” he said of the GM’s plans for free agency and the draft. I’m going to fight for all those offensive slots so we can go ahead and expand our playbook a little bit more.”
The good news for Idzik is he grew up in a football family, born when his dad was a graduate assistant at Duke. Brad recalled late nights in high school throwing routes with his dad after John finished work and how being around football helped put him in this position.
“Just all that have form of culminates for me,” Brad Idzik mentioned. “And now I get to carve my own journey.”
The elder Idzik has no doubt his son will succeed.
“He’s been concerned at each completely different stage,” John Idzik mentioned. “So nothing’s really new to him. So I think it’s just focus on the job.”
Brad Idzik also has a good relationship with Young, who was one of the first people he called after being promoted.
“I informed him how jealous I used to be he was in California proper now and I could not wait to hyperlink again up,” Idzik mentioned from chilly Indianapolis. “He’s excited for the opportunity, just like it’s honestly us growing as an offense, us growing as a team.
“He actually helps my journey, identical to I assist his.”
Morgan believes the crew will profit from Canales’ resolution to provide Idzik playcalling duties, permitting the pinnacle coach to provide his full consideration to your entire crew.
Morgan additionally is aware of Idzik and his father properly. He labored with the elder Idzik for 3 years with the Seahawks when John was vice chairman of soccer administration and Morgan was making his entry into administration as a scout.
“He’s super smart,” Morgan said of Brad Idzik. “He loves the sport. He has loads of good concepts, loads of issues I’m excited to form of see come about. And that is to not put stress on him, however I’m excited to see what he can do.”
