Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey stopped by the SB Nation booth at Radio Row for a quick interview yesterday. I was fortunate enough to send some questions to our friend Jeanna Thomas from SB Nation to ask CMC. Below are his answers to my questions.
What are your thoughts on new head coach Matt Rhule, and are you excited to work with him?
Yeah, you know, I think you look at his history and it speaks for itself and what a press conference and just being able to talk to him, you can tell he’s the right guy and I think it’s exciting, too, because we have such a good team. You know, we do have a lot of really good young talent. We have a lot of great veteran leadership and we have guys who are hungry to turn it around. So I think it’s a great team to step into.
Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady said recently that “It’s our job to exploit mismatches and move guys around to get them the matchups that we want. Applying pressure, getting your speed in space, making defenses defend every blade of grass and just let your players do what they do best.” Being an offensive player who can be a mismatch at both running back and receiver, how stoked are you to have a new philosophy on offense?
You know, it’s going to be a lot of fun. You know, we have — like I said before, we have so many guys and to that quote, we do have so many guys who are so good in space with the football in their hands and it’ll be really fun to really, you know, exploit that and show that to everybody and it makes it more fun for us, you know, having guys who can get the ball in space who play to their strengths and, you know, become matchup issues throughout the entire game. So, you know, I know we’ve got a bunch of guys who are excited to do just that.
Which do you think is cooler - being the third player in league history to have a 1,000/1,000 season or owning the single season record for most receptions by a running back?
You know, I don’t know. I mean, they’re both really cool. You know, I take pride in being a complete back and not just running a football but catching the ball, you know, being able to not just become a running back who plays receiver, but to become a true receiver, you know, when you split out. So those are both huge honors. I think at the end of the day, and this is a common theme, but it holds true, especially in the sport of football is winning is the most important thing in the world. You know, you can have as many yards as you want, but if you’re not winning it’s not as fun, so I’m hoping we can get back to winning.
Who’s a better NFL player - you or your dad (Former NFL wide receiver Ed McCaffrey)?
Well, you know, it’s funny because — and, you know, if you were to have that talk with him, he’s got three Super Bowl rings and he played 13 years. You know, and back then, you know, even today playing 13 years is pretty unbelievable. So, you know, I have a long way to go before I can be in that conversation. He’s got three rings, was a starter on those teams, you know, had incredible seasons, had Pro Bowl season and, you know, that says a lot. So hopefully I can catch up to him.
Do you think your dad could still suit up today and catch 20 balls for a few hundred yards?
Absolutely not. That’s a hard no.
If all 32 NFL coaches were put in a Royal Rumble style match, who would win and why?
Oh, man. Oh, that’s tough. In a royal rumble match? Are weapons allowed or is this all just — let’s see here. All — Matt Rhule would win.
Is a hotdog a sandwich?
No.
I’d like to thank CMC for taking time to answer my questions and for stopping by Radio Row to speak to Jeanna, and I’d also like to thank him for having the correct opinion in the hot dog debate. (Take that, Brian!)
If you want to listen to the interview, you can use the embedded player above, or you can check it out here. While you’re there, be sure to subscribe to our Keep Sounding podcast, where Brian, Jon and I discuss Panthers football (mostly) every week! You can find us on all the major platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc. It’s a lot of fun, so be sure to check it out!