The Panthers had a five-hour flight into the wee hours following their Week 1 win at San Francisco.
Steve Wilks didn’t sleep a wink.
The first-year defensive coordinator spent a good chunk of the trip watching video of the Panthers’ 23-3 victory on his laptop. Then he watched it again Monday in Charlotte.
What Wilks saw were players flying around to the ball, excellent penetration from his front four, “tremendous” play from the linebackers and a group that has the makings to be one of the top defenses in the league.
During a businesslike new conference Monday during which he never cracked a smile, Wilks was complimentary of his defense but pumped the brakes a bit on crowning it.