At 3-3, the Carolina Panthers have played much better than anyone expected after an offseason of roster changes and an entirely new coaching staff.
Add in the absence of a preseason and an extremely limited training camp, most would expect Carolina to go through a learning curve with the plethora of youth and new players figuring out how to work with each other.
After six weeks, the excuses of rookies still learning and the team still getting to know each other doesn't apply anymore.
"I don’t view them as rookies.” Panthers defensive end Brian Burns said. “I just see them as part of the team. At some point, that rookie stuff just has to go. They’ve got to come do their job just like anybody else. We expect the same out of a vet that we expect out of (them). It’s the same, to me."
When the Panthers lost in Week 2 to Tampa Bay, the team had a meeting to get to know each other better and sort out some issues, which led to three straight victories.
Losses are bound to happen, but for a team that has been together for some three months, it's now more about the play than the lack of experience.
"Each week different things come up with this team and around the league.” quarterback Teddy Bridgewater said. “Everything revolves around what happens on Sunday. Each Sunday that we get to go out there and compete as a team, we learn something new about ourselves so, we're just going to continue and try and move forward and keep learning about each other and form this identity that we're trying to form."
The team is finding out exactly what it’s made of and what each of them offers as players. But one thing is certain, the veterans aren’t shy in voicing their displeasure when things don’t go according to plan or if they feel maximum effort hasn’t been given.
"It just shows true growth and responsibility and accountability to be able to just sit in that (team) meeting and point out the things you did wrong because it's easy to point out the things that you do well," he said. "It takes a lot of pride swallowing and just manning up. I think that's the beauty of this team here is a group of guys who own up to the things we don't do well and point the fingers at our teammates when we do do things well."
Head coach Matt Rhule said before he even coached his first game in Carolina that old cliche’ of you are what your record says you are. And right now, the Panthers are an average team.
It's up to them to decide what type of team they'll want to be the rest of the way.
"All of these games are big,” offensive tackle Russell Okung said. “You want to come out and have a great showing and it doesn’t happen that way, but you have to be willing to say it didn’t happen the way we hoped but it can be better.
"We still have a ton of time and let’s allow ourselves to feel this, take it as a learning experience and then move forward.”