Monday morning was a particularly hectic one for the Carolina Panthers . . . or at least whoever’s left of them. But that didn’t prevent Chris Tabor from answering the tough questions.
In what was likely the last press conference as the team’s interim head coach, Tabor was asked about his most memorable moment from an otherwise forgettable 2023 season. His answer may not surprise you.
“Didn’t like the way we played in New Orleans,” he said of Carolina’s Week 14 loss to the Saints. “Wasn’t real happy after the game on that one. And then to be able to look those guys in the eye and say, ‘Guys, we’re gonna win this next game.'”
The next game he was referring to was their Week 15 clash with the Atlanta Falcons—one that, despite the less-than-stellar conditions, gave Tabor his first win at the helm.
“And go through that process the next week, and then you show up Sunday and it’s a rainstorm, windstorm, everything else is goin’,” he continued. “And it’s all we have. And we end up winnin’ the game. And to be able to celebrate in the locker room because we all did it together.”
That celebration came after a walk-off field goal from kicker Eddy Piñeiro, who had previously spent time with Tabor back in Chicago. Piñeiro’s game-winner, his second of the campaign, also resulted in his second NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honor as a Panther.
So, as Tabor himself has stated: The room will change, but the memories won’t.
