Dave Canales stays even-keeled as Carolina Panthers dark cloud finally lifts

Dave Canales' mindset remains the same.

The strain that engulfed Dave Canales like a dark cloud earlier in the campaign is fading. He's slowly returning to the enthusiastic, purposeful head coach that lit up the Carolina Panthers this summer. But win, lose, or draw, the mindset remains the same.

Canales is starting to see the fruits of his labor. The Panthers are far more competitive after dealing with some troubling issues over the opening eight games of the campaign. Players are getting healthier and the belief in second-year quarterback Bryce Young is growing. They won't triumph in every matchup, but this team isn't going to go down without a fight.

The Panthers got some much-needed and welcome adulation from around the league this week. Carolina took the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs to the brink of defeat before a walk-off field goal got them out of jail at Bank of America Stadium. Although disappointing, it's proof that Canales has the tools needed to get this franchise on the path to potential prominence.

Dave Canales' unaltered approach maintains Carolina Panthers' focus

Canales is keeping an even keel. He'll relish this change in status as the Panthers gradually remove the laughingstock stigma that's blighted them for so long. He's also not planning on altering his teachings despite the team's recent renaissance. Being thorough and accountable is a good place to start.

"It's got to be about us. It's got to be about our fundamentals and our execution, the things we're counting on, the consistency of play. And we have to be able to go through it and tell the truth about the things that we did well and the things that we didn't and just go right back to the basics, which has been the message the whole season, and I know that that always works. Hopefully, it becomes kind of the normal message from me to the team. We're going to look at the things that we can control first and foremost, and we can't control what opponent shows up here or that we go to play."

- Dave Canales via Panthers.com

This is exactly why confidence in Canales' capabilities is growing.

He's got an old head on young shoulders. The Panthers cannot afford to get ahead of themselves considering how things can change quickly. Maintaining the same ethos kept spirits high during the bad times and is equally as important with things progressing encouragingly. This is the sort of approach that gets players buying in fully.

This organization hasn't enjoyed much stability since billionaire hedge fund manager David Tepper took ownership. Canales represents the best chance for this tide to turn. It won't be perfect, nor should anyone expect it to be, but the results over the last month speak for themselves.

There is a long way to go and a lot of hard work ahead. But it seems for all the smart money as if the Panthers might be onto something with Canales leading the charge.

And who knows, maybe Tepper's got a head coaching hire right at the third time of asking.