Optimistic Saints and rebuilding Panthers set to unveil new offenses in NFC South clash

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A glitzy, renovated Superdome will host two new-look offenses in Week 1 of an NFL season that also will end in New Orleans.

While the Saints and rebuilding Carolina Panthers are long shots to be in the dome when the Super Bowl is played there in February, New Orleans is urgently trying to end a three-year playoff absence.

Third-year coach Dennis Allen's job security could hinge on the scheme brought in by new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who spent last season as an assistant with NFC champion San Francisco.

Kubiak aims to get the most out of quarterback Derek Carr, running back Alvin Kamara, receiver Chris Olave and versatile skill player Taysom Hill (a tight end, officially) with a system heavy on outside zone runs and play-action passes, and which provides the option of running different plays out of similar formations.

Carr said the new scheme diverges sharply from what Saints fans witnessed for a decade and a half under former coach Sean Payton, and for the past two seasons under former offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr., a Payton protege.

“It is going to be different than what they’re used to," Carr said. “They’re going to see a lot of different things that’ll make it really hard for defenses.”

The Panthers finished with the worst record in the league last season at 2-15, but now have a new general manager in Dan Morgan, a new coach in Dave Canales and a revamped roster.

Canales addressed players shortly after his hire and asked them to put last season behind them. It hasn’t been talked about much since.

“If you look at the roster and the turnover that’s happened, it’s a new thing. It’s something new that we’re going to become, which I’m excited about,” Canales said. "We got a bunch of new guys to play with. Let’s learn each other. Let’s figure out a style that we know how to play.”

That message resonated with veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen.

“We have a lot of new guys on our team that that don’t understand what was going on last year," Thielen said. "That’s a good thing because we are just ready to play football.”

The Saints have three new starters on the offensive line, including two tackles with not much experience. Rookie Taliese Fuaga, a first-round draft choice, is set to make his NFL debut at left tackle. Trevor Penning, a 2022 first-rounder who missed most of his rookie season with a foot injury and then lost the left tackle job last year, is set to start at right tackle.

“He’s doing everything we’ve asked him to do. He’s a super coachable guy," Kubiak said of Penning. “A lot can be said about where he started and where he’s come from. He’s earned the right to go out there and play really well on Sunday.”

The Panthers don’t have much experience at outside linebacker opposite veteran Jadeveon Clowney, which could impact their pass rush.

Carolina traded Brian Burns, a top defender in 2023, and lost starter Frankie Luvu to free agency. The Panthers added Clowney and D.J. Wonnum in free agency, but the latter will start the season on the physically unable to perform list, along with top backup Amare Barno.

That leaves Carolina with three edge rushers who’ve never recorded an NFL regular season sack — DJ Johnson, Eku Leota and waiver rookie claim Jamie Sheriff — vying for the spot opposite Clowney.

“We can’t be afraid to expose them" to games, Canales said. "We got to live with some of the lumps.”

Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft, returns to the Superdome, where he endured a miserable outing as a rookie.

Young was 13 of 36 for 137 yards and sacked four times as the Panthers were soundly defeated 28-6. He called it one of the loudest stadiums he played in as rookie.

“It’s an awesome environment and they have a great fan base,” Young said. “We’re expecting it to be loud.”

Wide receiver Diontae Johnson, acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers, is expected to be a focal point of the Panthers' passing game.

Johnson had 107 receptions for 1,161 yards and eight touchdowns in 2021 for the Steelers and the Panthers believe he can get back to that form.

The Saints' defense ranked 10th against the pass last season and New Orleans' secondary looks even deeper now. Despite trade speculation surrounding top cornerback Marshon Lattimore, he remains, along with Paulson Adebo, Alontae Taylor and rookie Kool-Aid McKinstry.

Tyrann Mathieu, whose 33 interceptions are tied for second league-wide among active players, returns at safety.

“We got all our guys, they're all healthy and they're all motivated,” Mathieu said. “We're in a good spot.”

AP Sports Writer Steve Reed in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed.

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Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) drops back to pass in the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Buffalo Bills, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The sun was shining outside President Donald Trump's West Palm Beach golf course on Saturday morning when Alan Mentser got a call letting him know that police were shutting down a road nearby. It was almost time to “show the boss a little love.”

Mentser, 65, and a group of hard-core supporters have spent years gathering at the same spot to welcome Trump when he comes to play golf, and they have the routine down. They monitor flight trackers to know when Air Force One arrives and traffic cameras to see if the presidential motorcade is on the move.

It’s an intense commitment of time and resources for a brief glimpse of their political hero. Mentser pointed to a gigantic banner showing Trump giving a thumbs up against an American flag backdrop. He said each one costs $300, and he has about eight of them.

But Mentser said it's worth it at a time when supporters view Trump as a man under siege from his enemies and fabricated controversies.

"It might give him 30 seconds of seeing, ‘there’s my people,’" he said. “But that 30 seconds matter.”

Now it was time to do it again. The cue was a siren as a police vehicle blocked the road in front of the golf club.

“Here we go!” Mentser said. When he glimpsed the motorcade in the distance, he announced, “attention on deck.”

A member of the group switched the soundtrack on a portable speaker from country music to “YMCA,” the Trump campaign anthem.

The convoy of black cars rolled down the street and turned into the golf club. Trump was wearing his typical red “Make America Great Again” hat and white polo shit, and he reached across his chest to wave to the crowd with his left hand.

“President Trump! We love you!” shouted Brady Collier, 31, who wore the same hat as the president.

It was over in less than 30 seconds.

A woman with white hair pulled up shortly afterward with her windows down and a dog in the passenger seat. She waved one middle finger at the golf club and another at Trump’s supporters. Someone called her a “baby killer” before she drove off.

The moment didn’t dampen Collier’s enthusiasm. Despite all the times that he's witnessed Trump's motorcade, he said “today was special.” This time, the limo seemed to roll slower and closer to the sidewalk, giving Collier a better glimpse of the president.

“There’s nothing cooler than that,” he said. “Other than Jesus Christ.”

Collier, 31, is from Indiana but spent the winter in Florida, where he’s doing landscaping and food deliveries. It’s also an opportunity to show his support for Trump as often as possible.

Jared Petry, 24, has been doing the same thing. He’s from Ohio and is one of the “Front Row Joes,” a group of superfans that traveled the country supporting Trump at campaign rallies. Petry was in Butler, Pennsylvania, last summer when the president was fired upon in an assassination attempt.

“I heard popping. I didn’t know what was going on,” he said.

Petry was near the front of the audience, and he captured video of Trump, surrounded by Secret Service agents, lurching to his feet and pumping his fist in the air.

“I knew he was OK,” he said.

Now, Petry is outside the golf course every weekend.

“He never forgets his supporters," he said. “He waves at us.”

The group chatted about going to a nearby restaurant where Fox News host Sean Hannity is sometimes spotted, but something different happened this time. A group of staff members from the golf club came over to invite them in for a meal.

Mentser said that had never happened before. They ate freshly made omelets and blueberry muffins and walked out to the veranda, where they could see Trump playing one of the holes on his golf course.

The group refrained from trying to get Trump's attention, Mentser said.

“You don’t want to have the president post on Truth Social that ‘I was lining up my putt and my supporters threw off my game,'” he joked.

The whole experience, Mentser said, was “tremendous.”

“It’s a small way for him to say thank you, I see you," he said.

President Donald Trump waves to supporters from his limousine as he arrives at Trump International Golf Club, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Jared Petry, a supporter of President Donald Trump, wears a number 47 Trump shirt as he joins other Trump supporters outside the Trump International Golf Club, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Brady Collier, a supporter of President Donald Trump, joins others gathered outside the Trump International Golf Club, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Alan Mentser, in foreground at left, from West Palm Beach, Fla., joins other supporters of President Donald Trump outside the Trump International Golf Club, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in West Palm Beach. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)