EXCLUSIVE: Jonathan Stewart Talks Life & Football with All Panthers on SI
Thursday morning, I had the pleasure of chatting with retired Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart. We talked about life in 2020, business, and of course, Panthers football. Read what the Panthers legend has to say in our interview below:
How have you and your family been coping with the pandemic, police brutality/worldwide protests, this election year, and just 2020 as a whole?
"2020 has been eye opening at the end of the day. Eye opening for a lot of reasons. Learning where we are as a country, as a world, and how much more we have to grow. Individually, there’s things that me and my family have devoted ourselves to and educating ourselves, especially with this election, and just understanding the needs and where the momentum needs to go to make this a better place for our daughter.
"We’re talking legacies here where I think there’s been a lot of missed opportunities throughout our history. Now is the most important time ever in history to really dial in and take the measures and be intentional about how you want to provide change in your community, within your family, and just really dialing in on your values and your beliefs. Because right now, the country is in need of that."
What's a day in the retired life of Jonathan Stewart like?
"We stay very active in the community. We support a couple of organizations here (in Charlotte). I feel like when you’re in a situation where you can’t do anything, you got to listen more and learn more, and we've just been more receiving in learning and listening throughout the day.
I get up early and get my workout in. I spend time with my daughter. I spend time with my wife, and we actually own Charlotte Lately magazine, which is a social media service account as well. What we do is promote local businesses and promote local stories that brings information to others, and that's where our part is when it comes to giving back. My wife has done a great job this year with getting that rolling and we produced our first magazine as owners of it.
I've been diving into real estate stuff here locally in Charlotte and understanding where that's going and that's been a passion of mine for years (as well as) passive investing, and just being the best dad I can be. We're expecting baby #2 in early January, probably December, probably might be a New Year's baby, who knows? But we're excited about that."
That's awesome! I looked into the Charlotte Lately magazine prior to our interview, and I'm curious to ask: How did you get into the journalism business?
"That was all a strategy behind my wife and her abilities. She is a go-getter as far as delegating and putting people in positions to be successful. She has a knack for social media and using that platform to the best of its ability for people, so getting into that business was based on her ability. She's the brains and the wheelhouse for all of that and I just bring the creative aspects to certain things she wants to do and it's just one of those things where I'm lucky to have a partner that cares for people, cares for relationships, and knows how to curate those relationships really well. It's been a really cool transition from retirement to doing things with her on that and doing other things as well."
Let's switch gears to football. What do you think of this Panthers team so far and what do you think their ceiling is?
"3-2 right now is great. Beating the Falcons last week is what's huge for them, and the way they did it was even better as far as their confidence in each other. Teddy Bridgewater and his presence for the team has been great. (He has a) charismatic vibe, he doesn't take things too serious, which I think is important, especially with him coming to a new team with a new offense and just a young team essentially. I think 3-2 and the way they've done it through five games thus far shows that they have chemistry.
What you really want to see early on in the season is whether or not a team can rise above adversity, and there's definitely more games to play. We'll have to wait and see what other things get thrown their way and how they rise above those adversities as well. I think (they'll be fine) if they stay healthy, the offensive line stays healthy, and they keep their quarterback off the ground, and the defense has definitely got to stay healthy. Playing the game and understanding how that works, depth is the most important thing for a football team."
Speaking of health, what are your thoughts on Kawann Short's injury?
"I feel for him. I know he wants to get over the injury bug and sometimes things just don't fall in your favor, you know? At the end of the day, all you can do is control what you can control and I'm sure he's doing all that he can to get healthy and stay healthy. We're human, and I think at the end of the day, you have to realize that and understand that's God's calling in that fashion. That's not a good loss for (Carolina), but I'm pretty sure it's an opportunity for someone else to step up, navigate their career, make plays, and make things happen."
It especially opens things up for Derrick Brown and Zach Kerr to make even more plays in the trenches.
"Exactly. To get the rookies and young guys an opportunity to step in and really make some plays when counted on, they're gonna have to gut it up. That's why they're here. That's why they were drafted, and it's time for them to go out there and show why."
What is the "It Factor" that you see in Teddy Bridgewater?
"He knows how to manage games. You know, take what the defense is giving you. He also knows how to win games. He knows how to go for it. He knows himself as a player. You see him in previous games he's lost, the things that you might see him working on throughout the week, and you see the (improvements) showing up the next game where you're like "Oh, okay, he worked on that." You know, taking the runs when he can, taking what the defense gives to you. You saw that the other week. But then, just taking the downfield shots are crucial, especially when you have a running game that allows you to do so.
Mike Davis has been a great help in that department with play action and just giving guys space to work with. He's a running back that makes you pay for getting in space, and that allows the receivers to have more space as well, so it's been good things to see with Mike Davis being in the backfield offering a presence that gives Teddy Bridgewater some space to work with."
A lot of people have been comparing Mike Davis' playing style to yours, and I want to know how you feel about those comparisons. Are they accurate?
"I think it's really accurate. His footwork ability, getting out of tackles, showing his athletic ability that has obviously been looked over by too many people."
I know you can relate!
*Laughs* "Yeah, he's a starter anywhere in the league right now if you ask me. He runs with a chip on his shoulder, which you like to see. You can't show up to a fist fight smiling. The Chicago Bears are probably scratching their heads, thinking that they were gonna have an easy go facing this running back, but this is not the case."
*To conclude the interview, I asked him what many fans may be wondering...*
With Christian McCaffrey coming back soon and potentially creating a 1-2 combo with Mike Davis, do you think that they could mimic what you and DeAngelo Williams for the Panthers organization?
"Absolutely. Probably even more so, given how the NFL is operating these days with the running backs out of the backfield and lining them up in the slot. You've seen Le'Veon do it with the Pittsburgh Steelers and now you're seeing Christian McCaffrey mastering that whole idea. When Christian McCaffrey gets back, you could have him in the slot, you could have him outside, or you could have him motioning around. And you have Mike Davis in the backfield? That's a problem."
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