This NFL leader says faith helped him overcome his worst vices — and made him a better coach

Dave Canales, the new head coach of the Carolina Panthers, says his faith is at the root of how he acts on the field.
It’s faith, he told The Athletic this month, that makes him relentlessly positive and also ruthlessly focused on achieving his team’s goals.
Faith “frees me up to just go for it,” Canales said. “To just call my favorite play. To let our guys play fast. It frees me up to think, ‘This day is amazing, and I can’t wait to see what God does with it.’”
Canales was hired by the Panthers this offseason after spending one season as the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Before he was in Tampa Bay resuscitating Baker Mayfield’s career, Canales spent 13 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, carrying a variety of titles as he honed his reputation as a quarterback whisperer.
Throughout his NFL career, Canales has been open about his Christian faith, including about how it saved his career — and his marriage.
Canales and his wife, Lizzy, leaned on religion to heal their relationship after Canales confessed to infidelity and to addiction to pornography and alcohol use.
The couple wrote a book about their experience called “This Marriage? The Question that Changed Everything,” which was published in 2022, as the Deseret News previously reported.
Canales spoke about leaning on faith to put back the pieces of his life during his interview with The Athletic.
He said that he’s an optimist because he knows God is watching out for him.
“There’s a common theme for my life. The Lord will provide,” Canales said.