Carolina Panthers

cptjeff

Reprehensible User
Sep 18, 2008
20,384
33,944
Washington, DC.
Also that 4th down (and 2) run by Cam I don't get if you are going to run that Spread them out not try power which hadn't really worked today at all. Nor this season.

It worked a bunch when Ryan Kalil was healthy. Hasn't worked so well when he's been out. Turns out that losing a pro bowl center can reduce the effectveness of your o-line at clearing gaps for runs up the middle. Of course, that self evident statement will come as a massive revelation to Mike Shula, whose ass we should leave at a curbside in Chicago a la Gallant.
 

Panthaz89

Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Panthers fan
Dec 24, 2016
13,194
5,716
Buffalo,NY
The Panthers lose and the other team had one successful FG drive on offense....otherwise they were punting for most of the game before even getting a 1st down. They heavily overrate Benjamin who is too lazy to use his big size to catch the ball and Samuel fumbles away for a TD on a pitch back. I think the team would do a lot better if they let Byrd play more often and let him be the guy that stretches the field because nobody wants to get open. Lost to a horrible John Fox team that was trying to lose the whole game.
 

Buenos Necas

lets go canes
Jul 18, 2009
2,724
1,885
Raleigh, NC
I've never liked his play calling or the offense. They want so badly for Cam to be a prototypical pocket passer. The line can't protect him and he sits in the pocket and holds the ball too long. At least use his legs and roll him out once in a while.

I'm kinda at a loss at this point as to the true cause of all the problems, but I do agree we should be seeing more of this.

Shula deserves criticism, but I'm not sure replacing him will solve our problems. I always think back to 2015 when we were the highest scoring offense, seems like his play calling magically got better the one year we had a legit o-line. So there's probably some blame on roster construction and some blame on Shula for failing to adapt. There are definitely times when Cam has all day to throw and ends up taking a sack, and I'm not sure if that's on Cam for being too reluctant to scramble (fighting the run-first QB stigma?), our receivers for failing to consistently get separation, or play designs that take too long to develop. Probably a combination of all those factors. It's clear we desperately miss Ted Ginn's vertical threat though, letting him go was a real mistake.

I'm guessing we won't see any major changes until we hire the permanent GM, and I'll just be happy at this point if it's not Hurney. I'm fine with replacing the offensive staff, if nothing else to get a fresh perspective, but wouldn't be surprised if Ron refuses. If that happens, I would consider promoting Wilks (before someone else hires him away), and having him bring in a new offensive staff. Would keep some continuity on the defense and soften the blow of changing coaches.
 

Sens1Canes2

Registered User
May 13, 2007
10,666
8,292
Is Cam accurate on the run? I'm not a Panthers fan, but i watch plenty of games and it seems like that might not be a strength of his.

I don't really like Cam Newton, but he's a fantastic (and rare) player. He seems to be stuck in between his instincts/natural ability - running when pressured - and trying to adapt to be a prototypical pocket passer. Stories abound during the offseason about how the Panthers were going to have Cam take fewer hits by running less.

I'm a big Colin Cowherd fan, and I remember earlier this season him talking about how if the Panthers were to maximize Cam's talents, they'd let him do it how he's always done it .... but the downside of that is, he's not going to have longevity. He'll be a 10 or 11 year quarterback because of the constant pounding he takes. Make him a pocket QB with no running, sure he'll last longer, but he won't be near as effective.

I thought that was a pretty good synopsis.

The Panthers are in a tough spot. Interesting to see where it goes from here.
 

Finlandia WOAT

js7.4x8fnmcf5070124
May 23, 2010
24,135
23,681
It's not so much a moratorium on running the ball, it's the coaches discouraging Newton's persistent attempts to commit suicide by linebacker to get an extra yard when you're up 7 in week 9.

You're right though, when Newton was willing to charge into the arms of defensive tackles, he'd have entire defenses key in on him. It was like having a guy who, just by being on the field, was taking half the defense out of the playcall. That's part of how they went 15-1 with a terrible receiver corp. Now it's a QB spy + 1-2 other guys. Newton can't throw on the run for crap (see his second pick yesterday), so once he is running he's not much of a threat there.

As for the game yesterday, Chicago has a great defense, their offense is awful, from the coaches to the personnel on the field. I don't know if Benjamin is lazy or if the blown ACL took away his explosiveness, but he let that corner box him out easily on the pick 6. And he had half a foot and 50 pounds on the guy!
 

Roboturner913

Registered User
Jul 3, 2012
25,853
55,526
Could be worse, at least you're not the Colts. They somehow botched a cart-off yesterday, making their first-round draft pick limp all the way across the field to the tunnel, and they had the roof closed on a day when it was 72 and sunny. And they got destroyed something fierce, and then T.Y. Hilton called out the offensive line after the game. :popcorn:
 

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