I didn't go to the Panthers' game Friday night. And, in a rarity, I didn't watch it live on TV either. I was covering a much higher-scoring game -- Kannapolis Brown's 43-24 win over Shelby in high school football (that column is here).
But I did DVR the game and watched it Saturday. It was pretty hard to stomach, wasn't it? So onto the "5 things I didn't like":
1) The Panthers' first-team defense. Wow, who knew that Chad Henne, Reggie Bush and Brandon Marshall would be Pro Bowl starters in 2011? At least it looked that way Saturday night. Where was the pass rush? Every time I looked, Charles Johnson was getting double-teamed and nobody was getting close. The Panthers looked slow and out-of-sorts while giving up 301 yards and 17 points in the first half, when the game was decided.
2) Panther quarterbacks. Cam Newton and Jimmy Clausen both gave fans very little to get excited about. (My column on their competition will appear in Sunday's newspaper).
3) Panther wide receivers. Can no one get open? Or is the quarterback just not getting anyone the ball? Probably a combination, but very uninspiring.
4) Penalties. Ron Rivera said the coaching staff would take the blame for a "12-man-on-the-field" call, and there were several other key errors as well.
5) Defensive backs. A week after a makeshift secondary looked very good against Eli Manning and the Giants, it looked very off-kilter Saturday night. Henne ate the Panthers up with medium-length passes, and too often the Dolphin receivers were getting free releases off the line.
We're moving!
9 years ago
Posts
29 comments:
The problem is 16 starters being out.
Somebody needs to take a look at why the Panthers always have 10 or more starters injured for preseason games. I think it's sandbagging, personally. These guys need to play.
As to your comment about the WR's not looking good, it seems to me that the game plan was to throw to the TE's. I saw Edwards open several times but Newton deciding to throw to one of the TE's or simply missing him on one occasion. Edwards did miss a call once on a play Clausen wanted to go deep, but I got the decided feeling that throwing to the TE's first was part of the game plan. I'm not sure the WR's were uninspiring...just not in the plan.
I agree with you entirely about the starters not playing. These games are very important to a young developing team. How is the coaching staff supposed to judge the QB's when they are throwing to second and third rate receivers? Terrible.
I know this may be early, but it is time for Marty Hurney to go. He clearly has no sense of how to build a TEAM. We cannot continue to give big money to centers and LB's and expect to contend in the years to come. It just is not going to happen. We should be giving he Kalil money to a shut-down CB. Or maybe a receiver who can break away. It really is a shame.
It's mostly the D-Line and O-Line. Each was decidedly beaten off the ball by Miami. Panthers failure to address these issues during the off season creates a mess. I'm with the other comment about the inability to get the injured or "nicked" back on the field. We aint the Steelers, & need every snap possible.
is it just me or does anyone else think its plain idiodic that we won't give Derek Anderson a look at being the starting QB, these other two obviously arent ready to lead this team. Go with the experience and also sign someone to catch the balls, our receivers year after year stink!
Fellas look its preseason, just want to see who they need to keep on roster. Why take chance on injury to players that were know can play. But calling .t. O might not be bad idea.
I completely agree with the first post. It's unreal - every single year. Especially now, learning a new offense/defense and having limited time to get game ready, there is no excuse for these guys to miss games when, "if this was a regular game, they would play." I'm tired of Gamble and company being sore. Play football.
Ever notice how losers make excuses and winners never do?
Those alleged 16 missing players would have done nothing and the qb is sorry.
And where the heck is Otah? I swear - that guy could get bit by a mosquito and be out 6 months.
"Ever notice how losers make excuses and winners never do?"
Easy there, champ. What's the last thing you ever won? Don't claim your team's victories. Maybe you should sit the next few plays out...
You would think someone making millions of dollars a year could show up to work in shape. They even had a few extra weeks to get ready this year. Who is the conditioning coach, he needs to whip these boys into shape.
For the person who said the Panthers should use the Kalil money to sign a shutdown corner, named us a damn shutdown corner who's availablAmeche only true shutdown corners are Revision and Nnamdi A. Name a solid receiver out there in free agency. The only person I can think is T.O.
Oh wow did someone just say Hurney doesn't know how to build? Welll tell us how Beason, Williams etc got on the team? Who builded the 03 superbowl team? A ghost lmfao. Hurney sucks at drafting Qb and Wr along constantly traded away 1st and 2nd round picks. I'm surprise how he kept a gm job. It's the coaches job to develop/ win games while the gm bring in the players the coaches want.
Well, it starts up front. The O-line couldn't protect and the D-line wore skates instead of cleats. But hey, it's preseason
Ummmmmm it was FRIDAY night not SATURDAY night!
They should have started with massive line rebuilding on both sides of the ball, and stuck to that this year.
To waste the #1 on a project with 'potential' may prove crippling.
There are 2-3 franchise qb's in 1st rd next year, guys WITHOUT accuracy issues.
I am SICK of hearing about Cams POTENTIAL accuracy, and his definite running ability.
Last I looked, we have plenty of players who can run. BUT NOT ONE ACCURATE QB
Way to go Hurney! -- You were afraid to pass by Cam. You and RR will possibly die beside him.
Should have held out for Luck, or Barkley -------
Oh well, you'll probably get to pick Luck at #1 anyways
Oh boy Matt Barkely is overhype, what have the USC Qb's done in the NFL lately? Have you even heard of Luck until last season? Qb's are hit and miss in the draft, theirs no guarantee franchise Qb in the draft until they prove themeselves in the NFL.
"The defensive line looked awful for the second straight week. Dolphins and Giants ran over them"
So giving up 81 yards against the Giants is getting ran over? Oh wow.
the problem clearly is the lack of good defensive tackles. they got pushed exactly where the dolphins wanted them.it will be impossible to sign anyone decent at this time,same problem last year, those good linebackers we have are going to have hard time fighting off lineman all year, another bad defense,going to be hard to watch.
I've been saying for three years that the O-line needs to be BEEFED up with some major beef. Finally, people are starting to recognize this. With the RBs we have, we should be running it down the throats of everyone. Can't do that without a line that CONSISTENTLY opens holes. By the time the line gets built, our RBs will be has beens.
Newton dreams big? As a con artist crook playing the system taking the biggest kickbacks for a "rookie" with no college education?
Even after Newton has proven to be the worse looking QB rookie #1 draft pick in NFL history with all the baggage these nutbag minions continue to pump this proven BUM not even close to NFL QB status.
0-16 in 2011 with the scammer.
Its incredible how a socialist media outlet can brainwash on politics education etc but now dictate the same mindwash its DEMANDS to start some sorry scam artist crook who SUX.
This is insanity & way over the line. If you tell a lie long enough people will believe it but he still BLOWS.
PRAVDA lives !!!
Do as we say not as we do takes on new meaning for the local media rag. Just report the news and stop trying to make it. Cut the obvious bully tactics. If a certain poser QB totally SUX then he SUX and should be off the team. Period. Stop trying to bully a certain team to start a certain QB who SUX or else. If he SUX then he SUX and he does SUCK. Oh yes. He and his "big dreams" SUX.
BTW he could go play in Canada or there are some local semi-pro teams that pay 150 bucks a game each. Thats about his true worth.
The D-line just was man handled. Panthers will not be competitive with those defensive tackles. It disgust me seeing those guys getting pushed around all game.
If they were sandbagging in 2010 because of not enough millions and losing on purpose, we now know they were lying and their bluff has been called.
They suck underpaid or overpaid. It was a scam.
The one robbed is Jerry Richardson shelling out another 3-400 million plus the union theft of billions.
Must be nice to play in the NFL a few months and make millions or billions even for losing.
Richardson needs to sue the players and media to get his money back.
Geeez....hate the "5 things" theme is back. This will be the hardest thing to watch this season. Come on Scott, just write your article without using this same lame format. Oh yeah, btw, since it is your profession...maybe you SHOULD attend the game. We expect the articles to be about what WE can't figure out for ourselves from watching the tube.
Marty Hurney needs to go back to being a sports writer. His hiring and the firing of Bill Polian, now Inndy GM, have been the worst moves Bill Richardson ever made.
I am glad we signed some of our own guys for the future, but we need some skilled players. Like receivers & corners. They need to get rid of Jeff Otah or figure out why he is still hurt. He has had almost 2 years to heal and he has not. This is dead weight. Yes he is a great player when he is on the field, but that's just it, he is not. We need some good linemen on both sides of the ball. The corner are getting burned every time out there. If Chad Henne can pick us apart, what do they think Manning, Brees, Rogers or Matty Ice going to do to us. Also where is the Pass rush? We have put out a lot of money, where is it at. I am just saying!!!!
Dear Mr. J. Richardson,
I understand how you wanted to prove all the fans wrong when you spent your whole wod on players this off season. But sir you spent them on the wrong players. Keeping D.Will and Davis and a handfull of others is great but you NEVER should have given C. Johnson that contract. He is a first class loser. He will be worse than J. Peppers for taking plays off. You should have signed a BIG time WR. This season will be a losing one.
Do you guys know how close we were to loosing the #1 pick last year to other teams? I like how people expected us to hold out for luck when there is never a gaurantee we would get #1 again anyway...
Post a Comment