Going to extremes after the Panthers dropped to 1-5 with a 31-17 loss to Atlanta at the Georgia Dome:
Worst quarter: The fourth, for Carolina. The Panthers actually led 17-14 entering the quarter and then got outscored, 17-0.
Best play: Atlanta had several candidates, but I'll go with Falcon defensive tackle Corey Peter's remarkable one-handed interception of a Cam Newton screen pass. With the Panthers down 24-17 and needing a touchdown desperately at the time, that was the kiss of death.
Worst QB rating: Newton set the all-time low of his young career with a 44.6 rating, fueled mostly by his three interceptions.
Best QB run: Newton scrambled very well throughout the game, and his 14-yard improvised run for a TD on third down was a beauty that gave Carolina its brief 17-14 lead.
Worst prediction: I actually thought the Panthers would win this game and said as much on this blog and in The Charlotte Observer. Instead, the Panthers lost for the first time this season by more than 7 points.
Best running back: Atlanta's Michael Turner. He killed the Panthers last year, scoring four times in two games, and hit that average again Sunday with two TDs as well as 139 rushing yards.
Worst luck: The Panthers came down on the wrong side of a couple of deflected passes. Early in the game, Greg Hardy knocked one of Matt Ryan's in the air, but the Falcons caught it for a short gain. Then just before halftime, the Falcons knocked one of Newton's in the air in the red zone and intercepted it. Had it not been deflected, it likely would have hit Steve Smith for a touchdown.
Best catch: Legedu Naanee, who I have criticized a number of times in this blog, had two superb catches the two times he was targeted by Newton. But he also committed a critical holding penalty in the fourth quarter.
Worst trend: The Panthers had two first-half pass interference penalties in the end zone that resulted in the ball being placed at the 1 -- one of them on Charles Godfrey and the other on Chris Gamble.
Best elevator companions: For some reason, the Falcons really draw some celebs to their games. I rode up the elevator to the press box in a crowd along with Deion Sanders (who was being honored at halftime) and movie star Vince Vaughn. On the way down, comedian Billy Crystal was in the elevator. Of the three, Vaughn turned out to be the most talkative.
Worst stat: Turnover margin. The Panthers never caused a Falcons turnover, which meant that the offense was always having to go 80 yards to think about scoring. Atlanta, on the other hand, had three turnovers (all on Newton interceptions) and also caused Jeremy Shockey and Steve Smith to fumble, although the Falcons didn't get either one of those. Still, ball security was a huge issue for Carolina.
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9 years ago
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37 comments:
WORST DEFENSE AGAIN
Our defense does nothing in these games. No big hits behind the line, no interceptions that are not deflections or overthrows, no strip-fumble recoveries. On third down they allow receivers to come off the line and run routes untouched until after they make a catch.
Rarely does the first guy make the tackle. We have to hope for a holding penalty or dropped 3rd down pass to get our offense back on the field without a kickreturn.
Not sure if it's guys learning the system, being too young, or just flat out less talented.
1-5 gives me hope that we can draft some more talent next season as this one appears to be lost. This is literaly and figuratively a defenseless situation.
I think it helps to point out who, on the defense is really letting us down. I'll cut the LB's a little slack since the 2 best are out. Again, the interior line is being man handled (Maclain and Fua). Safetys are also suspect however, it is amazing how all looks better when some pressure is applied up the middle.
Also Bell on the O-line had a horrible game in place of Otah
I said it this morning, the defense has to stop the run period! Beason and Davis' injuries really gutted this defense for defending the run.
The offense played really solid IMO. I think rivera's coaching is suspect, esp. Being a former d coordinator. He looks lost and unsure. He is still cutting his teeth.
On the offense, we converted a lot of 3 downs, and once again on a 3rd and short, tried a long pass. Stick to your short run, and pass chudz!
The redskins will be like playing the bears. Grossman had a bad day, got pulled in 4th.
I'm worried that cam will start getting dejected. This guy lost 1 game in 2 years of college ball, so losing, esp. with his max efforts is new. He gets a pass, because as a rookie qb he's just special. Again, period. He had some bad throws, but he really showed good poise and keeps growing.
Scott, seriously, you owe an apology on amanti Edwards. You are closer to breaking one than him. He's getting no blocking either, but he's never breaks the field. Punt return needs upgraded now.
We a run stopper DT or linebacker, and yes on brandon loyd before Tues.
I heard Marty Hurney after, he sees the gaps in that defense.
Lastly, Rivera needs to improve his performance as a coach. We had a 12 men on the field penalty, and had to call timeout again on a field goal for knowing how many guys were on the field.
Time to get the defense right, coaching and performing.
The coaches owes the players more!
Man up d coaches!
the reason our defense sucks so bad is because of Marty Hurney....it is time to start a Fire Marty campaign so we can get a real football person as a GM before he trades away more draft picks...we can be very good if we get some real pro fottball players on defense instead of the high school players we have now & Marty is not capable of doing this...the players he got us for our secondary are soooo bad & we have no linemen...I know our linebackers are second stringers but a good GM would have seen the injuries coming....he has ruined our team, cut him loose before he does any more damage
It's a lot to ask for the offense to put up 35 points each week in order for us to win (you know we're not getting any points from the defense or special teams). We've been relying on a rookie QB to carry a bad team, to the point that if he has a subpar game we don't have a chance. If the o-line is so great why can't they open up any running lanes? I know injuries have killed us on defense but every team has them. Rookie DTs got worked again, linebackers made some plays but not enough, Gamble & Godfrey PI penalties gave up 14 points (although Godfrey no choice he was already burned for a sure TD). And if Edwards breaks even one punt return for more than 15 yards this year I will be shocked.
Derek Anderson only wants a shot at starting to win games. Obviously too many fear Anderson would win games and thus put Newton out of a job. Status quo is not working.
Stop blaming the defense. Everyone knows where the real problem is on offense.
Andy
Hey Anonymous Andy, how do you know what Anderson wants, are you his agent? His mother?
Look Harvey I know it's you, you know you should actually try watching a Panthers game for once if your seething hatred for Cam would allow you to. This team has a lot of problems, the least of which is a rookie QB who is usually carrying the team. Yeah, let's bench our #1 draft pick franchise QB so he'll lose valuable NFL playing experience so we can continue losing with Derek Anderson. Idiot.
Although he certainly wasn't a goat in this game, Jason Baker continues to give us at-best mediocre performances. He NEVER makes a play when we need it, is apparently physically incapable of punting to the sidelines, and has been getting worse as his career progresses. We absolutely need to bring someone on to compete with him next off season.
If anyone remembers....Troy Aikman's first year in Dallas resulted in a 1-15 record. (The 1 win was over the Skins in Washington, which made the season a success!)And, you know what happened in many seasons after that, so don't worry too much about this year.
Chicago and others looking into negotiating a possible buyout and trying to manipulate a deal to sign Newton since the new union agreement JR signed is non-restrictive and allows rookies to be bought like free agents.
Newtons agent has stated he also does not want to play for the Panthers and feels the Carolina franchise does not meet up to his higher standards and wants out. He uses the word "slop" to describe them.
Technically he also knows his time is limited to move on or he will lose his fleeting appeal monitarily as the losing streak gets worse. 100 million is the demand.
Regardless whether its next week or after the next 11 weeks hes a goner in 2012 as is Smith.
1-5
Keep hating my words, but this team is in shambles and has been for the best part of three years. This is an ownership/management problem. The CO staff will not report on the real issues, as they have to answer to the team. As I said weeks ago, it is just a matter of time before they start blaming Cam for the losses. This franchise is GARBAGE.
WORST
Scott picking a Panthers win (again). Scott, please stop picking us and maybe we will win.
BEST
We got off the field without any serious injuries, and should be ready to beat the Skins next week.
If Rivera is a coach he will put Newton in his place. If Newton is Superman, as he mimics when scoring a touchdown, why are the Panthers 1-5?
I knew that somewhere in this article...even before I clicked on it..you would mention yourself and your prediction. Charlotte has some of the worst sports writers on the planet.
Not A Fan says,
Somebody tell Newtbie his "in yo face" chicken dance in the end zone in Atlanta backfired and was stupid plus he cant dance. He aint Deon & this aint Allburn plus 1-5 losers dont act like clowns as Smith knows. He was taught a lesson. Other teams and players hate cocky millionaire losers. Grow up. Try to earn those mega millions the hard way. Even non-fans hate to see such a pathetic mess. Geesus Khrist.
Time for all pro Derek?
i think maybe our QB should work more on the playbook than his endzone dance....then again maybe he will dance us right to a 1-15 year
1) ABSOLUTE worst sports writers in ANY NFL city.
2) Cam's magic slipping every week. Defenses in the NFL adapt and attack the weak links. Next week will be worse.
3) Maybe this ownership should STOP signing guys because they are from the 'Carolina's and/or the state's universities, just to win over fans. Munnerlyn, Norwood, ARMANTI.... what a joke! Oh yeah, Peppers? Many LOCAL guys would LOVE to play elsewhere in the country, and will leave at first chance just like he did.
4) Hurney has been given a pass more than any GM I have seen in my 55 years. Sure, you can list some guys he's signed that have had some success, ESPECIALLY a couple drafted in mid 1st rd and UP! -- But below that, he is nothing more than a dart throwing moron. Jerry MUST keep him around because Hurney's a stupid YES man. 10-1 says Mark Richardson will turn this club around when he finally takes over, and begins deciding WHO should be the NEW GM. -
5) I had to listen to some of the game on the radio yesterday. Mick Mixon and Eugene Robinson are the dumbest conmbination of inept announcers I have EVER heard as I travel across the country. Mixon is another YES man for Jerry, hired after Bill Ros stood his ground and complained publicly that the CHEAP Jerry Richardson refused to buy NFC Champ rings for the announcers as part of the team, like EVERY other owner has done. --- Mixon is a metrosexual pencil necked geek who talks like he is trying to win a ribbon for some 8th grade literature class, trying to use every flowery word in the thesaurus. Eugene has a sock or something in his dumassed mouth. -- and the tv show is UNWATCHABLE
6) We have Cam because the Mannings, ALL OF THEM, warned Luck not to come out. Pure and simple.
7) Rivera is a defensive coordinator. He got THIS job, because he AGREED to do it Jerry's way, and not his. Thats why he is so uncomfortable and looks like a crosseyed deer in the headlights. He also reps the team as a 'dunce' every time he buttons that damn golf shirt to the neck. WTH is wrong with his wife that she cant tell him that?
8) Add this to Hurneys ineptitude: Deangelo Williams huge contract, and CJ's BIG money. Dump Williams, and keep some of CJ's cash and we could have gotten what we REALLY needed, DEFENSIVE DB's !
9) By seasons end, the magic will be gone with Cam. We'll have #1 pick again. -- Hurney will not only take Luck, but botch a trade for the pick. We'll draft some stupid kid because he played high school ball in Sylva NC
10) Rest assured. The ONLY reason we will have a prime time game next year will be due to ESPN privately demanding Cam at least once for advertisers and the 'specialty' marketing angle. It won't be because the nation wants to see the Panthers, or they deserve it.
Face it, the Panthers with a few exceptions, just aren't much good. It's grossly unfair to expect a rookie quarterback, no matter how talented, to put a lifeless elephant on his back and climb a steep hill. The defensive secondary could be nicknamed the sieve, the defensive line and depleted line backing corps more often just pats the ball carrier on the back as they blast past them-Missed tackle or good job? Not sure..
Wow... alot of people are shredding our team.
1) Cam Newton is, after all, a ROOKIE. Give it time and let it happen. Our team has not had this kind of franchise calibre QB, EVER. Let it develop. If he's making progress and showing development from week to week, which he is, then quit being so quick to toss him under the bus, to those of you who are. Ya'll will have a field day come December as he tries to adjust to the length of the NFL season as compared to the College season. Just chill and let it marinate. The W's will come. Enjoy watching the creation of our new offense as it develops.
2) The Defense will come together. We're not running Ron Meeks' defense this year, we're running Sean McDermott's.... right? And we're doing it with a YOUNG defense. (Now, I'm with the coach on this one: Youth card is done played out) But still, considering it TO THIS POINT: Between the youth, a new defensive coordinator, and new defensive scheme, you MUST allow for the defense to figure itself out, and work itself out. They've shown improvement over the 5 games played, so far. Their endurance is stretching into the 4th quarter whereas at the start of the season, they were gassed by mid-3rd. Again, let it develop. I'm having a GREAT season watching this new team come into being. Defense included.
3) The Coaching is coming into it's own as well. I've got to admit, the Clock management has improved greatly since the first 3 games.
4) Management\(Coaching?) - I liked the approach of putting the league on notice that we are up and coming by "Advertising\Marketing" Cam in the first 2 games. You've got to admit, the league and the media all buzz about him. Then we slowly started to unfold the running game, knocking the off-season dust off of them and getting them tuned up. (The run game was, after all, more of a "Known" than was the passing game.)
Examining the individual pieces on their own has been fun. How much more so when they all start to gel. It's probably time enough now to start placing a measure of emphasis on the W before dejection sets in. But I'm less interested in the W\L's than I am in witnessing the weekly progression of this new team. When it all comes together, it will be solid, and THAT's something I've never really thought of our team as, historically: Solid.
So chill, watch the development, calibrate your expectations, and mostly, enjoy the creation of our new team as it unfolds.
FIX OUR DEFENSE NOW!!
Boy are the haters out in full force today. The guy is a ROOKIE! The defense is TERRIBLE. What else do you need to know? I swear I don't normally sense racism but when I note that people openly each week say the same things I am wondering if some of you are still stuck in the 60's. Grow up. Newton is the face of the franchise, he is here to stay and the idiot who posted Newton will be leaving you might want to check your facts on the contract he signed. Until next week haters. Start posting your names instead of anonymous you people hiding behind your computers.
sc,
come on man..we are 1-5 and our face is dancing in the end zone like he's won something (well 1 game).......it doesn't matter to much where your from when your a rookie and you showboat it does litte for your team other than firing up the other team which we all saw yesterday...
Some of you are just ludicrous. This offense is being put into horrible positions by a decimated defense and an inept special teams. You can not put everything on the shoulders of a young offense with a rookie QB and expect to win much. Peyton didn't. The Colts went 3-13 mostly because the defense sucked but also because Peyton threw 28 interceptions. Peyton now has 4 MVP awards and a ring. Seems like maybe we should give Cam a little more time and a defense.
PANTHER FANS CHANTING ALL OVER
CAN U HEAR JR?
"LOSER SCAM SUX"
"WE WANT ALL PRO DEREK"
Well everybody knows the problem---Its not cams fault at all-its the GM's fault for taking him with the first pick. If we would have taken Marcel Darnus DT instead of Figgy wouldbe able to stop the run, he has certainly be able to stop the run in Buffalo. But know we had to take a lap top stealing cheat with our pick and we r 1-5. hummmm Everybody also knows that with two all-pro TE's that a 7th grader could complete those passes who r always wide open--I mean Steve Smith hadnt been that open since grade school.And if all else fails then take Luck in 2012. And if you have not noticed yet--there is no DT in the top 20 of any Mock draft. Of course we could have taken a DT with the first pick and took Dalton in the 2nd round and maybe we would be 4-2 and tied for first place
Will there come a day when an article or blog about the Panthers won't come with references to a stolen laptop by some moron? My God people, grow the F up.
Its not only defense its also the offense. And Jerry Richardson is to big of a puss to do anything about it. Hes scared to make a move to get an accomplished WR. Behind Smith we have NONE!!! I love the Olsen and Shocky move but damn they can not do it all. Get them some help.
great point about Peyton Manning 4 mvps and not one end zone dance ..like someone said earlier when your 1-5 you really dont need to be doing any dancing......someone said it was in honor of neon deon yea he was afixture for the panther organization wasnt he..but there is a silver lining we ger Luck (y) next draft .
Scott: Clearly our problem is defense since we are scoring enough to win any game. When Coach Rivera came on board, he said we will be an attacking defense (a la Ravens). Next time you are chatting with him, please ask him if, in his opinion, we are an attacking defense.
Clearly we could be 5-1 right now and every single person who posted something negative about Cam would still post...well something negative about Cam. You guys are real tough posting anon and behind your computers. Go Panthers!
Jerry is so cheap he sent the team to Atlanta on busses Saturday!
What a pathetic excuse for a human being we have for an owner. My sympathies to the family who lost their loved one when Jerry bought his way to the front of the line for his transplant. Jerk.
I'm sure the Jerry yes men at the Disturber will remove this quickly....
lol at the last post.
I really like Cam a lot!! But I have to agree with the dancing and the superman motion. I'll make a deal with Smitty and Cam, I won't have a look of disgust when you do the dance when you are losing and you don't do the dance and sm motion until the game is over and you won. How does that sound?
Tony ( I don't have to hide behind my computer screen)
Non-Fan said:
Long winded diatribing idiots need to keep their bullshit to a minimum.
Shakesphere said "brevity is the soul of wit" For dumbasses who dont know Shakespshere forget it ...
U Florida QB Grossman who lost to the now 2-4 Eagles last Sunday may be playing backup to Brigham Young QB Beck since teams do switch out in mid season who are intelligent.
Either way chalk up another "L" for the overpaid chumps and chickenleg Bojangles who cant dance.
Why is a TE playing QB anyway? Dense low IQ Rivera needs to wise up and his start his All-Pro expert at QB before he gets fired.
Non-fans feel laughable pity for the chumps.
REDSKINS BY 14
3-2 Skins go to 4-2 with a strong on defense and versatile offense equal in talent to Atlanta or better.
ps RR needs provoked and his worthless pushead mofo ass kicked and sent back to Berkeley.
I would take Cam Newton for the rest of his career over any QB in the world except Aaron Rodgers. That's how good superman is.
I am wondering if some of you are still stuck in the 60's. Grow up. Newton is the face of the franchise, he is here to stay and the idiot who posted Newton will be leaving you might want to check your facts on the contract he signed. Until next week haters. Start posting your names instead of anonymous you people hiding behind your computers.
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