Sunday, November 13, 2011

The Panthers' first stinker of the season

One thing you could say about the Panthers -- until today -- was that they made every game exciting even though they lost most of them.

Not today, though. Tennessee was up 14-0 before the game was 10 minutes old, and the Panthers never made any sort of run as the Titans absolutely blasted the Panthers, 30-3. There were maybe 2,000 fans watching at the end of the game.

Every phase of the Panthers team -- offense, defense, special teams, coaching -- looked awful most of the time and mediocre at best.

The stadium was almost empty with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter -- the first time it's been that way all year. It was like that all the time in 2010, when the Panthers were nearly always out of the game in the fourth quarter.

This felt like a return to last season. Tennessee became the first team to truly make quarterback Cam Newton look like a rookie, and the Titans' 79-yard punt return a minute into the game set a tone that was never altered.

Newton, who had been averaging about five passes per game of 20 yards or more, never had one longer than 19 on Sunday. He threw for 212 yards and ran for 55, but he also threw an interception and couldn't get his team into the end zone.

I asked him after if he had ever quarterbacked a game in which his team didn't score a touchdown. "Never," he said sternly. "Ever. Ever." He also used the word "embarrassing" over and over to describe the Panthers' performance.

And it was nasty. On a day the sun never came out, the Panthers (2-7) never showed up either. A 27-point loss to Tennessee? C'mon.

25 comments:

Bad Chud said...

Other than obvious fumbles and O=line penalties, the biggest disappointment today was Chud's inability to get away from the pass. Titan's D was obviously keying on the pass, so why did we run so little. DWill and Stew were averaging 5 yds per carry...but only ran it 11 times? WTF?

Anonymous said...

I think it may have been Carolina's Offensive Line that really made Cam look like a rookie. What a waste of an afternoon!

FIRE-MARTY!!! said...

You could see in Cam's eyes that he gave up in the second quarter. HORRIBLE TEAM!

Anonymous said...

Defense, special team, drop passes fumble, penalties, maybe the coach is in over his head.

Anonymous said...

Panthers have gotten worse as the season has progressed. Cam's good play has masked what a terrible team this is.

Anonymous said...

I think we all got a little bit dumber from reading Anon4:26's comment

Unknown said...

The "Pansies" lose another. There has to be a reason in their player selection or coaching methods that accounts for so many injuries-coaches change, players change, Hurney stays, and the team loses. These team is awful.

Anonymous said...

Yeah we sucked bad today!!!! They showed up as if they were still on the bye week!! Just ridiculious. I think we're all sick of the excuses!!!!

Anonymous said...

Ditto to what was said:

I think it may have been Carolina's Offensive Line that really made Cam look like a rookie. What a waste of an afternoon!

Anonymous said...

Not sure why the run game was put on the shelf. Did Chud get caught in the refreshment line buying nachos for three and a half quarters?

Anonymous said...

Here's tomorrows grades today..................ALL F's

Anonymous said...

Ditto to what was said:

Panthers have gotten worse as the season has progressed. Cam's good play has masked what a terrible team this is.

Anonymous said...

Ditto to what was said:

Defense, special team, drop passes fumble, penalties, maybe the coach is in over his head.

Anonymous said...

SCAM SUX

2-14 repeat

Anonymous said...

When you have such sloppy play from a team...especially after a buy week you really have to start looking at the coaching staf...just sayin...

Anonymous said...

Cam you have no talent around you so do your time here and then head to a winning franchaise..... our owner is so proud of resigning for big cash the stars of a 2 and 14 Panther team and nothing has changed as to be expected.....and Ron Riveria is in over his head.

Anonymous said...

Brian Murphy needs to be fired and fired now. He was brought in to coach special teams and the result is he is a miserable failure.

Anonymous said...

Im Sure John Fox has a smile on his face today :). Denver won and has a better record. Also John Kasay, no idea what Rivera was thinking when they cut him

Anonymous said...

What ever happened to the option play? Didn't Williams go 69 yds for a td with it?! Does it take a fool to realize that placing Williams/Stewart at split back beside or behind Newton along with Smith and 1 TE would have any defense on edge! Give a college coach the offensive weapons named above and that trash we saw today would have given us at least one 69 yd td! We have to be one of the worst team for 3 and out in the league. To much talent to only score only 3 points!! Panther fans aren't simple minded enough to keep accepting the BS about learning and growing process Rivera! We know what excuses for losing sound like remember Fox was here last year! Sportn80@aol.com

spemic said...

I give up! The Panthers are done this year! I'm now gonna look forward to the draft!

Anonymous said...

The heck with firing the players and coaches, just make real positive change and fire the arogant owner.

Anonymous said...

Turn out the lights, the party's over. The pussy cats just didn't have any life or determination today. As usual, the coach just stands by like an uninterested spectator and makes excuses for the poor performances of his players and coaches. Special teams coach should be fired now, don't wait another day.

Anonymous said...

Hey Fowler, where was that Kracker, or what ever the he-- ever you wrote about the other day? I believe he didn't show up for the game. Wasn't that a waste of newsprint writing about him?

Anonymous said...

Rivera could still salvage a little if he benches Slop and starts ALL PRO 6'7" 250 lb laser arm ALL PRO Anderson next 7 games. No reason to be afraid of Anderson winning now since there nothing to lose. Neurotic fans know the real Slop has arrived and blew his shot at being another one hit wonder and moving on to Chicago in 2012.
There is always the Seseme Street Big Bird job at PBS though.


FREE TIP: ALL PRO 28 YR OLD ANDERSON COULD GO 7-0. DONT BE AFRAID OF WINNING WITH ANDERSON. SLOP IS A FLOP.

Author Scott Nicholson said...

Much like the federal government's bailouts, Hurney gave all the money to the wrong people.

A former cub reporter running a major sports franchise, and no wonder even achieving mediocrity is an unattainable goal.

Name one good move Hurney has made. Delhomme's retirement package? DeAngelo Williams' gold vault? The Cam pick was no choice at all so he can't take credit for that after the Claussen pickle. Trading up for Armanti Edwards? Hurney would get laughed out of your fantasy league yet he spends a quarter of a billion dollars to keep the core of a bad team.