GREEN BAY, Wisc. -- The Carolina Panthers put their fans back into full panic mode Sunday, getting eviscerated, 38-17, by Green Bay in a game which will also be remembered as the one in which middle linebacker Luke Kuechly was kicked out.
Other than Kuechly's third-quarter ejection -- for striking an official after coming out of a pileup (he said later he didn't know it was a ref) -- this was one of the least dramatic and most thorough beatdowns in Carolina's 20-year history.
By the end of the first quarter, Green Bay led 21-0 on the scoreboard and 172-5 in total yardage, and after that it was really just a matter of playing out the string.
The Panthers are 3-3-1 and still alone in first place in the NFC South after Atlanta and New Orleans both lost Sunday. But those three losses have been so excruciatingly bad that they feel worse than a .500 team. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (three TD passes) had his way with Carolina all afternoon, but just as troublesome was Carolina's inability to muster any of the offense that had led the Panthers to 37 points the week before in Cincinnati.
Other than tight end Greg Olsen, who had a 100-yard receiving day, the Panthers hardly had any offense worth noting. They didn't score a touchdown until the fourth quarter, when they were already down, 38-3. The last two TDs made the score sound somewhat respectable, but anyone who watched it knows this was a complete whipping.
The Panthers have now given up at least 37 points in four of their last five games. When they are bad, they are very, very bad -- and the worst culprit of all is the defensive secondary. It showed up on the Packers' very first drive, when Jordy Nelson first beat Antoine Cason up the sideline and then sidestepped Roman Harper so thoroughly that Harper couldn't even get a hand on Nelson. Poof -- 59-yard touchdown with less than four minutes gone, and the rout was on.
What can Carolina do? Not a lot, except get better from the inside-out. The Panthers are mostly stuck with the players they have got. They next play a home game against Seattle, the defending Super Bowl champions who have come to Charlotte and won each of the last two years. Seattle lost Sunday, too, and also looks vulnerable -- but not nearly as vulnerable as the Panthers.
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9 years ago
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19 comments:
There really should be a mercy rule in the NFL.
Too much turnover in the secondary. Not going to get ant better in the near future because we have too much tied up into RBs and pretty soon we'll have to pay Cam and Kuechly. Oh yeah, lack of flexibility on offense is a major problem.
This game really did not surprise me. Our team is always in disarray with Cam as QB. What wins we do have are sloppy. I said it last year and I kept my mouth shut this year but its still the same.
They say in Baltimore if you want receivers to receive you should have a QB who can throw to them. Anderson and Webb can move the team downfield far more accurately than Cam can. Cam is not a leader. He is far too childish. Bench him and let him sit and chew his bubble gum.
Its sad to watch players playing their hearts out and you do not have a leader to lead them.
Everybody keeps talking about the panthers Defense, but look at how terrible the offense was! 3 points in a half? Cam Newton is so inconsistent its not even funny. People goo goo gaga over his 12 yard runs on 3rd and 10 but turn a blind eye when he misses a wide open receiver or isn't smart enough to audible into a better play. He is the best athlete playing the quarterback position on Earth and he isn't a top 15 qb. Think about that. He is not worth a 6 year 100 million dollar deal. Hes a .500 qb over 4 years. Its almost like after last year the Panthers management said "you know how we have never had back to back winning seasons? Lets make sure we don't go 12-4 again by getting rid of incredibly valuable pieces. First we will get rid of a phenomenal returner tedd ginn and put Philly Brown back there to muff punts, then we will cut the most famous panther of all time and make all the fans furious, but don't worry, we will get 4 terrible guys to battle it out for his spot. Even lafell would be better than what we are throwing out there. Other than Benjamin, the best receivers in charlotte play at Mallard Creek. I love the panthers and because of that I hope they lose the rest of their games so we can get another qb and coach. Forget back to back winning seasons.
wow the CAM haters always come out when we lose. If Anderson and Webb were good enough to start in the NFL they would not be in Carolina. Duh! You sir no very little about QBs or Cam's stats. Do a little research. A lot of QB throw high balls. All of them. Only a few hit in on the target all the time. As good as Peyton is, he was horrible in the superbowl, and has only 1 superbowl victory. Please leave your internal issues behind.
Think about this though. What makes Tom Brady Peyton Manning and drew Drees and Aaron Rodgers and all these lesser athletes WAY better qbs than Cam newton? Their brains. Cam Newton wants to put the towel on his head and chew gum and do the superman crap then we will continue to get inconsistent mediocre play. He displays no touch whatsoever, everything is a bullet. I bet steve smith is in heaven finally getting to play with an elite qb. Yes Cam newton is a phenomenal athlete, but it ends there. It's not hating, look at his record as a starting qb. I love the Panthers but the thought of Newton getting a 6 year deal worth a hundred million dollars is sickening. Cam wants to entertain first and if we can win too, then that's just more publicity for him.
I'm not the biggest Cam fan but you can't blame this season on him. It's so frustrating to see "panthers fans' trashing this guy, especially when he's only on one side of the team. You can't blame him for a defense that's a sieve. THAT falls on the defensive leader KUECHLY. That's probably gonna anger "panther fans" talking about your "golden boy", but for him to be so "talented" and get so much press, def player of the year, etc, his unit is horrible. Look at your defensive leader with the same lens as your offensive one, and put praise/blame where it's due. People crowned this guy the next and coming linebacker WAY too early, he's average at best. The linebackers SUCK, which is the main problem on the defense, but no one point that out. Davis gets a pass because no one can question his heart or effort considering what he's been through, but the rest are garbage
Change the the white towels to teal blue please....tired of the surrender play!
I supported picking Cam in the draft but Thomas makes a number of valid and accurate observations...
...most of these problems fester because of lousy coaching -- never should have extended Riverinnertube Ron so soon...
....but Boone's Farm Jerry (champagne pocketbook, Boone's Farm taste) thought he could save a buck by locking in a low pay package in the head coach slot.
Rivera is scared of SuperKitty and as such he remains an extraordinarily undisciplined QB. Rivera is also in way over his head, not head coach material. Will Booney let him coach out the rest of his deal? If so, be prepared for a miserable few years folks...
Don't sign Cam ,take that money and buy us a defense and try to pick up an accurate qb in the draft. In all honesty he's not worth a price tag of Aaron Rodgers...Payton manning,drew breeze,tom Brady.He is not an elite qb if your truthful about it he's just a good athelet and a mediocra QB thats not enough to pay him ELITE QB MONEY. let him walk..Andrew Luck is headed toward elitness .
This is ridiculous to blame all on Cam. If any of you idiot haters watched the SF game, look at the offensive weapons kaepernick has at his disposal. He has 2 better rb and 5 better wr than Cam has. At some point, stop hating and accept cam's development as legit and blame gettleman for not getting enough. We have no one that can change the game plan except Cam. Maybe he gets it right with more salary cap flex, but gettleman has failed this franchise.
Cam Newton is complete crap and our team is going nowhere with him. Time for some of us to start dealing with that fact.
RELEASE THE KRAKEN!
The no 1 position for any FB team is the QB. The Panthers are crazy if they give Cam a 6 yr contract unless it's for backup @ the standard salary. The real use for Cam is trple option & jus t run him. He can't read, can't make quick decisive decisions and when he finally decides he can't throw catchable balls or holds so long hes sacked. We desparately need to trade or draft for a QB. Cam has had 4 yrs to prove-proved he ain't the future of the franchise. Maybe in 10 yrs he grow from a child to maturity. Problem is Cam. Receivers can catch if the ball is catchable.
Well, they are still in 1st place and the division itself is horrible. All that matters is winning the division and making the playoffs. I've been watching Football to long to put too much weight on a regular since the NFL has done every thing to make the league have parity. People seem to forget the mediocre Giants won their division at 9-7 and also won the Superbowl. Then we have the below average Seahawks finish 7-9 and beat the 11-5 Saints in the playoffs.
RELEASE THE NEWTON !
There are issues in Carolina that have nothing to do with turnover, injuries, or the commissioners exempt list. Watching the panthers this season is reminiscent of the John Fox coaches Panthers that would routinely take entire games off. It's not just Ron Rivera, it's the entire coaching staff. They're not motivating the players to victory. There are also clear indications that there is a lack of player development going on in Charlotte as well. Our first and second round picks from last season have been non-factors against the run particularly. They're both physically gifted, but they seem to have hit a rookie wall (even though this I their second season and had an entire offseason to improve). The entire DLine with the exception of Charles Johnson has looked overmatched all season. They honestly look weak and are consistently using poor technique. Don't the panthers pay a strength and conditioning coach? How bout a DLine coach? The ge planning on defense has also been extremely poor. It is as if the panthers coaching staff is resting on some imagined laurels.
All you arm chair experts are laughable, self important little haters! If MOST of you knew even half of what you think you know you would be making your living in foot ball. My guess is that none of you are. Is this team in trouble? Absolutely, were some bad decisions made? of course.
Could any of you do a better job running our team? Hell no! For the most part we as fans have no idea what actually happens in the front office, on the practice field or in the locker room. Last year at this time MOST of you were riding the band wagon, praising Cam, Rivera, Shula and Gettleman ect. Grow up, stand up and shut up. Show some support. Get out to stadium Sunday if you can and make some noise, scream your lungs out, be the best twelfth man you can be. All the fair weather fans and lack of support among our fan base makes me sick!
After reading Blogger comments regarding the Panthers, one thing is certain: this ain't the team from last year! We all know that. Not so unexpected if you will, as some very good players from last year got some very good contracts from elsewhere, you know who and where they are. New England The Ravens.Actually I tire of hearing "its the business". I'm not an actuary, and I am certain I don't really understand CAP issues as we hear all the time yet, somehow or other New England, The Giants, Indianapolis, Packers, Denver, 49-ers, Baltimore, Dallas, even Houston,(improving with JJ Watt and Clowney (?) big TV markets, and for certain these teams, always seem to step up to the plate, pay good money for good players and consistently are in the hunt each season. As stated early, "this is not the same team from last year". Glad Godfrey's got some dead money. One thing for certain: we sure have a revolving door here on players and talent. Somebody needs to explain that to me with the CAP mumbo/jumbo. Panther management should no better. I am disappointed that we seemingly let the wrong guys get away year after year.
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