Carolina Panthers

[CLTProductions]

Shhhh, nobody say anything.  I heard the Panthers were 2-0!  It can't be true, we lost too much in the off season! 

 

Anyways, glad to see us looking so good.  Don't want to get too excited yet (it is the Panthers after all) but geez it's nice to start the season well.

I wouldnt say "so good" (they were laughably pathetic on 3rd down), however it is promising. Although, a high school team could have beaten the Lions the way they played today. And how about my Brownies giving the Panthers a bit of help taking down the Saints

Edited September 14, 2014 by Jayvee

[Niner National]

The Lions played that way today because the Panthers defense smacked them around. Stafford was pressured all day and the corners gave good coverage on most drives.

[HopHead]

I wouldnt say "so good" (they were laughably pathetic on 3rd down), however it is promising. Although, a high school team could have beaten the Lions the way they played today. And how about my Brownies giving the Panthers a bit of help taking down the Saints

 

Yea. 3rd down stats don't mean jack when you win by 17 points. Or when your QB has a 100 QB rating. Lions have one of the best defensive front lines in football and while they got their hits, the Panthers stood tall in the end. In fact, the Panther D played that much better (Greg Hardy who?). So, not sure about that high school comment. However, congrats to the Browns on winning their first home opener in TEN years. 

[Higgs Boson]

I was at the game yesterday and, FWIW, they actually utilized the entire video boards for a decent amount of the game. I guess I was just expecting them to display distracting ads on the two outer screens for most of the game but that was actually kept to a minimum and when they did split to triple screen it was usually just the Carolina Panthers logos on the two outer screens. I don't know if this was cleared up in the Bank of America thread but I just thought that was a nice little surprise.

Also NoDa cans were everywhere. I would even say seven out of 10 Detroit Lions fans had a NoDa can in their hand.

[jednc]

I actually took this pic just to show how much of the board were used for ads. This was the norm any time the ball was in play.

[Guest]

I actually took this pic just to show how much of the board were used for ads. This was the norm any time the ball was in play.

Please tell me that was halftime... Where's all the fans?

[nonillogical]

Please tell me that was halftime... Where's all the fans?

Looked like a good turnout on tv, but once the game was pretty much in the bag early 4th quarter it emptied out a lot. 

[Guest]

Looked like a good turnout on tv, but once the game was pretty much in the bag early 4th quarter it emptied out a lot. 

I thought so too. But I admit I never really noticed the crowd...

[tozmervo]

I actually took this pic just to show how much of the board were used for ads. This was the norm any time the ball was in play.

 

Heh, that video screen looks photoshopped. MORE REAL THAN REAL LIFE.

[AuLukey]

Those screens were a much needed improvement!  I kept catching myself watching the screen more than the field.  I had to continuously remind myself that I wasn't there to watch TV.  That said, Carolina fans are slowly starting to get the hang of how to cheer at games.  I still had a lot of evil glares when I was yelling on defensive downs.  People need to be reminded that they aren't at a tennis match.  Kuechly and Davis telling people to make noise on third down just isn't working well enough.  They need to make it more abrupt because the culture still isn't there.

 

I did like that App State made a tribute formation for Cam though.

[grodney]

Loved the 2 non-vanilla play calls during the Panthers 3rd series.  First was the statue-of-liberty-ish reverse by Philly Brown.  11 yard gain negated by KB holding, but still a fun and dynamic play call.  Later from the DET 25 yard line, Cam does a read-option, or a designed run disguised as a read option, for 13 yards and (best part) he didn't get hit.  1 DET guy stayed home on Cam's run, and Cam made him look silly in the open field.  I don't love seeing Cam run because I don't want him hurt, but I also recognize it's an important weapon you can use to keep the defense honest.

 

(If these plays didn't work so well, I'm sure I would have hated the calls -- ha ha haa.)

[AuLukey]

Cam was definitely slow at the end of the game after he took some hits, he almost appeared to be limping at one point.  Got scared that the ankle had flared back up.  Everyone in my section was calling for Anderson to be brought in to finish out the game.  The game was already in the bag at that point anyway, why risk it?

 

Also, that play that they ran for the 2 point conversion made me realize that this team does have a handful of good plays in their books that they just don't use often enough.  In recent years the panthers have had issues with short passes at the goal line; glad to see they can now get a man open when it counts.

 

EDIT: update, ESPN has some interesting stats about the Panthers' success since Week 6 of last year:

 

• Win pct: .929 1st in NFL
• Turnovers: 10 1st in NFL
• Turnover margin: +17 1st in NFL
• Opp PPG 14.6 1st in NFL

 

Bad news report:

Big tests to come
The Panthers bye week doesn't come until Week 12 and they will be tested every step of the way until then.  Of their next nine opponents, only one (Falcons) finished with a losing record last season.

During that stretch (and barring injury) the defense will have to face five of the last six Super Bowl winning quarterbacks (Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Ben Roethlisberger) as well as Matt Ryan, Nick Foles, Jay Cutler and Andy Dalton.

Edited September 17, 2014 by AuLukey

[jednc]

Please tell me that was halftime... Where's all the fans?

That pic is from the end of the game. Final score with clock at zero. Most people left a little early since the game wasn't close which is why it looks so empty. It was packed for the majority of the game.

[AuLukey]

That pic is from the end of the game. Final score with clock at zero. Most people left a little early since the game wasn't close which is why it looks so empty. It was packed for the majority of the game.

 

I'm not sure I'd call it "packed."  They claim it was their 117th consecutive sellout, but that's purely thanks to PSL owners.  I was actually a little disappointed by the turnout, I'd say we were at 80-90% of the true capacity, lots of empty seats in the upper bowl that never found a butt.

[grodney]

Big tests to come
The Panthers bye week doesn't come until Week 12 and they will be tested every step of the way until then.  Of their next nine opponents, only one (Falcons) finished with a losing record last season.

During that stretch (and barring injury) the defense will have to face five of the last six Super Bowl winning quarterbacks (Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Ben Roethlisberger) as well as Matt Ryan, Nick Foles, Jay Cutler and Andy Dalton.

 

Crucial to win the next 2 (or 3) (PIT, @BAL, CHI), because then it gets BRUTAL:

@CIN

@GB

SEA

NO (short week on Thu)

@PHI on Mon

ATL (short week, who knows how good they are)

[ah59396]

16-0

[CLTProductions]

The Panthers look like clowns starting Hardy on Sunday. But if I had to guess....come Sunday he won't be playing.

Edited September 17, 2014 by Jayvee

[HopHead]

Crucial to win the next 2 (or 3) (PIT, @BAL, CHI), because then it gets BRUTAL:

@CIN

@GB

SEA

NO (short week on Thu)

@PHI on Mon

ATL (short week, who knows how good they are)

 

The only two games that really worry me on that list are @BAL, @CIN ... Steve Smith is super PO'd so you know he's going to give it his all in that game. And that Cincy defense is pretty stout. I think it's winnable, but I think those will be the most difficult. Philly will be tough, but I think the Panthers D can keep pace with their offense. 

[DMann]

Peterson out indefinately!  I believe the issue is deeper than just Peterson, Rice, Hardy.  Football players are bred to be today's gladiators, intimidation is their trademark.  Couple that with millions of dollars and teams willing to coverup stuff to allow them to produce profits for the team and that makes for a mess.  My memory might be a bit hazy, but it seems to me that 50 years ago it was the movement of the ball that was key, not how hard you hit someone.  Sad state of affairs indeed.

[CLTProductions]

The worst part of it is, the NFL is more popular than ever. I might have said this on here before, but I will say it again. The NFL is like an oil company. We all b!tch and moan over gas prices and over NFL and their rules and enforcement of regulations....yet here were are watching the NFL in record numbers and we all certainly need our gas.

[cltbwimob]

Shhhh, nobody say anything. I heard the Panthers were 2-0! It can't be true, we lost too much in the off season!

Anyways, glad to see us looking so good. Don't want to get too excited yet (it is the Panthers after all) but geez it's nice to start the season well.

I was part of the chorus saying the Panthers wouldn't do well. Glad to see that so far I've been wrong.

I still refuse to forgive the Panthers for releasing Steve Smith.

P.S. I also said earlier in the season my beloved Baltimore Orioles wouldn't do well, but I have been happily proven wrong.

Edited September 18, 2014 by cltbwimob

[AuLukey]

Well really the Tampa Bay game doesn't count.  They are a less-than-mediocre team that our defense did a great job of letting them come back.  I actually pictured us giving that game away at the end because of how lazy the defense got.  I ate my words a little once we stopped an impressive Lions passing game with a cluster secondary.  It's too early for jumping for joy, lots of hard away games to come before we can start talking playoffs.

 

EDIT:

The Panthers look like clowns starting Hardy on Sunday. But if I had to guess....come Sunday he won't be playing.

 

He isn't, at least until after his court date in November.  Not a bad gig for him though, paid time off for an NFL player... can I get a cut?  This ESPN article kinda rips the Panthers a new one in regards to their copy-cat style of discipline.

Edited September 18, 2014 by AuLukey

[ah59396]

Well really the Tampa Bay game doesn't count.  They are a less-than-mediocre team that our defense did a great job of letting them come back.  I actually pictured us giving that game away at the end because of how lazy the defense got.  I ate my words a little once we stopped an impressive Lions passing game with a cluster secondary.  It's too early for jumping for joy, lots of hard away games to come before we can start talking playoffs.

 

 

Doesn't count?!  It's the NFL, they all count.  And we started Derek Anderson.  Sheesh.

[AuLukey]

Doesn't count?!  It's the NFL, they all count.  And we started Derek Anderson.  Sheesh.

Our offense did just fine with Anderson (Kelvin had a better game with him than with Newton,) it was our defense that struggled late.  And I agree, a W is a W, it just wasn't pretty.

[grodney]

I'm surprised we haven't heard any talk of Hardy waiving his appeal.  That would end his legal issues, and take him off the exempt list.  At that point, the NFL would probably suspend him 6 games under the new policy.  The NFLPA could argue that it shouldn't be 6 since it wasn't in force at the time of the incident or the conviction.  (If he never would have appealed, he probably would have gotten 2 games, and would only be a footnote in this whole story.)

 

I realize that would be 6 games without pay.  But does he really think he's going to win the appeal?  Or was the appeal just a stall tactic so he could keep playing?  And even if he DOES win the appeal, I think it's likely the NFL will suspend him anyway -- I don't think they need a conviction to suspend somebody.

 

So given all that, I would think he'd want back on the field to play his butt off and improve his free agent market for next year.

Edited September 18, 2014 by grodney