Jeremy Igo

Every week I bring to you what fans of the opposition are saying. This week, I ventured over to Seahawks.net to gauge that the feelings were. Here is what I discovered... On Carolina Huddle and Panthers fans in general... Seahawks fans telling Panthers fans they are like a child beginning to walk? Seems strange coming from the least knowledgeable most bandwagon containing fan base of all time. True story: Riding the light rail in Seattle to the game, I asked four sets of Seattle fans the best way to get to my gate. They could not help me, as none had ever been to a Seahawks game. You would be hard pressed to find four groups of folks walking to the Panthers game that were Bank of America Stadium first timers. Once the game had started, I had to explain to front row Seattle fans that in the NFL a player is only down by contact. They told me I was crazy. In no other stadium has this ever happened. Also... this is a screen grab from their first page. I mean.... really? Greg Hardy joining Dallas was only the biggest NFL story of the offseason. But then again, the vast majority of members on that site joined later than 2011. Shocking. I really have no issue with Seahawks fans. They are a polite bunch who mostly were uninterested in the NFL until a few years ago. They are pleasant folks for the most part. Overall I was very impressed with Seattle. Not sure where they read this. Everyone here knows Wilson is a good QB. Most of us watched him before anyone in Seattle ever knew he existed. Many teams would trade their starting QB for Russell Wilson. Not Carolina, but many teams. You read that right.... Seahawks fans playing the Bandwagon card mixed in with a few ignorant southern stereotypes. This guy was definitely wearing a Cowboys jersey not long ago. On Russell Wilson vs Cam Newton Wilson had a good half season for sure. Cam is the MVP for the entire season. That is all you really need to know. I have seen many Seahawks fans downplay Cam's rushing touchdowns claiming (incorrectly) that most were on the 1 yard line. Even so, Such a strange thing to downplay considering how they lost last year's Superbowl. On Norman vs Baldwin This is actually a legitimate concern that Panthers should have. First of all, Norman won't be covering Baldwin all that much. I am sure the Seahawks will use Baldwin much like the Giants used OBJ. With their number 2 and 3 corners on IR, the Panthers are left starting two guys who were in street clothes until recently. Although, I must say Finnegan has looked so much better than I ever imagined he would. The nickel spot in the Panthers defense suits him well. The good news here for the Panthers is that Jimmy Graham, who accounted for over half of Wilson's passing yards against the Panthers in October, is also on IR. This evens things out a bit. The Panthers historically have had issues covering TE's. Look for the corners to get plenty of safety help all game long. On the Panthers wearing white jerseys on Sunday... So much energy discussing the opponents jersey color. Strange. Anyways, white is the traditional playoff color for Carolina and was worn on some of their most impressive playoff wins. But I don't expect newcomers to the NFL to know that. View full article

I told myself I would shoot every game this season, but tbh, I would have skipped that mess. No thanks.

Official thread for the early game.

Not only has Cam Newton earned the Most Valuable Player of the NFL this season, he has redefined the position along the way. Anyone who watches the Panthers play on Sundays clearly understands this fact. However, there are still a few who try to dismiss Newton’s performance using the old way of judging a quarterback. Allow me to present to you the main bullet points of Cam Newton’s amazing 2015 MVP bid. 3837 Yards Passing - 16th in NFL Here is the one stat that is not all that impressive. Cam Newton only threw for 3837 yards. Strange that in this day and age nearly 4000 yards passing is not particularly impressive. If Cam Newton played the entire games against Atlanta and Tampa Bay, he may have surpassed 4000 yards. But, as you can see by the following stats… it really doesn’t matter. Many doubters will point to Cam’s completion percentage. It is easy to spot a living room couch expert that way. They have no idea how many dropped passes Newton has played through. Heck, if Ted Ginn held on to just half of his drops alone Cam Newton would have had well over 4000 yards and been ranked in the top 10 in this category. 7.8 Yards per pass - 7th in the NFL The Panthers are a running team. In fact, they ranked 2nd in the NFL in rushing overall. Naturally, on a team based on the run, the QB will be throwing less. Taking this into account, Cam Newton averaged 7.8 yards per pass which ties him for 7th in the league. This is more yards per attempt than Tom Brady. Throw in the fact that Cam did so without a single wide receiver that would start on any other NFL team. This stat becomes not only impressive, but nearly unbelievable. 35 passing touchdowns - 2nd in the NFL (tied with Bortles, E. Manning, Palmer) Thats right, Cam Newton is tied for 2nd place in the NFL for number of touchdowns thrown, also known as the most important stat for a QB in football. Moving down the field is meaningless if a QB cannot deliver in the red zone. Again, without a wide receiver that would start on any other NFL team. Simply amazing. Ok, so there are some traditional QB stats that clearly show Cam Newton is one of the top QB’s in the league. Do these stats make him a MVP candidate? Not really. They make him a very good quarterback. Now comes the part where he has redefined the position…. 56 Rushing First Downs - 5th in the NFL I have said it for many seasons now. Cam Newton is 80% of the Panthers offense. Without his first down runs, many improvised, the Panthers would rank very low on offense. However, because of Cam Newton, the Panthers scored more points in 2015 than any other team in the NFL. Cam Newton single handedly kept the chains moving 56 times this season. This is almost twice as many times as the next QB on the list…. Russell Wilson who ranked 33rd. 10 Rushing Touchdowns - 5th in the NFL (tied with RB Todd Gurley) Cam Newton is tied with probably Rookie of the Year RB Todd Gurley in rushing touchdowns. He is ahead of full time running backs like Doug Martin, David Johnson, DeMarco Murray, the list goes on. Cam Newton has one rushing touchdown less than Adrian Peterson. Take a moment and let that sink in. Cam Newton has already tied Steve Young’s career record for rushing touchdowns. Now, take into consideration that Cam Newton clearly was a very good QB in 2015 despite lack of weapons, he also was a top runner in this league. In other words..... Cam Newton was the majority of the production, both in the air and on the ground, in the offense that scored the most points in the NFL. That, my friends, is MVP defined. View full article

Cam Newton = Michael Jordan Russell Wilson = Isiah Thomas Isiah was a great player, one of the best. But he was no MJ.

Panthers finished second in the league in rushing. Glad they listened. ;)

Each week I bring to you the best of what my camera lens is lucky enough to capture. This week, plenty of shots of the Panthers clinching home field throughout the playoffs, all in HD. Without further ado.... Along the Sidelines - Bucs at Panthers View full article

Such an important game today. The Panthers need a victory against the young Buccaneers squad to lay claim to the number one seed in the NFC as well as to get their swagger back in time for the playoffs. They will have to do it with two rookie runningbacks, Cameron Artis-Payne and Brandon Wegher. Artis-Payne looked solid against Atlanta. Wegher is more of an unknown not having been active for a single regular season game. Panthers Keys to Victory - Philly Brown must show up. With Tedd Ginn likely out, Philly Brown is the lone deep threat. He will need to have a good showing today and force the Buccaneers defense to at least think about the long ball. - Rookie Runners. CAP and Wegher first of all must not turn the ball over. Wegher must contribute on special teams and on screens where he has the skill set for big plays. - Defensive line must improve. Other than KK Short, the entire Panthers defensive line has had poor showings for several weeks straight. They were publicly called out this week. Lets see if they can get going today as a response. View full article

Now that the year 2015 is coming to an end, I thought I would take a look back and give you my choices for the top 10 photos that I have taken this season. Here they are all in HD... Top 10 Photos of 2015 View full article

As the Panthers prepare for their final game of the regular season, Bucs fans would love to see the Panthers be knocked out of the first seed position. From Pewter Report I respect this type of talk from fans. This is what fans should be doing. The spoiler role is the only thing that is left, embrace it. I know I did when the Panthers were in a similar spot. Good on ya, Bucs fans. But others are not as optimistic... The Bucs won't play their backups. Lovie Smith and Ron Rivera aren't exactly the friendliest pair in the league. Smith would love nothing more than to decrease the chances of a Ron Rivera superbowl by making the Panthers travel for the NFC championship game. Score predictions from BucZone I would be happy with this. ...not so happy with this. I am not so sure their first defeat was a mental blow as much as it is a wakeup call to refocus and work harder. The best teams in NFL history have had the same thing happen, even Ron Rivera's Superbowl Chicago Bears. The rest of the Bucs talk is around firing Lovie Smith, draft position and prospects, and 2016 expectations. Their offseason has officially begun. That said, all Panthers fans should take a moment and realize the Panthers still have at minimum 2 games left in their season, but hopefully will have a couple more. These are good times, my friends, enjoy. View full article

You have confused me with someone who cares about this argument and this topic in general. I was just wondering if you all are done yet so I can lock it up.

Yall done yet?

Well that removes any hint of doubt I had. Cool. Lets move on.

I wish he didn't do that cradling the baby touchdown celebration for 10 full seconds.

It is Panther related, if you like it or not, and it apparently is of huge interest. I was weary of it before Cam's celebration of cradling a baby. But the fact that he tied it in to a game celebration makes it a valid discussion. If he didn't do that this would have gone away last week.

Loads of pro athletes have kids that are not in the public eye. This is nothing new.

Ah yes, in rolls the New Year. Before you pop open the champagne and do something you will probably regret the next morning.... here are a few New Years Resolution suggestions to all Panthers fans everywhere. Every new wide receiver is not a perennial all-pro Last season is was Hill. This season it is Norwood. These guys are projects. They have the opportunity to earn jerseys throughout the week. If they don't, don't blame the coaches. Stop the media whining Every day I wake to see more and more complaints about the disrespect the Carolina Panthers get in the national media. Stop whining... and embrace it. The underdog role is something the Panthers have embraced over the years.... so should you. Welcome bandwagon fans You want a Bank of America Stadium full of Panthers fans on Sundays? Well, you are going to have to welcome new fans. Get over yourself and your need to put others down because you have been a fan longer. For all that is holy, please shut your traps while on offense It is a shame that this still needs addressed. I have even had push back on social media from people who disagree with me. "The team gets energy from us yelling while they are on offense". No, they do not. They get energy from not having to yell play calls and adjustments at the top of their lungs. They get energy from not having to call a time out or walk back five yards from a false start. Save your lungs for when the Panthers defense takes the field. End of discussion. View full article

I haven't really commented yet, because it really makes no difference to me either way. But since Cam pretty much announced it to the world with his TD celebration I guess he doesn't mind people talking about it. After everything I have read and heard, I think he did have a child. but not with the gal PhillyB is talking about. Cam just wants to keep it discrete enough to keep it out of the mainstream media. It is all over social media from people who were there.... such as...

Yep, has always been as such.

It was a rough day for the Carolina Panthers, but it did yield good performances from Cameron Artis-Payne and KK Short. There are also a few photos worth seeing. Each week, win or lose, I bring you the highlights of what my camera lens finds. Without further ado.... Along the Sidelines - Panthers at Falcons View full article

Top three contributing factors in the Panthers losing to the Atlanta Falcons. 1. Poor performance from the Panthers defensive front 4 (not named KK Short.) Johnson, Ealy, Allen, Lotulelei, Edwards combined had 4 tackles and 0 sacks. That is just awful. KK Short alone had 7 tackles and two sacks. Thank goodness for KK. Those other guys.... they need to pick up their game in a big way. If the Panthers need to use linebacker and safety blitzes constantly to get quarterback pressure, it won't be a good time. This is my biggest concern going forward, espescially If the Panthers face Seattle or Arizona in the playoffs. 2. Poor QB protection, particularly Mike Remmers. Cam Newton was pressured too much for him to get in a rhythm on offense. The Falcons defense is one of the worst in the league. To score only 13 points against them is inexcusable. The good news? This may be an aberration. The Panthers have had excellent protection most of this season. Let us hope this is a one week phenomenon. 3. The Panthers have only one Josh Norman. It appears the loss of Bene Benwikere is worse than we first thought. Last week, the Giants provided a blue print for offenses going forward. Step 1 - Identify your best receiver. Step 2 - Keep him away from Josh Norman. Step 3 - Score. Peanut Tillman is a savvy veteran player, but he is not 100% healthy and not the fastest guy on the field to begin with. At nickel the Panthers are not left with a real solid answer. While Shaq Thompson is great in some instances, he cannot cover the speedier wide outs. Finnegan has been serviceable until now, but how much can we really expect from a guy that was sitting on his couch a few weeks ago? Overall, this was a poor performance from the Panthers, the worst of the year. So much so that Cam Newton's heroics were not enough to overcome their mistakes. View full article

Today the Panthers can clinch home field advantage throughout the playoffs should they defeat the Atlanta Falcons. The Panthers can also clinch home field with an Arizona loss in Green Bay. The Falcons are still in the playoff hunt, but need some help. They first need to win out, starting today. Keys to Panthers Victory - Expect a different Falcons team. The Falcons were embarrassed two weeks ago at Bank of America Stadium. These are professional players who don't take kindly to such a thing. They will be more motivated this week. - Continue to shut down Julio Jones. Luckily, Jones is the type of player Josh Norman plays his best against. Larger receivers that are not used to being challenged for the ball. Hopefully, Norman can continue to blanket him as he did two weeks ago. - Cameron Artis-Payne. I liked what I saw out of the rookie last week. He needs to use that as a stepping stool on the way to improving this week. Not turning the ball over would be a good start. View full article

I fully approve the dick tickle celebration.

Believe it or not, the Atlanta Falcons are still in the playoff hunt. The Falcons need to win out and hope for two Minnesota Viking losses. A long shot, but it could possibly happen. This means that on Sunday in Atlanta, the Carolina Panthers could both clinch home field throughout the playoffs and knock the Atlanta Falcons out of the playoffs. How great is that? I went over to the Falcons fan communities to gauge their feelings on the upcoming game. On Matt Ryan being fire up. Since that Matt Ryan outburst years ago, the Falcons are 1-5 vs the Panthers. I am not so sure they should be wishing for a return of a fired up Matt Ryan. On how to beat the Panthers Oh look, another "double Olsen and the Panthers offense is dead" comment. We have seen it every single week this season from opposing fan bases. Two weeks ago Greg Olsen only played a single half against the Falcons. The end result was a 38-0 behind the woodshed shellacking. Short memories these Falcons fans have. On Roddy White talking trash about Josh Norman .....fair enough. Norman is absolutely tasked with locking up receivers many times during games. He also does play zone, as does every single corner in the league. Holding Norman to a higher standard than literally every other corner in the league in an effort to agree with an asinine comment made by Roddy White.... sad. Of course, Corey Brown and Josh Norman responded to Roddy's comments on twitter themselves... Overall, Falcons fans are evenly split. Some want to win out and hope for a postseason. Others want to lose and improve draft position. Almost none are happy with their current coaching staff, especially offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. I doubt Shanahan is around next season, unfortunately. Sunday may possibly be the largest Georgia Dome takeover in NFC South history. Expect thousands of Panthers fans to once again make it feel like a home game as Falcons fans remain mostly indifferent. See you there. View full article

Fact: Odell Beckham Jr's actions on the playing field, particularly his helmet to helmet hit on Josh Norman, was about the dirtiest thing you will ever see on the football field. Fact: The Giants are now throwing everything they possibly can at the problem to help minimize the damage done to Beckham Jr's reputation. On Monday, it was a silly baseball bat excuse. An excuse that was mostly laughed at nationally. As if anyone believed for a second OBJ felt threatened by a bat on the sidelines. If he was threatened by it, he made no mention of it in the post game interviews. It only came up well after he was caught, dead to rights, spearing Josh Norman in the helmet while Norman was not looking. This move earned OBJ a one game suspension, but should have been more. Now it is Tuesday, and the Giants are aware the silly bat excuse didn't stick. They need a new reason why the face of their franchise and their number 1 selling jersey would do such a thing. A-Ha! Odell Beckham Jr was called mean names during the game. Names that referred to his sexual orientation. That is why he threw punches. That is why he tried to injure Josh Norman by spearing him in the head. He was bullied! That's the ticket! Lets get on this anti-bullying campaign train and ride this thing out. The problem here is that every week in every game, names are being called. I have been on the sidelines for nearly a hundred times now, and I don't even notice anymore. It is part of the game in any professional sport. Get in the head of your opponent. Take him out of the game mentally. I don't know if names were called in OBJ's direction. Heck, I would be shocked if they weren't. I would be shocked if the Giants didn't yell names and expletives as as well. I would be shocked if this didn't happen on any given Sunday on any football field across the nation. But I do know one thing, I have never seen it used as an excuse, before now, to intentionally try to injure another player. If Odell Beckham Jr felt so torn over the alleged names called, would he have hugged multiple Panthers defensive players after the game? Shaq Thompson, Roman Harper, Luke Keuchly to name a few. Would he have snuck in a pinch on Cam Newton's rear during Newton's on camera interview after the game, trying to get a reaction from Newton? I was standing behind Newton and witnessed it myself and thought nothing of it. Last week Mike Tolbert smacked Cam Newton's rear during an interview and got a hilarious reaction. No big deal. These actions don't sound like those of a man supremely offended by what was said on the playing field. They sound like business as usual. Things are said on the field, and after the game everyone understands that what is said on the field is business. So here is the bottom line.... In their attempt to skirt blame and redirect negativity, Odell Beckham Jr and the Giants organization set an even worse example to their fans and continue to make this a national news story. The right move would have been to accept responsibility, accept punishment, and apologize gracefully so that we could all move on to next Sunday. THAT would have been the right way to minimize the damage done to OBJ's image. People are always willing to forgive someone who is honest and sincere. Clearly, Odell Beckham Jr is neither of these things. View full article