Jeremy Igo

Each week I bring to you the best photos my camera lens finds, all in HD. This week, the Carolina Panthers at the NY Giants. Without further ado... Along the Sidelines View full article

Today the Carolina Panthers seek to help solidify their bid for the first seed in the NFC playoffs. Having the road to the Superbowl go through Charlotte would be an amazing accomplishment. Not to mention being home for all of January would be a wonderful Christmas gift to me personally. Keys to Panthers Victory - Rattle Eli Manning early. Eli is coming off a pretty good game. The Panthers need to get the streaky quarterback off his game. Be aggressive early, knock him down. You won't really confuse him much with disguised coverages, but he can be physically worn down. - Go deep, then go deep again. Ted Ginn is coming on strong at just the right time. There will be ample opportunity to burn NYG today with long bombs. At the very least it will open up the running game a bit more... which takes me to my next key... - Stick to the run. The Panthers really need to see what they have in Cameron Artis-Payne. I would love to see him get at least 10 carries today. Jonathan Stewart's health is not guaranteed and Fozzy Whitaker is not an every down back. I would love to see what the SEC's leading rusher a year ago can do out there. View full article

KK Short Is The Carolina Panthers Defensive MVP ... at least in my opinion. Allow me to state my case.... Yes, Luke Kuechly and Josh Norman are both playing at incredibly high levels. One could make a valid argument for either to be the defensive MVP. But for me, it is all about KK Short. Point 1 - The Panthers kept winning without Luke Kuechly. This is not a knock on Luke Kuechly at all, but more an endorsement of the amount of amazing talent on the Panthers defense. Even with Kuechly out for several games, the Panthers kept on trucking. Point 2 - Josh Norman benefits from the play of KK Short. I am a huge Josh Norman advocate, have been for years. No one can deny how he has dominated his opponents this season. But Norman has benefited from the play of KK Short. With Short applying pressure from the interior, QB's are forced to make throws that otherwise would not be made. Point 3 - Those KK Stats 44 Combined Tackles 9 Sacks 81 Yards lost on Sacks 4 Passes Defended 3 Forced Fumbles 2 Fumble recovery These numbers are All-Pro caliber numbers for a defensive tackle. Point 4 - Game Winning Play. Yes, Josh Norman single handedly saved the Panthers from a loss with his last second interception against New Orleans. Incredible play. But KK Short also saved the Panthers from having a loss this season. Against the Texans, it was Short's pressure that forced an intentional grounding by Ryan Mallet and kept Houston from scoring. For the Panthers, it all starts with that defensive line and particularly the interior of the defensive line. KK Short is by far the best player in that unit which has dominated this season. Therefore, he is my defensive MVP. View full article

A little double team on Allen or Ealy means KK Short has one man on him.....

Giants rookie left tackle Ereck Flowers says he will be playing on Sunday despite his ankle injury. You can expect the Panthers defense to test Flowers immediately. Lined up across from Flowers will be Jared Allen and Kony Ealy. Both present different challenges to Flowers. Allen, the quick wirey end with the long reach and Ealy, the powerful well balanced defensive end. We have seen in years past that the Carolina Panthers defense tends to tighten up as the season ends. Last year, Kony Ealy and Charles Johnson decimated opponents in December with outstanding play. This could be very bad news for Eli Manning and the Giants. Eli, being a very hot and cold quarterback, needs to get off to a solid start on Sunday should the Giants have any chance of winning. View full article

A lot has happened on the injury front this week, I thought I would get more casual fans caught up with the latest and what needs to be known. 1. Jonathan Stewart is out on Sunday. He suffered a sprained foot on Sunday against the Falcons. In his place will be Fozzy Whitaker, Mike Tolbert, and Cameron Artis-Payne. How much Cameron Artis-Payne? Well, that is up to him. The Panthers will be giving him a shot early. If he can produce, he could see 15-20 carries. However, if Artis-Payne struggles in pass protection, you may not see him much at all. Instead, Tolbert and Fozzy will carry the load. 2. Corner Bene Benwikere is on IR and former Panthers corner Robert McClain was signed to fill the empty corner spot. It is unknown if we will see McClain very much on Sunday if at all. Which brings me to point 3.. 3. Peanut Tillman has a partially torn ACL. How partial is partial? No one knows. The good news is Tillman practiced today and appears, for at least the time being, to have a shot at playing on Sunday. So whats the deal here? I can tell you what my opinion is on what is happening behind closed doors.... When it was discovered that Tillman had a partially torn ACL, the Panthers had two choices. IR Tillman or give it a few weeks and see how Tillman responds to therapy. ACLs can indeed heal themselves as long as not fully torn. So the Panthers have been weighing Tillman's injury and likelyhood of a full tear from returning to play against how bad they needed him out there. Well, with Benwikere now on IR, the Panthers cannot wait any longer. They need Tillman on the field and could opt to put him out there and hope that he has healed enough without surgery to last through the post season. Will it? Who knows, could be. Depends on far too many factors and variables to list. But the Panthers at this point do not have much of a choice. I do know that I have seen Peanut Tillman making cuts on the field that anyone with a badly torn ACL would not be making. So hope for the best, because the Panthers desperately need him for several more weeks. View full article

This week the Carolina Panthers find themselves in a familiar position, playing a team that sees this game as a playoff type game. The Giants are fighting still for the NFC East title. It reflects in their fans attitudes. See what I mean? The playoffs have started early for the Giants. What is just another game for Carolina is do or die for NYG. Carolina needs to be prepared for a hostile environment. Exciting stuff. Seems reasonable, except the Panthers just delivered a 38-0 shutout to a team where Cam Newton destroyed the opposition from the pocket. Atlanta's defense ranks higher than NYG, by the way. There is a lot going on this week. Sometimes teams do lose focus. But the Panthers, on the cusp of a perfect season, I don't feel will let their eye off the ball. ....even more reasonable. Or.... you were playing the Dolphins and one of the worst defenses in the league. They aren't THAT team? Has no business going 16-0 when they are already 13-0? Hot take right there. Fair enough. No one wants to be dabbed on just before Christmas. :( View full article

After their Monday night win against a bad Dolphins team, the New York Giants fans and media are feeling like world beaters. First, a quick review of the Panthers vs the blundering NFC East so far this season... Philadelphia Eagles - October 25 Philly fans - "Double Olsen, Stack the box" Result - Panthers 27 Eagles 16 Washington Redskins - November 22 Redskins fans - "Double Olsen, Stack the box" Result - Panthers 44 - Redskins 16 Dallas Cowboys - November 26 Cowboys fans - "Double Olsen, Stack the box" Result - Panthers 33 Cowboys 14 And now here come the New York Giants... But the truth is, the Giants are not a good football team. They are an average football team with two good play makers. Eli Manning against the Dolphins looked good, I must admit. He was stepping into throws nicely, and got the ball out decisively. When the hot an cold Manning is on the warmer side, he is a threat. Odell Beckham Jr is a talent. He is basically a slightly faster Deandre Hopkins, who the Panthers faced in week 2. Hopkins was held to 5 receptions and 53 yards. The Giants have exactly one path to victory this week while trying to keep up with the #1 scoring offense in the NFL .... Move OBJ around and exploit the injuries at corner the Panthers have had. OBJ won't win against Josh Norman. Norman, having just shut down Julio Jones, won't have much issue with OBJ. But move OBJ into the slot, and suddenly it is Colin Jones or Cortland Finnegan covering OBJ.... not a favorable match up for the Panthers to say the least. The Carolina Panthers will have their hands full this week setting in place a defensive game plan. The Giants defense isn't much of a concern. They are currently last in the league in yards given up per game, at 418. Even worse than the New Orleans Saints... yikes. I expect the Panthers to exceed their 32 point average this game. In short, if the Panthers can keep OBJ in check this week, it won't be close. View full article

The Carolina Panthers Topcats put on their Santa suits and cheered their team on to a 13-0 record. Heck, they even dabbed on 'em. Without further ado, here is the Santa Topcats Slideshow guaranteed to lift your holiday spirits. View full article

Each week I bring to you the best photos my camera manages to capture, all in HD. I hope you enjoy. Along the Sidelines - Falcons at Panthers View full article

Today the Panthers face division rival Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium. With a win today (or a Packers loss) the Panthers can clinch a first round playoff bye, giving them some much needed rest before the playoffs begin. Many are shrugging the Atlanta Falcons off as an easy win, I am not. We don't often see easy wins at Bank of America Stadium against division opponents. The Saints game earlier this year for example went down to the last play. That game was not expected to be close. Keys to Panthers Victory - Prevent the Atlanta big play. There has been a creeping concern lately with the defense, and that is the propensity to give up a big passing play. They did it last week in New Orleans, and the week before in Dallas. The Panthers cannot allow Matt Ryan to connect downfield for a long touchdown. - Norman vs Jones. Obviously this is a matchup to watch. Josh Norman looked a little off his game last week. Can he rebound against a premier receiver, some say the best in the league, and lock him down Dez Bryant style? I am betting so. It is hard to describe how fast that Saints defense can play on their indoor turf. The sod at BoA will slow things down a bit. - Funchess, yes Funchess. So much hinges on Devin Funchess today and through the playoffs. He is on the cusp of breaking out and looking more like a serious second or even first receiver threat. If he can just take that next step and gain the attention from other teams number one corners, Ted Ginn and Jerricho Cothery will feast on the lesser corners covering them. View full article

Each week I bring to you the highlights, and lowlights, of what the fan base of the opposition is saying. This week, the Atlanta Falcons. On beating the Panthers... I mean, it could happen. I am happy that at least one fan is man enough to still cheer for his team despite adversity. Well, sheesh, the guy is being positive. Give him a break. Ok Ok, maybe it is a long shot. But at least he was trying not to be a downer? OK, this is getting morbid. The conversation then devolves into a strange mix of Third Eye Blind and football. Might be true. On trading Matt Ryan for Kirk Cousins? ( WTF? ) When Kirk Cousins looks like the answer... you may just want to give up on football and watch the Hawks from here on out. On the Falcons Draft Selection... Long time Panthers fans can really relate to talking about the draft in December. It is an awful, gut wrenching experience knowing you are a full 10 months away from any hope of a Superbowl. It crushes the soul. That said, I am thoroughly enjoying watching the Falcons fans go through it. The funniest thing is that the second post up there is true. They have won too many games to get a top 10 pick this season. What they have is a worst case scenario. Peaking early in the season when it didn't matter, and now stuck watching a cesspool of anemic football with no hope of a sure thing top tier college player to help cheer them up. View full article

Each week I bring to you the best photos my camera captured all in HD. Your viewing and sharing of these slide shows keeps this joint running and the content flowing. Thanks for your support in this amazing season. Along the Sidelines - Panthers at Saints View full article

I am coming to you live form New Orleans, where I am shaking a hangover and heading out to provide for you the content you have all learned to mildly enjoy. Today with a win the Panthers can clinch the NFC South. Actually, they can clinch the south with an Atlanta loss before the Panthers even take the field. Keys to Panthers Victory - Start fast. This New Orleans dome can get very loud and disruptive. A fast start on offense will take them out of the game for the most part. - Ted Ginn, Devin Funchess, and Philly Brown are starting to look like a legitimate NFL receivers squad. They must continue to improve and take away the cover 0 the opposition has loved to play against the Panthers. There will be plenty of 1 on 1 matchups that can be won against a very weak Saints defensive roster. - Hit Brees early and often. A few pressures early will work wonders against the passing attack of the Saints. JJ Watt recently said the Saints needed a new right tackle. That line can be exploited. View full article

Each week I bring to you the highlights, and lowlights, of what the fans of the opposition are saying. The Saints have had a rough year, as predicted back in July. So what are Saints fans saying? Well, I went on over to our personal punching bag Saints Report and found a few gems. On Saints Playoff Hopes ... ( Playoffs?!?) Bad teams with an old QB typically don't get better in December. As fatigue sets in, things get worse. Much, much worse. ... more reasonable. Would beating the Panthers help make the season a little more enjoyable? Sounds right, I would feel the same way. Someone take away this guy's firearms, stat. I have bolded the important part here, as this is what many players on the Saints team feel I imagine. Not much left to play for, but knocking the Panthers off the undefeated column would be a great moral victory. The Panthers need to bring their A game. On Cam Newton Yes yes, those amazing pro bowl receivers make Cam Newton look good. People enjoy talking about a winner, they can't help it. Accurate. No mention of Cam having one of the worst WR corps in the NFL, yet he continues to win. Saints will beat Carolina This guy should work for ESPN. This guy is way too good for ESPN. OK, I am starting to get depressed. These guys are bringing me down. I need to go run a warm bath, I suddenly have menstrual cramps. Thats the spirit! There is the Saints fan mentality we all knew and loved for decades upon decades. Welcome back, you lovable losers. View full article

As is customary here on the Huddle, a victory celebration slideshow featuring the lovely ladies of the opposition. Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders View full article

Each week I bring to you the very best of what my camera lens captures all in high definition. You don't want to miss any of these images.. Without further ado..... Along the Sidelines - Panthers at Cowboys View full article

Thanks We did thanksgiving yesterday. Today the wife and kids are doing thanksgiving with her sister. Worked out great.

Heading to the airport, hopefully there are no delays.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Today the Carolina Panthers take on the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. This is a huge game for the Panthers on the biggest national stage of the year. I will be tweeting from the field starting at around 2 hours before kickoff. Follow @CarolinaHuddle on Twitter for pregame photos and observations. Panthers Keys to Victory - Josh Norman must contain Dez Bryant. A big day from Bryant could be the Panthers downfall. - Ground and Pound. The Panthers have the 4th ranked rushing attack in the league. Dallas has the 5th worst rushing defense. Capitalize on that matchup, own the time of possession. - Front 4 pressure. If the Panthers with Charles Johnson can get adequate pressure on Tony Romo without blitzing, the game is won. Having the best linebackers in football roam the field freely is an insurmountable obstacle for Dallas. View full article

It is widely known that the Cowboys fan base is one of the least knowledgeable, tolerable, and likable fan bases in the NFL, generally speaking. As such, here are a few tasty nuggets I found while surveying their fan communities. From the official Dallas Cowboys Message Board The Cowboys won a game by 10 points against another bad team, and now they are a Superbowl contender. The Buffalo Bills beat the same Miami team by 16, I guess they are a dynasty in the making. But, to be fair, the Bills are a respectable 5-5. Comparing them to the 3-7 Cowboys does them a disservice. The Panthers upgraded offensive line handled JJ Watt easily earlier this year. After witnessing that, individuals on any defense are no longer worrisome. It takes more than one or two good players to stop the Panthers potent offense. It would take an overall solid defense at all positions, something the Cowboys are far from having. Dallas has a mediocre defense in the literal sense of the word. They are currently ranked 15th in points allowed per game. The Panthers are ranked 5th. Tony Romo doesn't crack the top 5 in QB's the Panthers will have faced this season. If he played anywhere but Dallas he would not be on the national media radar week in and week out. The Cowboys are waiting on intelligent insight from Greg Hardy.... lol Stopped reading. I appreciate it when opposing fans have witty smack talk, but seeing "SCam" on every troglodyte NFC East message board is lazy and ineffectual at best. Do better. Hey look, one of those Charlotte residents we all laugh at and share photos of when we see him in his Cowboys gear. Sad. View full article

Each week I bring to you the best photos my camera captures, all in HD. Hopefully this can add to your enjoyment throughout the season. If so, please consider sharing on your social media accounts. Carolina Huddle has zero advertising. We rely on folks like you to spread the word and keep this place a truckin. Without further ado... Along the Sidelines - Redskins at Panthers View full article

Who: Washington Redskins at Carolina Panthers Where: Bank of America Stadium When: 1:00 Today the Carolina Panthers have the opportunity to be an unprecedented 10-0 in their quest for a playoff bye week and home games throughout. The Redskins are a decent team, and this will be a tough test on the Panthers resolve. It would be helpful to go into Dallas on Thursday undefeated and with momentum. Keys to Panthers Victory - Devin Funchess needs to continue his improvement. A tough possession receiver is the missing piece in this offense. If Funchess catch catch fire, look out. - Big Day for Big Play Bene. Bene will be moved back over to the outside where he really shined last season. Bene has caught heat this season from fans while playing the nickel position. Nickel is the most mentally demanding position on defensive side of the ball. At outside corner, Bene's responsibilities are cut in half, allowing him to just play the game. Big plays may return. - Ted Ginn is primed to break a long punt return or possibly a TD. Please, for all that is holy, do not block in the back during these plays as has been the case two weeks in a row. View full article

After defeating the hapless New Orleans Saints, Redskins fans have new found confidence in their team. Here are some highlights, and low lights, from their message board. Fairly valid point here. The Redskins must win to stay in the playoff hunt. The Panthers situation is not as urgent. However, the Redskins have not won on the road in roughly a year. Yeah, they are 9-0 and overrated. Anyways, this Panthers team is too experienced now to overlook any opponent. It isn't like this is their first playoff run. Panthers just put up 27 points on the road against a much better defense. Not sure if I buy a low scoring throwback game. Reasonable. Reasonable. LOL at that last line. Must be tough to be a fan of a team you never predict a victory for. Bit of a reach. There will be a decent number of Redskins fans at the game. Maybe 20%, just like every other east coast team who can access stubhub. View full article