Jeremy Igo

From the Huddle Blogs, Huddler UpstatePanther has provided an excellent in depth analysis on this weekend's Panthers Jaguars match up. Give it a read, you will be glad you did. View full article

Happened to the Panthers last year during preseason too I think. Philly Brown and Derek Anderson had an interesting back and forth tweet about it.

Amazing what not having a fat contract will do for motivation.

who is this chick and why am i being forced to listen to her before a football game?

Also watch Todman have a big game tonight.

Why? Because I am drinking a beer and ready to see an actual game that counts. Go Steelers, please embarass Brady.

In celebration of the Carolina Panthers signing Luke Kuechly to a new long term contract, I am giving away a 8x10 of one of my most popular photographs ever... Luke in the Rain. It is even autographed by Luke Kuechly himself and framed under glass. This belongs in the collection of any die hard Panthers fan. It cannot be purchased in stores or anywhere else. How to enter: 1. You must be a registered Huddle member and post in this topic your adoration for Luke in what ever way you like and how often you like (actual posts, abuses of this rule may disqualify you). You can register instantly for free here. 2. You must follow @CarolinaHuddle on Twitter. (please include your twitter handle in your post within this topic) Thats it! Do both those things and you are entered to win this one of a kind prize. Sammi Jo will be picking a random post number from this topic out of a hat on an upcoming Huddle Podcast episode. If a number is chosen and the author is not a twitter follower of @CarolinaHuddle we move on to the next drawn number. God Bless, and Good Luke! View full article

The media and public in general are fairly evenly split when predicting the outcome of Sunday's Panthers-Jaguars matchup. CBS is split 4-3 in favor of the Jaguars. ESPN has quickly become the bottom of the barrel for sports news and analysis, but here are their picks anyways... they are split down the middle. Three for the Jags, three for the Panthers. Microsoft Cortana is an interesting way of predicting games. This week Cortana gives the Panthers a 58.2% chance of sweet victory. Finally, on NFL.com, fan consensus says the Panthers win. View full article

Each week this season world traveler, deep thinker, and longtime Huddler PhillyB will be giving us his unique take on the Panthers. This week, he intertwines ancient mythology into a yarn of hope for Panthers fans. Without further ado... Mesopotamian Mythology and the 2015 Carolina Panthers: A Critical Analysis and Best Case Scenario By Phil Blattenberger - Special to the Huddle - @pablattenberger In 1853 an Assyrian archaeologist and antiquarian named Hormuzd Rassam was dusting off cuneiform tablets in an ancient library when we inadvertently stumbled across a collection of texts that formed a long cohesive story of the life and times of the king of Uruk. The story dated back four thousand years to ancient Mesopotamia and is now one of the most famous tales to come out of the ancient world: the Epic of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh does a bunch of awesome stuff, including making love to Sumarian hookers for seven straight days and built an ark to save humanity from an oncoming flood long before Noah made it cool, but it's his foray into the desert in search of a fabled cask of Immortality Water that makes him famous. Instead of just asking Russell Wilson to share some of his, Gilgamesh launches out on an expedition, tracks it down with a series of enigmatic maps and brilliant puzzle solves, single-handedly slaughters the rest of the expedition to protect the cask, and takes a blissful nap by an oasis, ready to chug down the Immortality Water when he wakes up. But a viper by the oasis crawls into the cask while he's sleeping, drinks all the water, and crawls out immortal, biting Gilgamesh and leaving him weeping and dying in front of the dregs of immortal life. Kelvin Benjamin is the empty cask of Immortality Water and the bleeding, dying Gilgamesh is your 2015 Carolina Panthers. We had our expedition to the desert, we had our trials and our enigmas, and we slaughtered our challengers and were one nap away from having an awesome season full of immortality, and then Kelvin Benjamin's ACL tore and Carolina's faithful sat perched on the precipice of despair. It's been downright dismal ever since, and the grim reality of our pro-bowl receiver's absence set in with lackluster preseason performances and a general offensive malaise. Plenty of people are sitting in the sand crying over the empty cask. To them I say: bandage your snakebite and go find another cask! Gilgamesh did. In light of his stoicism, here's the best-case scenario for your 2015 Carolina Panthers. 1) The offensive line keeps Cam Newton upright all year long. Here's a fun stat for you. Number of sacks allowed in 2014's preseason: 10 (with countless QB hurries and an injured franchise quarterback.) Number of sacks allowed in 2015's preseason: 5 (despite about a 20% increase in total number of snaps.) Obviously there are too many variables to suggest the offensive line will allow half of last year's sacks, but given what the team was starting last year it's not really that much of a stretch. I mean really look at Byron Bell in pass protection on this play against the Steelers' backups: How many times did we see that over the course of the season? That starting lineup consisted of Byron Bell, Amini Silatolu, Ryan Kalil, Chris Scott, and Nate Chandler. Can you pick a worse lineup in the NFL? That's 2006 Raiders level terrible. But suddenly Michael Oher looks like an NFL-caliber left tackle, stoning every pass rusher he's faced in preseason, and both interior guards have looked downright nasty, especially in run support. We even have depth! Mike Remmers can start at right tackle but also rotate to center, allowing mid-round stud Darryl Williams to step in and take reps at a position he's excelled in. It's not unreasonable to expect these guys to rank in the top half of the league, keeping Cam Newton clean and opening lanes for running backs. 2) Receiving performances effectively negate the absence of Kelvin Benjamin. This is the biggest stretch. Kelvin Benjamin was a legitimate threat, the kind of guy a defense has to gameplan around. Benjamin faced bracket coverage on nearly every play, meaning at least two guys were dedicated to his side of the field, opening up one-on-one matchups for otherwise average receivers. You can't replace that kind of production. But hey, we're being positive! So here's what can happen. Devin Funchess can be a number one receiver. In Air Coryell offensive systems the X is your speed guy. (This is why the Panthers have lined Philly Brown up at that position; the X and the number one receiver are not interchangable terms.) The Panthers think Devin Funchess has the speed and route-running ability to play out of that position, as well as the shiftiness to escape the initial blocks an X is going to face. Greg Olsen has a career year. The truth is everyone on this roster not named Olsen or Funchess is marginal. Ted Ginn Jr. is marginal unless schemes benefit his style of play. Jericho Cotchery is marginal unless schemes benefit his style of play. Ditto for Philly Brown. And the fact is Greg Olsen demands defensive schemes that enable marginal receivers to contribute. He demands the attention of a safety on every single play, since no linebacker in the league can adequately cover him. This provides one-on-one matchups for wide receivers, which is a huge advantage when your receivers aren't good enough to be effective in double coverage. Here is a diagram of a simple pass play the Panthers like to run: Our current personnel grouping is good enough to succeed in a play designed like this. In our scheme Funchess would line up at the X (far left) and probably Philly Brown at the Z (far right.) Your slot receiver is going to be Ted Ginn or Kevin Norwood (the latter of whom was selected because of his ability to run spear routes, quintessential possession plays for a Shula offense that freeze the safety with the X and hitch with the Y.) Olsen lines up at tight end, obviously. This personnel grouping is interchangeable, but this lineup is ideal because it leads Funchess break off his block immediately to run a short slant or drag, which is a big part of his game. Because Philly Brown lines up at the Z, he doesn't have to take the snap at the line of scrimmage, which lets Cam send him in motion, making it much easier for him to get by the line of scrimmage. Here he's working the deep post, which is going to be open because Olsen's working the seam. The reason Olsen and Cam connect so well is because Olsen's got the speed to beat linebackers and the size to take on safeties, meaning he's always open up the seam, and Cam's best throws are horizontal ropes downfield. Lastly you have the Y, the slot guy, who in this case could be Ginn. Note that your Y and your Z are both the team's deep threats, which leaves safeties in the unenviable position of coming back to cover both deep routes and leaving Funchess and Olsen covered by linebackers, or coming in to bracket Funchess and Olsen and leaving the Panthers' speed guys on the perimeter with line corners. Plays like this haven't worked in the past because we haven't had the offensive line personnel that didn't need extra blockers to stay in. These types of packages can become a norm rather than a luxury, and the Panthers can thrive in them. 3) The run game works is effective and Cam Newton has an efficient year. I've grouped these two together because they are inextricable parts of one another. Receiving success can be schemed, but loss of talent in one area means talent in other areas needs to step up. Once again Cam will need to do just that. His offensive line appears primed to give him the best protection he's had since his record-setting rookie season in 2011. 3000+ yards passing, 25 TDs, 15 INTS is a marginal stat line but it's all he needs to do to crank out ten wins with this defense and, of course, a serviceable running game. I think he can do better than that. He has, after all, the best QBR of any starting quarterback in the preseason. Do with that what you will; I call it a good start. 4) Mike Shula improves situational awareness. All the schemes and personnel in the world don't mean much if you can't call a good game. Situational football has always been Shula's and Rivera's weaknesses. Shula is the obvious weak link in a team packed with talent at nearly every roster spot, and his ability to impede the offense can cost the Panthers games. Conclusion With these best case scenarios in mind - and not so far-fetched as one might assume - it's reasonable to suggest the Panthers can go 11-5 playing effective hard-nosed defense and efficient, physical offense. They'll need to start out strong in a relatively mild four-week stretch to open the season and finish strong against division opponents to close out the season and take the third division title in as many years. So take heart: Gilgamesh got up from his snakebite and empty cask of Immortality Water and saved the world instead. There's no reason the Panthers can't do the same. View full article

Every week during the season I like to give a little insight into what the fans of the opposing team's fans are thinking. Typically, I look for an independent fan site to pull information from. Apparently, the Jacksonville Jaguars don't have one. As such, I can only pull from the Jaguars official message board. Here are a few of my favorite quotes. Apparently the Jags offense can drop 31 points on the Panthers defense. More realistic. Really close to my own prediction. and the best yet... Overall the Jags fan base seems almost non existent, at least online. Roaring Riot will be at the game Sunday with 500 Panthers fans. If the Panthers can win in a convincing fashion, be prepared to hear Lets Go Panthers chants on your televisions from Jacksonville. View full article

This week on The Huddle Podcast we sit down with Zack from Roaring Riot to discuss the upcoming Jacksonville takeover. Topics include: - Cheating Patriots - Final Roster - Jax Game - Getting Sammi in a swimsuit and in the pool by tweeting #getsammiinthepool (this is most important) You can subscribe via iTunes here: Linky Or listen right here in you browser View full article

I have added a special addition slideshow of the amazing 2011 Panthers - Jags game in which a torrential downpour made a guest appearance. This slideshow is meant for large screens for greatest viewing pleasure. Click Here to Start Viewing Don't like the slideshow format? Then don't click.

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Carolina Panthers Corey "Philly" Brown now appears to be just Philly Brown per his self proclamation. He is changing his number to what it was at Ohio State.... 10... View full article

I have gathered the data. I have crunched the numbers. I have applied our proprietary Huddle Algorithm. Now, without further ado, the Official 2015 Huddle Season Prediction The Good News Cam Newton is as healthy as he has been since 2011. Not many people are discussing this, but it remains the biggest factor on the Panthers 2015 season prospects throughout the entire team. A healthy Cam Newton is good for a few wins on his own, even if the rest of the offense is not clicking. The Panthers offensive line appears to be greatly improved over the start of last season. Mike Shula's passing attack requires a bit more time than many other passing attacks in the NFL, this offensive line should be able to provide it. This is a vertical passing attack, not a west coast dink and dunk. Pro Tip: Panthers rookie Daryl Williams will be starting more sooner than later. He will quietly be the Panthers best 2015 draft selection. Running backs are no longer a concern on this team. Last season we saw undrafted rookie Darren Reaves actually start a game due to injuries. Reaves did not even make it as far as training camp this season, that tells you how much this group has improved. Stewart, Artis-Payne, and Wegher are all capable of carrying a full load of snaps on their shoulders. This is the best running back depth the Panthers have had in many seasons. The Panthers now have the most talented and most complete linebackers corps in the NFL. The addition of first rounder Shaq Thompson has solidified that fact. The linebackers are the biggest reason the Panthers were able to pull off a victory against Arizona in the playoffs last season. They are improved since then, which is a scary notion for the rest of the league. The Bad News You knew it was coming, so here it is. The loss of Kelvin Benjamin is a tough one. The Panthers wide receiver corps are just not as talented without him, especially in the red zone where the Panthers offense struggles the most. Rookie Devin Funchess has not yet shown the ability to use his size to his advantage against NFL corners. Ted Ginn and Jerricho Cotchery are currently the two best other options. Not good. Depth at corner is razor thin. Josh Norman, Peanut Tillman, and Bene Benwikere are a stout starting lineup. All three, however, have already been injured at one point or another since the start of camp. The Panthers need help here and will most likely be bringing in an additional corner soon. Don't underestimate the Star Loutelei foot injury. His foot flared up once the pads were put on in practice, which was a full 7 months after his surgery. Prepare to see Star off and on throughout the season. Colin Cole and Kyle Love are solid backups, but they are no Star. Special teams, and particularly punt coverage, remains a concern. This group looked less than stellar in preseason after a dismal 2014 season. There will be more than one game this season where a punt return could be the difference in the game. Conclusion The 2015 Panthers squad is built to win on the road. With a solid defense and running game, they will be able to slow the game down and run the clock. This quiets the away crowds and halts any momentum the home team may develop. Cam Newton's athleticism will make up for many passing plays gone awry. His impromptu scrambling will be the difference once again. For the past two seasons, the Panthers offense would have ranked near last place without his heroics. The Panthers defense will rank in the top 5 when it is all said and done this year. 2015 Panthers Record Prediction 11 wins 5 losses NFC South Title View full article

When cuts are announced tomorrow if there are any surprises they should probably get their own thread or else it will dominate the general thread.

The same people telling me how great Deangelo still was over the past two seasons are now singing Fozzy praises. Emotions do that I guess. I like Fozzy. Would be fine keeping him provided better players are not cut because of it.

Fozzy is a third down scat back. Far from complete. Why do you think they brought in 3 more running backs this offseason, one of which is an upgraded Fozzy.

You haven't watched any games have you.

Eh, too much is made of that platitude. If they had a really great second punter would they keep him? Of course not. Mainly used as a phrase to keep the guys motivated.

Stewart's health is not a given this year. We need backups who can carry the ball full time if need be. That is CAP and Wegher. Fozzy and Todman should be in competition for that scat back role.

Todman is an upgraded Fozzy, complete with better NFL stats. No reason to keep both. You people comparing Wegher and Fozzy are silly. Wegher can be an every down back in this league. Fozzy, not so much.

Fozzy looked the most average last night again.

Marlowe whiffed badly on a block on the right. Fozzy was heading up field already to cover the receiver. I should know better than to listen to twitter folk.

Doubtful they keep 5 safeties.