Dragoon11

Middle of the field between the seems was wide open all day.

I agree... remember how well those wheel routes from Cam to CMC used to work in the red zone? I don't get it. "You watch film to huh? Watch this"

Pretty sure he was being facetious... I think Rhule said that in his presser or something.

No, all good points.... and I don't like Shi Smith returning punts. Injury waiting to happen like we saw today. Maybe the biggest point is that Rhue and Co. TRULY is losing the locker room.

I don't know man, like I said, I'm frustrated too and just trying to make sense of it. How can we be playing to the level of our competition all the time, and rarely pull one off. I guess it is coaching.

No... not what I was saying AT ALL. I obviously know how bad the coaching has been, but damn, we're losing by 2 and 3 points every week.

I have no idea at ALL why we haven't seen Higgins. He made a lot of huge catches in Cleveland for Mayfield... head scratcher for sure.

Well, I think that's the way I'm leaning too for sure. But, it seems there are two camps here, one that says it's just coaching, the other that says it's coaching PLUS it's coaching and we do not have a roster to win, partially Fitterer's fault... I'm just sort of playing devil's advocate. I honestly think Fitterer has made sound decisions (for the most part).

sigh...

And I guess that's what I am asking, is it mostly just the coaches being THAT inept at putting our play makers in a position to make plays? Because if it really is, Rhule should be fired Monday honestly.

First and foremost, as a disclaimer, I AM NOT defending Rhule and Co. Their situational play calling obviously speaks for itself game after game. This team is losing too many close games. Some of the things I see, and try not to fry me too bad, these are just my opinions, are: I remember back in 2015 when Cam had his MVP season, Panthers went to the SB and we were on top of the world. Even then, our offense would be very inconsistent at times, the difference being, DEFENSIVE play making ability. Real simple, Panthers won the turnover battles and it wasn't even close. How many times did they leave the offense a short field or score themselves? Today the Panthers gave up the ball on the opening kickoff and opening offensive series spotting the Giants 6 points, lucky that's all it was but it was the difference in the game. Frankie Luvu had a pick six go right through his hands! Panthers are not forcing enough turnovers on defense PERIOD! Conversely, they are not making enough big plays on offense. What I see is a team that does not have enough big play making ability yet, minus CMC and maybe DJ on offense, same can be said on defense. Brown had a good game and Burns had 2 sacks, but Burns needs to be a CONSTANT disrupter, much like TJ Watt or the way Julius Peppers could just take over a game, and of course Luke. Seems like Burns doesn't make big plays in the biggest impactful moments, yeah, he gets his numbers, but when? This team desperately needs big time play makers on the field MAKING big time plays, yet we're just not seeing that. We saw Anderson last week on offense and we saw CMC bust one and DJ come up with a couple of big plays today, but we need it on both sides of the ball more consistently when it matters most. I guess the team needs more passion? They need to be more clutch, IDK? Is that just a product of coaching? Not putting players in that position? I'm sure it plays a part. But what happened when the Panthers went down the field on offense and took a 13-6 lead? The defense let the Giants off the hook. A turnover there... stripped sack, interception, forced fumble, could have given the offense a short field with momentum and COULD have changed the whole game. AGAIN, (coaching disclaimer) the coaching staff could have screwed it up IDK. To me, it just seems like this team (the players) are not stepping up in the moments they need it the most. Defense held Giants run game to 0 net yards in first half, 103 in the second half, and no forced turnovers! The Panthers need play making leaders on the field making plays in those moments that determine the games. Most NFL games come down to a 1-3 turnover margin and/or 1-3 KEY plays. I'm as sick to my stomach as all of you at the constant just coming up short, all the losses piling up, and I realize there's way more to it. Sundays suck anymore as a Panthers fan. I do not like some of the situational play calling by the coaching staff, especially when we get in the red zone. No, I AM NOT a Rhule fan by any stretch, but at some point players have to step up. Just my opinion.

This is the positives from today post. Yeah, losing sucks, but I see a lot they can build on. It's a young team that has to learn how to win these type of games, and honestly they should have despite being manhandled. Lets see how the next few games go before we throw in the towel.

Dude, we fumbled the snap on first down making it 2nd and 11. We then ran CMC hoping to get 5 or 6 yards, he got stuffed. Was then 3rd and 11... obviously the Browns knew it was a passing down and we could not risk a turnover, HAD to have the FG. The fumbled snap on first down killed our chances at playing for the TD there pretty much. Our defense and the freaking refs are what cost us the game... ONE freaking sack when the Browns got the ball would have probably won the game for us. But they just could not get to Brissett... they have to get more pressure, all there is to it. Could have even forced an errant throw to force an INT.

I think there were some positives to take away from this game. Cleveland has one of best if not the best defenses in the league, especially their front 4 on defense. Those guys are great! I think the biggest take away from this is that you can see that our revamped O-line needs a little time to click together along with the entire offense. I honestly liked what I saw from Mayfield, he just didn't have ANY time to set his feet in the first half. Garret and company was dominating our O-line, all there is to it. Big time players make big time plays in crucial moments, and despite the slow start Baker Mayfield showed that he is a playmaker when given time. He put the Panthers in position to win the game when they probably should not have been. He made some plays that brought the Panthers all the way back and give them the lead, against that top 5 defense. Mayfield is a warrior and he showed it. I think once this offensive line starts to gel, and I think they will, this offense will be deadly. I think Mayfield is THAT QB we have been looking for. Honestly, I was shocked that the Panthers took he lead at the end. That 75 yard bomb to Anderson with 6 minutes left in the game was MONEY! Mayfield is a fighter, he reminds me a bit like Delhomme. NOW... Panthers defense HAS to find playmakers! They had nowhere near enough pressure on Brissett, and tackling was atrocious. They need way more push with the front 4. The Panthers defensive squads that made it to playoffs and the SB years FORCED turnovers! For this defense to have success this year they HAVE to pressure the QB consistently, stop the run and force turnovers in crucial moments. Our DE's HAVE to be better. Seems like the only move Brian Burns has is a spin move, he has to play to his potential. This is just the first game out of 17 and honestly... I still see a lot of potential with this team. They just have to come together and BATTLE. the offense showed that today, obviously some things to clean up, but I believe they will gel. The defense concerns me a bit because they just seem too undersized to stop a good running team. Secondary will be fine, but our front 7 has to be way better than what we saw today. Still... I think there is still reason for optimism. I saw plenty of positive's today. For one, I think the Panthers have a real QB now. Yeah we lost, but the fact that they were in a position to win a the end says a lot and was because of that QB. I feel like they will get it together moving forward. The Browns defense gave us the test we needed today to do just that. It's just week one, both SB teams lost this week.

I honestly don't think Cleveland needed any extra motivation to get after Mayfield.

Well, that's true, but I have a good feeling about Baker and this offense. Wasn't his fault the Browns turned out to be our first game.

You don't think a team that has went 5-11 and 5-12 the last two seasons could use a QB with a little fire and moxie about him? I personally think it is exactly what they need... I'd bet the team has his back (the one which has that big target on it).

Hey... if he is cerebral and can develop an NFL central processing unit like the Tom Bray's, Aaron Rodgers and Pat Mahommes.... we talking big giant skittles!!

In todays NFL, and with a 17 game schedule, you need to build 2 offensive and defensive lines. At least as close as you possibly can. Injuries are just too frequent so depth is what will build playoff teams.

That may be true, time will tell where our D ends up this year. That being said, they did the same to a good Tampa defense last week. WFT has the hot hand right now. I wouldn't be surprised if they go on a tear and make that last playoff spot. They were a playoff team last year. They have a solid O-line and when Ron was here we had a couple of seasons where we won a bunch of games in a row late in the season. WFT has playmakers, they're better than you think, despite current record. They have found themselves with Taylor and they're playing with confidence. Give them some credit.

I agree.. I think Heinicke has figured it out. Just look! He passes every eye test. How about that side armed pass for 5 yards when Chinn was all over him? He made big time plays in big time situations... That's what great QB's do. I'm not calling Heinicke great just yet, but just look at the fire and passion he plays with. Provided he stays healthy, I expect we'll be seeing Taylor for a good while longer as the WFT starting QB.

There should be a "Lemon Law" in the NFL. That way the league could be held liable. Panthers certainly got duped, lol.

Both alive and dead, lol. Lets hope Ron thinks this way!

I never said the same, but it is the Panthers current O-line. A lot of those guys have been in the rotation throughout the year. Whether through injury, or by accident, Panthers, at least for this game seemed to have found the right combination. Cardinals have a pretty stout defensive front. We'll see how they hold up and cross our fingers that they can stay healthy, because currently we do not have a lot of depth on the O-line.

I'm sure not celebrating like we just won the super bowl... I'm just celebrating what I saw today. Which is a team that seems to have found some inspiration, played like it and now seems to have some swag, which was greatly lacking on the offensive side of the ball. It does not matter if we played a depleted Cardinals team. The Panthers took advantage of every opportunity and scored 34 points against a top 5 defense. Say what you want, but this team today pulled the guts out of the Cardinals early and never let up. That same Colt McCoy lead team took it to a good 49er's team at San Francisco last week, so what does that say? You take it one game at a time, and you'd be a fool to not see the difference in this team today.... what will it lead to: Well, I feel much better about this team now than I did a week or two ago and that is enough. Now we have a big game coming up against the WFT, which is a very interesting match up, for obvious reasons, and they just beat Tampa. This is the NFL, one week at at time, but at least this week we feel much better about the rest of the season. After todays win, the Panthers are the 7th seed currently if the playoffs started today. Panthers still relevant, far from perfect, but still in it and can improve!