Saca312

Will say that the reason I expect this defense to feast is precisely because of their center. His ineptitude will make it difficult for the Cowboys to diagnose Phil Snow's scheme. And unfortunately for the Cowboys, that will be their big weak link that will be capitalized on. If you want to compete with Snow's defense, you want to be sure you have a smart guy under center. I do not believe their center is capable of keeping up with our scheme whatsoever and might have his head on a swivel. Their offensive line will be having trouble all day. Ultimately though, it will come down to whether the Panthers can stop the Cowboys from passing. Very likely Dak will be getting the ball out real quick and if our defensive backside can't capitalize it without Horn, that will be the only concerning point. The Chargers gave an interesting blueprint and kept it close to the Cowboys - let them run all over you, but as long as you hold down their attack through the air, you can keep it close. Luckily for the Panthers, they are very stout in general and I am not too concerned about whether Snow can scheme against the Cowboys.

Yep, that Houston game was atrocious with the reffing. Perhaps one of the most incomptent displays I've seen in a long while.

This was an interesting thing I came across. Even with consideration for the strength of the Panthers opponents, Football Outsider's DVOA considers them #1 in the NFL through three games: https://www.footballoutsiders.com/dvoa-ratings/2021/dvoa-week-3-schedule-will-get-harder-steelers-cardinals-and-giants If I told you that I was applying opponent adjustments early without showing you the table of the top teams in DVOA, you probably would guess that Carolina would be one of the teams to take a big hit. Surprisingly, the Panthers stay almost exactly the same. Sure, the Panthers have played the Jets, and the Jets have been very bad. They've also played the Texans, but the Texans haven't been horrendous in the early going. They currently rank 19th in DVOA. The Panthers also dismantled a Saints team that played phenomenal in its other two games, and now ranks eighth in DVOA. So there isn't much opponent adjustment for Carolina, and the Panthers stay in the No. 1 spot (40.1%). Ironically, if it weren't for opponent adjustments, they'd be 5th place as of this week. Certainly encouraging to see, especially considering quality of opponents were a part of this.

Ah sorry original reply didn't mean to implicate Mav who I replied to, but the quotes of those who think Sam Darnold is just checkdown charlie, so agreeing with his point.

It's pretty easy to see who doesn't actually watch the game based on the people who post this.

This. Whether it continues remains to be seen. But he has proven to handle the pressure under adversity, and I hope it continues.

Very true. Hoping this long week brings about a ton of lessons and training with ball security for Sam Darnold. He's shown he can be tough as seen with his evasion of Cam Jordan's near sack against him last week, but he needs to grip on the ball better with both hands.

Yep. Loved Royce Freeman's college tape when I evaluated him and compared him similarly to Jonathan Stewart. He has a lot of potential and I hope this team finds that and brings it out.

Not a blessing, but it is a potential bright spot. Losing the best safety valve of this offense is never ideal. 100 times out of 10 you'd rather have CMC healthy and Sam Darnold slowly getting acclimated to stepping up. Nevertheless, it does jump the schedule for Darnold to start making plays for himself. His work tonight showed he does have what it takes. However, being able to build upon it and do it consistently is the question. Ideally, he gets a few more weeks to get his groove in, but circumstances have brought him to the frontlines. Hopefully he shows he has what it takes.

The shipwreck of injuries that came due to the onslaught of the injury bug was not kind at all to the Panthers. Losing Christian McCaffrey while only up by one point at the half was a soulcrusher that almost killed off all hope. Nevertheless, Sam Darnold stayed firm. Coming into this game, the Panthers were lucky to face two depleted teams - one bottom of the league's barrel, and the other riddled with their own covid and injury woes. Carolina took them by storm as they should. However, the question remained: could the Panthers comeback when faced with adversity of their own, and more importantly is Sam Darnold right for the job? Well, this crippled ship took sail once more the next half and Sam Darnold was more than impressive. With the Texans manhandling our soft o-line, Darnold stood firm and poised. Throwing for 300+ yards and accounting for two touchdowns, he did not let the wreckage around him bring him down. Rather, he took charge and was effective in the most perilous of conditions, from the stormy rains of tight coverage and big time throws, to facing off against the crashing waves of that defensive front. He looked like a true leader and franchise QB. Despite the odds pointing against the Panthers, he did not falter and took up the challenge. He managed the offense efficiently and made big plays to will the Panthers to a win. This game right here is proof that Sam Darnold may be the greatest QB the Panthers have had since 2018, and answered whether they could handle adversity. He took charge and was effective. For the price of a second round pick, this captain of this cripped team is well worth it. Hoping to see further improvement and more the same in weeks to follow, when the waves get more rough against much tougher teams and more tests are to be overcome. Give it up for Darnold; he has shown he has what it takes.

Got a little more leeway in my schedule to keep up with the Panthers a bit more this year. Maybe not enough time for the posts I used to make, but hopefully I get a bit more active in here.

Sheesh didn't even notice. Been one hell of a night.

100% for it. Without Horn the secondary's a liability again. The question is whether he'd even want to go to Carolina.

The injury bug tonight was not kind to the Panthers. Claiming the hamstring of McCaffrey and the foot of Horn, they have lost some significant pieces to the team. Going forward, without the threat of McCaffrey, it is likely Hubbard who'll face the bulk of the snaps with a few spells by Royce Freeman. With Hubbard's first half being thrown in the dirt and a revitalized second, it will be interesting to see which tale of two halves is Hubbard's true form. Additionally, will be interesting to see how Joe Brady adjusts. Now, defensively, with Jaycee Horn looking to miss some significant time, it appears our secondary has opened up to some nasty holes. AJ Bouye rested, most likely to ensure he gets back to conditioning speed and open up better chemistry with the team. Will he be the stopholder this team needs to help man the CB spot with Horn out? Perhaps Richard Sherman see the Panthers secondary as a boat in SOS and helps plug it up? Hoping to see good answers going forward. It's a long week until our next test against the Cowboys. What's y'alls thoughts on our next guys up? Think they'll be able to carry this crippled ship forward, or will the Panthers shipwreck and fall to the bottom of the ocean?

Lol y'all Sam's no Cam Newton. He wouldn't have been able to - nor should be expected to - block that.

Erickson with the big play and Tremble with the TD. Not what I expected to turn the momentum.

at least this defense is fun

Burns!!!

An interesting inactive tonight it appears.

Very good point. Having a talented secondary helps our defense so much. Just the coverage we were able to do against the Saints allowed for our front to feast and the whole defense to crank out their fury. Jaycee shutting down his part of the field is critical to their success.

One of the best reads I've seen on the Panthers defense and just how formidable it already it (shoutout @ellis for posting on twitter). Phil Snow is an absolute mastermind with the players we have on defense and it shows. https://matchquarters.substack.com/p/the-multiplicity-of-the-panthers The article goes in-depth concerning just how many versatile packages Phil Snow ran with this group. Despite their 4-3 base, they never truly stick with it. The article highlights many different looks the Panthers have employed - a testament to the formidibility and talent of the players, as well as the ingenuity of Phil Snow. Personnel packages the article highlights from the first two games include: * 3-4 * 5-1 * 4-3 * 4-2-5 (Big Nickel) * 4 Down Dime I highly recommend reading the article and just how effective the Panthers are in these various formations. It's an incredible sight to behold. Another interesting nugget is seeing the parallels Snow is making with this group and how his approach and success in college is showcasing a similar path in Carolina: Just incredible seeing that Snow's approach is methodical and effective. He has a clear vision that bore fruit in Baylor, and now it appears that same approach is about to take the NFL by storm. Ultimately, the article concludes that the versatility and possibilities of these defense make it one that's a huge headache for any offense to keep up with and likely one that few will have an answer to for a long while: This is a defense to get excited for. Phil Snow built a juggernaut of versatility that will be exciting to see.

NBC Sports already has the Panthers at 16, the lowest 2-0 team by far, and only two above the Saints: https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/49ers/2021-nfl-power-rankings-where-49ers-sit-after-week-2-win >16. Carolina Panthers (2-0): Sam Darnold passed for 300 yards for the first time since Week 12 of the 2019 season. What a difference going from Adam Gase to Joe Brady makes.

Busy with life. But checking back in periodically while I can.

Who cares. Cam's not playing for anyone right now and Sam Darnold is absolutely balling out. Cam was good for us, but now we've moved on and Sam is good for us. Anyone bringing up Cam now is living too much in the past, Sam's the future and it's looking bright. It's 2021 and no one cares about Cam debates anymore. -Resident Cam apologist