Zod

John Fox used to say to make the playoffs you win your home games and a few away games. But you MUST win your home games. I don't care who we are playing, if we are at home we should win. All this "Oh its ok at least we lost to a good team" crap has to change in our fan base. It shows on gamedays in the stands.

Makes me wonder how good our running game would look in the 4th quarter if we tired the defense out a bit more throughout the game.

Brilliant.

Yes, this article is bat shit crazy. Or... you are being overly dramatic. not sure which.

Credit the Seahawks defense for the 30 yards in penalties that put the Panthers there in the first place. If not for their screw ups, it would have been a punt.

The seahawks had plenty of drops as well, but their offense was able to attack and overcome them. Funny how that works.

This is a common misconception people have. The execution yesterday was just about what every team has on every sunday. No team completes every pass or plays mistake free football. All teams fumble the ball. The difference is, their offensive gameplan is such that it overcomes these issues and puts points on the board. Cam had a good QBR. D-Will's YPC was good. As a whole, the execution was fine. The strategy was not going to score us many points, that is the problem.

How did that work out for us.

On paper, the Panthers offense against the Seahawks looks almost palatable. Cam Newton threw with good accuracy, no interceptions, and a touchdown. Deangelo Williams averaged 4.75 yards per carry. If you read those statistics without watching the game you might assume the Panthers won the game. The fact that the offense put together only 7 points has many people, myself included, scratching our heads. I can best explain what I believe the Panthers offense was doing in boxing terms. Keep moving and throw lots of short jabs. Protect yourself from a devastating blow. Don't wind up for a knockout punch, it may backfire. Let the match play out and hope you kept it close enough for a judges decision. This is the type of offense that Panthers offensive coordinator is known for. An offense that drives fans crazy, but defensive head coaches enjoy. Tony Dungy liked it in Tampa. Apparently Ron Rivera likes it here. These coaches relish the opportunity for defenses to win games. However, the Panthers in game 1 took it too far in the conservative direction. Here are three simple ways to improve on offense that can easily be implemented. 1. Let Cam be Cam. Cam Newton is a talent that should not be wasted like his name is Dilfer. One of Cam's strengths is the accuracy of his long ball. It makes no sense to acquire Tedd Ginn, who was open for the long ball yesterday, and not throw it to him. Even if incomplete a long pass play helps our offense by forcing the safeties to drop back in coverage and giving the short game more room to work. If you don't threaten deep, you may complete passes, but you won't go anywhere. Cam Newton's career low passing yards against the Seahawks are an indication that this is the case. 2. Keep them guessing. Third downs yesterday were extremely predictable, especially in short yardage situations. Shula has a history of this. I commented in the preseason that fans should get used to seeing a run up the gut on third downs. The Panthers need to add a variety of options on third down. A QB keeper after a play fake, a short slant to Smith, a pitch to the outside, anything but run up the gut. It is a safe bet that defensive coordinators have scouted Shula's Tampa days, if yesterday's game is any indication, they have done so for good reason. His tendencies have not changed. 3. Speed it up. I don't recall one play yesterday where the Seahawk defense was rushed or needed more time to get set up correctly. This happened numerous times to the Panthers defense. Going into a hurry up mode or even a no huddle unexpectedly would be a nice left hook to the chin. 4. Impose your will. This is not a X's and O's type of solution, but more of a mind set. Taking what the defense gives you is safe, but often it is not good enough. Afterall, they are giving it to you for a reason. You are falling into their game plan trap. Instead, attack them where they feel they are safe. In boxing terms, this knocks them back on their heels and makes them question their strategy. Winning offenses attack aggressively, losing offenses settle passively. Click here to view the article

We might anyways.

I only noticed because I was taking pics of him at the time. His eyes stayed forward the entire play, which is unusual in man coverage.

Luke had a key mistake late in the game where Seattle needed a first down to put the game away. In Man defense he kept his eyes on Wilson, instead of the receiver he was covering. The receiver got free and made the play across the middle. You live and you learn.

As much concern there is about the Panthers offense after playing Seattle, there is an equal amount of excitement about the Panthers defense. A key component of the excellent defensive showing against Seattle was the healthy starting combination of Jon Beason, Luke Kuechly, and Thomas Davis. Going in to Sunday's game against Seattle, containing Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch was a top priority. Allowing Lynch to run the ball would have extended the Seahawks time of possession and worn the defense out further. Thanks to the linebackers, the Panthers were able to hold Lynch to 43 yards on 17 attempts, or just 2.5 yards per carry. This is an amazing accomplishment as Lynch averaged 5 yards per carry in 2012. The Panthers were able to cut his effectiveness in half. Good stuff. Luke Kuechly remains the leader of the linebackers, and the defense as a whole. Kuechly is relied on to make the defensive play calls and adjustments as needed. Veterans Jon Beason and Thomas Davis, two excellent leaders in their own right, seemed content to play support roles. After a Kuechly tackle I noticed Jon Beason was the first player to slap him on the helmet and encourage him even more. Beason has been a mentor for Luke, and that hasn't changed. Last season Beason was limited to counseling Kuechly from the sidelines while the defense rested. This season that veteran advice is available at any time. I expect this will help Luke continue to develop at an even faster rate. It is a scary thought for the opposition that Kuechly is only a second year player with room for growth. Seeing Beason and Davis play as tandem outside linebackers was a real treat for any fan of hard nosed defensive football. With Star Lotulelei clogging the middle, opposing offenses this season will be forced to try to run the edges. As Marshawn Lynch found out, it won't be easy. The backers of the line will be waiting. Click here to view the article

You mean aside from only allowing 12 points?

I don't assume we will have the same strategy against passing teams. I would expect more blitzes and pressure, fewer 3 down linemen play.

Scoring only 7 points gets a D? How many games in the NFL will you win by scoring only 7 points?

I'll spin it as allowing 12 points and I'll take that every week and be more than happy, as you should be too.

SMH Then I guess you give the offense a Z- ?

If you think allowing only 12 points is a meaningless statistic... well... I can't help you,.

As a whole, did the defense help or hurt our chances today?

No. Scoring 7 points cost us the game. You cannot expect a defense to hold a team like the Seahawks to 6 points to win the game. The offense should be expected to score 14.

Allowed 12 points to a team that normally scores 30+. Don't sweat the small stuff.

Holding the Seahawks to 12 points should be enough to win the game. Thats all you need to know.

huh?

hmmm... must have blocked that god awful play out of my memory. Grade adjusted to reflect Josh Thomas's dumbassery