Right now, we're the 2002-2004 Falcons

[Mr. Scot]

You mentioned how teams played defense against the Falcons by playing the run and forcing Vick to pass. Why wouldn't you want the same for us if we had an elite run game? Cam would be able to accept that challenge and beat them with his arm. I just think most Super Bowl teams have a foundation around the run game and defense. The exact way we were built last year and should be built this year.

 

That's kinda the heart of a Coryell system (and it's my favorite system).

 

What I want though is for us to reach a point that Rivera described in his first presser after taking this job.  That being that if you load up against the run, we're capable of beating you with the pass.  And if you try to stop the pass, we can beat you with the run.

 

And yeah, I think we might just have the personnel to do it.

[Mr. Scot]

Right now, you are a bloody Irishman pretending to be a Scot and I don't appreciate it one bit.

 

Yer a bastard, ya know that? :angry:

 

[Mr. Scot]

To me, it comes down to how much freedom Cam has at the line of scrimmage. If he sees an alignment that looks good to run on, run the ball. If he sees an alignment that looks good to pass on, pass the ball. I hate seeing a running play when there are 8 in the box, just because you want to impose your will.

If you see a D that looks like man, use that against them. If you see a D that looks to be stopping the run, use that against them.

I know Cam had some freedom last year. I guess I am hoping he can take that to another level. We cannot be afraid to take what the D gives us. We have more talent on Offense than we have had since Cam got here. Use it properly, and we should be tough to stop.

Give Cam the freedom to call what he sees. IMO, he has earned that right.

 

Pretty much.

 

 

Oh, and good job Scott. Coming up with a new slant for a thread ain't easy. Well done.

 

I was thinking about some of our games from 2003 a few days ago and it suddenly just kinda hit me (crap, we're the old Falcons) :blink:

 

Hadn't gotten around to posting it till today.

[jtnc]

[iamhubby1]

Pretty much.

 

 

 

I was thinking about some of our games from 2003 a few days ago and it suddenly just kinda hit me (crap, we're the old Falcons) :blink:

 

Hadn't gotten around to posting it till today.

That is the thing most Panther fans forget. Most Coaches are conservative at heart. Especially when you have a Defense like we have. "Give yourself a chance to win, and things will work out".

That was fine back in the day. Nowadays, with a talent like Cam, you have to take advantage of that.

I guess what I am trying to say is. With a healthy Stewy, and our improved WR corp, there really is no reason not to let Cam be what he appears to be. One whale of a QB. Let him be what he is. Let him lead this team. Give him the opportunity to show what he can do.

It has been said that he is in the room when game planning. Let that translate to the field. Allow him to call what he sees. We have the talent around him to let that transpire. Throw when you see it, run when that is an option. Quit limiting one of the singular talents the league has ever seen.

To me, that is what it comes down to. Let Cam be Cam. Give him the freedom to call what he sees. Don't limit the best just because you want to be safe. Let him lead. Let him take this team where it deserves to go.

Man I hate Cuervo. I ramble.

[mbarbour21]

I think our scheme will work out great. Like stated earlier, we really need balance. Anything can happen when you start slinging the ball around. Especially tipped passes. With the defense we have, we dont have to sling it. We can methodically move the chains, eat up T.O.P., and do it more effectively than last year. (Because of our new additions offensively)

[panthers55]

If you had to compare us to a team in the last decade or so then the Falcons are an ok comparison,  But if you go back further I think that Cam is really a supersized beast version of Randall Cuningham and we were similar to the Eagles in the late 80s and early 90s.    Cunningham was a passer first with great escapability who could run but was not primarily a runner like Vick.  Although he was 6'4" he was around 215 lbs which made him too thin for the pounding he took and ultimately led to injuries which derailed his career.  Cam is the supersized version of Cunningham who is more durable and a better runner.  Cam like Cunningham was streaky though and often could zing in a pass while on the next play be wildly inaccurate.

 

The receivers were not an overwhelming bunch but could be effective and the running game was by committee as well with Cunningham being a critical part often in the top 2 or 3 in yards.  The offense scored points but they were not the most important part of the team.  It was the defense that was so fearsome with a front 4 that included bookends Reggie While, and Clyde Simmons with Jerome Brown in the middle.  Their linebackers of Seth Joyner and  All Harris were very good with a number of guys occupying the third spot.  Their secondary with Eric Allen, Wes Hopkins and Andre Waters were clearly better than ours but we are improving.

 

What I found interesting was the Eagles in 1989 had an 11-5 regular season record making the postseason for the second time in a row after a drought and were a wildcard.  Similar to what we want to do at the minimum. 

[csx]

Did the Falcons of that time have a good Defene? The current 49ers and Seahawks seem to be a closer match. We are more identified by defense than running.

[AceBoogie]

If you look at the way the team approached last season, you'll notice they concentrated a fair amount on the run game. In this case, a run game which included (some would say was powered by) our quarterback. The passing game was there and decent, but it was the run game that was the engine of the offense. And on the other side, an attacking, smothering defense.

Now, if you think back about ten years or so, that style of play might seem familiar.

It's what the Atlanta Falcons of the early 2000s used when Vick was at his peak with them. Their run game, Vick included, was deadly. The pass game - at its best - was complementary but hardly frightening.

So now that we have a quarterback who can beat teams with his legs, here we were last season using a similar approach.

Aaaaand honestly, I'm not in favor of that :(

Why?

The Falcons taking that approach was understandable, even wise when you think about it. Vick was an amazing runner, but a mediocre passer. Teams knew the best game plan against the Falcons was to concentrate on the run and force Vick to throw. Hence, the 'mush rush' by many, except the Bucs who always used heavy pressure to flush Vick to his right where he wasn't as effective.

Still, the run game was so good that even when teams did their best to take it away, they didn't always succeed.

So now, we take a similar path because we have a quarterback with a similar profile, right?

Cool, except we don't :unsure:

Cam Newton is, in only his fourth year, a better passer than Michael Vick was even in his best years. Yes, he's also a great runner and it's wise to use that quality and/or the threat of it. But in the process, let's not get unbalanced too far toward the run.

Now I'd imagine the coaches know this, so perhaps it's just been the lack of a deep receiving corps that's forced them into that approach. It seems more logical when you think about it. Newton, although sometimes lacking consistency, is still a good passer, but of course someone has to catch the ball.

Truthfully though, the reason behind why we went that route last year doesn't really matter.

The bottom line for me is that I don't want to see us looking that way again this coming season.

With a deeper receiving corps, another year under Newton's belt and a super-talented mega-tall receiver as a target, there's no reason why we shouldn't air it out as much as anybody. Rivera's preference has always been to be able to attack teams any way we choose, and that's exactly what I want to see in the year ahead.

Here's hoping we do.

Our differences aside, how is our wrs deeper? Than last year?

Jerricho's 10tds were an anomaly, you're not getting that from him every year. Do you realize that Brandon Lafell, yes THE Brandon Lafell had more Receptions and Yards last year than any WR currently on our roster?

[Mr. Scot]

That is the thing most Panther fans forget. Most Coaches are conservative at heart. Especially when you have a Defense like we have. "Give yourself a chance to win, and things will work out".

That was fine back in the day. Nowadays, with a talent like Cam, you have to take advantage of that.

I guess what I am trying to say is. With a healthy Stewy, and our improved WR corp, there really is no reason not to let Cam be what he appears to be. One whale of a QB. Let him be what he is. Let him lead this team. Give him the opportunity to show what he can do.

It has been said that he is in the room when game planning. Let that translate to the field. Allow him to call what he sees. We have the talent around him to let that transpire. Throw when you see it, run when that is an option. Quit limiting one of the singular talents the league has ever seen.

To me, that is what it comes down to. Let Cam be Cam. Give him the freedom to call what he sees. Don't limit the best just because you want to be safe. Let him lead. Let him take this team where it deserves to go.

Man I hate Cuervo. I ramble.

 

Well, it's good rambling.  I can sign on to pretty much all of that.

 

[Mr. Scot]

Did the Falcons of that time have a good Defene? The current 49ers and Seahawks seem to be a closer match. We are more identified by defense than running.

 

Not as good as we do now.

 

Improved a lot when they got John Abraham a little down the road.

 

[Mr. Scot]

If you had to compare us to a team in the last decade or so then the Falcons are an ok comparison,  But if you go back further I think that Cam is really a supersized beast version of Randall Cuningham and we were similar to the Eagles in the late 80s and early 90s.    Cunningham was a passer first with great escapability who could run but was not primarily a runner like Vick.  Although he was 6'4" he was around 215 lbs which made him too thin for the pounding he took and ultimately led to injuries which derailed his career.  Cam is the supersized version of Cunningham who is more durable and a better runner.  Cam like Cunningham was streaky though and often could zing in a pass while on the next play be wildly inaccurate.

 

The receivers were not an overwhelming bunch but could be effective and the running game was by committee as well with Cunningham being a critical part often in the top 2 or 3 in yards.  The offense scored points but they were not the most important part of the team.  It was the defense that was so fearsome with a front 4 that included bookends Reggie While, and Clyde Simmons with Jerome Brown in the middle.  Their linebackers of Seth Joyner and  All Harris were very good with a number of guys occupying the third spot.  Their secondary with Eric Allen, Wes Hopkins and Andre Waters were clearly better than ours but we are improving.

 

What I found interesting was the Eagles in 1989 had an 11-5 regular season record making the postseason for the second time in a row after a drought and were a wildcard.  Similar to what we want to do at the minimum. 

 

Definitely a different approach though.

 

Under Buddy Ryan, the Eagles offensive philosophy was hyst for Cunningham to make a couple of big plays a game and let Ryan's defense take care of the rest.

 

I definitely would not want us going that route.

 

[UpstatePanther]

I think our scheme will work out great. Like stated earlier, we really need balance. Anything can happen when you start slinging the ball around. Especially tipped passes. With the defense we have, we dont have to sling it. We can methodically move the chains, eat up T.O.P., and do it more effectively than last year. (Because of our new additions offensively)

 

this. i agree wholeheartedly. i believe we have the personnel to be effective in both the passing and running offense, not necessarily balanced in number of plays but, like someone else said, balanced in terms of threat to the opposing defense. I for one have no problem with the Panthers sticking with the ground and pound, efficiency offense and the stout defense. the old saying is true, defense wins championships. we can put up as many points as we want, but if our defense isnt stout enough to keep the opposition from scoring the same amount of points, we are screwed in shoot out games. 

 

my two wishes for the Panthers: 1) maintain the efficient offense with methodical, TOP play. i think we need to spread the ball around to our WRs, TEs, and RBs, with a sprinkling of Tolbert within the 10 yard line, or in "down+inches" situations. If we do that, it will be extremely difficult for other teams to stifle our offense with the personnel we have. 2) maintain a top 5 defense, even at the cost of the offense if necessary. defense will keep us in games and give us the chance to win. and the better our defense is, the greater chance it has of helping the offense and scoring points to add to the total. force turnovers, field goals, and punts and the aforementioned offense will thrive and literally choke out the will of the opposition. 

 

Cam like Cunningham was streaky though and often could zing in a pass while on the next play be wildly inaccurate. 

 

i am still thinking that Cam's wild inaccuracy was due to his ankle. i know he threw some head-scratchers in last weeks PS game but once he gets in rhythm with his receivers in real game speed, i think the accuracy will drastically improve. if it doesnt, then there is no excuse for Newton. but that doesnt mean he wont still be my favorite QB in the league. every QB has a weakness, it very well may be that Cam's is the occasional streak of head-scratcher passes. as long as Cam can avoid those streaks with the game on the line, and somehow keep those passes where only the receiver can get them, i wont complain about alittle bit of inaccuracy.

[AceBoogie]

Care to respond Mr. Scot?