Faulkner: Panthers to go 13-3

[LinvilleGorge]

I will be stunned at 10 wins

 

I'll be disappointed with less than 10 wins.  We won 12 games and won the division last year.  Our nucleus is young.  IMO, the biggest concerns are the OL and the secondary and if the OL and secondary don't come together, I put most of the blame on Gettleman for that.  His spare parts signings last year paid off big time, but I have less faith in this year's - particularly at safety and the complete lack of them along the OL.

[Kuhndog94]

I'm not sure what to do with my hands right now.

[Navy_football]

I don't get the pessimism regarding this team. 

 

The defense will be better than last year. Star and Short have a year of experience and strength and conditioning, and they actually look better in preseason. LBs are at least the same - one of the best units in the NFL. CBs are better - Cason is a huge upgrade over what we had opposite White, and White has a year under his belt as a starter in many games last year. We will miss Mitchell, but Decoud is not bad and will make plays with this front 7. Bene looks to be a playmaker a la Captain. 

 

Offensively, the oline is better at every position except LT. We have real depth at RB with Fozzy and Reaves instead of Barner, just in case Stewart goes down again. TEs are BEASTLY! Brandon Williams manhandles LBs and Safeties when he blocks - I'm really looking forward to watching that kid play. The WR corp has been improved, particularly in the RZ where they were weakest last year. The biggest concern I really have is Cam's health - mind you in 3 seasons he's never missed more than a couple of plays in a game due to injury. 

 

This team is better than last season. 10 wins is the floor. 

[Kelbin Venjamin]

Navy_football...Couldn't have said it better,brah!!!

[run1stdownrun2nddown]

LOL

 

Honestly, if you've watched Bell throughout his career, it's tough not to have a pessimistic outlook on him at LT.  Bell's biggest struggles have come when he's faced speed rushers - the exact type of player he will routinely face playing LT.

As I said, that is your opinion, and it is simply a result of the always negative the-worst-possible-outcome-is-always-what-happens, flawed mindset.

 

Bell has struggled some with speed rushers, yes. Now let's try to keep it there and stay with the facts. Expanding that to the utmost negatively possible outcome with Bell somehow being a complete dumpsterfire is just silly.

[LinvilleGorge]

As I said, that is your opinion, and it is simply a result of the always negative the-worst-possible-outcome-is-always-what-happens, flawed mindset.

 

Bell has struggled some with speed rushers, yes. Now let's try to keep it there and stay with the facts. Expanding that to the utmost negatively possible outcome with Bell somehow being a complete dumpsterfire is just silly.

 

You are putting a lot of words in my mouth.  If you'll look elsewhere in this very thread, you'll see that I've stated that I'll be disappointed if we don't win 10 games.  That's hardly worst case scenario thinking.  It's just my opinion that Byron Bell at LT is one of our biggest weaknesses.  In my mind, THE biggest weakness.  I hope he proves me wrong.

[run1stdownrun2nddown]

You are putting a lot of words in my mouth.  If you'll look elsewhere in this very thread, you'll see that I've stated that I'll be disappointed if we don't win 10 games.  That's hardly worst case scenario thinking.  It's just my opinion that Byron Bell at LT is one of our biggest weaknesses.  In my mind, THE biggest weakness.  I hope he proves me wrong.

 

 

Bryron Bell will get better they said.  Just give him time they said.

 

At what point will we give up on this pipe dream?

 

Calling him a pipe dream and we should give up one him.. yea you can call it putting words in your mouth but I'd say that's about equal to calling him a dumpsterfire.

[Chaos]

I feel that this writer/journalist from whatever outlet is well-informed and finally there is some real sports reporting going on around here.

 

amidoingitrite?

[pantherclaw]

13-3 sounds right to me.

[SCP]

Things are never as good or bad as they seem. Somewhere in the middle reality falls.

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Matt Ryan wears braided belts.

[PantherWake]

BRUH 13-3 would be a dream. 10-6 or 11-5 is more realistic.

[the butch]

I'm curious about Faulkner's intention here. We are an almost unanimous pick to regress, yet he has us improving? I don't think our own Panther fans have us going 13-3. Could be another journalist just trying to drum up views (in a positive way this time). Nonetheless, it's positivity about the Panthers, and I'll take that!

Sent from my iPhone using CarolinaHuddle

[Bourbarian]

Things are never as good or bad as they seem. Somewhere in the middle reality falls.

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Matt Ryan wears braided belts.

Let's say we underperform by half. My rural NC mathematics tells me that's 6.5-1.5...

 

Second winning season in a row! Suck it, world!

[gettlemanjack]

This is what TE Greg Olsen, who was elected as a team captain for the first time this season, and has 142 receptions for 1,659 yds and 11 TD over the last two seasons, had to say:

Olsen tweeted several weeks ago that he was “getting tired of hearing ‘Panthers have nobody for (Newton) to throw to.’”

When the Charlotte Observer asked him to expound on that, he said:

“It’s kind of been the storyline of the offseason. Any time the Panthers have come up that’s kind of been the first comment made by everybody. I think guys are just kind of tired of it,” Olsen said, via the Charlotte Observer.

“We feel confident about our group.”

“(Cotchery and Avant) are productive, successful veterans in the NFL, and those guys don’t just grow on trees,” Olsen said. “I think people are going to be very happy with what they see out of those guys. I know the team is. ...

“Then you add a young guy like Kelvin to the mix, a little younger, bigger-body guy – I think it’s going to be a mix of playing to everybody’s strength.”

We are “going to be very productive.”

“It’s not a mystery. When we’re at our best, we’re a balanced offense,” Olsen said. “We’re not going to throw the ball 60 times a game. We might not throw 50 touchdowns. But we’re going to win games, we’re going to control the game."

(last year the Panthers offense was Top 5 in the NFL in time of possession per sportingcharts.com)