Thoughts and questions from a "newer" fan

[Ranger12]

Hey guys, I am a lifelong Dolphins fan, but the Panthers have become my #2 team the last few years. As an Auburn fan, naturally I was excited when they drafted Cam. I subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket just so I can see the Dolphins and Panthers every week.

 

I have some thoughts and questions for some of you longer diehard Carolina fans. First, who calls the plays for the team? It just seems to be horrible this year. Many of those 3rd and short calls have left me scratching my head. Cam is not very mobile right now, so the calls that have him keeping the ball also baffle me. It seems like somebody wants him to get hurt more.

 

That brings me to Cam. As an Auburn fan, naturally I love the guy and want to see him succeed in the NFL. However, I have to question if he can be successful again while at Carolina. The OL can't protect their already banged up QB and his body language seems to not be as positive as it once was. As a disabled vet, I know how being hurt and not being as active as you once were can steal that joy from him. His accuracy just seems to be way off this year, and is eating the ball more in situations where it seems he could have gotten rid of it. Does he and the Panthers need to make a change or does the Panthers need to do a better job of helping their QB? Which leads me to my next though/question.

 

Front office; how would you grade it? It seems that after such a great season last year, they decided to butcher the team. How can you let all of those great receivers go? I understand salary concerns would have forced to let one or two go, but not all the WRs for crying out loud. I even understood the age concerns with Stever Smith, but the Panthers could not have kept Ginn and LaFell? That left Olsen, a TE, as the biggest receiving threat to start the year. Fortunately Benjamin has stepped up as a rookie, but connection between he and Cam seems to have dwindled the last few games.

The difference between this defense from last year and this year; what the heck happened? The situation with Hardy was unforseen and can't be blamed on anybody but Hardy. Could we have kept Mueterlin or was what he was asking for too rich for the Panthers? Was those two players so impactful that it led to the defense to make such a 180 turn from last year.

 

...and as I type this Cam just had his longest run of the season and Benjamin just makes an awesome TD catch! GO PANTHERS! KEEP POUNDING!

[The NFL Shield At Midfield]

The guy who calls the plays is mike shula, a guy who'd be selling used cars if his name was bill smith

[Ranger12]

FYI...I don't know why that posted so many times. When I posted, I got a connection error message. I tried to post once more and got the same message. I then refresh and see it posted half a dozen times. Again, sorry.

[KillerKat]

Damn how many thoughts you have?

[Ruff]

FYI...I don't know why that posted so many times. When I posted, I got a connection error message. I tried to post once more and got the same message. I then refresh and see it posted half a dozen times. Again, sorry.

When you refresh, you're resubmitting the data. If you get a connection error, just go back to the carolina huddle forums (re-enter the url).

[Mr. Scot]

FYI...I don't know why that posted so many times. When I posted, I got a connection error message. I tried to post once more and got the same message. I then refresh and see it posted half a dozen times. Again, sorry.

 

Board glitch.  Happens a lot lately.

 

[Ranger12]

Thanks. Like I said, I only hit the re-submit once when I saw the error message, or at least I thought only once. I've been a moderator for several years on a popular Auburn website, so I understand how these glitches can happen. It seems that since I have typed my initial post, the Panthers have rallied, so if you don't mind I am going to stay right here.

 

[Chimera]

Hey guys, I am a lifelong Dolphins fan, but the Panthers have become my #2 team the last few years. As an Auburn fan, naturally I was excited when they drafted Cam. I subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket just so I can see the Dolphins and Panthers every week.

 

I have some thoughts and questions for some of you longer diehard Carolina fans. First, who calls the plays for the team? It just seems to be horrible this year. Many of those 3rd and short calls have left me scratching my head. Cam is not very mobile right now, so the calls that have him keeping the ball also baffle me. It seems like somebody wants him to get hurt more.

Mike Shula. The same Mike Shula that couldn't win as a HC for Alabama.

 

That brings me to Cam. As an Auburn fan, naturally I love the guy and want to see him succeed in the NFL. However, I have to question if he can be successful again while at Carolina. The OL can't protect their already banged up QB and his body language seems to not be as positive as it once was. As a disabled vet, I know how being hurt and not being as active as you once were can steal that joy from him. His accuracy just seems to be way off this year, and is eating the ball more in situations where it seems he could have gotten rid of it. Does he and the Panthers need to make a change or does the Panthers need to do a better job of helping their QB? Which leads me to my next though/question.

Cam's accuracy can turn and off quickly. I think missing much of the offseason has made his accuracy look worse than it actually is - the chemistry with his receivers isn't fully there. Also, keep in mind our receivers, for the most part, are old and slow. They do not get separation, so Cam either places the ball "accurately" within a defender's grasp, or he will attempt to throw the receiver open, which results in a throw that looks horribly inaccurate. It isn't all on Cam or all on the receivers, but the combination makes for some horrible looking throws.

 

Front office; how would you grade it? It seems that after such a great season last year, they decided to butcher the team. How can you let all of those great receivers go? I understand salary concerns would have forced to let one or two go, but not all the WRs for crying out loud. I even understood the age concerns with Stever Smith, but the Panthers could not have kept Ginn and LaFell? That left Olsen, a TE, as the biggest receiving threat to start the year. Fortunately Benjamin has stepped up as a rookie, but connection between he and Cam seems to have dwindled the last few games.

The receivers last year were by no means great. Steve Smith's resurgence is due to being cut. Do you honestly think that motivation would have been there had he spent another season here? Nobody considered Ted Ginn to be a legitimate WR until he got here - as a Dolphins fan, you should know that. I liked Brandon LaFell for the most part, but he should have only been a starter for his downfield blocking, not for his hands.

My biggest complaint with the front office is how they've mishandled our offensive line. The line as a whole has been bad for a while now. We've started at least four UDFAs on the line this season (and I believe we started all four UDFAs against the reigning Super Bowl champions. You simply don't do that with ANY quarterback, much less your franchise QB.

The difference between this defense from last year and this year; what the heck happened? The situation with Hardy was unforseen and can't be blamed on anybody but Hardy. Could we have kept Mueterlin or was what he was asking for too rich for the Panthers? Was those two players so impactful that it led to the defense to make such a 180 turn from last year.

The popular rumor about Munnerlyn is that Gettleman dared him to find a better offer on the free agent market; he did. I'm sure if Gettleman matched the offer, Munnerlyn would still be a Panther. I believe the biggest difference in defense (outside of Hardy) is the lack of speed in our secondary as a whole this season. Last year's group wasn't good, but they had speed. This year's group still isn't good, yet they are incredibly slow. Colin Jones is exceptionally fast and our defense has looked better since he took Charles Godfrey's place.

 

...and as I type this Cam just had his longest run of the season and Benjamin just makes an awesome TD catch! GO PANTHERS! KEEP POUNDING!

And now you have seen what I meant about our OC Mike Shula.