B/R's blueprint for our "optimal offense" basically begins/ends with O-line (amid the standard Carolina way aka Shulaball)

[top dawg]

Here I was getting ready to read Bryan Knowles' B/R article on the "blueprint" for our offensive success and was pretty much surprised by the fact that Pro Football Focus had the Panthers ranked dead last for all intents and purposes (because the cumulative grade is your grade). Not saying that PFF is the end-all-be-all as it pertains to statistics, but PFF is a good indicator of the general state of things.

The Panthers had very poor pass protection in 2014. Football Outsiders ranked the offensive line 22nd in pass protection, while Pro Football Focus had them in dead last in terms of cumulative grade. They “only” allowed 42 sacks, which is within shouting distance of the league average, but that’s in large part to the mobility and improvisational skills of Cam Newton. Newton was third in the league in “Houdinis”—broken tackles behind the line of scrimmage. He turned 1ur 0 more probable sacks into extended plays last season, despite suffering early on in the year from the lingering aftereffects of a broken ankle.

In other words, Cam made our O-line appear better than it really was.

The article also points out the improvement of the line later on in the season by breaking down percentages of pressures allowed by each player, but basically warns us not to go overboard on expectations, especially with the young practice squad journeyman, Mike Remmers.  According to the article, Remmers graded out negatively by PFF in 3 of his last 4 games.  

Basically, Daryl Williams will take Remmers' spot as a starter before long.

And then there is Michael Oher, perhaps the biggest question mark on offense this year (maybe the entire team).  Knowles points out Oher's respectable top 15 ranking back in the day when he was earning his first championship as a Raven, and how it has been pretty much ugly since, but I am sure he is waiting with baited breath to see which Oher shows up.

Knowles also mentions that Football Outsiders had Cam 32 out of 36 QBs in regards to accuracy last season.  Anyone know (or can guess) who the four guys are that are less accurate than Sky Cam (j/k, Cam).  If Oher and the rest of the line can get it together, then hopefully this will allow Cam to feel more comfortable in the pocket and give him the confidence to trust in the consistency of good mechanics, and lead to consistently better decision making.

 

Oh, yeah, let me not overlook the overall reason for the article. Here is my interpretation of the blueprint for "optimal offense" which may be already evident to greater than casual Panthers fans:

The critical progression of the O-line and Cam, continued commitment to the read-option, misdirection and creating mismatches, a heavy dose of the run game, and securing a speedy receiver to take the top off defenses and pressure off Kelvin Greg Devin Funchess (whether it be Ted Ginn, Corey Brown or Damiere Byrd) will be the anatomy of a successful 2015 Panthers season.

 

 

[Jangler]

No no, we got worse on the offseason. No way we improve our stats. 

 

 

We suck and nobody loves us.

[top dawg]

The vibe this year is that we should improve as a team, and I think that this is beginning to be reflected in some people's analysis of the team.  Of course it's still early, and you're always going to have your Saints pedestal pushers, but it seems to me that people expect improvement (if nothing else, stat-wise).  

About the  most negative thing that you hear people talking about is the LT position, and even then there is the "Oher has got to be better than Bell" narrative.  

Guarded optimism may not be "in love" with us, but it indicates there is some kind of "love" brewing, especially in reference to the last couple of off-seasons.

[Woodie]

The vibe this year is that we should improve as a team, and I think that this is beginning to be reflected in some people's analysis of the team.  Of course it's still early, and you're always going to have your Saints pedestal pushers, but it seems to me that people expect improvement (if nothing else, stat-wise).  

About the  most negative thing that you hear people talking about is the LT position, and even then there is the "Oher has got to be better than Bell" narrative.  

Guarded optimism may not be "in love" with us, but it indicates there is some kind of "love" brewing, especially in reference to the last couple of off-seasons.

​I think we are a team that the media will love once we start winning regularly (and winning a division crown by default doesn't count).  As much as many here like to say that the media hates Cam, the reality is that the media LOVES talking about him.  He's interesting and charismatic, and he can be unpredictable with what he says.  The only thing missing is the team being a regular contender.  Personally, I think this will be our coming out year, and fans will get their wish for us to be a team the talking heads focus on.

The media loves QB's.  Look at any team that is in the forefront of the media, and you'll find an upper echelon QB who is included in almost any discussion about that team.  Do you think anybody would give a rats ass about Green Bay if they didn't have Favre and now Rodgers?  No!  They are a small market team that, despite being such a historic organization, would be pretty boring without an elite QB.  The only people that would care about them are Packer fans. 

That's why the media is always hyping the top QB's in the draft as the next big thing.  They desperately want someone to step up that is not only elite and plays on a winning team, but is interesting and divisive...they want someone that people either love or hate, no in between.  In comes Cam.  He fits the mold perfectly, except we haven't been winning consistently.  But even then, look at almost every highlight or montage of the NFL, and you see a clip of Cam.  They need and want him, but he will never be exactly what they want until we start winning regularly.  When we do, watch out, the world will be on Cam overload.  

[X-Clown on 1]

A healthy Cam is an even more dangerous Houdini.