Eight In The Box

[Cpanthers5851]

i dont know if teams want to stack the box. i realize jake isnt the best QB, but with a WR like smitty out there. it could really hurt you. not to mention, Moose is good veteran WR who can get open with one on one coverage.

[CharlotteBeer.com]

Ideally that would be nice. But when has Jake ever thrown to a TE in a regular season game? Stacking 8 in the box seems to stifle our passing game and not make it better. It "should" be the other way around.

Jake throws to the tight ends when needed.

King is a favorite target, and Rosario was used heavily in week one -- until Smith came back. Pass catching tight-ends are not as important in our offense as they are in others. We run the ball first. If we can't do that, we'll go to Smith or Moose. Usually these will get it done.

That being said, I do expect to see more short yardage passes to the tight-ends and running backs this year.

[CharlotteBeer.com]

We are going to learn so much about our team this year. Can Jake read and react to defenses and find the open man or just force the ball to Smitty ala 1/10/09?

That Jake locks in on Smith is a myth. Smith is one of the most dangerous receivers in the NFL and will make the catch -- even in double or triple coverage -- nine times out of 10.

Why is it called forcing the ball when Jake puts the ball in the hands of No. 89, but not when other top quarterbacks "force it" to their favorite receivers? Say what you want about Jake, but he has outstanding chemistry with Smith and knows where to place the ball for Smith to make the play. He's not just chucking it up there, as many fans seem to believe.

[Woodie]

Stacking the box is a very dangerous thing to do against the Panthers. The reason being that with so many defenders so close to the line of scrimmage, that there is nobody behind to stop DW (or JS) if he breaks through. That is why we had so many big runs last year. Teams thought that the best way to stop us was by stopping our running game, and in several games that seemed to work...right up until DW or JS broke free for a big run.

Another problem is that our OL is so big and physical that eventually they will wear you down, and start opening some holes. And with DW, it doesn't take much of a hole for him to squeeze through. So by the third or fourth quarter, if your defense is getting worn down by our OL, and you are still running eight in the box, then the chances are pretty good that one of our backs will eventually break one...or two.

[panthers55]

We have played 4 of the best defenses regarding pressuring the quarterback. Even Baltimore only got to Jake twice in 3 quarters. And one of those was clearly a blown pickup by Goodson who is still learning. Williams and Stewart wouldn't have missed that. I don't know why people would think Philly will bring more pressure than Baltimore. The line has done a very good job of protecting the quarterback outside of guys like Cantwell and backup Olinemen who won't be on the roster by tomorrow. The backs have done a very good job picking up blitzers and even Goodson did a great job last night picking up a blitz right up the middle. As long as we don't have a spate of injuries to the O-line I am feeling better about that aspect of our game than the defensive line at this point. Jake has been solid so far. He is 23 for 36 for 284 yards and 0 Ints. That right folks, zero, nada,cypher, zip, goose egg.

[panthers55]

Ideally that would be nice. But when has Jake ever thrown to a TE in a regular season game? Stacking 8 in the box seems to stifle our passing game and not make it better. It "should" be the other way around.

When have we ever had a TE who could catch the ball and get open? Both Barnidge and Rosario have been impressive so far. In fact the one handed catch by Rosario was the best catch by any panther receiver so far this year. He has been surprisingly good. I will be the first to admit that I may have been hasty in writing him off if he can replicate his performance in the regular season. And no our passing game thrives with 8 in the box if we throw on 1st or 2nd down instead of our usual run it for 0 gain against 8 in the box on first and second down and then miss on third and long.

[ItsNotGonnaBeAlright]

After watching DWill shove five Pitt defenders back 9 yards (his one good run), why the hell not? Bring on eight in the box. Our boys are still gonna run right down their throats.

That being said, I think the prolific use of TE's in the recieving game during the offseason is directly ment to counter this.

[Jackofalltrades]

The 4th and 1 play was against 9 in the box and we see how that worked out. The fact that we didn't execute that run doesn't bother me; what pisses me off is that we saw that and didn't bother to change the play call. Smith was single covered and the safety went to midfield- why not audible in that scenario?

Yes, it's just preseason but we did the same thing several times last year during the regular season and it's jus stupid, especially against the no. 1 rated D. Last year I remember doing the same against Minny. THAT'S what bothers me, not using common sense in critical times.

I love our ground attack, but damn....