Righting the ship...

[Samuel L. Jackson]

While my first reactions to today's performance very closely imitated the outrage many of you have presented, there is still a part of me that wants to keep things in perspective from an optimistic view...

First off, I'll get it out of the way... Jake Delhomme is still going to be the starting QB for the Panthers... at least for now. However, the leash will be paper thin. Matt Moore is quite possibly our immediate future, and he may get his shot sooner rather than later if Jake comes out against Atlanta in the same mold that he did today...

Alright then, to other areas:

Offensive line... I hinted on this not even a week ago. They might be amazing at run blocking sometimes, but lately, they have been substandard in pass protection. The coaches need to recognize this and make adjustments accordingly. I don't care if we never get out of 2 WR sets in the passing game and the extra 2 spots are used for OL instead of TE, allowing the penetration we allowed today will do any QB in...

Special teams coverage... Honestly, this was one of the biggest things for me. That return TD should have never happened, and our coverage was all over the place (those who didn't overrun it altogether). Yeah, you need to pin your ears back and fly down the field, but keep your head on a swivel and know where the target is... Jason Baker, Todd Sauerbrun is laughing at your pathetic tackle attempt...

WRs.. We've got to do something to break out of the norm here... We need separation...

Overall offensive scheme... There was at least one play where 2 TEs were lined up wide... Sure, we may have athletic TEs, but I thought this was a joke when I saw it... Also, we need to focus on our regular offense before we try to get the Wildcat going...

Defense... I'll give these guys a break for now... By my estimations, they allowed 17 points while being on the field for long stretches, which our offense should have easily overcome... Sure, there are areas for improvement (like defensive stunts for the linemen), but overall, the guys did a lot better than I expected...

Primarily, take away 2 mistakes by Delhomme and a special teams debacle, and we had a lot better game than some would give us credit for... We need better coaching at this point (why abandon the first 8 minutes' strategy so soon?), as well as an overhaul of offensive heart....

Maybe Jerry Richardson can recommend a good cardiologist?

Keep your heads up... We can still go 15-1, and the ship is most definitely not sinking. One cannonball through the hull won't sink a ship, especially if the crew works hard enough to fix it and reinforce it...

[Mr_Danzel]

Maybe you should be a Tampa Bay fan. All that nautical talk is making me seasick, luckily I can't tell the difference between seasickness and the putrid feeling from watching this game.

[youngceo24]

That's alot to fix in a week and the schedule isn't getting any easier...remember other teams practice too...after the last two games that counted, all 31 other teams definitely know how guarantee themselves a pick against the panthers, triple cover Steve Smith because Jake's gonna throw it even if the entire 53 man roster was in coverage with the cheerleaders and ball boys provide safety help over the top.

[youngceo24]

That's alot to fix in a week and the schedule isn't getting any easier...remember other teams practice too...after the last two games that counted, all 31 other teams definitely know how guarantee themselves a pick against the panthers, triple cover Steve Smith because Jake's gonna throw it even if the entire 53 man roster was in coverage with the cheerleaders and ball boys providing safety help over the top.

[Kevin Greene]

Primarily, take away 2 mistakes by Delhomme and a special teams debacle, and we had a lot better game than some would give us credit for... We need better coaching at this point (why abandon the first 8 minutes' strategy so soon?), as well as an overhaul of offensive heart....

...

I was thinking the same thing about last years AZ game.

However, no do overs.

[captfluoro]

After the preseason I had serious concerns about our Defense, but they played better than expected today. I just don't understand how they can have a 7 minute drive for a TD to open the game and then explode. It seems after one setback this team decompensates and loses their mind.

[Pimpdaddy]

well, to coin a phrase from you '" ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, IVE HAD IT WITH THESE MOTHER FUC*KIN SNAKES! ...