Flukes, Illusions and Mistakes

[Snake]

or maybe the reason they were making those placements was because we kept knocking that one old ref over.

He was a pissy old dude too. Moose goes over to ask if he is alright and he yanks his had away and says something not too nice. The old fuger needed to get out of the way. You dont just stand there like a dumbass.

[Darth Biscuit]

He was a pissy old dude too. Moose goes over to ask if he is alright and he yanks his had away and says something not too nice. The old f**ker needed to get out of the way. You dont just stand there like a dumbass.

Yeah, I saw that... I think it was Rosario he said that to... Rosario knocked him down and helped him and and he said "get the f*ck off of me..." old crabby bastard...

[tight lines]

Overall I think you did a pretty good write up. I disagree on delhomme but thats simple opinion. The one thing I want to point out though is

Yesterdays game saw its fair share of each.

Continued Reliance on Blocking Tight Ends: I've said many a time that this team needs a hybrid tight end, and yesterday it would have been really nice to have. Jeff King's failure to secure a catch the way Gonzales did and the resulting outcomes of the respective challenges provided a perfect contrast. The Falcons showed how much of a weapon a good TE can be. Just wish John Fox would buy into that notion (and I find myself wondering if Jeff Davidson feels the same way).

Yesterday it may have seemed like gonalez was better than our tight ends but that realy wasnt the case.

gonzales had 7 catches for71 yds and 1 td on 7 targets.

our tightends had 5 catches for 69 yds and 1 td on 7 targes

seems like a wash to me.

[GRWatcher]

I didn't see anyone run off the field either...I don't think there ever was anyone back there. It's not up to JJ or Baker to see that. It's up to Fox and Crossman to see that.

It all happened very fast. If the coches noticed, they might not have had time to call time out. I would think someone up in the booth would've seen it first. With 11 at the line, there must've been 12 on the field at some point if the return guy ran off at the last second and I'm sure he didn't run up the field to get off. Only 1 or 2 of our punt team on the line would've noticed that there were more than usual Falcons on the line, the person(s) they were lined up over. No one usually counts the other side's players. I'm sure they somehow disguised it too.

I'm not defending it at all. Pretty well executed though.

[Mr. Scot]

Answering a couple points:

- Middle runs were contained way better than on the edges.

- Bakers blocked punts last year had a lot to do with whiffed blocks.

- In fairness, Gonzales brings more than just stats. He's a good blocker and the threat of his presence opens things up for other guys. Nobody's afraid of Jeff King, Dante Rosario or Gary Barnidge even if you put 'em all on the field at once.

- The Falcons executed that punt stunt well. But had we seen it, an early snap would have made it backfire (12 men on the field). That's what I hope for if it happens again.

[Chaos]

As far as Illusions go....David Copperfield ain't got nothing on Mr. Peppers when it comes to disappearing acts.

[vapanthersfan]

Great points made by everyone here. I don't want to get dishearted so early in the season and refuse to do so at this time. I sure hope the Panthers pull it together for one awesome 2009 season.

I had to listen to the game on a Panthers radio station here at the beach, which of course favored our team. They were making all kinds of holding and clock errors by Atlanta. I strongly believe it don't take to many little errors to add up to losing the game. Sure, we didn't play our best football we could have, but yards earned through mistakes by the other team would have given us some edge.

I love this team I want them to do good so badly. Time to pull up our boot straps and play the football this team can play.. Go Panthers Go

[Mr. Scot]

As far as Illusions go....David Copperfield ain't got nothing on Mr. Peppers when it comes to disappearing acts.

I'd love to be able to debate that, but I don't think I can.

[rayzor]

- In fairness, Gonzales brings more than just stats. He's a good blocker and the threat of his presence opens things up for other guys. Nobody's afraid of Jeff King, Dante Rosario or Gary Barnidge even if you put 'em all on the field at once.

- The Falcons executed that punt stunt well. But had we seen it, an early snap would have made it backfire (12 men on the field). That's what I hope for if it happens again.

about no one being afraid of our tightends...they aren't used enough for anyone to need to worry about them. you don't have to worry about king making the big play. just have someone near him when he catches it and he'll fall. no yards after the catch. rosario wasn't targeted until the 3rd and barnidge not at all. i can't believe how stupid this is to not be using them.

the defense needs to be spread thin so that we can get on the board more. only way that defense is going to get spread thin is if we actually use players that are on the field. if they know that 75% of targets are going to be smitty and moose then that is where all the attention is going to be.

jake targeted more people and had more people with receptions but several of those guys weren't used until late in the game. that needs to change. he needs to be getting rid of that ball quicker as well. defense just has way too much time to get things sorted out and players in place. if you are going to have a predictable offense you better make sure it is quick.

we really need to be going to a no huddle or hurry up offense consistently. that is the only way this team is going to get an edge and the only way the opposing defense is going to get tired. panther defense is going to be tired just because they can't get off the field.

about that punt stunt, that really shows an inadequacy in game management and special teams leadership. i am more and more convinced that the team (coaching staff) lives in a box and are going to constantly surprised when another team does something that is outside the box. the football world is changing around them and they feel they need to stick to some old guard. i'm growing weary of it. this is fox's last chance to prove if he can be a good HC. no more excuses. if he can't get this team winning then we need to get someone in who can. the sooner the better. a mid season firing i wouldn't object to at all. there will be several teams looking for a new HC after the season is over, might as well get a jump on everyone.

if we have a losing record going into week 7 or 8 we need to change.

[cgarsmoker]

Overall I think you did a pretty good write up. I disagree on delhomme but thats simple opinion. The one thing I want to point out though is

Yesterday it may have seemed like gonalez was better than our tight ends but that realy wasnt the case.

gonzales had 7 catches for71 yds and 1 td on 7 targets.

our tightends had 5 catches for 69 yds and 1 td on 7 targes

seems like a wash to me.

This is exactly why you can not look at a stat line and determine the impact a player has on the game. How many of our TE's are you putting up against ONE player for the Falcons? The stat lines may not say it but Gonzalez was clutch for them.

This newspaper line says it all.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=tsn-theresnodenyingfalco&prov=tsn&type=lgns

Gonzalez led the Falcons with seven catches and 71 yards. The only pass Ryan threw his way that wasn't completed was a third and goal from the 5; on that play, Gonzalez drew a pass interference call that gave the Falcons a first down and led directly to a 1-yard run by Michael Turner(notes) that put the Falcons ahead 28-13

Does it still seem like a wash?

[Brandon]

I'm beginning to wonder about officiating these days, maybe they were getting back at us for running into them a few times...

The one official seemed noticeably upset with Moose after he bumped into him that first time.