The Ewing Theory

[Untouchable]

https://twitter.com/MattHarmon_BYB/status/930293364011941888

Windows likely closed a little after Samuel left too.  KB is averaging 2.00 yards of separation for reference.

[PantherBrew]

4 minutes ago, stbugs said:

It is. Do you really think Shepard is commanding more attention from the DBs that they are saying he could beat us so we have to let the Panthers run? I like that Funchess has stepped up, heck based on targets he was already the #1. Samuel can still be in the slot, but nothing I have seen the past two weeks tells me that we are better with Shepard out there than KB. I have seen multiple drops, an almost INT (Cam telling him what he didn't do) and most importantly lost points. If Shepard catches the pass on the sideline last week (one KB makes), we had a good chance to score a TD instead of a FG. If we do that, we could have withstood Julio's drop turning into a TD instead of potentially losing. Shepard has been terrible the past two games.

Also, Cam's numbers were pretty good against NE and Detroit, two huge road wins. 300+ yards, 3TDs in each game with KB. KB had 8 catches (10 targets) for 162 yards and 1 TD. Funchess had 14 receptions (18 targets) for 123 yards and 3 TDs. Not too bad, more passing yards than both of the last two games. Funchess had 8 more targets in those two games. I still don't get why people keep thinking Cam was locking on to KB this year. Funchess had more targets in almost every game.

Sorry, but there is no proof. In 2015, Cam didn't spread it around, Ginn had 700+ yards, Olsen had 1000+ yards and no other receiver had over 500 yards. Also, the biggest difference between 2015 and 2016 was OL play, running game and the D getting more turnovers than any other team. This year, Cam has been recovering, but his best two passing games were with KB. Our rushing explosion has nothing to do with KB. Our OL is gelling (Kalil playing better) and just plain playing better or do you think KB was the reason why Turner and Norwell were getting beat way more than normal?

With Samuel out, not having KB hurts, but he's gone. It is just bad mental gymnastics to try and equate KB to getting 500 rushing yards in two games. KB was so bad that we did as a team something we have never done? LOL, he's a WR and doesn't nearly have the same impact as people think. Our OL on the other hand, absolutely has that impact when they play well.

Ugh, I don't know why I drag myself in this, but I'm a guy who loves watching the line play. If you guys don't see the night and day difference in our OL play from the first 8 games and the last two, then all I can say is take some time and watch it. The holes we've been creating did not exist before the past two weeks. If we are going to make some noise, that has to continue and again, the OL play has 0 to do with not having KB.

Okay, if you want to make an argument.  That the lines play in the last two weeks, which we both had huge rushing numbers, and in 2015 when we had the leagues 2nd best rushing attack are completely unrelated to KB's absence then fine.  I respectfully disagree.  

[PantherBrew]

Just now, stbugs said:

I am not going to say completely unrelated, but you are trying to equate them. KB's absence means 200+ yards rushing. I'd say the OL play is 95% of the difference. Does the way we block the DL change due to KB? No, it doesn't. We basically took Suh, their best player, out of the game. That was all interior OL blocking. Matt Kalil giving up no pressures? That's just him, not KB.

Again, if KB's presence was so known as an issue, why isn't he sitting or coming in at Shepard's spot? If we knew we could run for 200 yards a game, WTF is KB out there? Shepard is now our WR2 and that scares me a lot because he's been the weak link.

 

You fail to understand the effect of a stacked box.  The reason we can afford to double team Suh, which we did on several effective running plays is because there are less defenders near the LOS.  

I am not expert by any means, but I was a highschool DC for two years and coached O-line for 5.  I am not bragging because we are a middle of the road 2A team, but I understand the basics of defense and offensive line play.  

[CRA]

Only problem..is KB isn’t the star.  Only players here that would fit the theory they describe would be Luke or Cam

[LA_Panther]

Ewing > KB ... not even close. KB had a decent rookie year, he is not a star

[Snake]

On 10/31/2017 at 7:20 PM, PhillyB said:

why not hire a better QB coach instead of trading away a top 20 WR talent?

Or we could actually get Cam a legit target. Funchess has been just as good as KB but nether are what Cam really needs(a reliable deep threat). 

[PantherBrew]

42 minutes ago, stbugs said:

No I don’t. I played OL and DL through high school, that’s one of the parts of the game I watch the most. I just don’t believe that swapping KB for Shepard magically unstacked the box and made our OL block better. We’ll just disagree but based on your thought we should just be able to swap in a speedster for Samuel and just keep humming because as long as KB is gone defenses can’t defend the run anymore.

If that was so simple then we are idiots for not benching KB and being 10-0.

Personally, I think our OL has played better and we’ve called a better game. Notice how we aren’t just hucking it downfield and hoping our Ts can hold on long enough? All this speed and we aren’t going deep at all. No more complex blocking where our OL, TEs and WRs (like Funchess) are completely whiffing. Did you not see some of those awful plays Igo posted earlier in the season? Turner and Norwell were getting rag dolled sometimes. Our OL and play calling has improved and if that was because KB left then our coaches are morons. I don’t think they are, they just seem slow.

It’s funny that 5-3 with KB was actually the second best start to a season for Rivera and he have the second best team record to Seattle in November and December, but you guys still think that that pattern holds less weight than KB being gone magically improving the run game to Panther record levels. 

5

So again, your reasoning is that we are just calling better plays and blocking better.  Just randomly out of nowhere. 

okay.