The Evolution of the Carolina Panthers Offense Under Norv Turner

[nogoodbum]

Maybe it is just me, but it looks as if NORV/Einstein has run three different game plans. Run/pass CMC, fake same & run CAM, & a few passes downfield keeping defense honest.  Heavy pass/run CMC  with more downfield passes & less CAM runs. Heavy run/pass CMC with again  CAM passing and running mixed in. While this has the rest of the NLF buzzing & planning how to stop it, I expect NORV to highlight more downfield passing & other players running & catching to strike even more fear in opposing defenses over the next few games.

[bigdavis]

7 minutes ago, nogoodbum said:

Maybe it is just me, but it looks as if NORV/Einstein has run three different game plans. Run/pass CMC, fake same & run CAM, & a few passes downfield keeping defense honest.  Heavy pass/run CMC  with more downfield passes & less CAM runs. Heavy run/pass CMC with again  CAM passing and running mixed in. While this has the rest of the NLF buzzing & planning how to stop it, I expect NORV to highlight more downfield passing & other players running & catching to strike even more fear in opposing defenses over the next few games.

When he encounters a man-to-man defense, he will.  Cincy was showing a soft zone, and he attacked it appropriately.

[Saca312]

2 hours ago, nogoodbum said:

I expect NORV to highlight more downfield passing

I suspect he hasn’t even opened the full page of his playbook just yet. Got a feeling a lot of beautiful things will happen once Samuel gets back and Moore is up to speed.

[Saca312]

On 9/27/2018 at 9:07 PM, ecu88 said:

CMC in shotgun possesses the biggest riddle to defenses, then add in motions and DCs across the NFL scream REEEEEEEEEEE 

Really deadly. CMC garners so much attention it’s pretty hilarious seeing it at times. 

So many unexpecteds coming from Norv that give defenses heart attacks all the time.

[yayfootball]

On 9/27/2018 at 6:21 PM, BigSyke said:

In the play above, the Panthers are essentially running power with Cam and Moore carrying out a backside option fake. Due to that, the OL and TE should have a numbers advantage as a result. However, what really sets this play apart is the pre-snap motion from Moore. 

When Moore motioned in the backfield, the linebackers shifted in response. The Bengals MLB gets confused and runs into the wrong gap, creating a wide gaping hole for CMC to run through and gain all those beautiful yards for a near TD. 

While I agree with your broader point about misdirection, the gaping hole is simply the result of a numbers advantage, not any confusion on the part of the MLB. The effect of the misdirection is to occupy the attention of the secondary. Case in point, the Panthers come back to this same exact play in the second quarter, just mirrored so they are running to the right instead of the left. The MLB does play it differently this time, staying tight to the down-blocking guard, so Thomas simply seals him to the inside creating a big hole between him and the pulling guard, Van Roten, who kicks out the other LB.

Now, this only gains 6 yards, but that's not the LBs play it any better. In fact, the LBs can't do any better unless one of them completely beats his blocker to the point where he can cover two gaps. This gets stopped at 6 yards because the secondary is much quicker to react the second time around. As McCaffrey runs through the hole, one of the safeties is already within 5 yards of the LOS, and the play-side corner doesn't allow Funchess to seal him to the outside. But all they can do is limit the damage of a play CAR had won before the snap.

[SuperCamDaGawd]

Mannnn just imagine if we would have traded for Josh Gordon......smh. Still in shock that Norv didn't push hard for that

[Moo Daeng]

9 minutes ago, SuperCamDaGawd said:

Mannnn just imagine if we would have traded for Josh Gordon......smh. Still in shock that Norv didn't push hard for that

You are aware he hasn't played a season since 2013 right? You dont trade for that. 

[SuperCamDaGawd]

24 minutes ago, Moo Daeng said:

You are aware he hasn't played a season since 2013 right? You dont trade for that. 

Yet the Patriots did.....hmmmm. Regardless it was a 5the round pick. You lose nothing 

[Saca312]

11 hours ago, yayfootball said:

While I agree with your broader point about misdirection, the gaping hole is simply the result of a numbers advantage, not any confusion on the part of the MLB. The effect of the misdirection is to occupy the attention of the secondary.

Fair enough. 

Yep, part of that play was primarily to ensure the secondary doesn’t close in on the space left in with the DJ Moore motion. That and coupled with the Cam option misdirection led to the secondary standing out and giving more time for CMC to gash through.

However, first instance the added benefit was indeed having the linebackers shift and run into the wrong gap. Sure, second play they did fine, which you did mention, but first play I pointed that out since that was another example of the Bengals linebackers getting affected by motion and misdirection the Panthers used all day.

Perhaps I could’ve used another example instead, but point stands that the Bengals had pretty poor play from their linebackers historically and that day. Norv ensured misdirection and motion was all scattered about to take advantage and test the Bengals discipline, which they failed for the most part.

[TheSpecialJuan]

On 9/27/2018 at 5:54 PM, Saca312 said:

Wow. Back in the off-season, I was the biggest skeptic of the Norv hiring. Personally put, I'm more for the young creative coaching trend going on around the league. With the Sean McVays and the Kyle Shanahan's showcasing explosive offenses bursting with tons of fun and ingenuity, I figured an OC like that would be best for Cam Newton. So when I saw that we hired Norv Turner, who looked lost in Minnesota recently and archaic in design, I assumed the worst and overreacted as such.

Of course, there were other guys here that believed Norv will turn things around. @Mr. Scot comes to mind. 

Then, OTAs, training camp, and preseason came and passed. Soon, I noticed something different about Norv's comments. He kept saying the right stuff. Not just the "right stuff" that essentially is coach speak. No, it's pretty much hitting the mark on evaluations and understanding the situation the Panthers offense was in. I honestly couldn't believe it. He exposed everything that was wrong with it and came up with plans on how to fix it. 

So, I started doubting my old thoughts on Norv. I thought he'd be ready to come in spamming iso routes and run run pass type plays. But then, the past three weeks have been a literal masterpiece of ingenuity, solid situational play-calling, and attacking an opponents weakness while preparing for future scenarios. He's a perfect fit for Cam Newton and this offense, and it shows on the field.

So with that being said, here's a few samples of some solid stuff Norv did. 

Bringing In New Trends 

One thing that really impressed me right off the bat in week 1 is Norv Turner introducing new concepts that haven't really been used much in the NFL. This one concept I'm highlighting is one used a good bit in the collegiate and high school level for a long while, but for some odd reason hasn't been used as much in the NFL level from what I've seen.

Well, then Norv Turner goes ahead and shows off how "young and hip" he is by introducing such for the Carolina Panthers. 

As far as how this became even more popular, Lincoln Riley comes to mind from Oklahoma with how successful they've run it. Heck, Alabama ran it a lot with Jalen Hurts as the primary runner as well. The play, dubbed as the "GT Counter Read" involves a lot more facets than just simply a "zone-read" type play. G/T counter is the core running concept rather than inside zone with frontside OL executing down blocks with a "kick out" block and a "pull block" flowing from the backside.

The really effective aspect of this play is how it creates a numbers advantage for the offense. What this does is essentially creates smaller numbers for the defense thanks to how sort of like a spread concept in nature. Due to that, it's downhill blocking style allows that mismatch in numbers to be taken care of. Best of all, the read element can really a defense by storm.

However, the caveat is whether the offense is confident in their offensive line's ability to pull and the athleticism of their QB. And boy do the Carolina Panthers have one hell of an athlete back there.

On the GT counter above, Taylor Moton and Van Roten are the two pulling olinemen with CMC in the backfield while DJ Moore later motions to them. Cam Newton is reading the backside DE circled in orange, known as the "conflict player." If the defender takes the shorter route towards the backfield, he's aiming for the runningback. If he takes the longer route, he's gunning for the QB.

So, Cam Newton's primary job is to determine what the defensive end is doing. Obviously, shorter route means keep, and longer route means give to CMC.

In this case, the defensive end aims straight at McCaffrey. Cam Newton acknowledges this and takes advantage of the over-pursuit. Pulling the ball inwards, he utilizes his crazy athleticism and speed to easily gain a lot of yards.

Even if the defender honed in on Cam Newton, the numbers advantage provided to the Panthers in the run game would've allowed CMC to gain a good chunk of yards. It's simply a lose-lose scenario for the defense.

The GT Counter Read is a relatively new concept starting to gain traction. It's popularity in the collegiate level is only increasing and Norv is taking advantage.

The fact that Norv Turner sees this and is applying such to this offense really shows how much he is willing to update and change his scheme to fit his personnel. This is something I don't think was seen much with his tenure with the Vikings until the latter half of his career there. For the most part, Norv would try to force his scheme on players who simply weren't good enough for it, and that in turn cost him his job up there.

This time, Norv has the players for his scheme AND acknowledges how to be flexible and add new creative things in Carolina. He's adjusting his scheme for his players to maximize their effectiveness. With this, he's forcing defenses to start picking their poisons with stuff like this.

A creative OC who's willing to adapt and change with the times and add in new ideas to get better. Norv Turner has really showed his stuff right off the bat.

Attacking a Defense's Weakness

Another great thing that Norv has done is understanding an opponent's weakness and pretty much attacking the hell out of it.

And boy did Norv Turner show that against the Bengals.

Christian McCaffrey rushing for near 200 yards on the day against one of the league's better run defenses wasn't a fluke. It was a combination of both his fantastic skills as a runner and Norv Turner pressing on advantageous situations and numbers for CMC.

Check out this table on the Panthers RB Rushing plays:

This shows the difference between 2017 and 2018. In 2018, we're clearly running out of shotgun more often, but what I want the primary focus to be on is how often McCaffrey is running into loaded boxes so far. 

Only on 30.4% of his snaps is he running into what is considered a loaded box. This is indicative of Norv scheming to create a numbers advantage for the Panthers offense against defenses. Like the GT Counter Read play before, Norv has other ways of getting CMC into favorable positions.

However, what stood out against the Bengals is how Norv attacked the Bengals linebackers.

One thing the Bengals don't have is solid linebackers. With injuries on that side and such, they really don't have the best crew manning the back half of the front. The Bengals LBers are known to over-pursue and just simply play bad football on occasions.

Norv Turner has done his homework. And boy, did he attack them bad.

One thing @Mr. Scot pointed out earlier was how Norv was a huge fan of misdirection plays back from even his days with the Cowboys. So of course it was only natural for Norv to heavily spam some good misdirection and motion against an undisciplined Bengals linebacking corps.

In the play above, the Panthers are essentially running power with Cam and Moore carrying out a backside option fake. Due to that, the OL and TE should have a numbers advantage as a result. However, what really sets this play apart is the pre-snap motion from Moore. 

When Moore motioned in the backfield, the linebackers shifted in response. The Bengals MLB gets confused and runs into the wrong gap, creating a wide gaping hole for CMC to run through and gain all those beautiful yards for a near TD. 

And it all was made possible due to Norv's pre-snap motion design and understanding the Bengal's weakness at linebacker. 

Preparing For The Future

Finally, Norv is throwing some looks in preparation for the future.

Checkout what appears to be a simple checkdown to CMC.

Notice what Cam does. He immediately throws it to CMC, defining this play as intentional and not so much as checkdown. The idea is that CMC would have some space and such would be a favorable matchup for CMC. Of course, this play went for minimal yardage and appears insignificant on paper.

However, a closer look reveals the concept as a mirrored snag concept.

In essence, the mirrored snag would define CMC as the checkdown receiver rather than the primary. However, Norv is instead taking this play and putting CMC as the #1 immediate target. What happens is that defenses are forced to account for CMC and really hone in on him. As seen, the Bengals acknowledge that and corners go hard on this action towards CMC.

So, what happens in the future?

Well, notice the possibilities. Scott points this out on twitter. When the corners crash down on CMC, Cam Newton could simply fake the ball and throw it to another WR. No doubt there will be someone open downfield that Cam could throw to. It'd be an easy big chunk play and defenses would be on their toes trying to pick their poison.

Either they hone in on CMC like they see on tape like the Bengals did or prepare for Cam possibly throwing deep taking advantage of showing little tape of such.

Either way, through what appears to be a simple checkdown to CMC can in turn create a whole lot of possibilities in future games. And Norv is helping to create that by taking advantage of the attention CMC gets.

Conclusion

Norv is rly rly good. i was vry vry wrong b4. norv is the best thing to happen to cam.

 

Excellent job 

[Pup McBarky]

3 hours ago, SuperCamDaGawd said:

Yet the Patriots did.....hmmmm. Regardless it was a 5the round pick. You lose nothing 

You lose a 5th round pick for possibly nothing - and potentially have worse problems. Sure, the kid has talent, but he has a history of substance abuse. It's possible with the right environment, he makes it. But given his history, I agree with those who say passing on him was the right move.

Sometimes those moves are worth the gamble, sometimes they aren't - especially on players who have repeated substance issues. If the gamble is on his ability in the right system, that's one thing; but gambling on someone who could possibly bring the organization PR headaches and cause problems in the locker room, that's a whole different kettle of fish.

And while I'm no fan of JR, he had the right attitude about bringing in players who were self-disciplined - a policy I believe Tepper will continue.

[Saca312]

On 9/28/2018 at 8:50 AM, PantherBrew said:

What really makes this play more lethal is when you had the RPO element.  Either giving Cam a pitch man or running a bubble concept and reading the OLB instead of the DE.  

Actually I think later against the Bengals the Panthers actually turned it into a play-action from what appeared to be a GT Counter formation. Was able to hit Funchess off it for a huge gain. I thought it was real interesting.

[Moo Daeng]

People dont like Geoff Schwartz but I dont think that makes him wrong when he said it takes time for a new offense to settle in. While it's the same scheme we have seen how it I'd being applied differently. I am optimistic that if the line can maintain a respectable level of play that we will see steady improvement. We really do have an assortment of offensive players that can be utilized by comoetant coordinator.  I'm not the least concerned with who gets the numbers. I'm interested to see that somebody is being affective and how matchups are being exploited.

[Jon4rd]

22 hours ago, SuperCamDaGawd said:

Yet the Patriots did.....hmmmm. Regardless it was a 5the round pick. You lose nothing 

Josh Norman was a 5th round pick