Benching Delhomme is NOT...

[mmmbeans]

yea, i guess they pulled munnerlyn because it appeared as though he was going to end up a stain on the field.

[rippadonn]

-- Return Man: Munnerlyn, Goodson and Moore have all had their good moments. They've all also had their moments when they've showed just how young they are. I'm most amazed that with that last punt yesterday, Smitty didn't go in and take it. I'd love to see Dexter Jackson in to take some punts and kick offs, but I'm not sure he is ready. At this point, though, what could it hurt. Perhaps someone who has no idea what we are trying to do might succeed where the plan can't.

Nobody has mentioned Mark Jones. Did he sign somewhere else? He'd be better than what we've got if he has healed up by now. He wants to be a Panther again.

[Jangler]

If someone came in and threw 2INTS a game we'd be better off with that guy. Sad but true.

That's not funny.....oh wait, you didn't mean it to be.

[Khyber53]

Mr. Scott, as always, you make good points.

-- Keydrick Vincent: Not sure on the need for this right now. However, it might be nice to see some rotation into the line.

-- Kenny Moore: I've been wondering why we don't see him more in the passing game. I believe it is because we are making a concerted effort for more tight end work. Since we can only have 11 at a time on the field, it's hard to get him and double tight ends. I do think the kid is worth it and he'll pay dividends, but there's still more to see.

-- Goodson: I'm lukewarm on this right now. With increased play from the tight ends and the need to get passes to Jarrett and Moore once in a great while, I'm not sure where he fits.

-- Fullback spot: It's a harder position to learn than most would think, but we're phasing it back greatly right now. And that's a shame. I believe a battering ram fullback plays havoc on defensive linemen and linebackers over the course of the game. We should be using them more effectively and more often, particularly in the first half.

-- Tight Ends: Yep, we are doing more with them.

-- Return Man: Munnerlyn, Goodson and Moore have all had their good moments. They've all also had their moments when they've showed just how young they are. I'm most amazed that with that last punt yesterday, Smitty didn't go in and take it. I'd love to see Dexter Jackson in to take some punts and kick offs, but I'm not sure he is ready. At this point, though, what could it hurt. Perhaps someone who has no idea what we are trying to do might succeed where the plan can't.

-- Play calling This is the biggest glaring problem right now. Bills are 31st against the run and 4th against the pass before yesterday, with interceptions galore. So we throw it 42 times? Even when our running game was going great guns? Here's where we come to the situation. Where does Davidson call the plays from? The sidelines... where he has limited view of the game. Where do most offensive coordinators of talent work from? The coache's box. Remember that Henning always stayed there. Perhaps Davidson's problem with reading defenses is that he simply can't see the whole thing...

Sadly, and as big of a Jake supporter as I am, I think he needs to ride the pine for a week or two. I want him to be on the field against Arizona and get his revenge, but right now, he might just come off worse than he did in the playoffs last year. If he ain't crushed completely yet, then he sure would be. And he deserves better. Fox needs to put him back in the stable for a while.

[rippadonn]

That's not funny.....oh wait, you didn't mean it to be.

:nonod:

[mmmbeans]

Nobody has mentioned Mark Jones. Did he sign somewhere else? He'd be better than what we've got if he has healed up by now. He wants to be a Panther again.

Titans

[scpanther22]

Nobody has mentioned Mark Jones. Did he sign somewhere else? He'd be better than what we've got if he has healed up by now. He wants to be a Panther again.

already with the titans

[Darth Biscuit]

Titans

Yep... he is sorely missed... boring yet consistent.

[Sam Mills Fan]

Scot, while you have SOME good points, these threads are a little pointless aren't they? This is like worrying about the mosquito bites, runny nose, and a little bit of poison ivy on your legs when you have a sword impaled through your skull.

[party_animal]

...enough, not by itself :nonod:

There are other steps that need to be taken to keep us from just being in the same boat with a different captain.

This isn't the first time you've posted something like this so ...

Scot, there is always more than one issue with a team. Delhomme being taken out of the game is a major step in the right direction. That's why you see so many people desperate for some kind of change. Whether or not that's positive will remain to be seen. The rest of what you post isn't truly valid until we see what the team chemistry is like with a new key ingredient lining up in the huddle. But here's a counterpoint to what you've posted.

Here are the ones I'd suggest:

Replace Keydrick Vincent - My choice would be with Duke Robinson. Others would say Bernadeau but I think he needs to stay in the utility role. We have no push up the middle and too much pressure is coming from the inside. As good as he was last year, the injury was just too much. Is Robinson ready? Don't know, but Vincent is a liability. Thus, it's time to take the chance.

Duke Robinson's footwork is horrible in pass protection, he's a liability.

Elevate Kenny Moore - It may not be the best time to be pro-Moore right now (at least Kenny) but separate Moore the receiver from Moore the returner. It's time to move Moore to the number two and Moose to the number three role. Otherwise, teams can just continue to crowd the box and double Smith. What to do with Jarrett? Debatable, but I don't think he's the answer.

Moore hasn't shown anything to be elevated to the number two role. I don't get why so many people are pro-Moore and anti-Jarrett. Neither one of them have shown anything up until this point.

Use Goodson as a receiver/runningback - We talked early on about having a three man backfield, and it still hasn't happened. Neither has the use of Goodson as a receiver. Truthfully, I'm more interested in his receiving than his running, but I think we need that third man too (all predicated, of course, on his fixing the ball security issues).

Agreed here.

Fix the fullback spot - This is one of the areas where I'm hedging a bit, but I don't think Hoover can do what he used to an a consistent basis. Problem is I'm also not sure Fiammetta's ready for full duty either (similar quandary with Vincent/Robinson). If you put a gun to my head though, I'd bet that Fiammetta will improve before I'd believe that Hoover will recapture his youth.

Agreed again.

Involve the tight ends more - There's some progress in this regard. It needs to continue. This has more to do with something else I'll say later.

Find a return man - Most likely option here is to give Dexter Jackson a try. Not sure he'll be the answer, but I am sure that at least in this spot, Kenny Moore isn't. Munnerlyn is competent, but not a threat. At this point, we need a threat. Hard to come by this far into the season, of course. Thus, we may have to hope Jackson can do it.

Agreed.

And last, what may be the most controversial point, and the toughest...

Fix the playcalling - Specifically, if John Fox is having a say in it, get him out of it. If, on the other hand, it's all Davidson, then take it away from him. Give those duties to Jim Skipper, or even to Rip Scherer, but remove them from Davidson IF he is the guy truly responsible right now (and that's likely something we can't know for certain from here).

These are my suggestions, for what they're worth.

I think it's a combination of both Davidson/Fox. If you have an OC that won't argue his point or stand up for himself then essentially he's every bit at fault as Fox. And let's be honest, Fox has been known to hire "yes men."

[JakeFlake]

How Danny Crossman still has a job is beyond me.

[mayormaier]

Good Post not sure why Replace Vincent is on there, especially so high. The one part of our O playing well besides the two headed beast is the Line. Don't mess up the chemistry that is growing at this point. They all believe in Vincent.

[rayzor]

...enough, not by itself :nonod:

There are other steps that need to be taken to keep us from just being in the same boat with a different captain.

Here are the ones I'd suggest:

Replace Keydrick Vincent - My choice would be with Duke Robinson. Others would say Bernadeau but I think he needs to stay in the utility role. We have no push up the middle and too much pressure is coming from the inside. As good as he was last year, the injury was just too much. Is Robinson ready? Don't know, but Vincent is a liability. Thus, it's time to take the chance.

Fix the fullback spot - This is one of the areas where I'm hedging a bit, but I don't think Hoover can do what he used to an a consistent basis. Problem is I'm also not sure Fiammetta's ready for full duty either (similar quandary with Vincent/Robinson). If you put a gun to my head though, I'd bet that Fiammetta will improve before I'd believe that Hoover will recapture his youth.

both of these has to be done at some point. i think fiammetta is going to be taking more responsibility out of necessity as long as hoover is having back problems. this could be hoovers last year. he needs to fit into full mentor mood right now and fiammetta needs to be getting the reps.

Elevate Kenny Moore - It may not be the best time to be pro-Moore right now (at least Kenny) but separate Moore the receiver from Moore the returner. It's time to move Moore to the number two and Moose to the number three role. Otherwise, teams can just continue to crowd the box and double Smith. What to do with Jarrett? Debatable, but I don't think he's the answer.

Use Goodson as a receiver/runningback - We talked early on about having a three man backfield, and it still hasn't happened. Neither has the use of Goodson as a receiver. Truthfully, I'm more interested in his receiving than his running, but I think we need that third man too (all predicated, of course, on his fixing the ball security issues).

Involve the tight ends more - There's some progress in this regard. It needs to continue. This has more to do with something else I'll say later.

all of these won't happen unless some major changes are made in playcalling and a change at QB. jake and whoever is responsible for the playcalling is too focused on smith and moose. they want too desperately to have the big play that they try and force things to happen. they had some great drives where they were pushing the ball forward really well but then fell back into some of their old tendencies. get the ball out quickly and throw to the open man wearing your jersey colors, regardless of the number. throw to them enough that they know not to be surprised when the ball is coming their way.

i agree, though, that we need to be using moore, goodson, all 3 TEs and even jarrett more. get them on the field and throw to them if they are open. throw to smith and moose only when they are open as well. get williams and stewart involved more in the passing game. we have some great weapons here and some competent receivers, we just need to get the ball around to them more.

Find a return man - Most likely option here is to give Dexter Jackson a try. Not sure he'll be the answer, but I am sure that at least in this spot, Kenny Moore isn't. Munnerlyn is competent, but not a threat. At this point, we need a threat. Hard to come by this far into the season, of course. Thus, we may have to hope Jackson can do it.

if dexter can just hold on to the ball he'd be an immediate upgrade. give him a try. it's worth it, imo. moore isn't going to be the return man we need, though.

And last, what may be the most controversial point, and the toughest...

Fix the playcalling - Specifically, if John Fox is having a say in it, get him out of it. If, on the other hand, it's all Davidson, then take it away from him. Give those duties to Jim Skipper, or even to Rip Scherer, but remove them from Davidson IF he is the guy truly responsible right now (and that's likely something we can't know for certain from here).

These are my suggestions, for what they're worth.

this is the biggest issue, imo. even bigger than benching jake.

they aren't playing to their strengths. they are playing to what they wish would be their strengths. they aren't taking into consideration the limitations we have at QB and in the passing game.

there was no reason that we should have thrown that much.

the bills were the worst in the league against the run but were among the top in pass defense and, more importantly, in interceptions.

meanwhile we are leading the league in throwing INTs and have at the helm, the worst in the league on pace for 34 INTs this year.

so what do we do? we throw.

can someone tell me what is the sense in that?

who ever is responsible for making that decision and planning that and not changing it should have their playcalling responsibilities taken away.

[Mr. Scot]

Responding to a few people...

I'd be lying if I said I knew for certain that these ideas would salvage the 2009 season. I believe they are the right things to do, but does doing any or all of these things guarantee a turnaround?

I wish

Optimistic as I generally am, I've got no real confidence that this season can be saved. The problems might truly run too deep, and maybe a wholesale change is what's ultimately needed for the future.

But we do still have games to play this season, and we can't just roll over and play dead. This is what we can realistically do right now to try and fix it.

If, in the end, it isn't enough...we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.