Question: Without Cam is this a playoff team?

[WarPanthers89]

In order for us to be a playoff team with Kyle, he must continue to grow and develop. We have to open up our playbook and not be vanilla on offense. 

[Moo Daeng]

I dont know. That's the fun of watching a season unfold 

[LinvilleGorge]

Not sure. As opposing DCs compile more and more film to study on Kyle Allen his life will get increasingly tougher. Lots of backup QBs have come in and looked good in spurts and some have even turned that into big contracts and starting opportunities, but the true test comes as teams start being able to specifically game plan against you. I hope he can keep it up, but I also hope that we can get Cam back healthy. Best case scenario for everyone involved is for Allen to keep playing well, Cam gets back healthy, Allen gets a chance to compete for a starting spot with a decent contract elsewhere, and we move forward with Cam as the starter and Grier as the backup.

[Steve_Smith_Sr.]

Too early to say, but definitely a possibility.

[BrianS]

I strongly suspect we'd be 4-0 with Kyle Allen under center the entire year.  So to me, the question is are we a playoff contender at 4-0?  Seems obvious to me the answer is yes.  I'm sorry Cam is hurt, but what this does is remove his excuses when he comes back.  We don't need Cam unless he is 100%, because Kyle Allen gives us a chance to win every week.

Now, this team with something resembling 2015 Cam?  We're more than a contender, we've got to be considered a favorite.

[Jeremy Igo]

14 minutes ago, LinvilleGorge said:

As opposing DCs compile more and more film to study on Kyle Allen his life will get increasingly tougher. 

True.

 

But also the more starts he gets, the better he may become. 

 

2 sides to that coin. 

[Kurb]

21 minutes ago, Jeremy Igo said:

Are the Carolina Panthers of today a NFL Playoff contender? 

The formula they have now is a proven successful one. Strong defense, strong running game, game managing QB. 

But first... 

STATEMENT

Yes, I hope Cam comes back 100% and claims the NFL MVP Trophy just before hoisting the Lombardi. That is the ideal outcome.

/STATEMENT

 

But, if Cam just can't get right and we were to give Cam the entire season and offseason to heal up for 2020. Let us put Cam on the shelf and let him get back to MVP form. 

 

Is the team as it is now with Kyle Allen at QB a playoff contender?

No

[BrianS]

2 minutes ago, LinvilleGorge said:

Not sure. As opposing DCs compile more and more film to study on Kyle Allen his life will get increasingly tougher. Lots of backup QBs have come in and looked good in spurts and some have even turned that into big contracts and starting opportunities, but the true test comes as teams start being able to specifically game plan against you. I hope he can keep it up, but I also hope that we can get Cam back healthy. Best case scenario for everyone involved is for Allen to keep playing well, Cam gets back healthy, Allen gets a chance to compete for a starting spot with a decent contract elsewhere, and we move forward with Cam as the starter and Grier as the backup.

I don't disagree with this in principle.  However, consider the tape so far.  Can throw deep, can throw short, can move, good against the blitz, good against coverage, moderately high game intelligence.  The only knock on him at this point is his ball security, which honestly seems like one of the easiest things to coach up.  Aside from the fumbles, what do you attack?

While Kyle Allen isn't Cam, he's *just* mobile enough to run the same offense minus a few designed QB power runs.  The fact that opposing DC's are saying they'd rather game plan for Cam than for Kyle speaks VOLUMES.

[Mr. Scot]

6 minutes ago, ellis said:

Again, I think we forget how last season wasn’t just destroyed by Cam’s shoulder. There were several games in which inexcusable, third and long conversions were a big factor in losing. That’s the difference between 7-9 and 10-6. 

Absolutely.

A lot of us were using the phrase "house of cards" long before the losing started.

[kungfoodude]

23 minutes ago, Jeremy Igo said:

Are the Carolina Panthers of today a NFL Playoff contender? 

The formula they have now is a proven successful one. Strong defense, strong running game, game managing QB. 

But first... 

STATEMENT

Yes, I hope Cam comes back 100% and claims the NFL MVP Trophy just before hoisting the Lombardi. That is the ideal outcome.

/STATEMENT

 

But, if Cam just can't get right and we were to give Cam the entire season and offseason to heal up for 2020. Let us put Cam on the shelf and let him get back to MVP form. 

 

Is the team as it is now with Kyle Allen at QB a playoff contender?

Contender? Yes.

Strong contender? Probably not.

[Pantha-kun]

need a bigger sample size of games with Allen to determine that IMO

[countryboi]

The defense is!

[TheRed]

The Texans tried their damndest to give us that game all afternoon. We aren't going to walk into that kind of favorable circumstance each week. Especially against superior playoff caliber competition. The D is playing very well, but our offensive line is going to have to take a big turn for me to feel good about playoff hopes. Let's also just be real here. We're going to have to figure out some versatility as the season progresses because CMC playing nearly 100% of the snaps is not sustainable.

[LinvilleGorge]

11 minutes ago, Jeremy Igo said:

True.

 

But also the more starts he gets, the better he may become. 

 

2 sides to that coin. 

Seems like history is against it though. Seems like there have been a lot more flash in the pan type backups than there have been backups who have proven to be viable long-term starters.