Game Notes - Week Two

[TheRed]

Your posts are some of the few I bother to read entirely honestly, good write up.

[Mr. Scot]

In regards to Newton, does anyone else think that sometimes he really wants to run, but hesitates and decides to throw it instead? There was one particular play against GB where Newton rolled out to the right to avoid pressure, there was a huge lane, Newton took 1 step like he was ready to take off, then decided against it and threw the ball downfield. Don't remember if the pass was a completion or not.

His trying to be a passer before he's a runner is a positive for me as long as it doesn't get to a McNabb-like level where he ignores those times when running would be the right choice.

[Oldschool Leroy]

I have to spread rep. around more they say. So until then; thanks, I appreciate your effort.

[BeasonBeastingBacks]

I read all of this

yay me

Good write up Mr Scot, enjoyed it

[MadHatter]

(yeah, I’m late; had a busy last couple of days)

Early on in this game I was rubbing my eyes to see if I was really awake. As the game wore on, I realized that I was :(

That’s okay though. It’s still a way better start to this season than I would have imagined :)

On to the analysis…

OFFENSE

Starting where I always like to start, with the Big Uglys. One thing we got to see a little of in this game that we didn’t see much last year was some second level blocking. Ryan Kalil is one of the best centers in the league at this aspect of the game. Unfortunately, when I say we say little, reality is we saw very little because almost none of our run plays are actually making it to the second level.

As has been the case a lot since last year, the right side of the line is the weaker link. People will concentrate on Byron Bell (who had moments, but for the most part looked like a rookie in his first start playing against the World Champs) but in truth, Geoff Hangartner is still not really starter material to me, much better as a utility backup. He’s a great pass blocker, but gets pretty much no push in the run game. Granted, most people would need a bulldozer to push B J Raji, but this has been the knock on Hangartner since his first stay here. Sad to see it hasn’t changed. The Pack didn’t stack the box near as much as Arizona did, but they didn’t need to.

Overall, an up-and-down day. Decent pass blocking but the Pack opted for coverage over pressure most of the day and, sadly, still managed to get some pressure without having to blitz all the time. On run plays, we couldn’t get much of anything as far as forward progress. Granting that the Pack has a pretty good D-Line, but still that has to improve. A healthy Otah will help, of course, but sightings of a healthy Jeff Otah are only slightly more prevalent these days than sightings of Bigfoot. We’re going to have to get some young insurance next season (maybe some veteran insurance this season, but I’m iffy on that since we’re rebuilding).

Next stop, Newton. Like week one, a record setting day in the yards department, though overall a little rougher outing (no shock against a better opponent). Not sure how anyone can still question whether or not the “gunslinger” label applies, though hopefully people realize that’s just a playing style, not a weakness. Going after Charles Woodson was definitely a gunslinger move. Sadly, that one came back to bite us.

But with that said, I’m hoping the coaches don’t attempt to tone down the gunslinger aspect of Newton’s game. Henning tried that with Delhomme in early 2005 and got poor results. With this type of player, if you try to make them play it safe, you take away one of the things that makes them good. Back in 2005, lots of us were saying “let Jake be Jake”. It might not be necessary to say “let Cam be Cam” with this staff because aggression is their calling card, but keep a watch on it.

What Chudzinski did do with Newton after the third pick was switch up the playcalling to tend toward safer, more high-percentage passes. That was smart, but more on that later. Calling the designed runs against Green Bay was smart too since they were playing primarily in coverage. That sort of thing still makes me nervous, but okay results so far. Newton isn’t as fast as a Michael Vick, but he’s so big he covers a lot of ground in just a few strides and has some pretty nifty moves for someone his size (ask Clay Matthews).

As before, Newton was better outside the red zone than in it. Again, not really a surprise because this is true of a lot of “longball” quarterbacks. Capers played it smart there, doubling favorite targets like Greg Olsen when they were down close. Don’t be surprised if Chudzinski opts for a WCO type approach (i.e. short passes and RAC) in future red zone trips. Of course, a better run game would help a lot :(

Steve Mariucci also pointed out in analysis that Newton got caught with his eyes on the pass rush a time or two, noticeably so on one of the Woodson picks. That could be some leftover from week one when the pressure was near constant. Shula and Chudzinski will no doubt work on coaching that out of him, as well as the tendency to let it alter his mechanics and footwork.

One noticeable difference between Newton and Delhomme was that Jake always started slow but got better as the game wore on. Newton is the opposite, starting fast but tailing off by the fourth quarter. You can see as the game wears on that his accuracy isn’t as sharp (the pass to Naanee in the end zone, for example, should have been an easy six). I think the primary reason for this, honestly, is conditioning.

It’s not unusual for rookies to have a little bit of a rough transition to the rigors of the pro game (witness Armanti Edwards last season). I know this will surprise people somewhat with regard to Newton, but it shouldn’t given that he is being asked to do a lot in this offense, didn’t really have a full offseason and what training camp he did have was conducted under the new “kinder, gentler” rules.

Was he a superior athlete in college? Yes, but college isn’t the pros. Good chance that, given time, he adjusts. Still, it’ll be no surprise to see his performance tail off some as the year goes on. The good news? This problem generally takes care of itself between year one and year two. So next year it shouldn’t be an issue (and again, might not be later this year if things go our way).

Even with the conditioning issues though, the late pass downfield to Smith was a beauty :)

One really big positive: we’ve yet to see a single sign that there will be any issues with his attitude. Newton walked to the sidelines after his final rush TD looking like someone had just kicked his dog. He’s said consistently that it’s the winning that matters, not the stats, and I find that extremely encouraging coming from a leader. In the guidance department, I think you have to credit that as much to Ron Rivera as to Shula and Chudzinski. Teams mimic their head coach, and Rivera is a head coach for whom winning is the bottom line. His team, and especially his quarterback, reflect that.

All in all, Newton still looks like a rookie sometimes, but an extremely promising rookie, arguably more promising than any rookie that's come down the pike in a long time. The Packer defenders were saying post game that they were glad they got him while he was still learning. More than one person has said that once he “figures it all out”, he’ll be dangerous. Given that he’s shown he can already be fairly dangerous, I look forward to that :)

Moving on to the runningbacks, I know a lot of folks are complaining about their performance right now, but I think those complaints are misplaced. Back in 2008, Williams and Stewart were at their best when there were big holes to run through (like most runners are). Not seeing the big holes open up this season so far, and that’s on the Uglys, not the runningbacks. Did see Jerome Felton in uniform but didn’t notice him during the game. If he was out there much, I missed it (might still be learning the playbook).

Until the O-Line issues can be solved, the most wise use of Williams and Stewart might be as receivers out of the backfield. Both are capable in that department. As far as the run game though, I do believe it will improve, although it might not be until next season. Folks won’t want to hear that in the face of the big contract Williams just got, but I think patience will be a virtue here.

Speaking of issues, Steve Smith had more than his share this game. Drops, failure to make some catches that would have been circus, but which we’ve come to expect from Smith, and that horrible fumble (ugh). One report even said that he was jawing with a drunken fan. Smith’s passion has always been a bit of a double-edged sword, though in later years the good edge has shown itself more than the bad edge. Again, you have to coach that sort of thing, but you can’t really take it away from him too much because it’s a lot of what makes him who he is.

Good game from Brandon LaFell, although I’m still not ready to call him consistent yet. Not much shown from Legedu Naanee, although granted some of the passes that came his way could have been better. One thing I notice with Naanee is that he doesn’t seem to have great body control. All of the best big receivers have excellent body control. Naanee doesn’t, sadly. On one pass that he jumped for (granting that the pass was too high) his arms and legs were just flailing.

I think in the future you’ll likely see the Panthers look to acquire big receivers with better body control, capable of doing the high catches and circus catches well. That’s the type of receiver that best complements a quarterback with Newton’s skill set. That may not bode well for Armanti Edwards, who still has yet to show up much in the passing game.

Not as much from the tight ends this game either. Olsen’s first TD was a beauty, but was called back. Right now, if I’m a defensive coordinator looking at the Panthers passing game, I probably double Steve Smith between the 20s and double Shockey or Olsen in the red zone. Until our run game gets better, that’s likely a fairly effective strategy

Great read as usual my friend.

[Mr. Scot]

Thanks guys :thumbsup:

(I really do need therapy) :(

[Snake]

In regards to Newton, does anyone else think that sometimes he really wants to run, but hesitates and decides to throw it instead? There was one particular play against GB where Newton rolled out to the right to avoid pressure, there was a huge lane, Newton took 1 step like he was ready to take off, then decided against it and threw the ball downfield. Don't remember if the pass was a completion or not.

That pump fake before he ran was a great it held up the LBs so he could get the 1st. I think its more of not understanding his pocket and just experience. Once he knows if he should hang or run its going to get scary for teams.

[Mr. Scot]

That pump fake before he ran was a great it held up the LBs so he could get the 1st. I think its more of not understanding his pocket and just experience. Once he knows if he should hang or run its going to get scary for teams.

That was a pretty smart play too.

Said it elsewhere: The guy I saw in preseason three and the guy I see playing now are so different it's hard to believe they're the same player. And it's not just a "preseason vs regular season" thing. The coaching staff did a fantastic job of getting him ready to go.

Not sure we saw a young quarterback develop that much in an entire season under Fox's coaching staff, much less a two week period.

[Taom82]

I don't remember the last time I gave rep, but it must have been to Mr. Scot because I need to spread some more around. Great read as usual.

[Munch4455]

Havent used any FB hardly at all this year if you look at film...

Its because typically in this offense TE's are used as fullbacks a majority of the time.

Side Note: That hold on Gross was likely an error in number. I dont remember the play, I remember that Gross didnt hold, the ref's likely just got his number mixed up with someone elses.

[Mr. Scot]

Its because typically in this offense TE's are used as fullbacks a majority of the time.

Side Note: That hold on Gross was likely an error in number. I dont remember the play, I remember that Gross didnt hold, the ref's likely just got his number mixed up with someone elses.

I remember thinking that, but didn't really see anyone else hold at the time either.

(in fairness, I didn't rewind and recheck)

[Devoid]

Special teams have to do a better job blocking. I know Goodson is a good KR and AE was a good PR in the preseason, but they are both sucking right now. I blame blocking more than them or the new kick off spot. Could be wrong but I remember us inside the 20 far too often.

[JawnyBlaze]

Good write-up, my only disagreement is about LaFell. I don't know what more you want to see out of him to say he's consistent. In the only two games he's had he's made big plays and hasn't had a problem with drops. He's playing much better than last year so far and really doing all that can be asked of him.

If Naanee starts vs Jacksonville it will be an injustice.

[Cuttinedge]

Felton was in the game on our first drive when we tried to run the ball down in the red zone with Stew.

Check out the below video for the results.

Great write up as always Mr.Scot.

If Gross wonders why the coaching staff is throwing instead of running in the redzone . He should watch this video over and over . Whole OL got blew up.

FB whiffed , Kalil might as well had whiffed. And Gross didn't block anything .

Right side was misreable also.

This ain't the old Panthers if they can't run block any better than this , looks like we gonna be airing it out alot.