Admit it, as soon as Rivera shut it down with 1 min left in 1st half...

[chef17]

Regarding a comeback, that was probable regardless of those offensive calls, just given our history in the second half this year. The play calls at the end of the half bothered me because I thought Atlanta would get the ball back and perhaps score, but when the defense stopped them, I was ok with it.

IMO, the playcalling didn't really change much in the second half, but our execution just went to crap. Not just the interceptions, but all of it. Remember before the first int, Cam was almost picked off on the pass to LN.

This is exactly what happened. Even on the last drive where we didn't run. 4 passes is horrible playcalling but not completing any of them is even worse execution.

[Snowman926]

Yea rivera doesnt have a killer instinct Belichick doesnt let off the gas until 0:00 is on th clock.....Rivera forgets there are 2 halves in football.

[Matthias]

There should be a Panthers Play30 commercial.

[Snowman926]

Had Cam throwned a pick-6 at the end of the half people would be calling for Chud and Riveras head.

Remember the 3-2 bomb to Smith? People were giving up on Chud for being to optimistic. Now he is to conservative.

Being conservative at that point would have been justified had our offense been SRUGGLING but we were rolling on all cylinders its a moment killer to pull back like that.

[Cyberjag]

It's like we cant let Riv or Chud know what the score is so the thought process outside of a 48-9 4th quarter lead doesn't change.

I'm not thinking about that at all. The point here is that the team clearly went into conservative mode when it had all the momentum, which runs counter to the promises Rivera made early in the year to be more aggressive. It doesn't make sense to me, and based on the thread itself it doesn't seem to make sense to a lot of people. I'm not saying that it wasn't the right call, just that it didn't seem like the right call from the stands. And the late game heaves REALLY didn't seem like the right call.

Rivera really is at a severe disadvantage compared to a Mike Smith hiring in that last year the roster was purged in some clever move to prepare for a potential lockout by Hurney and Co.

I have faith in this coaching staff moving forward, Marty Hurney on the other hand getting this entire roster back to Playoff quality standards is another question.

I wish I shared your faith in the coaching staff. As for Mike Smith & Co., I kind of think you're not giving them the credit they're due. I know it's Atlanta, and it pains me to say anything nice about them, but those guys did an amazing job considering the hand they were dealt. Here are some happy memories of what most "experts" thought of them... :)

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/preview08/team?team=atl

http://walterfootball.com/offseason2008atl.php

http://football.about.com/od/teamsfalcons/a/08_Falcons.-FxR.htm

[Panthro]

The down-5 series at the end, to me, was the most infuriating set of plays called during the game.

[goodoleboy]

Could it simply be that ATL adjusted their defense at halftime, and amped up their intensity causing a three and out to start the half? I know our offense is potent, but sometimes you get stopped.

Bingo.

We ran 3 straight times. Everyone assumes the coaches made those calls. Some genius even suggested Cam came off the field shaking his head because he didn't like the calls. I bet at least one of those runs was a check Cam made at the line based on what the Atlanta defense showed him. He is a rookie not Superman. In the second half he played like one.

[Cyberjag]

The down-5 series at the end, to me, was the most infuriating set of plays called during the game.

+1

That playcalling just boggled the mind. Even if they were successful, the Falcons would be getting the ball back with three minutes left. I really wonder what the thinking was here....

[Disinfranchised]

People say what they will about how good the Panthers are. But when teams can casually let the lead runaway , and then come back at will, we suck. They are still laughing. Sucks to be a Panther fan today.

[Disinfranchised]

Foxball. It is what it is.

[bleys]

How many games have we came out in the 3rd Qrt and gone 3 and out?

Seems like just about every game.

exactly...

[bleys]

I don't think it's irrelevant. Here you have a team with nothing to play for other than pride, and you aren't trusting the players to get it done, or to even see if they can. Instead of trying to get in field goal territory when the team is hot, you go conservative and run the ball inside. What the hell is wrong with trusting your players and letting them take a shot?

What really blew me away though, is the inconsistency in play-calling at the end of the game. It went from conservative to close the first half to desperate late in the second, where with first and five and plenty of time, we decided to take four shots then and there. We've got a QB who's been sailing his passes all day, and decide to make our stand at the 20???

I really hope Rivera turns out better than what he's shown so far. And I wish I could remember how lousy I'm sure Fox looked in his first year (we lost 8 straight at one point). What I really wanted was for Rivera to have a Mike Smith type of rookie year, but that didn't happen. Oh well, huh? At least he has a better QB...

real quick.. how many times did Fox do this exact thing over the years?

trying to pinpoint this as the downfall for the rest of the game seems highly irrelevant to me. I was just as frustrated they didn't go for it because I was hoping Rivera would not be like Fox and actually step on their throats...

I wish he did trust his talent, but is that a solid expectation with a young team still trying to make it through a full game against a potential playoff team? we've had problems playing 4 full quarters against bad teams..

we throw a pick 6, and THAT would have been a relevant turning point of the game... not saving a big lead and receiving the ball again in the 2nd half..

edit: and yeah, there were points where I kept thinking "WTF, you see that isn't working.." a la screen passes over and over... the 1st few times in the 2nd half were efficient and a good idea to settle Cam down, but the Falcons picked up on them and yet they kept coming..

[csx]

When they went up 23-7 I immediately said "well, that guarantees they will lose this game."

I absolutely hate that I was correct :(

[PanthaSan]

We picked a bad day to have a bad day......