Looking Back on 2011: Panthers D Turrible Against Play Action

[Delhommey]

The Panthers finished with the worst defense in the NFL last year by our DVOA numbers, and their 20.5% DVOA on pass plays ranked 29th. However, what if we told you that the Panthers were merely bad when teams didn't fake a handoff against them? Their DVOA allowed on passes without play-action was just 9.1%, which would have been about 21st in the league last season had that been the full story. However, when teams ran play-action against them -- which they did a league-leading 26 percent of the time -- the Panthers defense gave up a league-worst 50.9% DVOA.

As you might imagine, there are a few different ways to cherry pick stats and really bring out the awfulness of the Panthers defense on play-action. Perhaps the best way to demonstrate it though is that John Beck, yes, John Beck, completed four different play-action passes of 20 yards or more on the Carolina back seven. The name that popped up again and again on the receiving end of the punishment was Captain Munnerlyn. Of the 37 play-action passes against the Panthers that went for 15 or more yards, our game charting project had him in coverage for six of them. Hole in Zone led the way with nine, uncovered receivers picked up six, while Chris Gamble was in coverage on four other occasions.

http://footballoutsiders.com/stat-analysis/2012/2011-play-action-defense

[Argus Plexus]

Rivera, fix this please.

[Leeroy Jenkins PhD]

Thinking of last years defense just hearts my heart

[frash.exe]

munnerlyn really has no business being a starting corner. there are wrs 9 inches taller than him in this division. the only reason he starts here is because this franchise tolerates mediocre talent in the secondary.

[iamhubby1]

So if Capt was in for six, but Gamble had four? To my untrained eye that would seem to indicate that Capt is not that bad. I mean six does not sound like that big of a deal. But then again, it is just another in a long line of indicators, that show Capt can struggle in coverage. Which for a CB, is really not the area of your game you want to be known to struggle with.

Have seen and heard good things about Norman. If true, he may push everyone to get better? Not that an NFL player can't use some extra motivation, but losing your job to a rookie. Ouch.

In before; NFL players don't need added motivation. And no 5th round rookie is a given to start. Because both are faulthoods.

[Iceberg Slim]

Let's remember what we were good at:

[ yt ]http://youtu.be/NsTI-eDV_eE[/yt]