Some Training Camp Notes 8/3

[carolinarolls]

speaking of replacement refs, I made the mistake of listening to Dino Costa the other day for a minute or two. I can't stand that doushe.

Anyway he was going on and on about how Goodell was "soooo" concerned about player safety but alleged that it was all hypocritical based on the fact that he recently said he was "ok with" replacement refs in the preseason.

PRESEASON

Dino the dumbass went on to say that using replacement refs was unsafe like using a backup flight crew on a commercial flight. That is when he got the knob.

Dino Costa = DUMB ASS

...oh yeah, great write up OP. Thanks.

[ladypanther]

KP...very nice! Thanks.

A lot of weapons in offense and a very creative OC. Hope JR has a plan to keep Chud.

If this team can stay healthy........................

[Captain Morgan]

excellent stuff, thanks so much. The Amini jump is a little concerning, but he is a rookie....if it happens again,...

more concerning..

"-Cam throws very pretty balls. But 1 out of 15 is gonna go high, when it does we gotta pray no safety is in its path. It's like Shaq shooting free throws. We may have to take the bad with the good"

is something we're gonna have to expect and get used to ....it should become less of a problem through the years,

but he is just too rocket-armed for the vast majority of receivers....overthrowing will be a problem, but the other problem

I fear after reading about all the drops so far, is that we are gonna need receivers not so much known for speed or

route running, but those who can catch everything thrown at them. I don't think that category is going to include

Murhpy/Gettis, and it's certainly something LaFell needs to improve on.

[La Pantera]

excellent stuff, thanks so much. The Amini jump is a little concerning, but he is a rookie....if it happens again,...

more concerning..

"-Cam throws very pretty balls. But 1 out of 15 is gonna go high, when it does we gotta pray no safety is in its path. It's like Shaq shooting free throws. We may have to take the bad with the good"

is something we're gonna have to expect and get used to ....it should become less of a problem through the years,

but he is just too rocket-armed for the vast majority of receivers....overthrowing will be a problem, but the other problem

I fear after reading about all the drops so far, is that we are gonna need receivers not so much known for speed or

route running, but those who can catch everything thrown at them. I don't think that category is going to include

Murhpy/Gettis, and it's certainly something LaFell needs to improve on.

LaFell absolutely doesn't need to work on his hands, he caught 97.3% of his passes. We also need guys like Murphy/Gettis to get down field to take advantage of cams arm. They just need to work on being more sure handed.

[rayzor]

Team Drills:

-The majority of team drills focused on starting drives from the offenses 20-30 yard line

-There was some hurry up offense as well but they never spotted the ball in the red zone

-Lot's of mixed personnel in terms of 1st/2nd/3rd team.

-The first thing that jumped out was formations. Lot's of personnel changes, motion, and just general confusion to watch

-In one formation they lined up Cam and Deangelo in a Pistol but with Tolbert and Stewart as wing backs like a wish bone or something. They had Tolbert lead block to the left, Stewart got a fake hand off and followed Tolbert, then Deangelo got the actual hand off on a counter to the right.

-On another Similar play they faked the handoff to Stewart going left then ran an option run to the right. Deangelo flanked Cam for the pitch but he never needed it, they were running free.

-On yet another play they faked Double Trouble and the offensive line to the right and Tolbert caught a screen to the left. The only people in his zip code were tiny DBs

-They ran a three receiver set where Greg Olsen lined up in the slot and Brandon Lafell lined up like a Tight End

-In 4 practices I have seen Greg Olsen line up on the outside several times. They would send in 12 personnel and have formidable pass formation with Greg on the outside and two WR on the other side

-Hell they would run 22 personnel and pass out of it.

-I'm going to stop talking about formations now because the playbook is 700 pages, the point is they can do some scary things

-The Panthers ran screens of all types today. All of them worked great except when Greg Hardy jumped a route for a pass break up. Overall the screen game is diverse and effective

-Lafell had his best practice of camp so far. He connected with Cam maybe 6 or 7 times. All of them down field on crossing, comeback, slant, etc....He doesn't blow by many guys but he can find space in the middle.

-Kuechly really knows how to frustrate the TEs. He's costing those guys a chance at the team with all his breakups.

-Greg Olsen looked great catching the ball today, he and Lafell had the best days

-Ajiritutu is really really good at going up and catching at the highest point. A good talent to have when your QB is Cam Newton

-The offense wasn't afraid to call a run play in the hurry up period

-1st team offense manhandled the D in hurry up

-Chud is really starting to flex his playbook. I have never been so intellectually engaged at a practice. Just trying to figure out what the hell I was looking at.

these things i quoted were the most exciting to me. i could comment but i'd rather just QFE.

great stuff. great observations and write up.

i can't begin to say just how incredibly excited i am about this season and this team. within the next two years this team will likely end up having the best offense in the league and i think with this mix-up of personnel and playcalling that this team is going to be re-writing the way the game is played in the NFL.

i know that people will bitch about having so many RBs and how it's just the old way of doing things and i guess they have this assumption that it's holding the team back from the 21st century or whatever.

the truth is that what is shaping up to be the core of this team is quite dynamic and talented. fortunately we have a smart enough coaching staff to build the offense around the talent that we have and can find creative ways to use them rather than making the mistake of having a certain philosophy/system and trying to build the personnel around it.

what makes a team better than any other is the way that they use the talent they have. don't try and force square pegs into round holes or whatever. you take what you have and build around it and then adapt what you do to those who are added.

anyone thinking that we don't have the right personnel for the system that we are trying to run has it phrased wrong. they are building the system around the talent. they will always have the right system for the players and the right players for the system because of that.

we just have to get our minds away from putting this team and the offense into a box, because chud sure isn't doing that. get your minds away from this idea that you have to be a pass heavy team to succeed because that's what the rest of the NFL is doing or trying to do. forget being boxed into an air coryell system or whatever. throw away the idea that you have to keep the ball on the ground (which i doubt there are any that still hold on to that). forget what other teams do and existing paradigms. this team is creating an offense that has never been seen and that will be what other teams will try to imitate in the future.

[rayzor]

LaFell absolutely doesn't need to work on his hands, he caught 97.3% of his passes. We also need guys like Murphy/Gettis to get down field to take advantage of cams arm. They just need to work on being more sure handed.

lafell was believed to have small hands of stone when he got here and he didn't do a whole lot to put that notion to rest his first year, but last year the guy really grew as a receiver and became one of the best pass catchers in the league. he catches pretty much anything in his zip code and there are few who have watched him or who look at the stats who will have anything but respect for what he did last year. he was one of the safest targets in the league.

[KendrickPanther]

I try to post what I see with minimal analysis. Most of the drops happen in warm ups. It's just receivers running routes against air. Some guys may just need a few catches to get their mind and hands ready for practice. We as fans have untrained eyes. The only thing we can properly diagnose is a good play. Lafell has def improved his hands, I'd say I'm the least worried about him. Steve hasn't been as good in the hands department in recent seasons. Remember that Green Bay fumble last year?

[Frizzy350]

I'm not too worried about Cam's overthrows. Of course they will happen, all quarterbacks with big arms occasionally overthrow their receivers: Marino, Peyton, Rodgers, Brady, Favre, etc. This is just practice afterall and Cam may be taking these opportunities just to test what throws he can and can't get away with- which is a good thing since they don't count for anything.

Anyway yes, he's going to overthrow some receivers and throw some picks, but I'm still a believer that he wasn't really a concern when it came to turning the ball over last year, if he even improves marginally then I'd say he's golden considering the amount of explosiveness he adds to the offense. Also, it's a hell of a lot better that he's overthrowing receivers rather than underthrowing them. At least an overthrown bomb by Cam is basically a punt because it's a turnover 65 yards down the field lol.

[MadHatter]

I'm not too worried about Cam's overthrows. Of course they will happen, all quarterbacks with big arms occasionally overthrow their receivers: Marino, Peyton, Rodgers, Brady, Favre, etc. This is just practice afterall and Cam may be taking these opportunities just to test what throws he can and can't get away with- which is a good thing since they don't count for anything.

Anyway yes, he's going to overthrow some receivers and throw some picks, but I'm still a believer that he wasn't really a concern when it came to turning the ball over last year, if he even improves marginally then I'd say he's golden considering the amount of explosiveness he adds to the offense. Also, it's a hell of a lot better that he's overthrowing receivers rather than underthrowing them. At least an overthrown bomb by Cam is basically a punt because it's a turnover 65 yards down the field lol.

Just don't overthrow the ball over the middle. Those usually end I as interceptions.

[PanthersCarolinaFan]

Heres some videos i got at practice on 8/2