Excellent In-Depth NFL.com Article On Our Running Game

[panthers55]

In 2011, RBs carried the ball only 307 times.

Name the last time our RBs had fewer? Name 4 NFL teams whose RBs carried it less last year.

We are a Cam Newton offense. The RBs are complimentary role players now.

Lets wait and see what happens this year. With no offseason, Chud's first year here, and Newton being a rookie, we ran what he was already comfortable with and what was easy to execute. Now being the second year in the offense and more time to implement the offense you may see some different wrinkles and emphasis.

As I have said repeatedly this offseason, people are making way too much about what happened last year. Last year was very unusual in terms of the lockout, first year in the system, devastating injuries, etc. While I doubt we will end up changing everything and certainly Newton will be the lynchpin of the offense, to say we won't do this or that because of what we did last year may be totally off base. We really won't know until the fourth or fifth game of the season.

[csx]

Newton had the most rushing yards because of a single scramble on a passing play.

[panther4life]

I will make a bet Rayzor. Friday night. Starting unit. Newton is the leadiing rusher. Again.

It is just too easy for him. Much easier for Newton to run when a defense plays the pass than when Williams or whoever lines up to pound it. That doesn't mean don't run RBs......it just means Newton's running won't go away.

Also, the Manning Colts were all about Manning. Sure he got help but everything was about Manning. The way it should of been. They were rewarded for that w/ a decade of 10+ wins. Manning had weapons. Carolina should be no different. Cam's team. We should never get away from that. Give him help...but it all goes through him at the end of the day.

Totally off subject, but its amazing to me that he played there healthy for 13 seasons, won 4 mvp's and they got 1 superbowl win. I will be sick if Cam plays that good with us for that long and only gets 1 ring.

[joemac]

Newton had the most rushing yards because of a single scramble on a passing play.

So whats your point?

[panthers55]

a preseason game? lol no thanks.

didn't say or imply that newton's running would go away.

again, the less we have to put on cam's shoulders, the better this team will be.

newton is the most important part of this offense and it is centered on his abilities, but it isn't all about him. just like rivera said...they can't make it all about him. they have to give him and the offense as many weapons as possible and use them all with frequency. the RBs will continue to be a vital part of the offense. not THE vital part, but a vital one that is crucial to this teams success and ability to dominate it's opponents.

i don't care what peyton and the colts did or what other teams in the league are doing. the panthers are doing things differently than any other team in the league because of what newton can do, but it's what the other players bring to the table and the amount they are used that will take it over the top. if you are going to have RBs running the ball, why not have the best RB corps possible? if you are going to have that quality of corps and pay them that much, why not have them involved more? why limit the offense at all?

rivera said what he said. i'm taking it at face value that he doesn't want cam to carry the team by himself. he doesn't want it to be all about him.

As we discussed in other threads, the difference between the pass/run mix for supposedly passing teams (60/40) versus our team which was a big running team (52/48) is roughly 1 pass per drive or maybe 6-8 passes/runs a game. So this whole dichotomy is more derived than real. And as you say, we have a unique system in place which isn't comparable to what WCO teams are doing, for example, so why compare??

We will take what the defense gives us and move the ball however we can. If teams focus on taking away by the pass, we can run. If they take away the run, we can pass. As you note most teams can't be one dimensional and be successful.

[csx]

So whats your point?

That the fact he had the most rushing yards of the starters is not significant or indicative of how things will work out over time.

[panthers55]

The problem with making a team all about one player is that the team is then one injury from being really bad on offense. Prime example is the Colts without Manning last year. If Newton went down, heaven forbid, I think that Anderson could be effective with the tools he has around him.

[rayzor]

As we discussed in other threads, the difference between the pass/run mix for supposedly passing teams (60/40) versus our team which was a big running team (52/48) is roughly 1 pass per drive or maybe 6-8 passes/runs a game. So this whole dichotomy is more derived than real. And as you say, we have a unique system in place which isn't comparable to what WCO teams are doing, for example, so why compare??

We will take advantage of what the defense gives us and move the ball however we can. If teams focus on taking away by the pass, we can run. If they take away the run, we can pass. As you note most teams can't be one dimensional and be successful.

fixed that. we'll be exploiting other teams weaknesses and goes as far as their personnel, system, or how they try to gameplan against us.

i think more than that, we will be doing whatever we want to do and force defenses to take what we give them. force them to keep up if they can.

i think some teams can be really successful being one dimensional, but is it sustainable? that's the key to me. not just over the course of a season, but seasons.

[rayzor]

The problem with making a team all about one player is that the team is then one injury from being really bad on offense. Prime example is the Colts without Manning last year. If Newton went down, heaven forbid, I think that Anderson could be effective with the tools he has around him.

that isn't saying anderson could be as effective, just effective...correct? just because i know some will jump to that conclusion.

[CRA]

Newton had the most rushing yards because of a single scramble on a passing play.

okay? so?

Point is those are easy yards there for Cam. The passing formations give a pass/run option unique to him.. Easier yards than traditional running. As the offense gets better, hopefully the short pass to the RB gets used more as an extension of the run as well.

[CRA]

Totally off subject, but its amazing to me that he played there healthy for 13 seasons, won 4 mvp's and they got 1 superbowl win. I will be sick if Cam plays that good with us for that long and only gets 1 ring.

I won't be irritated if we are in the postseason every year for a decade....and get a ring.

[GAme]

I can't wait to see running packages with Tolbert playing fullback. Defenses be scared

[CRA]

The problem with making a team all about one player is that the team is then one injury from being really bad on offense. Prime example is the Colts without Manning last year. If Newton went down, heaven forbid, I think that Anderson could be effective with the tools he has around him.

Yeah, but the last 10 seasons they had 9 winning/playoffs seasons. They sucked the one year he was hurt. That really isn't a problem big picture.

But who wouldn't take that 1 bad year vs. 9 winning/playoff teams in a decade.

Newton is too special IMO not to gamble w/ making the team all about him. Worth the risk. I think there are very few you would do that for though.

[rayzor]

what is scarier?

a team where newton is the whole offense or one where he is just one part of it?

again, that isn't downplaying newton's role or ability...it's trying to have all parts of the team be excellent.

we have who could very well be the best and most dynamic QB in the league with a skill set that no one has ever come close to. that in itself is scary.

combine with that what could be the most powerful RB corps the league has ever seen...not the best because of newton, but because of the personnel. already williams and stewart were considered if not the best, one of the top couple RB tandems in the league. add tolbert to that and there is nothing that comes close to matching it.

newton makes for an incredible offense.

newton + williams/stewart/tolbert makes for a much better offense.

what would you be more scared of?

and it's not like it's even limited to just that...we've got smitty and olsen and lafell along with some potentially very good young WRs. i absolutely love the potential threat in murphy. gettis, and adams. if any one or two of those prove to be anything close to what they are capable of and cam can keep getting the ball to them i would put up this WR corps against any in the league and feel good about it.

what you have the makings of is not just one of the most complete offenses in the league, but the most powerful and dynamic ever. i just don't know why you'd want to limit it at all.