SB Nation - Jordan Gross

A Conversation with Geoff Schwartz

Ryan Basen — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 03:37:31 -0000

Keydrick Vincent (68) and Travelle Wharton (background) are two of only three Panthers offensive linemen who began the season as starters projected to start Sunday against Minnesota. They are helping Geoff Schwartz prepare for his first career start at tackle this week. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

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In the 2008 NFL Draft the Panthers selected three offensive linemen among their nine picks. The plan was for Jeff Otah, a first-round pick, to start immediately at tackle. Seventh-round selections Geoff Schwartz and Mackenzy Bernadeau were viewed as projects who could add to the Panthers' depth eventually.

Less than two full seasons later Bernadeau and Schwartz are preparing to start for Carolina, and Otah is out. Otah is the second Panthers tackle to succumb to a season-ending injury this year, after injuring his knee in last Sunday's loss at New England. Jordan Gross broke his ankle Nov. 15 against Atlanta. Travelle Wharton slid over from guard to replace Gross, with Bernadeau replacing Wharton.

Now it is Schwartz's turn to fill in. The 6-foot-6, 331-pound 23-year-old is expected to make his first career start Sunday night against visiting Minnesota. It's a heck of a way to launch an NFL career. He will line up against the NFL's No. 4-ranked run defense (and 6th overall), anchored by standouts in defensive tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams, and end Jared Allen.

Schwartz spoke about the challenges he faces Sunday, and about relishing the chance to start:

Schwartz, a three-year starter at the University of Oregon, may feel familiar in the Panthers huddle. Tailback Jonathan Stewart and tight end Dante Rosario both played with Schwartz at Oregon. Schwartz suffered a back injury as a junior, which scouts say made his draft stock slip last year. He was complimented for his size and strength, but draft experts questioned his quickness and athleticism -- although he was a good enough athlete to play football, basketball and baseball in high school.

Schwartz spent all of last season on the practice squad, learning to play a pro style offense after lining up in the spread at Oregon. He has been active this season.

Schwartz is excited about and prepared for Sunday's game, he says. "I'm as ready as I can be. It's a good opportunity...Any opportunity you get in this league, you've got to relish."

Schwartz is a "much different" player than he was when he came out of Oregon. He called last season a transition season, "more like a redshirt year." He has since learned to play the Panthers' system and added strength, in part by lifting weights with Gross and center Ryan Kalil nearly every day in the offseason. "I used (last year) to get ready," he said. By the time he was participating in OTA's during the offseason, he felt comfortable enough to play.

The criticism from draft experts and scouts last year does not motivate Schwartz, he says. Instead, "I want to prove to myself more than anybody else" that he can play in the NFL.

Nor is Schwartz playing with his career in mind, although the way he plays over the next three games could determine where he ends up next season. "I'm not really looking at it right now," he says. "I just want to play and show what I can do."

So how badly does he want to play? Well, badly enough the the specter of playing in prime time, against the 11-2 Vikings, does not up the ante. "It doesn't matter when we actually play -- Thursday, Saturday, Sunday," he said. "I'm just hungry for the opportunity. It just happens to be Sunday night." ...

Schwart's teammates also spoke of the changes on the offensive line, and of the urgency that they hope Bernadeau and Schwartz play with. "Any time you have a chance to start in this league, you have a chance to put yourself on film," tight end Jeff King says. "That's your resume."

"It's going to be exciting to see what they can do," guard Kendrick Vincent said. Vincent, in his 9th season, gave this advice to the two green linemen: "Just go out there and have fun." ...

Other teammates had fun with Schwartz. As he faced the media horde in the Panthers' locker room after practice Wednesday afternoon, teammates walked by and dropped one liners. A sample:

--"Fresh haircut."

--"School pictures."

--"The next Anthony Munoz." ...

Two final notes on Schwartz: He once carried the ball in college, when Oregon Quarterback Dennis Dixon ran a play the wrong way and flipped the ball to Schwartz. Dixon thought Schwartz was a back. He caught the pitch and ran for three yards. See the play here.

Schwart'z father once kept a Web site about his son's athletics exploits. It has not been updated since 2005, but it is still active.

Carolina Panthers’ Hump Day Prognostication (Minnesota Vikings edition)

James The Aussie — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:01:01 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

8 days ago: Minnesota Vikings' Brett Favre (4) hugs Adrian Peterson (28) after Peterson's touchdown run during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009, in Minneapolis. The Vikings won 30-10. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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Good morning Panther faithful and happy hump day! Twelve lords a leapin'? Not quite. This is the current number of Carolina Panthers on injured reserve. It's been a horrible 2009 campaign for injuries, but it could be worse; both the Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have 18 players on the IR. After the loss Jeff Otah yesterday the injury ravaged Carolina Panthers (5-8) host the dynamic Minnesota Vikings (11-2) in the last of the Panthers' nationally televised games on Sunday night.

Though not officially announced at the time of this article it appears Matt Moore will be making his third start in a row under center for the beleaguered Carolina Panthers offense. So what does this week hold for the Cats? Find out:

After the jump...

Minnesota run offense vs. Carolina run defense

There's this guy who dons the purple every week. He's pretty good from what I hear... what is his name? Oh yeah, Adrian Peterson. If you aren't aware of Peterson's exploits you've been living under a rock for the last two NFL seasons. Peterson is easily one of the top 5 running backs in the NFL, and some want to anoint him as the next Walter Payton. I'm not willing to go quite that far, but Peterson is an outstanding running back.

Meanwhile, the Panthers' run defense is far from stellar allowing 137.3 yards on the ground each week (26^th in the NFL). If the Panthers want to make some plays in this area they will have to force Peterson to fumble, which isn't a wholly difficult prospect as he's put the ball on the turf 6 times thus far in 2009.

Edge: Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota pass offense vs. Carolina pass defense

In times of yore purple was reserved as a color for kings... so how fitting the Mississippi Methuselah wears the color for the season likely to be his swansong. Brett Favre has found the fountain of youth in Minnesota turning in a MVP caliber season. Thus far Favre has over 3,000 yards, 27 TDs, only 6 INTs while posting a QB rating of 106. A good reason for this resurgence is a veritable smorgasbord of effective wide receivers. Led by a product of the Carolina's- Sidney Rice, the Vikings also have rookie Percy Harvin and Bernard Berrian rounding out their receiving corps. Couple this with Visanthe Shiancoe at TE and the Vikings are very deadly ranked 11^th in the NFL in passing.

Meanwhile the Carolina Panthers' 6^th ranked pass defense has been a bright spot in an otherwise dark season. We've seen the NFL's best and brightest and held the vast majority of passing defenses below their season averages. It would be nice to still have Thomas Davis to keep opposing tight ends honest, but all in all I think the pass D can step up again.

Edge: Carolina Panthers

KEY MATCHUP: Carolina run offense vs. Minnesota run defense

The Carolina Panthers' run offense is a wounded animal at this point. With injuries to both Jordan Gross and Jeff Otah, the normally calm edges do not provide safe harbor for Double Trouble. In the latter part of 2009 the Carolina Panthers' depth on the offensive line has been tested, and been found wanting for the most part. That being said, both DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart have big play potential every time they touch the ball. The Panthers still hold strong at 4^th in the NFL in rushing, despite slightly weakened performances the last two weeks.

Conversely, the Minnesota Vikings are boasting a very stout run defense. They have an extremely efficient group of LBs led by Chad Greenway who leads the team in tackles. Their run defense is currently ranked 4^th in the NFL and this battle of the number 4's proves to be the most intriguing aspect of Sunday night's game.

Edge: Push

Carolina pass offense vs. Minnesota pass defense

As we embark on week three of the Matt Moore experiment it's starting to look a little more like a 4^th grade science fair project than a Nobel Prize winner. Moore has been efficient, but not dynamic. After facing two fairly weak pass defenses in his first two outings he's up against a rough defense this week. If Moore and the Panthers' 28^th ranked pass offense hope to make any dents in the Vikings' armor he needs to get Steve Smith involved early, and often. Relying on the outlets again this week is not going to move the chains efficiently, especially when the run offense is in for a fight.

The Vikings' pass defense is ranked 11^th in the NFL for good reason. The Vikings don't have any true ball hawks in the secondary (only nabbing 6 interceptions this season) but while they lack in this area they more than make up for in coverage. It will be a rough week for Moore.

Edge: Minnesota Vikings

Special Teams

Special teams have been drastically improved since the early weeks of 2009, but they're far from a strong point. The Panthers only average 19.9 yards per kickoff to the Vikings' 24.4 and the Panthers are allowing almost 11 yards per punt return to the Vikings' 9.1.

Edge: Minnesota Vikings

Coaching

Each week this proves to be the hardest aspect to prognosticate. The Panthers' coaching has been so up and down in 2009 it's near impossible to guess what will happen on Sundays. We still need to run the ball more and be more inventive on the offensive end; conversely the defensive coaching has been outstanding. Ron Meeks was a real find for the defense.

The Vikings are getting it done on both sides of the ball. The Panthers are getting it done on one side of the ball. This alone makes it a clear choice.

Edge: Minnesota Vikings

Final Summary

The Panthers are playing for pride, and to dampen some of the boundless excitement in the camp of San Francisco 49ers fans who await our 2010 1^st round pick. Carolina is evaluating the talent and depth they have to better prepare them for a 2010 campaign. I know there is a convoluted scenario that shows how we can make the playoffs, but it would require a Christmas miracle of Charlie Brown proportions to make that a reality.

Meanwhile the Vikings are playing to retain the 1^st round bye. The Vikings are a very, very good football team, but most people who read this article on a regular basis know I just can't pick against my Panthers... so my heavily biased prediction is:

Carolina Panthers 27 - Minnesota Vikings 24

New York Jets Run Defense vs. Carolina Panthers Run Offense

John B — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 13:15:40 -0000

by Patrick Semansky - AP

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Like the Jets, the Panthers own one of the best rushing attacks in the league. Unlike the Jets, they lean on two different backs instead of one. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart might be the best tailback tandem in football. Williams has 982 yards, 7 touchdowns, and a 5.1 average. Had the Panthers not snatched him up in the 2006 Draft right before the Jets went on the clock, there's a chance the Jets may have grabbed him instead of Nick Mangold. Stewart has 509 yards, 6 touchdowns, and a 4.6 average. Williams is the complete package as a runner. Stewart only really lacks breakaway speed. Stewart has been battling an Achilles injury but participated in practice fully on Friday and should be ready to go.

The Panthers are a great run blocking team. Ryan Kalil fights with Nick Mangold and Miami's Jake Grove for the title of best run blocking center. Sione Pouha and Howard Green will have their hands full. David Harris and Bart Scott had better be comfortable working in traffic. The Jets have shown more four man fronts since the Kris Jenkins injury. I wouldn't be surprised to see that trend continue. Carolina will miss Jordan Gross on the left side. Travelle Wharton represents a major downgrade at left tackle. The rest of the Panthers line is full of solid blockers from Jeff Otah to Keydrick Vincent to MacKenzy Bernadeau.

Carolina also has an excellent lead blocking fullback, Brad Hoover, although they do like to run a lot of three receiver and double tight sets so Hoover, who is battling an ankle injury may not see much time. It's going to be really important for the secondary to assist in run support. Muhsin Muhammad in particular is an excellent blocking receiver. Lito Sheppard might be called on to get off a block and make a key tackle when the Panthers send Williams outside.

New York Jets Pass Defense vs. Carolina Panthers Pass Offense

John B — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:02:32 -0000

More photos » by RUSTY KENNEDY - AP

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There are a lot of similarities between the Jets and the Panthers. One of them is both teams have talented quarterbacks capable of taking over a game or losing it by constantly throwing it to the opposition. It's been more of the latter this year for Carolina. Jake Delhomme has only 8 touchdown passes against 14 interceptions on top of his all time horrific Playoff start last year against the Cardinals. His passer rating right now stands at 66.

Steve Smith will draw Darrelle Revis. Smith is one of the top deep threats in the game and owns great speed. He leads the Panthers with 45 receptions, 599 yards, and 4 touchdowns. With Donald Strickland and Dwight Lowery out, Lito Sheppard will rejoin the starting lineup. He'll spend much of his day covering Muhsin Muhammad. This seems like a decent matchup for Lito. Muhammad is not a deep threat. He does a lot of his work underneath, runs good routes, and battles. I like the matchup between the starters.

The Panthers are a better running team than passing team, but there are some areas they can try to exploit the Jets if they are willing to open up their playbook a bit. Then again, that requires putting it into Delhomme's hands instead of their excellent running backs. In any event, Drew Coleman will be the nickel. Coleman is coming off one of worst performances in NFL history against Wes Welker (and that is not hyperbole). In four years, Drew hasn't really developed any cover skills or shown he should be on the field in anything other than extreme passing subpackages. Carolina's third receiver, Jersey product Dwayne Jarrett, has only 10 receptions on the year, but the Panthers could look to exploit this matchup. We could also see them target tight ends Jeff King and Dante Rosario, who split time. They have combined for 31 catches.

The key will be bringing pressure and forcing Delhomme to make decisions quicker than he wants. This is how opponents approch New York's mistake prone quarterback. It's how the Jets should go after Carolina's. The Panthers are playing without Pro Bowl tackle Jordan Gross, who is on IR with an injured ankle. Travelle Wharton will start in his place. He had some struggles against the Dolphins last week. The overload blitzes this week could go primarily to his side.

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:00:20 -0000

Happy Tuesday, friends. It's a short week, with another game on Thursday night, so there's no time to mope or feel sorry for ourselves. In their scheduling wisdom, the NFL took away our right to do so - and I, for one, am glad. The Giants can be beaten, with sound play, but we'll get to that eventually. For now we'll put this week to bed and move on quickly. Ready.... BEGIN!!!!

1. I am approaching one full year as a staff contributor to MHR, having joined at the beginning of December 2008. It's been quite an interesting year, and my relationship to the team has kind of changed in an unexpected way during that time.

I first discovered MHR in April 2008, right before the draft. It, and SBNation, have come a long way since then, but the basics were the same; MHR is a respectful, knowledgeable community which discussed all things about their team. I was inspired to join such a community, and I started posting some FanPosts (which were still called Diaries only a year and a half ago).

Unlike a lot of staff members, I wasn't asked to fill a specific role, so I had to figure out what mine would be. I had always done some around the league stuff, but I wanted to find a delivery formula that would work well on a Broncos site. I debuted ST&NO on January 12, 2009, with the following opening:

As we enter the re-loading season, I felt like I needed to establish a fun new recurring feature. HT has MHR University, and Broncobear has the always excellent Tales from the Sunny Side. Styg is heading up some great draft coverage, which has a fun name, which you'll be hearing about very soon. Nick has some statistical analysis pieces which will be coming, and Zappa will continue to be Zappa, intermittently unleashing jolts of Broncos fan brilliance. And the Guru, when we form like Voltron, the Guru is the head.

So where does that leave me? Well, I was thinking a couple days ago, as I listened to Enter The Wu-Tang and shoveled a foot of snow, that two things I can consistently provide are shallow thoughts, and nearsighted observations. Since this is a Broncos blog, I'll focus on our team, but I'll also include some league-wide thoughts, for keeping-up-with- the-Jones purposes. Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. What else could be needed on top of that? Maybe just some more cowbell.... Did anybody bring a cowbell?

Well, ST&NO has grown, and I have too. As I was sitting on my couch Sunday, watching the debacle against the Chargers, I realized that I wasn't yelling and cursing as much as normal. I didn't get that excited, and I have to say, upon some reflection, that I have been less excitable about the Broncos this season than ever. For the first 6 games, I had a hard time finding new ways to express my pleasure with the situation, and for the last 4, I have had trouble doing the opposite thing.

All I can figure is that my role in writing for this site has subtly and gradually forced me to become more of an objective analyst, and less of a passionate fan. I think the change largely has to do with my relationship with and attitude toward reporters.

I like to beat up on NFL reporters, because I think that most of them only have a surface-level knowledge of what is going on in a football game. The Broncos have a couple of good reporters, in Lindsay Jones and Jeff Legwold, and I never take any shots at them. I actually have tended toward staying away from taking deserved shots at the Denver-area Woody Paige bloviator class, because I don't want to spend the site's goodwill with the Denver media; it's John's to spend, not mine, after all. (Woody going after Kyle at BroncoTalk made me briefly lift my moratorium in the comments section of Horse Tracks the other day.)

Here's a summary of my general attitude toward football reporting. I think there is relatively little value in the reporting of news, at the national level. When Lindsay Jones reports on what happened at the facility every day, there is value in that. When Chris Mortensen hears 10 minutes before Jay Glazer that Chris Simms will start, who cares? Everybody was going to find out soon enough anyway, so what's the difference who had it first?

The real value, to me, is in the analysis, which is why I devote my time and effort to being a good analyst. While I am not a journalist, I do admire the journalistic principle of objectivity, and I think that in reconciling my criticism of national NFL reporters with my long-held policy of non-hypocrisy, I have become more objective. If I am going to beat them up for not knowing the technical aspects of the game as well as me, I can't be less objective than them. Something like that.

I remember last spring sitting in a bar with some co-workers for a happy hour, and seeing Woody's face come on Around The Horn. I told this girl I work with, Trudy, that I competed with him in the marketplace of ideas, and that I kicked his butt, on the merits. Well, I really don't think of Woody as my competition anymore, for a lot of obvious reasons. (Like, for example, he can't compete with me.) Due to the established nature of my content, I feel like I am competing with national guys, like Peter King and Gregg Easterbrook, even if this platform is Broncos-specific.

So, the point of this is that I was struggling with what to say in a general way about Sunday's game, when I don't have the deep feelings that most of you do, and that I would have had a year ago. I feel like I imagine Tom Jackson to feel; I'm very disappointed at the result for my affiliated team, but at the end of the day, I have the rest of the football landscape to worry about, too, and I have to get on with the business of being an objective analyst. I am still coming to grips with this change, and I am not really sure what the ancillary implications are for me. This may be one of these existential crises like we're seeing with Team Edward or Team Jacob. (I have a lot of 20-something women among my Facebook friends, so, trust me, I know.) See here for a funny breakdown of that Twilight sitch-ee-ation.

(Big up my man Justin Dazet for finding that. Justin writes a blog that gets into gaming and other stuff, and a San Diego area column on Geek Culture. Check him out if you're into that sort of thing.)

Momentarily, I will get back to the business of breaking down the game details, like I always do, but I thought I should at least explain why there was no impassioned, emotional screed today about the Broncos.

2. Information From My Eyes - Chargers at Broncos

a. First things first. I am going to tell you why Kyle Orton didn't start the game. He couldn't take snaps from under center and drop back effectively. It's that simple. The injury that he has prevented it. If you can only play in the shotgun, your running game is severely limited, from the perspective of the direction you can run. Josh McDaniels said this without really getting detailed, but this is what he meant.

Orton took a few snaps under center, but he really labored with his footwork, and it hindered the timing of the running game, and the Broncos could only really run to the A and B gaps. When the QB is playing slow, it makes the whole offense play slow, unfortunately.

b. The Broncos came out running the ball like they meant business. They could do that with Chris Simms under center, but Simms obviously never held his end of the bargain as a passer. When Orton came into the game, it wasn't conducive to running the ball, and neither was Orton's ability to retreat from center.

c. Knowshon Moreno scored a Touchdown, and ~~Ron~~ Nuclear Winter's crew blew the call. When I saw who the referee was, right after kickoff, I tweeted;

I am sure Moreno's play was a TD by virtue of relative positioning. To wit, Russ Hochstein's knee was across the goal line, and if his knee caused the fumble, which it clearly did, then the ball had to be across the goal line. That play was an absolute killer, because with a TD at the end of the half, the Broncos are right back in the game at 13-7. The energy of the game had momentarily shifted to the Broncos, and just like that, it was gone.

d. I was very disappointed with the defensive scheme, as I have been the last several weeks. The Broncos have really changed from an aggressive defense to one which is reading and reacting, and I don't like it at all. In the game at San Diego, the Broncos had great success pressuring the A gaps, and I saw very little effort to do that Sunday. They also got Elvis Dumervil in favorable matchups against the terrible Jeromey Clary, and again, there was none of that. Clary was even injured, and they didn't seem like they wanted to go after him. The Broncos need to get back to what made them tough on defense.

e. A little noticed good thing about Sunday was kickoff and punt coverage. The Broncos never let Darren Sproles hurt them in the return game, and both Josh Barrett and David Bruton made outstanding plays in downfield coverage.

f. The Chargers defensive backs got away with playing through the bodies of Denver receivers several times. The Broncos were a lot sloppier than San Diego, but not to the point where the penalty disparity should have been as wide as it was. It seems to me that teams which have "physical" labels like San Diego, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore get away with mugging a lot of WRs, and not just with crappy officiating crews like Nuclear Winter. It's like how you might call a foul playing an indoor basketball game at the Y, but you wouldn't call the same thing playing streetball.

g. Speaking of penalties, I want to know what the unsportsmanlike conduct was against Marcus Thomas and Ronald Fields on those two kicking plays. It seemed to me that they just hit the long snapper, though it was hard to tell from the TV angles on the recorded Short Cut. Those seemed like Nuclear Winter ticky-tack calls.

h. Andre' Goodman had a hard time dealing with the size of Malcolm Floyd on Sunday. Chris Chambers has done very well in Kansas City, but Floyd is a much tougher matchup for a guy like Goodman.

i. I put a great deal of the Broncos' recent offensive struggles on the absence of Ryan Harris. They haven't been able to protect nearly as well as they did in the first six games. That's not exactly meant to be an indictment of Tyler Polumbus, who is fine as a backup OT and special teams player. It's just recognizing the fact that Harris is one of the best RTs in the game. The timing of the offensive struggles aren't coincidental. It looks like Harris is still hurt, but let's hope he can play on the other side of the Giants game.

j. Again, the gap discipline took a vacation in the second half of the football game. Peter King thinks the defense of the first six games was a mirage, which is dramatically oversimplifying the case. They have still been quick and active for big stretches during the losing streak. It's just been less common to see them sustain it for 60 minutes lately. D.J. Williams (again) and Andra Davis both had pretty bad days in the gap discipline department.

k. I was fine with the onsides kick call, even if it didn't work. It was a good situation for it, because the Broncos were going to lose anyway without a big play.

3. Information From My Eyes - Other Games

a. Again, Thursday seems like it was a long time ago. I was very impressed with the play of Ricky Williams in the absence of Ronnie Brown. I haven't liked the play of Williams so much, maybe ever. The Dolphins didn't do much of their Wild Cute Marine Mammal stuff, but they ran very well from traditional formations, against a Carolina defense which is usually stout against the run. The direct snap stuff is good because of Brown, who has a rare instinctiveness for the options it provides. The Dolphins were smart to go back to the handoff game with Williams.

b. I still don't like Chad Henne's tattoo, but he had a very steady game. He's improving as a player every week, and I give the Dolphins a lot of credit for taking it slow with him, and developing him in an intelligent way. Tony Sparano doesn't receive a lot of acclaim, but I have been very impressed with the coaching job his staff has done for two years now.

c. The Dolphins have started ST&NO Favorite Sean Smith at RCB all season, and are now starting Vontae Davis at LCB. They have done a great job, and they really more than held their own against Muhsin Muhammad and Steve Smith last Thursday. Both guys are very talented, but again, it's a testament to the coaching they are getting from Todd Bowles, the Dolphins Assistant Head Coach and Secondary coach. I fully expect Bowles to get a head coaching job this offseason, even though nobody in the reporter-o-sphere is talking about him.

d. I criticized Joey Porter's play last week, but the benching seems to have motivated him. He was dominant, with two sacks and two other tackles for losses. It helped that Jordan Gross was hurt, but Porter looked much better than I have seen him this season, regardless of the matchup.

e. I watched a great deal of the Green Bay-San Francisco game, and I came away thinking that Aaron Rodgers has it better than Alex Smith from a protection standpoint, which isn't saying much at all, obviously. San Francisco has a pretty good LT in Joe Staley, but he's been hurt for a few weeks now. Smith couldn't do anything at all for most of the game Sunday, because he was getting hit the second he got to the top of his drops.

In the second half, with the score getting lopsided, the Niners smartened up and just put Smith in the shotgun, where he is most comfortable. He responded with 3 TD passes and made the game look like it was closer than it was. I continue to think that Smith is more than good enough to win with, if he gets protection. When you evaluate what he does in a vacuum, he's doing the right things way more often than not.

f. I have heard a lot of criticism of Aaron Rodgers lately, but he continues to look like a top-notch passer to me. He is gaining 8.2 yards per pass attempt, with 19 TDs and 5 INTs this season. He has also run for more yards than any QB in the NFL, and 3 TDs. I also tend to think you have to evaluate Rodgers in a vacuum, and other than holding the ball a little too long sometimes, he doesn't do much wrong. The last couple weeks, he's been getting the ball out quicker, too.

g. The loss of Al Harris is really going to hurt the Packers badly. It severely limits their ability to use Charles Woodson in the wide variety of roles that they liked to use him in. Woodson has often covered TEs and is a great blitzer. He's played as well as any defensive player in the NFL this season, and now the Packers may need to use him more on the outside.

I actually think the loss of Aaron Kampman is pretty negligible for them, despite his big name. He hasn't adjusted well to playing OLB, and his tallness has hurt him. By coming from a standup position, Kampman hasn't gotten the leverage he used to play with. He needs to move on to a 4-3 team where he can play on the strongside again. He's about the best in the NFL at that, after Mario Williams.

h. I can't believe the Jaguars are 6-4, but they are. When they win, they have been getting good play from David Garrard and Mike Sims-Walker, which they did on Sunday against Buffalo. Garrard is an interesting guy, because he seems young, but he isn't. He's actually 31, and he's probably reached the prime of his career. He's good enough to take a team to the playoffs, obviously, but do you build around him? I kind of feel the same way about Garrard as I did about Jake Plummer at the end of 2005, though I think Garrard is a little better player than Plummer was.

i. A guy who has been an outstanding player for a few years, without getting any credit, is Kyle Williams for the Bills. He was dominant on Sunday. Williams is kind of a short, stout DT, who does a great job getting penetration from a 3-technique position. He's never been a big sack guy, but his ability to shoot gaps has disrupted a lot of running games.

j. It's funny how many ST&NO favorites become really good players in the NFL. Percy Harvin hasn't gotten a lot of credit, because the media is busy loving on Brett Favre, but he's become a good NFL receiver quickly. A lot of Mel Kiper's said Harvin didn't run a lot of routes at Florida, but he was always open when he did. It was clear to me that he'd be able to separate with quickness as he learned NFL technique. His technique is improving quickly, and he's a handful. Along with Sidney Rice and Bernard Berrian, he's part of a really dangerous receiving corps. I can't think of a lot of groups I'd take over them, actually.

k. Joseph Addai has never been a favorite of mine, but he's playing better than ever lately. I still think that Donald Brown is going to be the better player, but Addai seems to have found some confidence and toughness that I never perceived in him.

l. The AFC has had a lot of outstanding safety play this season, but if I had to pick two starters for the Pro Bowl, they'd be Melvin Bullitt and Bernard Pollard. Bullitt got some notice for stopping the 4th and 2 last week, but he has been terrific in replacing Bob Sanders. Tampa 2-teams need a quick safety who can get from a cover-2 shell to the box very quickly, and Bullitt has done it as well as Sanders ever did.

Pollard was cut by Kansas City, and I just didn't get it. Maybe Scott Pioli was paying him back for last season's hit on Tom Brady? Pollard has been spectacular at times for the Texans, and has really been the star on the back end that they've never had. (No, Dunta Robinson is not a star; he's only paid like one.)

Brian Dawkins, Ed Reed, Jairus Byrd, Antoine Bethea, Kerry Rhodes, Brandon Meriweather, and Reggie Nelson would be battling it out for the last Pro Bowl spot, but I am sure about the top 2, as of today.

m. Laurence Maroney is doing a decent job of re-establishing his reputation as a solid RB. He has had the knock of not being particularly tough, kind of like Addai, but Maroney has been picking up a lot of tough yards lately. Take away the goal-line fumble against he Colts, and he's been really good.

n. Mark Sanchez looked confused almost the whole game on Sunday, against a New England team that knows how to confuse a QB. Sanchez is a classic example of what happens when teams get some film on you and know what you're going to do. I don't think it's time to bench him, like the average Peter King is calling for, but it would definitely behoove the Jets to figure out what Sanchez is comfortable doing, and sticking to only that stuff.

o. I can tell you right now, the Lions had a fantastic draft in 2009. Matthew Stafford, Brandon Pettigrew, and Louis Delmas all look like future Pro Bowlers. MHR favorite Sammie Lee Hill has been a solid starter at DT, and DeAndre Levy has been solid starting at WLB, since Ernie Sims as lost for the season, too. The guy I might like best, actually, is sixth-rounder Aaron Brown, a RB from TCU. He caught a TD pass on Sunday, but where he looked really dangerous was on kickoff returns. He's very explosive looking. I think Derrick Williams will eventually be a useful player too, and that makes 7 hits in one draft class. It's exactly the kind of performance that their opponents from Sunday (the Browns) need.

p. Speaking of he Browns, I have some thoughts. It sucks to lose like that, on an untimed down, but if I was a Browns fan, I would feel a lot better than I did a week ago. Brady Quinn had his best day as a pro, with 4 TD passes, and a 5th one dropped. Sure, he wasn't pressured a lot, when Detroit didn't blitz, but he looked like he was in command, and the offensive game plan looked like Brian Daboll trusted Quinn, finally. Mohamed Massaquoi and Chansi Stuckey did a very nice job making plays down the field.

I mentioned that the Browns need a good draft; they have 11 picks as of right now, and they need to hit on the majority of them. If I were their new football czar, I wouldn't draft a QB in the first round. I would give Quinn a full year with better talent (and coaching), and see what I have. My target would be Russell Okung, an OT from Oklahoma State, who I'd play on the right side. The Browns' current right side is flat-out awful. I'd be bringing in 2 good RBs, since they have zero right now. They need a Correll Buckhalter-type of free agent, and a second-round pick like a Jonathan Dwyer from Georgia Tech. One of their 3rd-round picks would go for a TE who can catch, like Ed Dickson from Oregon. With 2 new RBs, a TE, and a RT, all of a sudden, you have a solid group of players on offense.

Offense has to be the priority, because their 5 TDs on Sunday matched their previous total in 9 games. They aren't really that far away from being league-average, and I only used 3 of 11 picks in this hypothetical situation. The Browns could be 8-8 or 9-7 next season, if they make the most of their offseason opportunities. I can see it now; Todd Bowles wins coach of the year for them, after going from 2-14 to 9-7.

q. The Texans just continue to lose heartbreakers. Matt Schaub made plays, again, and gave his team a chance to win, again. And then Kris Brown blew it, again. I feel really bad for guys like Schaub, Andre Johnson and Mario Williams, who bring it every week. I'd hate to see these circumstances cost Gary Kubiak his job, but they just might.

r. I was going to talk about how everybody needs to slow down on the Vince Young hype train, but he justified the hype Monday night. Repeatedly, he picked up 3rd downs with his legs, and his throwing was pretty good too. He particularly threw a pretty ball that Nate Washington didn't come down with. He looked like he did at the University of Texas. You heard it here first; the Titans are going to beat San Diego by 2 TDs in a few weeks.

s. Trent Dilfer is a really terrible analyst, and I don't get the Steve Levy and Matt Winer combination with him. Usually, there's one anchor type to serve up softballs to the analyst. It's a weird setup. Back to Dilfer, I think the guy is just about always wrong.

t. Right after I typed that, ESPN went back to the Stuart Scott-Matt Millen-Steve Young set, and they proceeded to blame Matt Schaub for Kris Brown's missed field goal. Epic FAIL. All the guy could do was what he did. He moved his team down the field in 45 seconds, and set them up with a shot at a makeable kick. How in the world does that fall on the QB that they lost the game? That is just too idiotic for words

4. As promised, here is the rationale for why the Broncos can win on Thursday night. The Giants are extremely susceptible to getting beaten down the field, since they lost their starting Free Safety, Kenny Phillips. They are getting Aaron Ross back into the swing of things at CB, but he hadn't played all season, prior to this past Sunday.

With their shakiness on the back end, the Giants have blitzed a bit less than in past years, particularly in the A gaps. Tyler Polumbus will need some help on Justin Tuck, when they're matched up, but I expect the Broncos to be able to protect Kyle Orton reasonably well.

The Giants, meanwhile, aren't getting much from their running game lately. I also believe that their WRs don't pose a huge threat against Champ Bailey and Andre' Goodman. David Diehl will almost certainly struggle against Elvis Dumervil, because he's a natural LG playing LT. I feel pretty good about the defensive matchup, really.

This game is no lock, obviously, but it's one which the Broncos can win if they execute, stop taking bad penalties, and take care of the football. John Bena had it exactly right Sunday night. The Broncos can't beat good teams if they make mistakes, and the Giants are a good team. A victory is very plausible, though, if they do what they need to do.

5. I have cited several reasons lately for cutting ST&NO a little short, and I have another one. I got a bit sidetracked from writing, because of some big news in my family, which led to some calling, texting, and emailing, but not much writing.

On Monday night, my brother Chris911's wife Ana gave birth to their first child, Elizabeth Danielle Bartlett, at 7:36 Pacific Time, in Los Angeles, CA. Elizabeth weighed 5 pounds, 12.5 ounces, and was 17 1/4 inches long. Mother and baby are doing well. It occurred to me that I was in a good position to write the first birth announcement. Please join me in congratulating Chris and Ana on the birth of the newest little Broncos fan.

Since I am decidedly not in the having kids business, I took some time to live vicariously through them, and try to feel their excitement. Now, I am going to get back to living vicariously though myself, though. Y'all know how I do...

6. I am hitting the road for Connecticut on Tuesday, right after this story posts, to go eat some turkey, take a hellified tryptophan nap, and find a bar with NFL Network. My main reason for going, though, is to play in the 38th Annual Erb-Orsini Bowl in my hometown of Norwich, CT. I am only 32, so it predates me, but I have played in a number of them over the years. I said I would try to go back east for it last year, but it was snowing all across Pennsylvania, and I decided at the last minute to stay in Cleveland. I wasn't feeling 600 miles of driving in snow. This year, I wanted to show up and play, and the weather is cooperative. I have too much work to do to take the time, but I am going to work on Wednesday from a Tim Horton's restaurant.

The Erb-Orsini Bowl is a touch game, but it's been pretty physical and competitive in the past. The picture below is from the 2004 game. I am on the left. On the right is my brother John. He laid out for a pass early in the game, and was shaken up. His shoulder hurt, and he said that he didn't want to catch any more passes, and that he'd just stay in and pass-block, so he did just that. Thirty-six hours later, after not saying anything more about the topic, he decided to go to the hospital. Turned out, he had broken his shoulder. It's kind of the Bartlett way to suffer in silence, really, which is owed to being half Irish.

The keeper of the flame is the guy in the midde, my long-time friend Tony Orsini. Tony, as it happens, is a huge Giants fan. He's such a huge fan, actually, that he and his dad spent thousands of dollars to go to Arizona and get tickets for Super Bowl XLII against the mighty Patriots. Against that 16-0 team, i would have never spent that kind of coin, but he did, and he was rewarded. (To me, when I heard about it, it sounded like that time in 7th grade when I bet Pete Lacombe 5 bucks that Denver would beat San Francisco, straight-up, in Super Bowl XXIV, even though my allowance was $2 per week at that time. That was an all-time dumb call.)

On Thursday morning, I am hoping for a good Erb-Orsini Bowl, where I make some big plays, and on Thursday night, for our Broncos to beat Tony's Giants. Do any of y'all have good Turkey Bowls to play in? Let's hear some tangential Thanksgiving football stories. You might as well get with me on this meandering, because you never know where we might end up when the carousel stops.

7. Retired for John Elway.

8. The Buffalo coaching search is interesting. We know they've reached out to Mike Shanahan, and word materialized Monday night/Tuesday morning that Bill Cowher was contacted, and that he declined to be considered. Ralph Wilson is 91, and he wants to win now. Unfortunately for Buffalo, he is relatively cash-poor, and the team probably doesn't stay in his family when he dies, due to estate taxation. If it leaves his family, it almost certainly leaves Buffalo, which is a rapidly declining city.

If I were a coach looking for work, I would consider Buffalo unattractive for those reasons, as well as for the fact that they don't have a QB or any real quality on the O-Line. They have 2 good RBs, the fantastic Lee Evans, some good CBs and a good young safety in Jairus Byrd and pass rusher in Aaron Maybin. Paul Posluszny is solid, and Kyle Williams is very good, as I mentioned. The cupboard is not totally empty talent-wise, but it's a serious personnel challenge in a boring, economically depressed cold-weather town. The only thing they have on Cleveland, in terms of attracting free agents, is marginally better-looking uniforms. I expect that the Bills end up hiring a first time Head Coach, after being spurned by Shanahan and others.

That's all I have for this week, friends. I am off to get on the road for the East Coast. I won't see any comments until 10 or 11 hours from now, but I will check them out when I get where I am going, and will answer the ones that need answering. Have a great week, a great holiday, and a great Football Thursday. Go Broncos!

Panthers Blame Game Has No Simple Solution

Jaxon — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:30:25 -0000

More photos » by Chuck Burton - AP

3 months ago: Carolina Panthers' Julius Peppers, left, talks with defensive line coach Brian Baker, right, during the team's NFL football training camp in Spartanburg, S.C., Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2009. It took only two preseason games _ with one tackle and no sacks _ for the critics to pounce. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

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Darin Gantt is easily my favorite Panthers beat writer at the moment, he is always timely in his topics of choice and gives the insight we crave in most cases. I almost always find myself agreeing with Gantt... but not today. Today I find myself in disagreement with his post that all the Panthers troubles in 2009 are due to franchising DE Julius Peppers:

Where keeping Peppers mostly hurt them this year was in the way it robbed them of their depth...Without funds to adequately fill the backup positions, the Panthers are filling kick coverage and return units with odd parts, and guys who were never good special teamers to begin with. The fact that an undrafted rookie receiver such as Charly Martin can go from practice squad to active roster in a week speaks to special teams coach Danny Crossman's desperation. He essentially is trying to play high stakes poker with Old Maid cards, and not surprisingly, it ain't working.

Let's examine this bit by bit starting with the obvious stuff. I can agree that being cap-starved meant the loss of two key back-ups to the offensive line. The Panthers did not have the cap space to tender C/G Geoff Hangartner and T Frank Omiyale. The problem is that the Panthers were already 4-5 by the time they needed a back-up to start a game, when LT Jordan Gross went down. So would having Frank Omiyale in at LT provide a better alternative? I just checked the Bears depth chart and Omiyale is listed as the back-up LG on what even their fans admit is a horrid offensive line in Chicago. I doubt Omiyale would make much of a difference in this case.

The more obvious depth issue was the glaring need at DT once Maake Kemoeatu was lost for the season. But that didn't happen until training camp meaning that even if the Panthers had King Tut's treason to spend most of the top notch DT's were already signed elsewhere else by the time the need surfaced. I will agree there were a couple guys that might have stopped the bleeding sooner (that Boone guy comes to mind) but the truth is injuries killed the run defense, not Peppers contract. If Kemo and rookie Corvey Irvin had remained healthy we might have performed better against the run (or not). On the bright side the Panthers should be loaded at DT next season.

Would the Panthers have gotten more LB help in the offseason if not for the Peppers tag? It seems unlikely given LB was one of the deepest positions on the team. The Panthers were 6 deep with quality players and let a couple good prospects walk after the preseason because they are so deep. Hardly seems like a weakness created from salary cap problems.

Gantt also blames the poor special teams play on Peppers contract, stating it prevented them from signing top notch special teamers. If he is referring to kick and punt returners I will cede the point. The Panthers could still use an experienced punt and/or kick returner but honestly was there that many good ones available in the offseason? We could have kept Mark Jones but the Panthers obviously thought they could do better (not). If the position was so important could they not have spent a high draft pick on one even with the Peppers tag? Sure they could have.

My biggest beef with special teams though is with kick coverage. Every team does use ‘gunners' on coverage and I would agree the good ones are worth a roster spot just for that specific purpose. Did the Panthers ever mention the need to improve the depth at gunner? Was it ever a priority? They already have David Wesley and could put Richard Marshall back in the spot (didn't they already?) if needed. It hardly seems like ‘skimping' on special teams coverage when you are putting NFL-quality players out there to do something as simple as tackle.

If Danny Crossman is desperate it's because he obviously know it's not working too and simply thinks he can change out some of the parts and get better results. So how many special teams players could the Panthers have really brought in if money was not an issue? LB Donte Curry is one that comes to mind but the Panthers seem uninterested at this point. Would one guy really make that much difference? Keep in mind that in the past three seasons the Panthers unit has been ranked near the bottom in returns and coverage, a span that includes a number of different players using HIS system. So after three seasons of piss poor special teams coverage you're going to tell me the problem is not the scheme, it's not the players in charge of actually tackling the returner, it's the franchised DE on the sideline?

Let's not leave any stone unturned. Did the Peppers tag prevent us getting another WR? At what point have the Panthers ever said they needed another WR prior to Moose getting hurt? Never. Now if you wanted to say the Peppers tag prevented us from signing WR Chris Chambers you might have me on that one. Chambers played well yesterday for the Chiefs and looks like he is still a competent #2 WR. But the Panthers were already 3-5 by the time Chambers hit the market.

Here's another point Gantt could have argued but didn't: Peppers contract prevented the Panthers from signing or trading for a starter quality QB. Bingo! I would agree with that...if the Panthers had actually agreed a QB was needed. But they never thought that and still don't think it to this day. So how can you blame Peppers contract on that, unless you want to blame Delhomme's extension on it? That's an obvious point but not germane to the point of this post. As we look back at the QB's that traded teams this past offseason is there any one of them that we wish we had? Hmmm....

So to summarize my side of the debate and the point I'm trying to make I'm going use Gantt's own words from a tweet he sent out AFTER this post. This is Gantt' response to tweet asking if Special Teams coach Danny Crossman is at fault for the problems on special teams. (It's a tweet where answer to question comes first)

Yes, because scapegoating's always easier than a complicated solution. RT @michaelbfinch I disagree re: ST problems. All on Danny Crossman.

Now that is rich!

I would argue turning these Panthers around this offseason is a complicated effort and will no tbe solved by simply getting rid of a single contract, no matter how large that contract may be.

Poll

Do you agree the primary cause of the Panthers losing season so far in 2009 is due to Julius Peppers franchise tender?

Yes

74 votes

No

164 votes

238 votes | Poll has closed

Carolina Panthers defeat Atlanta Falcons 28-19

James The Aussie — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:03:22 -0000

More photos » by Mike McCarn - AP

about 1 month ago: Carolina Panthers' Jonathan Stewart (28) runs past Atlanta Falcons' Mike Peterson (53) for a touchdown late in the second half of the Panthers' 28-19 win in an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009. (AP Photo/Mike McCarn)

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Charlotte, NC- The Carolina Panthers proved there was life left in them yet with a definative 28-19 victory over the now 5-4 Atlanta Falcons.

Jake Delhomme had his best game of the season statistically throwing for 195 yards, 2 TDs finishing with a QB rating of 115.9. Coupled with a combined 173 yards and 2 touchdowns by DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart there was a remarkable improvement from the Panther offense seen in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, the Panthers' defense played well against a high powered Atlanta offense keeping Matt Ryan to 224 yards passing and intercepting the young QB twice.

It was a bright day in Charlotte, NC- except for one dark cloud.

More after the jump...

Midway through the second quarter all-pro LT Jordan Gross was hit awkwardly on a block resulting in a broken right ankle leaving a major hole in the offensive line with Travelle Wharton filling in, but doing a less than mediocre job throughout the second half. Though there is no official diagnosis on how much time Gross will miss, it's my guess he will be put on IR in the morning as the Panthers look to sign an OL with very little cap space.

On the field, however, the Panthers as a whole shone brightly over Charlotte. The Falcons struck first with a field goal on their first drive, but the Panthers quickly answered with a dominant drive in which Jake Delhomme threw for 75 yards and was capped off by a 1 yard Jonathan Stewart TD run. Panthers 7 - Falcons 3

After stopping an Atlanta drive the Panthers struck again with Delhomme leading the Panthers down the field and throwing a perfectly placed pass to Steve Smith in the right corner of the endzone for the Panthers' second touchdown of the day. Panthers 14 - Falcons 3

Atlanta weren't going to take this game laying down driving down the field and scoring on a 1 yard Justin Snelling run. Snelling was in the game due to a high ankle sprain to RB Michael Turner early in the second quarter. Panthers 14 - Falcons 10

Carolina excecuted a perfect 4 minute drive with Jake Delhomme again finding Steve Smith on a 4 yard TD pass squeezed between two defenders. Smith was hit hard on the play and was slow in getting up, but it didn't limit the WR who merely left the field for halftime early. Panthers 21 - Falcons 10

After the halftime break it was clear Mike Smith's Falcons made some adjustments on both sides of the ball, similarly it seemed the Panthers made adjustments, being forced to scheme their blocking differently with the loss of Gross on the left side. The aforementioned replacement in Travelle Wharton was not reliable as the Falcons pass rush looked much better in the second half.

The third quarter only saw one score, a 24 yard FG by Jason Elam. Panthers 21 - Falcons 13

In the forth it appeared that the Panthers were reeling as the offense could not effectively move the ball continually punting to the Falcons. The Falcons scored on a 3 yard pass to TE Justin Peele, but failed to convert the tying 2 pt conversion. Panthers 21 - Falcons 19

Again the Panthers offense failed and after a 3 and out the Falcons had the opportunity to take the lead on a Jason Elam field goal, but the combination of a bad snap and poor kick caused Elam to kick the ball wide left and the score stayed unchanged.

The Panthers were not going to let another game slip through their fingers as quickly after the missed FG Jonathan Stewart barelled though the Falcons' defense for a 45 yard TD run. Without a timeout the Falcons were forced to throw deep and the Panthers managed to close out the game 28-19.

The 4-5 Carolina Panthers face the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night football, and hope to keep their hopes of a wild card alive, against the odds.

Poll

Who deserves the game ball from the Panthers' victory vs. the Falcons?

Jake Delhomme

166 votes

Jonathan Stewart

50 votes

Steve Smith

55 votes

Muhsin Muhammad

22 votes

Other (please specify in comments)

13 votes

306 votes | Poll has closed

Carolina Panthers Week 2: Offensive vs Defensive matchups

Revshawn — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:56:26 -0000

It's strange to be honest. Even though it's only the second week of the season, it feels as if we have gone through an entire season of suffering. It's probably just because of the flashback we had last game the way the season ended, but I don't know. I've grown mighty worried about this week, wondering whether or not Jake Delhomme can bounce back from this latest debacle. The fans have no trust in Jake Delhomme, and because he's still starting on our offense it's popular opinion that the Panthers are done.

The Falcons on the other hand come into this game being the huge favorites to win the game. They had their way with a Dolphins team whom many say do not look at all like the team that bounced back from 1-15 to make it to the playoffs. The Miami Dolphins could not hold onto the football. They would drive the ball downfield, and then just cough it up right back to the Falcons.

However, I did see a few things that were mighty interesting in that game. With 22 touches, Michael Turner managed just 65 yards ((3.0 average)) in spite of having an excellent QB in Matt Ryan taking the pressure off the running game behind him. Is his 370+ carries last season catching up with him? Despite the horrendous play by Jake Delhomme, the Panthers rank 1st in the nation in defending the pass. It's a strength on our team. In order for the Falcons to have a good game, they will need some help from Michael Turner.

And with that, let's count down the top offensive matchups in the week.

Jordan Gross vs John Abraham

For whatever reason, John Abraham had an amazing year last year. Just under forty tackles and 17 sacks, he's a guy you have to keep a constant eye on when he's moving around on the O-Line. He's coming off a hot game with the Dolphins where he molested Chad Pennington, sacking him for two of his three tackles in the game fighting against a depleted Dolphins O-line. Luckily for us though, we have a talented Pro-Bowler in Jordan Gross to keep him off of Jake Delhomme and give him some time in the pocket. If he can shut down John Abraham and the pass rush he brings to the table, it will do wonders to help Jake take advantage of the Falcon's depleted secondary.

Jake Delhomme vs Two Bad Games

This could be another article in itself. Slumps are nothing new in Jake's career, but this is the worst slump we've ever seen. By now, absolutely no one believe in Jake Delhomme. Every time the ball is in his hands, fans cringe in their seats and pray to themselves that nothing bad will happen. But regardless of that, regardless of all of his epic fails and all of his mistakes, regardless of all of the negative things people say about Delhomme, if he is to begin his comeback, save his career, and get this team back in control of the NFC South it needs to start tomarrow against the Falcons. He shouldn't get the ball much, but he needs to convert on 3rd down situations, and not to the other team. If he throws another epic fail, I can't really say what will happen.

DeAngelo Williams vs John Abraham/Mike Peterson

The best direction for the Panthers to attack with the running game would be to run behind the left tackle, Jordan Gross. Williams has been historically better at not running between the tackles anyway, and behind Abraham LB Mike Peterson is arguably the weakest link on a talented LB corps. It goes without saying that the Panthers will need to depend heavily on the running game in order to win the game, and if we can milk Abraham's side of the line for 4-5 yard gains, I wouldn't care if we do it all game.

Jeff King/Daunte Rosario vs Falcon's LB's

The tight ends on our team all had a tremendous last couple of games to end the preseason. Daunte Rosario looked like the ghost of Wesley Walls whoring all of the receptions that he could. Jeff King had almost as good of a game that Rosario had, and he retains his spot since he's the better blocker. We've got weapons at TE, but due to Delhomme's latest breakdown I'm sure that they've all been completely forgotten by the fans in Atlanta. Jake Delhomme would do well to get them involved early, to give them something else to be worried about besides DeAngelo Williams running them over.

----------------------------------

That's really all I have to say for this week. I'm not even going to make a prediction on how the game will turn out. Sure, I'm optimistic about my team. I know that we have the talent to make it to the playoffs. But still....with each and every day that this game grows closer there is a feeling of dread that creeps over you. I don't know, maybe it's just me. I hope it's just me.

You can be sure that all eyes will be on Jake Delhomme this week. Will he come back like he has in the past, or is this truly the beginning of the end of his career? We'll find out all of that and more in Week 2. That's the main storyline going into Week 2, whether you're ready for it or not.

In order for the Panthers to win this game and really run away with it, we're going to have to turn the Falcon's gameplan back on themselves. We have to run the ball better than the Falcons and stop Michael Turner in his tracks. Force Matt Ryan to win the game for his team. I think the main turning point is yards rushing for the Panthers. If Deangelo Williams can rush for 125 yards and three touchdowns, I think it'll be enough for the Panthers will win this game. I anticipate a close, quick game with the running game dominating on both sides of the football.

Get ready for some football this Sunday and keep your beer handy. You might need it.

Regular Season Week 1: Panthers Offense vs Philadelphia Defense

Revshawn — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 16:15:30 -0000

On Sunday afternoon at 1PM, The Panthers face off against the Eagles at home in Bank of America Stadium to start the season. No more preseason, this is the real deal now. The depth charts have been set, the fields painted, and on Sunday the start of the 2009 Carolina Panthers season will finally begin.

However, the Panthers have many questions going into Week 1. How effective will our new 3rd receiver Kenny Moore be? Whom will be the punt and kick returners for the Panthers now that Steve Smith and Chris Gamble's names have been thrown into the competition? How will the Panthers recover after a 0-4 start during the preseason? All of these questions will finally be resolved.

There is a cause for hope. There is a cause for faith in our team. I believe the Panthers starters held back during the preseason. I believe the coaching staff called very conservative plays with loose coverage in order to keep the defense healthy. I believe that the players were instructed not to go all-out against their previous opponents, hence all the missed tackles. That is what we have to hope after a 0-4 start during the preseason. In addition, Linebackers Jon Beason and Thomas Davis among our other starters were lining the bench to keep them from being injured during the cursed offseason. They will be back. Safeties Chris Harris and Sherrod Martin were nursing injuries right up into this very week before being declared good to go for Week 1. Besides our players on IR, the Panthers are healthy going up against the Eagles this Sunday.

Expect for the full fury of our defense to be released on game day. Like I said, you cannot judge the Panthers for their preseason. They calling a conservative game in order to minimize contact and prevent injuries to our players. The Panthers will change that on Sunday. Expect Panthers to blitz like crazy and carry a 4 man D-Line rotation in order to account for the losses of Corvey Irvin and Maake Kemoeatu to IR. The Panthers may have a huge weakness at DT, but our linebacker core are one of the strongest in the league. They will not, and cannot let us down.

And let's not forget the injuries of the Eagles as well. They lost their starting MLB early this year to IR. They throw Omar Gaither in there and he's a capable fill-in. But his backup, Joe Mays, is done for the game due to shoulder injury. The LB core of the Eagles are one injury away from a major disaster. That's bad news for an Eagles defense trying to discover how to stop a star running back like DeAngelo Williams and to prepare for a playoff run.

In addition, the Eagles lost two key cogs in their O-Line with their starting LG and RT out. That's going to hurt their offensive line and help nullify a weakness the Panthers have at our DT Position. On top of that, Westbrook is coming off an offseason ankle surgery, has hit the magical age of 30, and didn't practice the entire preseason. We all know that when RB's hit the downturn of their career, they hit it hard. Will he still have the game changing speed that he has had in the past? Is it time for him to hang up his cleats and retire? These are all questions that will be answered on Sunday.

Now let's move on and see how our offense matches up against the Philadelphia defense.

Introduction

The Eagles have fielded one of the most dominant defenses in the league the last couple of years. However, a big cause of that success was the brilliance in their former defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, whom has sadly passed away to cancer. This year the Eagles struggled defensively during the preseason, giving up 30+ points in their last couple of preseason games to the Jags and the Jets. Don't be surprised if you see an entirely new defense under Jim's successor Sean McDermott.

With the final game in 2008 in mind, the Eagles are going to blitz until Jake Delhomme proves himself in the passing game. They are going to stack 7 and 8 players in the box until he can start feeding the ball to Smith, Moose, and Moore. If they start pulling that stuff on the opening drive, I wouldn't be surprised if they gave Jake Delhomme the ball to prove himself the first drive after a horrible game against the Cardinals in the postseason. Then they can go on to call a balanced offensive game, have a good day, and the Panther fans can return to their homes victorious and looking forward for the rest of the season.

Jake just needs to keep from turning the ball over.

Jeff Otah vs Victor Abiamira

For the past three years, Juqua Thomas has been a good starter at right defensive end. He's gone for 5 and 6 sacks a season, and the Eagles find that they depend on him down the stretch. Yet during the offseason, the Eagles have decided to go with the 2 year veteran in Victor Abiamira, a 2nd round pick from the university of Notre Dame from the 07 draft. He's never played extensively in a game before, so it'll be up to Jeff Otah to be able to give him a very rude welcome into the league. Victor Abiamira should be able to be a good player in the league, but Jeff Otah should be able to delay his success for at least another game.

Jordan Gross vs Trent Cole

The star on the Eagles D-Line is unquestionably LDE Trent Cole. Two years ago in 2007 he made it to the Pro-Bowl for the first time in his career. He had 12.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 49 tackles, and was consistently a threat for the QB to keep an eye on at all times. However, he will be going up against another star in Jordan Gross, whom made it to the Pro-Bowl for the first time in his career just last year. Needless to say, it will be an interesting battle going on along both sides of the D-Line today.

Jake Delhomme vs Eagles D-backs

Jake will need to come out and prove himself once more after his horrendous play during the Cardinals game last year. This match-up could very well be renamed Jake Delhomme vs himself simply because the fans need to learn to believe in him again. At the same time, the coaching staff needs to not overly depend on Jake Delhomme like they did during that game. Call a balanced game with a mix of run and pass, and acknowledge that Jake Delhomme is not Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, even though he's being paid like it.

Jake also needs to be more effective on 3rd down, which has traditionally been a struggle for the Panthers with him under center. He has some help with year with Moore providing a better 3rd WR than Hackett or Jarrett last year. If Jake spreads the ball around, our offense should have a good day.

Brad Hoover vs Eagles LB's

DeAngelo needs to pick up where he left off last season and start breaking off those huge runs we all know and love him for. He is the star on our offense, and if he and Stewart suddenly fled to Canada our offense would not be effective at all.

So Brad Hoover needs to get out there and have a good game in the second level, blocking and fighting to give our backs room to run. He's coming off a year where he blew a few key assignments last year on special teams that led to a couple of blocked punts. A good performance by Hoover in taking away that extra LB up the middle would do wonders for springing DeAngelo into the backfield.

We have a special running game in Carolina. Williams is always a threat to break free at any time. Stewart makes for a good power back to keep him fresh, and Mike Goodson could be a brilliant, speedy change of pace back if he can cut down on the fumbles and the Panthers choose to utilize him. They are the reason I'm pumped for the start of the regular season. The Panthers running game is close to unstoppable.

And behind the scenes, the Hoov will do all the dirty work in helping them be that great.

Game Prediction

I look into the future, and I see a high scoring game by both teams. The defenses stand strong during the 1st and part of the 2nd quarter, but they completely collapse during the stretch. It will come down to the Panthers running game against the Eagles passing game, and DeAngelo Williams will not disappoint. The Panthers win 38-28.

Panthers Release Depth Chart with a Few Surprises

Jaxon — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:20:30 -0000

Panthers.com has now posted a depth chart and it has a few surprises worth discussing. I agree it doesn't mean too much at this point but I think it does reflect some things we have already seen in Training Camp. Let's start with the offense:

Offense:

WR1 — Steve Smith, Ryne Robinson, Jason Carter, Kevin McMahan
LT — Jordan Gross, Patrick Brown, Mackenzy Bernadeau
LG — Travelle Wharton, Jonathan Palmer, C.J. Davis
C — Ryan Kalil, Justin Geisinger, Mackenzy Bernadeau, Keith Gray
RG — Keydrick Vincent, Duke Robinson, Justin Geisinger
RT — Jeff Otah, Geoff Schwartz, Gerald Cadogan, Garry Williams
TE — Jeff King, Gary Barnidge, Dante Rosario, Andrew Davie
WR2 — Muhsin Muhammad, Dwayne Jarrett, Kenneth Moore, Marcus Monk
QB — Jake Delhomme, Josh McCown, Matt Moore, Hunter Cantwell
FB — Brad Hoover, Tony Fiammetta
RB — DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, Mike Goodson, Decori Birmingham

In spite of the high praise sent his way in TC C/G Mackenzy Bernadeau is still 3rd string at center and is not listed at guard anywhere. He is instead listed 3rd string at LT (huh?). Justin Geisinger is #2 at center and has obviously improved his stock given he can play multiple positions.
T Gerald Cadogan is listed as 3rd string RT behind Geoff Schwartz. Patrick Brown is slated as Jordan Gross back-up on the left side where I thought Cadogan would compete. This doesn't bode well for Cadogan.
TE Gary Barnidge has passed Dante Rosario (no surprise there)
WR Ryne Robinson remains ahead of Jason Carter.

Defense:

LDE — Tyler Brayton, Charles Johnson, Everette Brown
LDT — Nick Hayden, Marlon Favorite, Lonnie Harvey, George Hypolite
RDT — Damione Lewis, Corvey Irvin, Lorenzo Williams
RDE — Julius Peppers, Everette Brown, Hilee Taylor, Casper Brinkley
OLB1 — Na’il Diggs, James Anderson , Landon Johnson, Kelvin Smith
MLB — Jon Beason, Dan Connor, Jeremy Leman
OLB2 — Thomas Davis, Mortty Ivy, Anthony Heygood
LCB — Chris Gamble, Dante Wesley, Captain Munnerlyn
RCB — Richard Marshall, C.J. Wilson, Sherrod Martin, D.J. Clark
SS — Chris Harris, Nate Salley, Joe Fields
FS — Charles Godfrey, Quinton Teal, Paul Chiara

The biggest surprise here is LB James Anderson is listed above Landon Johnson. Cutting Johnson might save some cap space if Mortty Ivy can fill the #7 back-up LB spot.
DE Tyler Brayton is still listed over Charles Johnson
DT Corvey Irvin is slotted behind Damionne Lewis at RDT and not LDT. It looks like until a vet DT is brought in Nick Hayden and Marlon Favorite will battle for the Kemo's spot.

Special Teams:

K — John Kasay, Rhys Lloyd
P — Jason Baker, John Kasay
H — Jason Baker, Josh McCown
PR — Ryne Robinson, Larry Beavers, Captain Munnerlyn
KR — Ryne Robinson, Mike Goodson, Larry Beavers
LS — J.J. Jansen

Robinson is still getting the benefit of the doubt in kick returns. Beavers over Munnerlyn so far and Goodson over Beavers in KO's.

Any other surprises for anyone else?