SB Nation - Jonathan Stewart

Panther Paw Prints: Death of 2009 Season Edition

Jaxon — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:54:21 -0000

So has it sunk in our season will not be extended this year Panther fans? Though its been obvious for weeks it still sent me on a downer, especially since it seems we are just now playing well on defense. The offense also gives us hope with the improved play of Matt Moore and the knowledge that the Panthers bring back a lot of talent.

But we have no choice but to look to next season even as we complete this one.But we have plenty to be hopeful about as SI points out:

Dreams for teams already out of NFL playoff chase - Ross Tucker - SI.com
Carolina Panthers -- As long as you have Steve Smith, Julius Peppers and those two running backs, you have a chance. That was evident in the 26-7 win over Minnesota last week. The quarterback situation has to get better. As for Peppers, who didn't sign his one-year contract until June, the situation can't possibly get more drawn out than it was last year.

Keeping Peppers is a huge question mark...The player evaluations have already started and no position will get more scrutiny that the WR position in the upcoming offseason:

Future still up in the air for wide receiver Jarrett | The Herald - Rock Hill, SC
"I feel like my time is going to come. Whether it's here or somewhere else, I'm not worried about that. I just have to keep working on my skills and I'll be all right."

So is Jarrett also thinking his time in Charlotte is coming to a close? I will say he is saying the right things:

Minutes: Jarrett deals with frustration
"I think it was a matter of giving some other guys an opportunity, which is the case with every position every week," Jarrett said. "Some guys looked like they were showing some good work, and (we) wanted to give them an opportunity." "(The coaches) told me basically it's just an evaluation process that they're going through," Jarrett said. "Towards the end of the season, it's pretty much looking at which guys are going to be kept and which will be left."

I'm personally tired of wondering whether Jarrett is the answer. I'm thinking its time for both the team and Jarrett to move on. I'd trade him for a 6th or 7th rounder.

Moving on the match-up against the Giants:

NorthJersey.com: Giants' look ahead: Offensive line on the hot seat
The Giants finally put it all together against the Redskins on Monday night. Now it’s a matter of repeating the performance, or at least coming close. They must control the ball on offense, mixing runs and passes, and finish their drives with touchdowns, not field goals. The defense must slow the Panthers’ running game enough to put the game on the shoulders of young quarterback Matt Moore, even though he had an outstanding game Sunday night in the upset of Minnesota.

Sounds like the game plan for the Panthers too...As we all try to figure out what it is that flips DE Julius Peppers switch, FS Charles Godfrey thinks have another quality DE on the opposing team plays into it.

Peppers revs his motor against Vikings
"You've got somebody who's good on the other side (and) you try to come out and out-do them," said Godfrey. "Julius is competitive. That's probably something that sparked him a little bit."

With Osi due up next we shall test that theory quickly...Speaking of tests Matt Moore has another big one

Minutes: Pass time for Moore, Smith
"The more he's on the field, the more experience he's getting, the better he's playing, and it just breeds confidence for him," fullback Brad Hoover. "That's just the maturation process of how it's come along, and he'll get another shot next week -- and hopefully it keeps growing." Just like his passer rating, which in the last three weeks checks in at 107.7.

Please let Moore win the job now! This season..go get them Matty "We want' Moore!

Who says we have nothing to play for?

Panthers pillage, pressure Vikings into submission
"Just because we're not going to the playoffs doesn't mean we're going to lay down our sword," defensive tackle Damione Lewis said. "It's not time to give up. We can't be quitters, so we've got to go out and play every week like it's our last."

Want an unsung hero for 2009?

Foxhole: Peppers as good as ever
ON DANTE WESLEY AND HIS ROLE AS A HYBRID DEFENSIVE BACK/LINEBACKER AGAINST TEAMS WITH POTENT PASSING GAMES: Dante's a guy that we drafted way back in our first year (2002). He bounced around a little bit and we got him back. His forté has been special teams, but he's a high football character guy, he's accountable and dependable and you try to find a role for him. I think he's gravitated to it and performed it pretty well. He made a nice play on their tight end downfield, where the down extended (because Favre escaped containment), and he did a good job in coverage. It was a big third-down stop.

Wesley is just the kind of special team 'specialist' we need. I wish we had three more just like him...Oh and here's another guy we could use a clone of:

Stewart NFC Offensive Player of the Week
Rushing for over 100 yards against a defense that had gone 36 games without permitting a triple-digit runner was significant enough. Doing it on Sunday Night Football, behind an offensive line that has lost both of its first-team tackles, with the other half of the team's running combination sidelined with an ankle injury ... all that made Jonathan Stewart's performance Sunday impossible to ignore.

Stewart would be considered Top 10 in the NFL if he was the featured back.

Yes, there is plenty to be hopeful about in 2010 Panther fans...

Carolina Panthers’ Hump Day Prognostication (New York Giants edition)

James The Aussie — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:04:02 -0000

More photos » by Haraz N. Ghanbari - AP

2 days ago: New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning looks for an open man during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Washington Redskins, Monday, Dec. 21, 2009, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

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Good morning Panther faithful, and happy hump day! Coming off the Panthers' steadfast victory over the Minnesota Vikings, their Christmas present this week is another trip back to the Meadowlands; where the Carolina Panthers (6-8) face the New York Giants (8-6) in their second to last game of the season.

The 2009 story of both the New York Giants and the Carolina Panthers is strikingly similar. Both are teams who were the preseason favorite to win their respective division, both have risen to the occasion and beat some of the league's best, both have played down to some of their opponents, and both are currently 3^rd in their divisions. While the Panthers have been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, the Giants are still trying to make a late season push to nab a Wild Card. So, how does this game shake out? Let's examine the matchup:

After the jump...

NY Giants run offense vs. Carolina run defense

The Giants were supposed to be displaying one of the best rushing attacks in 2009, but has been slightly lackluster in this regard. Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw form a solid pairing, but not a dominant one. Let's not forget, preseason there were plenty of people who said the Jacobs/Bradshaw pairing was better than Double Trouble, which has not rung true in 2009. This does not mean their not deadly, however. Jacobs is a LB who happens to play RB... a tank who rarely busts the big run, but will pick up the hard yards. Meanwhile, Bradshaw has every down potential and is a true goal line threat.

The Panthers' run defense is far from stellar statistically. With the exception of last week, they seem to be made out of wet paper. Including the Minnesota game the Panthers have allowed a 130.25 yard average on the ground the last 4 games. While there is the possibility they can stuff Jacobs and Bradshaw like they did Peterson, it's unlikely.

Edge: NY Giants

NY Giants pass offense vs. Carolina pass defense

This is where the Giant's offense really excels. Their NFL 9^th ranked pass offense is punctuated with 3 young receivers who have all made a mark in 2009. I have a distinct feeling that in a couple more years we could be talking about Steve Smith, Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks in the same category as Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston in terms of overall effectiveness as a WR corps. Couple this with Eli Manning who's having one of his best years as a pro, and a solid TE in Kevin Boss and the Giants make for a formidable offense.

Meanwhile the Carolina Panthers' 4^th ranked pass defense held up yet again vs. the Vikings. When your pass rush results in an LT getting benched and the opposing head coach wants to bench his QB for fear of injury you know they're getting the job done. I think they get it done again this week.

Edge: Carolina Panthers

Carolina run offense vs. NY Giants run defense

The Carolina Panthers' run offense proved that despite injuries they could prevail. Geoff Schwartz was solid filling in at RT, Mackenzey Bernadeau held his ground and ultimately allowed a Carolina run offense to allow Jonathan Stewart over 100 yards rushing against the Vikings, a feat that had previously not been achieved since 2007.

On the other side of the ball the Giants boast the 8^th ranked run defense in the NFL, holding opponents to 99.8 rushing yards per game. Ultimately, however, I just don't think they can hang with the Panthers.

Edge: Carolina Panthers

KEY MATCHUP: Carolina pass offense vs. NY Giants pass defense

Last week I said of Matt Moore ‘he's efficient, but not dynamic'. Last week against Minnesota the young QB was both. He got Steve Smith involved early and often and hopes to continue this trend this week. However, Carolina fans should not hold their breath that last Sunday's performance is easily repeatable, especially against this Giants defense.

The Giants' pass defense is ranked 10^th in the NFL, and are extremely efficient at covering opposing WRs and not allowing routes to fully develop. This could potentially rattle Matt Moore. From a turnover perspective the Giants are able to grab the ball at multiple positions. Thus far in 2009 they have 13 team interceptions by 7 different defensive players. While I do see this matchup being the one that makes or breaks the game, ultimately I think the Giants gain the upper hand.

Edge: NY Giants

Special Teams

We currently have a thread open discussing why special teams are so bad, and who is to blame. If there is a consistent letdown by the Carolina Panthers it is definitely their special teams. I don't see anything changing this week. That being said, if there is any team to match our lack of ST production it's the NY Giants whose special teams have been almost equally lackluster.

Edge: Push

Coaching

It's tough to know what we're going to see out of the Panthers this week. Last week vs. Minnesota at least Jeff Davidson attempted to open up the book a little relying on flare routes, end arounds and deep passes to spice up the offense. Ron Meeks remains the coaching standout of the Carolina Panthers while John Fox is still guiding this ship through rough waters.

On the other side of the field is Tom Coughlin. Coughlin is, in my mind, one of the best coaches in the NFL. He's well established and knows his team; Easy answer to this one.

Edge: NY Giants

Final Summary

The Panthers are evaluating their talent now for a strong push in the 2010 campaign. The jury is still out on whether Matt Moore is the bonafide future of the QB position, but he's showing promise. We're also seeing what kind of depth we have on the roster.

Meanwhile the Giants are fighting tooth and nail to grab a wild card spot. The cards are stacked against them, but they're not out yet. I expect the Giants to bring everything at home on Sunday, but ultimately I think the Panthers prevail. Nothing is more dangerous than a team with nothing to lose.

Carolina Panthers 21 - NY Giants 13

Slipping and Sliding in December: Vikings Get Crushed in Carolina

Anthony21 — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 04:30:32 -0000

More photos » by Chuck Burton - AP

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There's something about Sunday nights...

Once again, the Vikings laid an egg in primetime. I don't get it. The two worst games of the season for the Vikings have come on Sunday nights, and it's not even close. Two weeks ago in Arizona, the Vikings had a thoroughly disastrous game that involved an absolute thrashing by Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, a bumbling missed-tackle fest on defense, and a complete inability to utilize this team's many offensive weapons. This week, it was largely the same story -- but the caliber of the opponent was just much worse.

A single poor game in Arizona is unfortunate -- but it probably isn't worth getting too worried about. However, when the same issues emerge against a team not nearly as tough as Arizona, you have to start wondering.

The offensive line? It got shredded by Julius Peppers. Favre's performance? If it's any indication, Jim Kleinsasser was his leading receiver for quite a bit of the first half. Sidney Rice, Visanthe Shiancoe and Percy Harvin once again pulled a vanishing act. Adrian Peterson? When he actually had the ball, which wasn't terribly often, there was no room to run. The defensive performance? It had a very tough time handling Matt Moore, a scrub who made high-percentage throws and was only sacked twice. The tackling was ugly, the pass rush belonged on the side of a milk carton, and it's no surprise that Carolina's offense controlled the time of possession battle. Jonathan Stewart slipped out of countless tackles, exposing just how tough the loss of E.J. Henderson is for the Vikings.

But look, despite my gripes about the defense, the offensive performance was horrendous. Absolutely horrendous. The #1 thing you can do to get beat by a mediocre team is allowing them to hang around early in the game. That's just what the Vikings did in this game. Check out their first four offensive drives of the game:

5 plays, 8 yards, 2:31 elapsed
3 plays, 0 yards, 2:23 elapsed
4 plays, 4 yards, 1:29 elapsed
3 plays, 8 yards, 1:53 elapsed

Embarrassing. Let me run some first half stats by you: 66 total yards, 1/5 on third downs, Matt Moore passes for double the yards that Favre did (98 yards to 48 yards), and Peterson is held to 3.1 yards per carry.

But wait, there's more. Things didn't get any better in the second half.

3 plays, 5 yards, 1:05 elapsed
4 plays, 23 yards, 1:28 elapsed
3 plays, 4 yards, 2:34 elapsed
3 plays, -3 yards, 0:57 elapsed
5 plays, 16 yards, 2:23 elapsed
4 plays, 15 yards, 1:10 elapsed

When you perform incompetently in the first half and come out and perform just as incompetently in the second half, you're an offense that stopped caring. You're an offense that faced adversity and flopped.

Some might call this a trap game, and some might say the Vikings got complacent after clinching an NFC North title earlier in the day. I'll call it something else: Getting crushed. Don't make excuses for this Vikings team, because they don't deserve it. I don't care that the field was in lousy condition, I don't care that the game was outdoors, and I don't care about what was happening around the division. The Vikings got killed out there.

What's most disappointing of all is that they seemed to be on the right track just one week ago. After having quite a few problems exposed by the Cardinals, the Vikings responded in a big way against Cincinnati. They were controlled by the Cardinals, and they responded by controlling the Bengals. Antoine Winfield was a nightmare for Carson Palmer, Adrian Peterson had a pair of touchdowns, and the victory was rarely in doubt. But the Vikings are now back to where they started from two weeks ago, coming off that devastating loss in Arizona.

Don't call it a fluke when it happens twice in three weeks. The Vikings are slipping at a time when they need to be building momentum, and suddenly, a first round bye is hardly a sure thing. But when you're a team that gets absolutely dominated against a team like the Panthers, it's hard to argue that anything is a sure thing.

All We Want for Christmas Is...

ericj69 — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:58:40 -0000

She's been very naughty, but the Vikings have been nothing but nice this year.

View full size photo »

Dear Santa,

Sunday is Minnesota's last game before Christmas. Unfortunately, I don't have much time to write you this year; I have my holiday party for work tonight and a family Christmas tomorrow. I would have written to you last night, but I was too busy watching my fantasy playoff dreams getting crushed by Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, and Dallas Clark. So rather than give you a full analysis of the upcoming Vikings/Panthers game (I know you're an avid reader of the Daily Norseman now that the North Pole has Wi-Fi), I'll give you my wish list for the game and the rest of the Vikings' season:

I really wish that you could send some good medicine to Percy Harvin for those migraines he's been having. He really wants that Rookie of the Year trophy as a belated Christmas present, and he deserves it. It'd be a shame for him to miss out on his gift just because he missed games at the end of the year. And of course we need him down the stretch and in the playoffs!
I wish that Matt Moore plays just like Jake Delhomme and sends lots of gifts to our secondary on Sunday night.
I wish that the Vikings will capture the #1 spot in rushing defense yet again. It's becoming a holiday tradition! And if we can stop DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, it will go a long way towards getting the top rushing defense and winning the game on Sunday.
I wish that we don't have a game like the last time we were in Carolina in 2005. You remember that game, don't you Santa? Steve Smith went wild on us, Daunte Culpepper played his last game as a Viking thanks to blowing out approximately 17 ligaments in his knee, and Minnesota lost 38-13. Can we make some positive memories this time around?
I wish that I could see some good ol' fashioned calf roping on Sunday from Jared Allen. He's been a little quiet lately, and I'd like to see him make a late-season push for Defensive MVP. (Otherwise, Charles Woodson is probably going to win, and you know we don't want that to happen.) I just hope that Allen can outperform Julius Peppers and establish his dominance again.
I wish for a healthy Brett Favre down the stretch and throughout the playoffs. I know, I know--I spent 16 years wishing for the exact opposite thing to happen. You got me there. But you never came through on any of those wishes, so maybe this year you could take my wish into account. Just this once? I vividly remember watching Tarvaris Jackson in the Metrodome during the playoff game against the Eagles last year. There's a very real possibility of that matchup happening again this season, and I'd much prefer to have #4 behind center.
I wish that Chris Gamble will learn from covering Randy Moss and take most of the plays off this week. He should just let Sidney Rice and Bernard Berrian roam free all day. Could you teach Chris that giving space is better than receiving any interceptions?

(More wishes and my Week 15 picks after the jump)

I wish I didn't have to think about the threat of a nude Pat Williams if we win the Super Bowl this year. Did he really say he'll "retire if the Vikings win the Super Bowl this season and will walk off the field wearing nothing but tights and socks"? Don't get me wrong, if seeing too much of Phat Pat ensures us victory I'm OK with it...but yeesh.
Speaking of the Super Bowl, I wish that this team wasn't compared to the 1998 Vikings so much. I see the similarities, but I still remember the t-shirt I had when I was a senior in high school. It read "All I Want For Christmas Is A Super Bowl". It pictured Randall Cunningham as you with our offensive line as the reindeer. Obviously that kind of blasphemy upset you. So I don't even want you to think that the two versions of the Vikings are the same, OK?
I wish that the Vikings will cruise to an easy win on Sunday to secure the 2009 NFC North title and all but lock up a first-round bye for the playoffs.

Thanks Santa! Merry Christmas everyone!

Prediction: Vikings 34, Panthers 13

Oh and one last thing: I wish that all of my Week 15 NFL picks will be right (home team in CAPS):

SAINTS over Cowboys: I wish the Saints would just go ahead and lose a couple games to give us a shot at the #1 seed. But the Cowboys winning in December is going to take much more than a Christmas miracle.

RAVENS over Bears: I wish that Jay Cutler will keep playing like this for years and years to come in Chicago. I never thought Favre's interception record would ever be in jeopardy, but maybe I was wrong...

Patriots over BILLS: I wish that I could turn on ESPN or sports radio and not have to listen to "what's wrong with the Patriots." It's a little drastic for a division-leading 8-5 team.

Cardinals over LIONS: I wish Arizona played like they did in San Francisco when we played them a couple weeks ago. I'd also wish that the Lions weren't such a train wreck, but I enjoy the two victories over Detroit each year.

CHIEFS over Browns: I wish that this game never even existed.

JETS over Falcons: I wish I knew for sure whether Matt Ryan and Michael Turner were playing at 100% this week, because that may sway my pick here.

EAGLES over 49ers: I wish there wasn't a real possibility of Eagles fans flooding Minneapolis for the third straight season. Hearing that "E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!" chant makes me want to repeatedly headbutt a pile of railroad ties.

Texans over RAMS: I wish the Texans wouldn't beat up on awful teams at the end of each season to finish 8-8 and be everyone's "sleeper team" the following year. I also wish Steven Jackson didn't have to waste the prime of an incredible career on a string of the aforementioned awful teams.

TITANS over Dolphins: I wish that both of these teams could make the playoffs, because they're a lot more fun to watch than the other AFC Wild Card options.

BRONCOS over Raiders: I wish the Broncos would win this game, because this is my Eliminator pick and I'm 14-0 so far this year. I also wish I could stop laughing at JaMarcus Russell because he can't even get the start over Charlie Frye this week.

CHARGERS over Bengals: I wish that Chris Henry was still with us, because the Bengals have already had enough to deal with this year after Mike Zimmer's wife passed away. I also wish that if I get one pick wrong this week it's this one. Cincinnati deserves some good news.

SEAHAWKS over Buccaneers: I wish this game took place two years ago when both teams were actually decent.

Packers over STEELERS: I wish the defending champions hadn't completely folded down the stretch so they would actually beat the Packers here.

Giants over REDSKINS: I wish the Giants would just make up their mind about whether they're actually good or not. I never know how to pick their games.

Last week: 11-5

Season so far: 144-65 (including correctly picking Indianapolis last night)

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

10 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

Inside Key Penalties -- and Plays -- in Panthers loss to New England

Ryan Basen — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 04:01:25 -0000

More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP

Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith, here hauling in a touchdown pass in the first half, was flagged for two of nine Panthers penalties in Sunday's loss to New England. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

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A Panthers team that had been one of the worst in the NFL in turnover differential (and the worst in giveaways) forced three Patriots turnovers without giving one back Sunday. Carolina also averaged 5.3 yards per rush and shut down Patriots star receiver Randy Moss.

Yet the Panthers lost, by 10, at New England. The main culprits, besides a stout New England running game: Nine Carolina penalties, including several at crucial times, and a couple key plays. Here is an inside look at the swing penalties and plays that cost the Panthers the game, and a chance to inch back into the NFC playoff race:

Situation: Second-and-10 Panthers, ball on Carolina 21. 7-0 Panthers lead. 14:47 to play in second quarter.

Formations: Carolina lined up with one back, a fullback right, a receiver wide left, a receiver in the right slot and a tight end wide right. New England used three linemen with two linebackers in the box, a defender showing blitz over left tackle and two corners in press coverage.

What happened: Tailback Jonathan Stewart ran up the middle for a loss of 1 yard. Receiver Steve Smith was called for holding and the Patriots accepted the penalty.

How it happened: The tight end, Jeff King, went in motion left and set in the right slot. Stewart took the handoff and had little running room, never making it back to the line of scrimmage. Smith was locked up on corner Leigh Bodden on the edge, away from the ball. He grabbed, held and tackled Bodden.

The result: The Panthers faced a second-and-20, a lot for their conservative offense to overcome. Two plays later they punted.

Situation: Third-and-3 Panthers, New England 35. 7-0 Panthers. 3:39 to play in second.

Formations: Carolina lined up with one back, a fullback left, two receivers in the right slot and a tight end left. New England used three linemen with two linebackers in the box, two linebackers showing blitz off the edge and two corners a few yards off the receivers.

What happened: Quarterback Matt Moore threw incomplete for the fullback, Brad Hoover.

How it happened: Smith, lined up in the slot, went in motion left and set in the left slot. A corner followed him. Moore faked a handoff to tailback DeAngelo Williams, who picked up a blitz from linebacker Tully Banta-Cain. But Banta-Cain got close to Moore, who threw low and behind Hoover in the left flat.

The result: Faced with a fourth-and-3 on the fringe of kicker John Kasay's range on a cold, wet day; Panthers coach John Fox could have attempted a 53-yard field goal, tried to pin New England on a punt or gone for the first down. The Panthers still had the lead. The Patriots offense had little life.

Fox called for the field goal, Kasay missed short and the Patriots took over at the Panthers 43. New England promptly scored the tying touchdown before halftime, in part because of the following play...

Situation: Second-and-4 Patriots, New England 48, 7-0 Panthers, 2:50 to play in second.

Formations: New England lined up with four receivers and one back. Carolina used four linemen, four defenders in press coverage on the receivers and one linebacker in the box.

What happened: Quarterback Tom Brady threw deep, incomplete for tight end Ben Watson. But Panthers linebacker James Anderson was called for pass interference, moving the Patriots 30 yards downfield.

How it happened: Watson lined up wide right and ran a streak down the right sideline. Anderson single-covered Watson and was in stride with him when the ball arrived. Both players dove and the ball fell incomplete. Television replays did not show if Anderson had interfered, but Fox's analysts did not agree with the call.

The result: New England had a first down at the Carolina 21. The Patriots scored on a Kevin Falk run five plays later.

Situation: Third-and-7 Panthers, New England 45, 7-7 tie, 10:08 to play in third quarter.

Formations: Carolina lined up with four receivers and one back. New England used four linemen with two linebackers in the box and five defensive backs off in zone coverage.

What happened: Moore connected with Smith for a 15-yard gain, but the Panthers were called for a 5-yard illegal shift penalty that negated the pass.

How it happened: Smith started wide right and went in motion towards the right slot. He settled behind the slot receiver but did not set before the snap.

The result: Instead of a first down at the 30 -- within Kasay's range -- the Panthers faced a third-and-12 at midfield. Following another illegal shift penalty and a third third-down play, the Panthers punted from the Patriots 42.

Situation: Second-and-1 New England, Carolina 36, 14-10 Patriots, 8:38 to play in fourth.

Formations: New England lined up with one back, and one receiver and one tight end on each side. Carolina used four linemen with three linebackers in the box and a corner in press coverage on receiver Wes Welker in the right slot.

What happened: Tailback Laurence Maroney ran right for 2 yards and a first down. The Panthers were also penalized 5 yards for illegal use of hands.

How it happened: Defensive tackle Nick Hayden got his hand in the face of a Patriots offensive lineman, drawing the penalty.

The result: New England had a first down at the Panthers 29, within field goal range. Four plays later the Patriots kicked a field goal to go ahead by 7.

Situation: Fourth-and-13 New England, Carolina 45, 17-10 Patriots, 4:30 to play in fourth.

Formations: Both teams lined up expecting a punt.

What happened: The Patriots punted the ball into the end zone for a touchback, but the Panthers were called for roughing the punter.

How it happened: Panthers defensive end Everette Brown rushed up the middle and attempted to block the punt. Brown missed the ball and rolled over the left leg of Patriots punter Chris Hanson.

The result: Instead of having the ball 80 yards away from the tying score, the Panthers had to send their defense back onto the field. To compound matters, New England was now in field goal range. Four plays later the Patriots kicked a field goal to go up by 10, with less than 4 minutes to play.

Keys to Winning: Panthers @ Patriots

MaPatsFan — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 14:58:44 -0000

More photos » by Chuck Burton - AP

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4 late players sent home on Wednesday? One (Adalius Thomas) a healthy scratch for today? Tom Brady a little bruised and banged up? Trouble in paradise?

Much has been made of "Late Gate", of Bill Belichick's turning away of 4 players for tardiness. I'm sure our rivals will turn this into, "There they go. Here comes the downhill slide." Right. Like their own teams have never had discipline problems. Funny thing about speaking out on those matters. Chances are they're living in a glass house. Adalius Thomas was benched for today because Belichick thought someone else could give them a better chance of winning. It could be a little extra discipline for being the only one of the "Late Four" who spoke out about the incident. Randy Moss, considered by many rivals to be a hopeless curmudgeon, did the right thing and went about his business, keeping his mouth shut. Discipline stays in the building.

At any rate, this is about our upcoming matchup with the Panthers. More after the jump.

With QB Matt Moore in for Jake Delhomme, the Panthers have to rely on their backup QB to matchup against a riled up New England Patriots team...in their own house. This won't be easy for Carolina, hopefully. After 2 heart wrenching losses on the road (the first, a dismantling by New Orleans and the second, a heartbreaker to division rival Miami) I'm betting on Belichick being aggravated and unloading on his players this past week.

Carolina is going to pound the rock with QB Matt Moore under center. Running back Jonathan Stewart is freight train on legs at 5-10 235 lbs. And 120 yards, even against Tampa Bay, is nothing to sneeze at. And New England is ranked 15th in rushing yards per game. It would make no sense for the Panthers, ranked 27th in the passing game, to air the ball out. Yup, pound the rock with their 3rd rated rushing offense.

On our side, Julius Peppers is going to be a problem. Whether he's motivated or not by a huge franchise paycheck this year, I think he'll be interviewing for a job today. He knows there was talk about him moving to the Patriots this season, but the price tag was just too high. Julius would also have to be thick as a brick to be unaware of our troubles putting together a consistent pass rush. Great pass rusher and a team who desperately needs a good pass rush... hmmm.

You can bet the Panthers have been watching game film, especially the Miami matchup. Shutdown Randy Moss and you take away the deep ball, for the most part. Yeah, there was that 81 yarder to Sam Aiken, but it's almost a forgone conclusion that Brady will try to force the ball to Randy at one time or another. We need to spread the ball around a LOT more. Of course Wes Welker will be one of the primary targets. But is Moss the right early look? Sam Aiken needs to be in the picture and I believe Benjamin Watson needs to play a big role in this game. He's been underutilized this year, but has delivered consistently when asked to. I've said many times in these stories that he's our secret weapon, but always seems to get few looks from Wonderboy. Bill, are you listening? Throw to "Big Ben"!!

We're playing at home, the team is fired up, and we need this win to keep Miami at a distance. I'll go into serious mourning if we lose another Division title to the Dolphins with a tie breaker.

Prediction: Patriots, 28-17.

Panthers vs. Patriots: Sunday Morning Musings

Jaxon — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 14:24:50 -0000

So I'm sitting here with my kids watching a cartoon movie and hoping the next four hours goes quickly. I've been waiting for this game for about six months. Though the Panthers face a 7-5 Patriots team a shade less than the dominant teams of the past decade this game is still huge for the Panthers.

One obvious impact it on the Panthers dismal playoff hopes. A win not only avoids elimination but it might bring much needed confidence to our young QB.

I win would be a big shot in the arm for HC John Fox. We've speculated since the 0-3 start whether HC John Fox would survive a sub.500 season. We should have our answer this offseason. The Panthers have never went into a season with a HC in the final year of his contract. If Fox is going to stay then Richardson would typically offer an extension this winter. But why should he?

Will the Panthers, Fox make a deal? - CharlotteObserver.com
After eight years together, Richardson must decide whether he wants to move forward with Fox as his coach and, if so, whether he's comfortable with Fox going into next season in what could be perceived as a "lameduck" position.

Would it really be such a bad thing. Maybe it would motivate the players to kick ass for their 'lame duck' coach, or does that only happen in college?

So does Fox really have much to be worried about? After all the conventional wisdom is that Fox would be unemployed about as long as it takes to hop on a plane. There is that pesky 5-7 record at the three-quarter mark which might have the Big Cat ruffled.

I'm not going to delve into too many stats but the 22nd ranked offense is hard to overlook even with the 3rd ranked rushing attack. A 13th ranked defense is improving but still needs a signature win for 2009...

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FS Charles Godfrey returned to the line-up last week and got his first pick of 2009 (2nd of his career). With Randy Moss of the menu this week I'm thinking I would rather see the taller Sherrod Martin the game. The Patriots will surely launch a few a deep balls and Martin seems better at judging ball trajectory. This is wishful thinking though as Fox seems to prefer the 2nd year guy over the rookie.

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Not much has been said about RB Jonathan Stewart's first start of the season. Stewart showed good speed and the ability to bounce it outside. 120 yards and a TD is a good afternoon for any RB and I for one would not flinch a bit if we had to use Stewart as our #1 any day.

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Big Game Watch

My money is on Steve Smith. He is due for a big game and I'm the Patriots secondary struggles has him pumped. How many times do you think Moore and Smith practices the deep ball this week? Thirty or forty at least I hope. They will almost certainly run the smoke play too. Cold weather breeds missed tackles and all it takes is one for Smitty to take it to the house.

Focus on Carolina: Panthers @ Patriots

MaPatsFan — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:31:31 -0000

More photos » by Steven Senne - AP

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Bill Belichick is aggravated. After a dismantling in the Big Easy and dropping a squeaker in Miami, he's miffed, PO'd, in a bad mood, grumpy... you name it. None of it's good, especially for the players. Like I've discussed before, Bill Belichick didn't suddenly have a brain fart and forget how to coach. As some of you have posited, it's possible there's some coaching issues with the OC position and Bill might be taking on too much, but I think we have a talent issue here. Looking specifically at our defense, they're young and lack the experience to keep points off the board, especially in the second half. The offense? They're simply not scoring enough points. That and some blown 4th and whatevers, but we've beaten that to death.

Moving on to the Panthers...

Belichick's peaved, so peaved he sent four players home. He's upping the ante and making sure players are listening. This is it right here, I tell you what. We need to win out to prevent Miami from crawling all over us:

Here's where the issue is -- The Patriots have four games left. If the Dolphins run the table, and it's not outrageous to think they could, then New England can't afford to lose another game. Because then, Miami will hold tiebreakers, as it did last year, and repeat as division champs.

We can't let that happen, which is why it's is so important to set a tone after 2 losses on the road. This Sunday at 1pm ET, we face off against another NFC South team, the Carolina Panthers. We know our AFC rivals far better than those from the NFC. Matching up every 4 years, it's hard to get a handle on the Panthers as a rival.

Looking at their last game against the Bucs, Matt Moore struggled to establish an air game against a decent Buccaneers passing defense, going 14/20 and 161 yards, no TD's and one pick. Rookie RB Jonathan Stewart picked up a significant number of yards, 120 and a TD, against a bottom-of-the-barrel Tampa Bay run defense. Looking at Carolina, they're 6th in pass defense and 26th in run defense. What does that say?

Bill, if you're listening, DO NOT ABANDON THE RUN GAME. Pound the rock and pound it hard. Send Laurence Maroney in as point and keep the ball on the ground. Carolina has a very good passing D and it simply doesn't make sense to try and exploit something that may give us trouble, especially when it hasn't been one of our strong suits of late.

There'll be more to come. For now, let's start learning a bit about this team. Look for more info in the coming days and make sure to use the Q & A FanPost our fine rival blogger has setup.

Carolina Panthers’ Monday Morning Optimist- 12/7/2009

James The Aussie — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:51:49 -0000

More photos » by Mike McCarn - AP

17 days ago: Carolina Panthers' Matt Moore, right,talks with injured quarterback Jake Delhomme, left, in the second half of their 16-6 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Mike McCarn)

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Good morning Panther faithful! I have to start by saying one thing- Redzone Defense WOW! If case you didn't get a chance to see Sunday's game vs. Tampa Bay here's the single reason we won right here: The Carolina Panthers stopped the Buccaneers 5 times in the red zone, and another 3 times between 20 and 30 yards out. While these 20-30 yard stops are not technically red zone defensive stands, for all intents are purposes we had 8 occasions where the Bucs were knocking on the door and the Panthers defense said ‘No'. It was a good thing that the defense stepped up, because the Panthers offense was anemic on Sunday.

As good as the Panthers' defense was on Sunday there are still a lot of other areas to be optimistic about, and some others we need to be wary of. So please join me and I break it all down

After the jump...

In the end the big story for Panther fans wasn't getting a win, amazing red zone defense or stout running by Jonathan Stewart- the storyline for this game was Matt Moore. I'm mentioning Moore now because I'm not including him in my optimistic/pessimistic breakdown. Simply put, he didn't play either well enough, nor did he play poor enough to garner either distinction. However, I will be talking about his play in depth now.

Matt Moore was stepping into the perfect situation on Sunday. Despite not starting since late 2007 he was playing at home, against a 1-10 team, who didn't have their starting and no.1 CB Aqib Talib. If there was a more perfect scenario to step into for a young QB I don't know what is. Moore started well enough; he took care of the football, didn't take many risks and relied on his outlet routes to provide safe yards.

What Moore didn't do, however, was quarterback an offense that were able to effectively move the chains. 70% completion is worth nothing if you aren't moving the ball effectively. Delhomme barks out alignments and points out blitzing LBs to the OL and RB, he calls audibles to get out of clearly bad situations. The Matt Moore run offense did none of this, and it showed in the lack of productivity on the ground. Make no mistake, Jonathan Stewart's numbers look good in the box score, but for those of us who watched the game we know how many horrible situations he willed into big gains. His stats do not give his individual performance credit, as Stewart continually fought against numerous missed blitzes and backfield pressure every down. This was against a team who we've run all over in our previous two outings. Not all of this can be attributed to Matt Moore, but some of the blame has to be leveled on the QB for failing to identify blitzing players are alignments to the offense.

Another area it is clear Moore needs to improve in is leading his receivers. Out of his 14 completed passes only one was a clearly nice lead- the bomb to Steve Smith. The rest of the time he was throwing such that the receiver was getting the ball, but completely unable to get any YAC. When we have limited offensive weapons already you need to make the most of what you have, and Moore didn't make the most of what we had on offense.

Those points aside, he played decently. Finding Steve Smith as many times as Jeff King isn't going to get it done. In Jaxon's postgame wrap-up the poll had 20 people (at the time of this story) vote for Matt Moore to get the game ball. We have become so jaded by abysmal QB play in 2009 that Moore's mediocre performance is stunning to some people, and that's the reason we're 5-7 right now. What worries me if the areas he was lacking in aren't areas a 2 year player should be having issues, they're areas you typically see a rookie struggle in. From where I stand the game ball needs to go to the player who won the game for you, not the player who didn't lose it. If the Panthers' defense goes a very respectable 3-2 on Red Zone stops we lose Sunday's game.

I wanted nothing more than to be writing about Moore's 247 yard, 2 TD, 0 INT game this morning, or the 222 yard, 1 TD, 1 INT the game that numerous people predicted in the ‘Matt Moore prediction thread' but what we got was just average. Not good enough to win a game, not bad enough to lose one- just dead average. I hope Moore gets the start vs. New England this week. Then we'll really get to see the kid's mettle, because as it stands now I don't think I learnt anything new about Matt Moore from a ho-hum performance against a (now) 1-11 team, and this is a time we need to learn about him as a player so we know if he can lead this team in the future or if we need to roll the dice on a rookie QB.

OPTIMISTIC

Jon Beason- Extremely Optimistic: Beast, beast, beast! What an amazing game by Beason. Not only was he the team's second leading tackler, but he added two key interceptions. That is how you lead by example. Beason seems to be getting more comfortable in Ron Meeks' system too, at first he looked a little out of place, being using to the more plodding style of Trgovac's 4-3, but now in the cover two he's using his speed and power more effectively, great game.

Jonathan Stewart- Extremely Optimistic: As much as I would have liked to see DeAngelo Williams available for Sunday's game it was really nice to see J-Stew have an entire game to be the feature back. As I mentioned earlier, there were so many plays where Stewart turned nothing into something. Non-Panther fans see Stewart as an injury prone back without knowing his situation, we know him as the tough as nails bowling ball who will hit you in the mouth, then run you over- great stuff to see.

Ron Meeks- Extremely Optimistic: Meeks has pitched a tent in this area every week, and he's not giving it up now. Meeks' defense is better than good, it's great. This is, after all, the NFL. Look at the defensive injuries and tell me you aren't impressed with a pieced together defense- some of whom were on practice squads a few weeks ago and tell me 8 stops inside the 30 yard line isn't impressive. Yes, the players account for a lot of that, but credit has to go with defensive scheming too. During the game thread I was going to give him a ‘somewhat' ranking, but I can't do it; especially after the defensive won this game for us.

Chris Harris- Extremely Optimistic: Chris, Mr. CSR, you made us proud. 5 tackles, 1 end zone INT. Harris was flying around the secondary flat out making plays all day. It was great to see.

Everette Brown- Somewhat Optimistic: I like Everette Brown, I like him a lot. Brown had at least 4 QB hurries on Sunday, and contributed to an incomplete pass which was tantamount to a forced fumble. Furthermore, Brown didn't quit on plays- often being one of the fastest guys in pursuit to the sideline. He's young, but he'll learn. I like what I'm seeing.

Tyrell Sutton- Somewhat Optimistic: Great play from the undrafted rookie. He got limited looks, but averaged an excellent 6.3 ypc. I think he could have gotten some more runs, but he looked good. Perhaps he's the future of our ‘three headed monster' not Mike Goodson, who knows?

CJ Wilson- Somewhat Optimistic: Something has to be said when you're hanging on to a roster spot at 4^th CB and you end up playing coverage better than a starter. Wilson was very impressive, and it was nice to see that Panthers give some other guys a look.

Nick Hayden- Somewhat Optimistic: Nice work by Hayden in limited time. The best way to justify staying on the roster is to make plays, and he got a much needed sack.

PESSIMISTIC

Offensive Line- Extremely Pessimistic: This group has no fight without Jordan Gross; the also open up no holes, protect the QB or get any push either. They have to play better, they have to. Right now, they're not doing anything well.

Richard Marshall- Extremely Pessimistic: When a CB leads your team in tackles, it's never a good thing. It usually means that said corner was out of position so many times that the opposing QB targeted that side of the field. Well, that's exactly what happened with Marshall. He was outplayed by CJ Wilson who ended up covering for him, and if Marshall is the best CB we have (as some believe) we're in trouble.

Chris Gamble- Somewhat Pessimistic: INT good, PR bad. A takeaway and a giveaway balance each other out. From there you go to his coverage and he was caught out of position a few times. Not a great game for Gamble.

Overall Analysis

The Panthers are now 5-7, and if the ball bounces the right way I definitely see this team being able to finish 8-8 or even (are I say) 9-7. I gave Jake a mulligan on his game vs. Philadelphia, so I'll give Matt Moore a mulligan on this game. I personally intend to treat the game vs. New England as his first start. People can talk about Moore playing ‘mistake free' until the cows come home, but in full games where Jake Delhomme has been asked to throw equal to, or less than 25 times his stats have been:

466 yards, 5 TD, 3 INT, 83.65 rating

The fact remains that when Jake is asked to do what Moore did yesterday he'll play well, ask him to throw 30-50 times and he'll fail. I hope Moore gets a shot to throw those 30-50 times so we can see if he can get it done or not. Until then, the jury is still out on Moore and this season as a whole.

65% Optimistic about the future as we face the New England Patriots