SB Nation - Carolina Panthers

A little discussion about the 2009 Most Valuable Player Award

BigBlueShoe — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:59:06 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

23 days ago: Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning reacts after he threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots in Indianapolis, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009. Indianapolis defeated the New England Patriots 35-34. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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I'm a Colts blogger. So, naturally, I'm going to tell you that Peyton Manning is the 2009 NFL MVP. And while there is the rather annoying sentiment out there that "They could give it to Peyton every year," the truth of the matter is the MVP award often goes to the best player in the NFL who also happens to be making a playoff run. If the MVP goes to any other sort of player, it cheapens the award; makes it nothing more than a popularity contest on par with the Pro Bowl, American Idol, and a local bar's wet tee-shirt contest.

And when you look through the numbers, the wins, and the overall play of the candidates, there is absolutely no doubt that, right now, Peyton Manning is the league's Most Valuable Player.

When judging candidates, you must first ask the following question: Are the players everyone is blabbing about making a playoff run? MVP candidates must make the playoffs. It's embarrassing if they don't. If you disagree, fine. You're clearly in the minority. In the history of the modern NFL, no MVP winner has missed the playoffs.

This means that if you are considering a player like Titans runningback Chris Johnson, the answer is no.

The Titans are done for 2009. If by some miracle they get in, it's because some other team choked and the Titans were lucky enough to back-in to post-season play. Doing this suggests that the faults of another team were the reason why the candidate is in the playoffs, and not the play of the candidate himself. Plus, in a monster game against the Colts last weekend, with a chance to climb out of a 0-6 hole and get back to .500, Chris Johnson was held out of the endzone all day with his longest run only accumulating 11 yards. That's not MVP play.

Thus, Chris Johnson (who is still the best RB in football, I might add) is out.

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

The second thing you absolutely must cut out of the equation is sentimentality. This is an award for athletic excellence, not a lifetime achievement award. This is why I got so frustrated and annoyed with my own colleagues at SB Nation last year when half of them voted for Chad Pennington as Most Valuable Player.

Chad Pennington? Really?

The term "value" is not divorced from the term "good." And while Chad Pennington is certainly not a bad quarterback, you are a moron of truly epic proportion if you think Chad Pennington is as good a QB as Peyton Manning. In the case of my SB Nation colleagues, I think they forgot to include the "good" in with the "valueable."

This year, the sentimental pick is Brett Favre. Big Whigs like Peter King practically have their vote for Favre cast, regardless of what they are publicly writing. But even before his little stumble Sunday night in Arizona against the Cardinals, Favre was not a true MVP candidate. While there is no doubt that Favre's numbers are some of the best of his truly great career, the fact of the matter is the Vikings have played the kind of schedule that would make the UFL champion Las Vegas Locomotives look like world beaters. The Vikings have played the 25th toughest schedule in the league, with teams like the Lions (twice), Browns, and Rams all counted as wins on their schedule. Against two potential playoff contenders, the Steelers and the Cardinals, Favre has played some of his worst football. Both those games were on the road, and an MVP candidate must show that he can help his team win big games on the road.

Thus, Brett Favre (who is a truly amazing player, regardless of what the haters think or say) is out.

(AP Photo/Paul Battaglia)

This leaves us with two truly viable candidates, and only two: Peyton Manning of the Colts and Drew Brees of the Saints.

The MVP "race" is between these two gentlemen, and anyone suggesting otherwise is just wasting your time. Both are putting up amazing numbers. Both are QBs on teams that have yet to lose a game. But when you truly compare both candidates, the argument for Brees shrivels up and dies rather quickly.

Now, before we get into the details, please note that all of this goes out the window if and when the Colts start resting Manning once their playoff position is locked up. If the Colts start resting people going into the playoffs while the Saints continue to play starters in meaningless games, Drew Brees will indeed win the MVP. The press will love the Saints for "Going for Perfection" and reward them with an MVP vote for their QB.

(AP Photo/Rob Carr)

Does this kind of thing cheapen the MVP award? Yes, and the main reason why is the Saints (like the Vikings) have played a cupcake schedule. Also, with three of their last four games against the dreadful Buccaneers, the sorry Panthers, and the disappointing (and injured) Falcons, the prospects are very high of the Saints building big leads against these clubs early only to (shock!) rest starters in the second half of those games. Meanwhile, the Colts play the Broncos and Jaguars in back-to-back weeks. Both teams are currently in the playoff picture, but need to keep winning if they want to remain in. Following the Jags game, the Colts play the desperate New York Jets, who are still in playoff contention, but are on the outside looking in. So, that's three games against potential playoff teams with one or two of those games being utterly meaningless for the Colts.

However, regardless of whether the Colts will rest starters or not, Peyton Manning should indeed win his fourth (and NFL record setting) MVP award. The Colts have played the 7th toughest schedule in the NFL. The Saints have played the 24th toughest. Indy also plays in the NFL's toughest division, with all four teams potentially ending the season with .500 or better records. In games against quality opponents like the Patriots, Ravens, Cardinals, Titans, Jaguars, Dolphins, and Texans, Peyton Manning has thrown for 2,750 yards, 20 TD, and 10 INTs.

Consider those numbers and then compare them to Brees, who has feasted on teams like the Bucs, Panthers, Bills, Rams, Redskins (who the Saints almost lost to), and Lions. Now, obviously, Brees cannot control the teams on the Saints schedule. However, when comparing candidates, especially two quarterbacks playing extremely well for two undefeated teams, you absolutely must take into account who they have played. So far, Manning trumps Brees in this area.

Manning is also currently leading the league in passing yardage (3,685 yards) as well as completion percentage (70%). The fact that Manning is doing all this with the #32 ranked rushing attack and (essentially) two rookie wide receivers is nothing short of astounding.

Overall, the MVP race should be an exciting one as we head into the home stretch for the 2009 regular season. And, unlike last year, laughably bad candidates (like Kurt Warner) are not polluting the competition for the award. But, at the end of the day, this award is Manning's. He has played better than Brees against better competition, and has shown an uncanny ability to do more with less around him.

If you have thoughts or other ideas on the MVP candidates, please add them to the comments below.

[UPDATE]: Be sure to check out DevilsReject's FanPost on the MVP race as well.

New England Patriots Links 12/09/09 - Ressurecting The Secondary, and The Season

Marima — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:50:51 -0000

CB Darius Butler still very much a rookie.

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Adam Kilgore catches Brian Hoyer's thoughts about Tom Brady and playing for the Patriots.

" [Tom Brady] has been great. He’s been very helpful. Anything that I need to ask him, he doesn’t hesitate to help me out, or even, he’ll just give his opinion on something. For a guy like that to do something – I don’t want to say go out of his way, because we’re always together. But he doesn’t really have to do that. He can just do his thing and move on. But he’s really helped me out a lot."

"His passion for wanting to get better and his passion for the game," Hoyer said. "He always takes practice like it’s a game. That’s something that I’ve always taken from him – go out there and practice like it is a game. If you go out there and prove yourself in that situation, then when the time comes, you’ll be even more ready." "I think every thing happens for a reason," Hoyer said. "If I could pick where I wanted to go, I think New England would have been the place, because it’s a good organization from the top down. I’ve been blessed to be here, and I’ve taken advantage of it every day. I wake up every morning, and I’m like, ‘I play for the New England Patriots. It can’t get better than this.’ "

Dean Pees was asked how to prepare his players from a pass defense standpoint, considering the success the Dolphins had against them.

You've always got to be able to do what your players can do. Where our problem was was primarily on the pass defense in this last game, that's different than the Saints game where we gave up big plays on some missed assignments, was the fact that we couldn't get off the field on third down. So whether teams attack us that way on third down, I can't tell you what other teams will do. Actually playing the passing game - playing no matter what - in this last game, on first and second down, was probably as much success as we've actually had all year.

When we graded the film, first down was fairly successful compared to most games. Second [down] was probably the best second down [game] that we've had all year in 12 games. Our problem in this past game was simply third down; we couldn't get off the field. That's why we had so many plays. That's why they had so many yards. We didn't give up as many plays - didn't give up a lot of big plays. We just couldn't get off the field on third down, for a lot of different reasons, most of which were fundamental mistakes, not necessarily attacking the team this way because we ran this particular coverage, because we really almost never were in the same coverage twice.

I don't know that it's going to be that as much as we've just got to do a better job of - we just fundamentally didn't play well on third down, from the front to the back end. We just didn't play well enough and that's my responsibility and I've got to get that fixed.

TEAM TALK

New England Patriots vs. Carolina Panthers. Broadcast info, series history, team connections and more.
Ask PFW: Two Bad. In this week's mailbag, consecutive road losses have everyone searching for answers.
Tuesday Conference Calls: Bill Belichick (12:44 min. audio), Dean Pees (10:31 min. audio), and Nick Caserio (6:53 min. audio) Plus Transcripts.
Patriots Today: Division competition tightens; Pats still in control. (9:38 min. video)

LOCAL LINKS

Albert Breer says this defense needs an attitude adjustment.
Ian Rapoport reports Dean Pees comments about the secondary, "Four weeks ago everybody was talking about improvement in the secondary and how well they were playing," Pees said. "Well, obviously it’s there and we’ve just got to bring it out."
Jeff Howe reminds us that the Patriots still control their own playoff destiny.
Michael Hurley says Tom Brady, one of the few Patriots remaining from the glory years, has taken it upon himself to make sure the Patriots don't fade away.
Monique Walker notes four of New England’s five losses have come by 7 points or fewer and all of the losses have been on the road.
Mike Reiss breaks down TE production, saying the initial appearance that the lack of TE involvement in the pass receiving game was a glaring issue, was off the mark. He offers some points that stood out to him after a second look.
Albert Breer picked up pieces from the Patriots' crushing loss to Miami, analyzing key components to the game.
Mike Reiss offers ten quick-hit thoughts on the Carolina Panthers.
Albert Breer says there's a really good chance Julius Peppers hits the market this offseason, and Sunday could be an audition.
Kerry Byrne picks apart the Patriots last three losses, saying they're stuck in a sorry situation.
Albert Breer breaks down how the Patriots and Dolphins attacked the quarterback on Sunday.
Mike Reiss notes Sunday will mark the Panthers' first regular-season trip to Gillette Stadium. they are the only NFL team yet to play a regular-season game at Gillette, which opened in 2002. The Fox B-team of Kenny Albert, Darryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa will be on call.
Christopher Price is back for another edition of the mailbag, and this week it gets ugly. We're talking Tony Siragusa in a hot-tub kinda ugly.
Mike Reiss' mailbag was overflowing after the Patriots' second straight loss.
Boston Globe Patriots Notebook: Patriots couldn't get off the field on third down and Miami drove all day; Brian Hoyer knew Brady would be coming back after he jogged into the locker room during the game; Still not sure which QB will be starting for the Panthers Sunday, Jake Delhomme or Matt Moore.
Kevin Faulk sits down with John Chandler as he and the squad head into their matchup with the Panthers after dropping two in a row for the first time since 2006. (3:15 min. video)

NATIONAL NEWS

Peter King (SI) All-Decade Team of the 2000s: Bill Belichick, Randy Moss, Mike Vrabel and former Patriots Adam Vinatieri and Scott Pioli attain the honor. No question the New England Patriots have been the dominant franchise of the decade.
Peter King (SI) Highlights and lowlights from the decade.
Don Banks (SI) NFL: Ten signature moments of the decade. Numbers 1 and 2 are Mo Lewis' hit on Drew Bledsoe and David Tyree's helmet catch.
Don Banks (SI) Biggest trades, free agency and draft of the decade.
Don Banks (SI) Snap Judgments: Why Patriots are struggling; Favre trend continues.
Mike Silver writes a scathing piece against Bill Belichick for being disloyal to LB Mike Vrabel, fabricating motives, vindictiveness and gutless pettiness on the parts of Belichick, Scott Pioli and Josh McDaniels. Bizarre.
Dave Goldberg (NFL Fanhouse) Patriots' dynasty coming back to pack.
Jason Cole (Yahoo! Sports) Vegas action on Patriots, Steelers raises some eyebrows.
Matt Bowen (Nat'l Football Post) The best defenses step up now.

VIEW FROM CAROLINA

Charles Chandler (Charlotte Observer) Tough remaining schedule waiting for Panthers: 4 of NFL's best teams.
David Scott (Charlotte Observer) Panthers' Safety Harris back to his havoc-wreaking habits.
Charles Chandler and David Scott (Charlotte Observer) AFC Scout breaks down Panthers.
Andrew Mason (Panthers.com) Unexpected contributors.

Carolina Panthers’ Hump Day Prognostication (New England Patriots edition)

James The Aussie — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:34:16 -0000

More photos » by Lynne Sladky - AP

3 days ago: New England Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss (81) speaks to quarterback Tom Brady (12) during the third quarter of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins in Miami, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

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Good morning Panther faithful and happy hump day! This Sunday's game between the Carolina Panthers (5-7) and the New England Patriots (7-5) proves to be one of the biggest tests of the Panther's season. The Patriots may be 7-5, but most agree they're far more dangerous than their record shows, meanwhile, the Panthers are 5-7, but like the Patriots most agree that they have the potential to be far more dangerous than their 5 wins suggest.

This 2009 Pats team is not the same as previous iterations. While still dangerous in every phase of the game they're not nearly the juggernaut in every phase that we've seen during their dynasty run. This leaves the door slightly open for Matt Moore and the Carolina Panthers to press the advantage. So, how do we match up against the Pats? Find out:

After the jump...

New England run offense vs. Carolina run defense

The Patriots run offense isn't quite an afterthought, but it's not a focal point of their offense. The Pats have only run the ball 337 compared to 473 passing attempts. This bodes well for a Carolina Panther defense which has struggled against the run, especially against strong North-South runners. New England have a strong back in Lawrence Maroney, but he's never really reached his full potential. They also feature Kevin Faulk, a NE institution who is as reliable as the day is long.

The Pats are 16^th in the NFL running the ball, and the Panthers' run defense is 23^rd in the league, despite this disparity I think it'll be pretty evenly matched on Sunday as New England won't run the ball very much.

Edge: Push

KEY MATCHUP: New England pass offense vs. Carolina pass defense

This is the area the Patriots scare me. They're 2^nd in the NFL in passing, and their pass offense is a bonafide monster. This is week 13 and not only to the Pats have two 1,000 yard receivers in Randy Moss and Wes Welker; they're also no.1 and no.2 in the league respectively. Brady might not have all the physical tools you want in a QB, but he has every single intangible and then some. Brady is completing over 65% of his passes, and he won't make the mistakes Josh Freeman made last week. If our corners struggle with Antonio Bryant, there's no telling how they will deal with Moss and Welker. I don't see the pass defense hanging with New England's attack this week.

Edge: New England

Carolina run offense vs. New England run defense

The Carolina Panthers should have DeAngelo Williams back this week and he and Stewart should give the Pats a little dose of Double Trouble. Stewart proved last week that he can carry the load when needed, and I have no doubt he would have had a better day with an effective offensive line. The Panthers' rushing attack hinges on the ability of the offense line to get some push and open some holes, which they haven't been doing effectively enough lately. Despite all this the Panthers are 3^rd in the NFL in rushing, the Pats are 16^th in run defense and I think Carolina will dominate the ground in this area.

Edge: Carolina

Carolina pass offense vs. New England pass defense

The Matt Moore era has officially begun. While Moore was an effective game manager against the Buccaneers, he certainly didn't set the world on fire. While the Patriots are a statistically worse pass defense than Tampa Bay's (13^th compared to 11^th) they do have all their players healthy whereas TB was without their no.1 corner. The Bucs had 11 interceptions on the season, the Pats have 14. This will be a much greater test for Moore on every level. Steve Smith has the talent to take over his opposite number, but ultimately I'm not sure a young QB in Moore will be able to handle the Patriots secondary.

The Patriots also feature a defense that pressures the quarterback from a lot of different angles. They have 8 different players who have recorded sacks, and 6 players who have recorded multiple sacks. They will throw a lot of different looks at the Panthers offense and likely show a lot of exotic blitz packages. I don't know if our piecemeal offense line can hang.

Edge: New England

Special Teams

We're improving, but we're still terrible. The Panthers are allowing almost 30 yards per KR and 13.1 per PR. The Pats have Wes Welker returning punts, and that's a dangerous prospect.

Edge: New England

Coaching

Love him, or hate him- Bill Belichick is one of the best coaches in the history of the NFL. Despite losing an unheard of amount of assistants and coordinators over the years to other teams he still manages to make the Pats compete each and every week. His game plans are also second to none. The Panthers' coaching may be getting better, but it's still a far cry from the Patriots' staff.

Edge: New England

Final Summary

This is another one of those ‘intangible' games. On paper, the Pats will tear us apart. However, like we proved against the Saints these Carolina Panthers will rise to the occasion. It's easy to be intimidated by Tom Brady, Randy Moss and Wes Welker; but this is a Panther team not easily intimidated. I think it's going to be a very, very hard fought game with the Panthers showing more fight than people previously thought.

This game has all the makings of an upset shocker, especially with DeAngelo Williams back in the offense. If Matt Moore can provide some offense and the red zone defense show what they're made of I think this is a winnable game.

Carolina Panthers 13 - New England Patriots 10

Poll

Who do you think will win Sunday's game?

Previewing the Enemy: Washington Redskins

Rated-R Superstar — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 01:39:28 -0000

It's a Super Bowl XVIII rematch! [via prod.static.raiders.clubs.nfl.com]

Alright, it's not quite a rematch from Super Bowl XVIII when the Raiders smashed the Redskins en route to their third Super Bowl title in franchise history. Nonetheless, this Sunday, the Oakland Raiders (4-8) will look to put together a winning streak as the Washington Redskins (3-9) will be coming to town. Don't let that 3-9 record fool you. This Washington team is better than their record and it clearly showed after taking Dallas, Philadelphia and New Orleans to the wire. They don't lay down and will play hard. With the team 2-1 with Bruce Gradkowski starting, the Raiders look to come away with another hard-earned victory as they did last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers as 15-point underdogs.

Let's take a look at their schedule and see how they've fared so far.

Week 1: @ New York Giants -- L, 17-23
Week 2: St. Louis Rams -- W, 9-7
Week 3: @ Detroit Lions -- L, 14-19
Week 4: Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- W, 16-13
Week 5: @ Carolina Panthers -- L, 17-20
Week 6: Kansas City Chiefs -- L, 6-14
Week 7: Philadelphia Eagles -- L, 17-27
Week 8: Bye Week
Week 9: @ Atlanta Falcons -- L, 17-31
Week 10: Denver Broncos -- W, 27-17
Week 11: @ Dallas Cowboys -- L, 6-7
Week 12: @ Philadelphia Eagles -- L, 24-27
Week 13: New Orleans Saints -- L, 30-33 (F/OT)

Well, this team is certainly interesting. Sitting at 3-9, this team could easily be 6-6 or even better. We will have to bring our "A" game, of course, if we want to secure a victory on our home field this Sunday.

Let's check out the Redskin offense first.

Pass Offense Rank: 220.2 yards/game; 18th in NFL
Rush Offense Rank: 101.0 yards/game; 22nd in NFL
Total Offense Rank: 321.2 yards/game; 21st in NFL
Scoring Offense Rank: 16.7 points/game; 26th in NFL

With stars Chris Cooley and Clinton Portis out, others must step up for the Redskins. [via cache.daylife.com]

If you recall, the Redskins offense was the subject of some controversy or what not concerning head coach Jim Zorn. Well, he gave up his play-calling duties to assistant Sherman Lewis. Since then, the offense has performed better. Who is the leader of this Redskins offense? I really don't know to be honest with you. Let's look a little bit into their personnel.

Jason Campbell, QB: Many people questioned Campbell's status as the quarterback this season. He was even benched in favor of veteran Todd Collins earlier. To me, Campbell is actually a pretty solid quarterback. He isn't going to set the world on fire or anything, but he can still hurt you. Campbell is completing 66 percent of his passes this season even if they are "dinks and dunks" most of the time. With 15 turnovers and 15 touchdown passes, Campbell's ratio isn't all that great. He has been sacked three or more times in five games. Obviously, getting some pressure on him would be nice.

Rock Cartwright, HB: Rock is solid, just like a rock. (Ha, get it?) If you want him to be the running back, he can. If you want him to be the fullback, he can. He'll even run back kicks and run down there on punt returns. He is a threat out of the backfield to catch passes. A somewhat physical runner, Cartwright doesn't really stand out in terms of either his speed or his strength. Cartwright has stepped up for the injured Clinton Portis (concussion), who just put on injured reserve. Also on injured reserve is Portis' backup Ladell Betts, so the Redskins are thin at running back.

Quinton Ganther, HB: Ganther, just in his second year out of Utah, is someone I just don't know too much about. Essentially moving up from fourth on the depth chart to splitting time with Cartwright, Ganther was mildly successful against the Saints last Sunday with 46 yards on just 8 carries. The week before that against the Eagles, Ganther had 32 yards on just 5 carries. We may see more of him against the Raiders with him averaging 5.8 yards per carry over the past few weeks.

Santana Moss, WR: The pint-sized and speedy Moss is Washington's leader in receptions (49), yards (642) and touchdowns (3). He is what you would call the team's go-to-guy, but really the Redskins have a lot of guys they go to. Still, Moss provides that veteran presence and can't be overlooked. Maybe this would be one of the few times where I wouldn't mind Nnamdi Asomugha moving around from receiver to receiver, which he will at least a little bit.

Wide receiver Devin Thomas had two touchdowns last week against the Saints. [via a.espncdn.com]

Devin Thomas, WR: The second-year receiver out of Michigan State, Thomas is a young man seemingly improving with each game of late. He has even been prominent in the kick return game of the past two weeks. Still, he has shined brightly in the passing game over the course of those two same weeks. After a decent game against the Eagles, he broke out for 7 receptions, 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns last week against the Saints.

Antwaan Randle El, WR: The ex-Steeler is still in Washington. Randle El, who is very durable having missed only one game in his eight-year career, he is a dependable target for Campbell despite only averaging 3.3 receptions per game. I believe this is more in part to the number of targets the Redskins like to use. The team isn't confined to both Moss and Rande El as you will see here in a minute in this preview.

Fred Davis, TE: After Campbell's favorite target Chris Cooley went down for the year, someone had to step up. Unknown at the time to Washington, it'd be his replacement. Fred Davis. Since October 26, Davis is averaging 7.5 catches and 45.7 yards with finding the end zone three times, including two times in his last three games. As most tight ends are, he is a threat in the red zone and Campbell has no problem looking his way.

Let's shift gears to the Redskin defense now.

Pass Defense Rank: 190.2 yards/game; 5th in NFL
Rush Defense Rank: 121.8 yards/game; 24th in NFL
Total Defense Rank: 312.0 yards/game; 9th in NFL
Scoring Defense Rank: 19.8 points/game; 14th in NFL

Linebacker London Fletcher leads Washington's better-than-you-think defense. [via cdn.bleacherreport.com]

Defensive coordinator Greg Blache and his Washington Redskins actually have a pretty solid group defensively operating out of the 4-3. You may not think so because of their 3-9 record, but I'm sure people don't think highly of our defense since we're just 4-8. Anyway, the Redskins are particularly strong against the pass. Safety Reed Doughty has quietly had a good year and young LaRon Landry is solid at his spot as well. A pretty solid group of cornerbacks are headed by veteran Fred Smoot, who is in his ninth year out of Mississippi State. The leader of the defense is the man in the middle, London Fletcher, who leads the team with 109 tackles. Brian Orakpo, the 13th overall pick in the 2009 draft, plays on the outside along with veteran Rocky McIntosh. Defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth has been in and out of the lineup with injuries this season. He signed a monster contract in the offseason, but the Redskins' defense is only ranked 24th against the rush. His presence is desperately needed for Washington. Haynesworth is listed as questionable as of right now. At right defensive end, Andre Carter has nine sacks and deserves some Pro Bowl recognition for his great play. Again, this is a very solid defense and will do everything it can to keep their offense in this game late on the road.

Conclusion: The thing that sticks out defensively about the Redskins is their 24th-ranked rush defense. With Haynesworth questionable, he probably won't be playing on every down. Justin Fargas, Michael Bush and Darren McFadden should have success as long as head coach Tom Cable keeps giving them the rock. I believe of the first 28 plays against the Steelers, 18 of them were rushes. That is a similar ratio that I hope to see this week considering how strong Washington's pass defense is. Speaking of the pass, the breakout of Louis Murphy was something else, especially with Darrius Heyward-Bey out. It's nice to see someone step up at the receiver spot. Chaz Schilens even found the end zone for the first time in 2009 and Todd Watkins caught a key pass in the final drive. Johnnie Lee Higgins came through for us as well. Wide receivers against Pittsburgh caught 12 balls for 248 yards, both of which I'm sure were season-highs for our club. We're definitely going to need that against the Redskins' formidable pass defense against the previously mentioned Smoot and also Carlos Rogers and ex-Raider DeAngelo Hall. This may be a good test for Bruce Gradkowski as well, even though he did perform well against two really good defenses already in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. I think we're ready for this.

Feel free to leave your predictions or even your own thoughts and ideas about the Pittsburgh Steelers and how we can earn a win our fourth win of the season on Sunday.

*-All stats are through Tuesday, December 8, 2009.

Poll

Do you feel more confident in a win, less confident in a win or about the same in a win after reading this preview?

Eagles make minor roster moves

JasonB — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:31:20 -0000

The Eagles have released two players from their practice squad, OL Greg Isdaner and CB Stoney Woodson. IN their place comes former Penn State offensive lineman Gerald Cadogan.

Cadogan has spent time with the Panthers, Bengals, & Chargers. The 6-5 309lb lineman was a two year starter at LT for the Nittany Lions

Yesterday, the Eagles released WR Jordan Norwood which seems like a strong sign that DeSean Jackson will be back for this weekend.

Chargers Week 14 Playoff Scenarios

John (obviousman) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:57:32 -0000

The San Diego Chargers will clinch a playoff spot this week if one of the following scenarios happens:

SD win + BAL loss or tie + PIT loss or tie + NYJ loss or tie + MIA loss or tie
>SD win + BAL loss or tie + PIT loss or tie + NYJ loss or tie + NE loss or tie
SD win + BAL loss or tie + PIT loss or tie + JAC tie + NE loss
SD tie + BAL loss + PIT loss + NYJ loss + MIA loss

Don't get your hopes up though. Here's a list of the game to watch this week with the teams that Chargers fans should be rooting for ~~in bold~~ not crossed out:

~~Steelers~~ at Browns
Lions at ~~Ravens~~
~~Jets~~ at Buccaneers
~~Dolphins~~ at Jaguars
Panthers at ~~Patriots~~

Yikes. I wouldn't bet on any of those games going the way we need them to, but it's still a good sign that there is a remote possibility of clinching the playoffs this week.

2nd look at Freeman & Bucs big day on offense

Niko Houllis — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:32:25 -0000

Coach Fox is not the only one to point out Freeman is something special so far.

View full size photo »

There was an interesting list in the St. Pete Times of Bucs Quarterbacks with the most interceptions. Believe it or not, 5 isnt the record! Steve DeBerg has the most with 7 against the 49ers in 1986. Lets take a look at the list again...

Steve DeBerg 7 Sept. 7, 1986 49ers 31-7 L

Vinny Testaverde 6 Oct. 23, 1988 Vikings 49-20 L

Josh Freeman 5 Sunday Panthers 16-6 L

Vinny Testaverde 5 Nov. 4, 1990 Bears 26-6 L

Vinny Testaverde 5 Dec. 3, 1989 Packers 17-16 L

Vinny Testaverde 5 Sept. 4, 1988 Eagles 41-14 L

Doug Williams 5 Dec. 9, 1979 49ers 23-7 L

Not a big deal, each name here is someone special in Bucs History. Doug Williams was a winning QB for years, taking us to the playoffs 3 of 4 years here, and the team went 2-14 after he left. Steve DeBerg was QB for the Bucs best offensive year 1984 (Tied at 10th in offense with the 2003 team). Vinny did not take the Bucs to the playoffs, but he had an arm, and once he left, he had great years with the NY Jets. He had no one around him here.

Then I saw another list, that had something funny in it.

1. 573 yards at Minnesota (11/16/80)
2. 483 yards at Indianapolis (10/16/88)
3. 476 yards at Miami (10/20/85)
4. 475 yards at Cincinnati (10/29/89)
5. 469 yards at Carolina (12/6/09)

This list is the most offensive yards in a game in Bucs history, and its from the Pewter Report. What stands out to me are the Quarterbacks that I remember to have started each game.

Top one was Doug Williams, who had a 467 yard game on 11/16/1980 in Minnesota (Outdoors mind you, before the HHH Metrodome).

Numbers 2 and 4 are both under Vinny Testeverde. Number 3 was Steve DeBerg, who threw 4 TDs to Jimmy Giles, still a Bucs record for most TD Catches in one game.

Notice the similarities between the two lists? Same names. There have been dozens and dozens of Tampa Bay Quarterbacks, but these guys managed to come out on top on two offensive record setting lists.

Josh Freeman appears to be in good company.

Breaking Down Panthers Red Zone Defense

Ryan Basen — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:25:23 -0000

More photos » by Rick Havner - AP

Panthers safety Chris Harris intercepts a pass intended for Buccaneers receiver Maurice Stovall in the second half Sunday. Harris' pick in the end zone marked the sixth consecutive Bucs trip to the Carolina 20 in which the Panthers prevented a Tampa touchdown. (AP Photo/Rick Havner)

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Tampa Bay moved the ball seemingly at will for much of Sunday's game at Carolina. The Bucs rolled up 469 yards of offense, including 315 passing, 22 first downs and 13 plays of 15 yards or more.

Yet Tampa scored only 6 points. That's because Carolina's defense was clutch and opportunistic. The Panthers picked off five Josh Freeman passes and stuffed 10 of 14 third-down attempts, as well as 1 of 2 fourth-down attempts. The Bucs had the ball at the Panthers 20 or closer six times. but the Panthers prevented Tampa touchdowns each time.

Here is an inside look at the key play that stalled each of those six drives, and allowed the Panthers to win despite scoring just 16 points:

Situation: Third-and-1, ball on the Carolina 3. The Panthers led 10-0 with 14:20 to play in the second quarter.

Formations: Tampa lined up with one tailback and a fullback right, a tight end left, an H-back left and a receiver wide right. Carolina used four linemen with five other defenders in the box and a corner playing 5 yards off the receiver.

What happened: The H-back went in motion right and set behind the right tackle. The fullback, Chris Pressley, took the handoff and ran up the middle for no gain.

How it happened: Defensive end Julius Peppers fought off a block and tackled Pressley at the line of scrimmage.

The result: Tampa faced a fourth down and opted for a field goal, drawing within 10-3.

Situation: First-and-10, Carolina 20. 10-3 Panthers. 11:20 to play in second.

Formations: Tampa lined up in the shotgun with four receivers, two on each side, and a tight end left. Carolina used four linemen with two other defenders in the box and four defenders each a few yards off the receivers.

What happened: Tampa was rolling. The Bucs had picked off a Matt Moore pass and set up their offense at the Carolina 44. Two plays later Freeman connected with receiver Antonio Bryant for 20 yards, setting up this play. Freeman threw complete to Bryant for 3 yards. But Bucs tackle Jeremiah Trueblood hit corner Chris Gamble in the back after the whistle, drawing a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty.

How it happened: Freeman pump faked left and threw a quick screen right towards Bryant, standing at the 20. Left defensive end Everette Brown read the play. As soon as Freeman threw to Bryant, Brown sprinted towards the receiver. He arrived in time to make a solo tackle on Bryant at the 17. Gamble had arrived to help with the tackle, but slowed up as the whistle sounded. Then Trueblood hit him from behind, knocking him onto the ground and drawing the flag.

The result: Tampa moved back to the 32, facing a second-and-22 after the penalty. The Bucs failed to pick up a first down and settled for another field goal, moving within 10-6.

Situation: First-and-10, Carolina 16. 10-6 Carolina. 4:12 to play in second.

Formations: Tampa lined up in I-formation with two receivers right and one receiver in the left slot. Carolina used a 4-3 with one corner in press coverage on the receiver in the left slot, and two other corners playing off the line.

What happened: Freeman had just moved the Bucs 64 yards in six plays to get back inside the red zone. But on this play Peppers and defensive end Tyler Brayton sacked Freeman for a 4-yard loss.

How it happened: Freeman dropped back and held the ball for a couple seconds. Peppers wore out the left tackle and hit Freeman, and Brayton finished him off at the 20 to complete the coverage sack.

The result: The Bucs faced a second-and-14. Cadillac Williams ran for 2 yards and Freeman missed an open Bryant in the end zone on third down, forcing Tampa to settle for another field goal attempt. This time Connor Barth missed, from 36 yards out.

Situation: First-and-goal, Carolina 4. 10-6 Carolina. 12:39 to play in third.

Formations: Tampa lined up in I-formation with two tight ends left and a receiver in the right slot. Carolina used six linemen with one corner in press coverage on the receiver and four other defenders in the box.

What happened: The Bucs had taken the second half kickoff and moved 68 yards in four plays, setting up this play. Linebacker Jon Beason intercepted a Freeman pass at the goal line and returned it 18 yards.

How it happened: Freeman faked a handoff to the tailback and had plenty of time to throw. Beason spied Freeman and hid behind the defensive line. Freeman threw over the middle for Bryant, who was double-covered in the end zone. Beason drifted backward and leaped to corral Freeman's pass at the goal line.

The result: The Bucs missed an opportunity to take the lead or at least attempt a chip shot field goal that would have draw them within 1 point.

Situation: First-and-10, Carolina 20. 13-6 Carolina. 4:25 to play in third.

Formations: Tampa lined up in shotgun with four receivers in the slots -- two on each side -- and one back. Carolina used a 4-3 with two corners in press coverage on the outside receivers.

What happened: Gamble had fumbled a Tampa punt, which the Bucs recovered to set up this play. Beason again picked off Freeman, this time returning the interception 18 yards to the Panthers 21.

How it happened: Freeman forced a deep slant for Bryant over the middle. Gamble had good coverage on Bryant and Beason was standing near the goal line in front of Bryant, in a deep zone. Yet Freeman threw the ball anyway and Beason picked it off.

The result: The Bucs blew another chance to chip into the Panthers lead.

Situation: Fourth-and-goal, Carolina 3. 13-6 Carolina. 10 minutes to play in fourth.

Formations: Tampa used shotgun, with two receivers on each side and one back. Carolina used four linemen with four other defenders in the box, two corners in press coverage on the outside receivers and a safety assigned to double-team the outside receiver to the left (Bryant).

What happened: Tampa had moved 80 yards in 14 plays, but the drive bogged down inside the 10. The Bucs passed up a field goal attempt and elected to go for the tie. But safety Chris Harris picked off Freeman in the end zone for a touchback.

How it happened: Bryant went in motion and set in the left slot. Two defenders followed him. The Panthers rushed four and one defender shadowed the back flaring left out of the backfield. Freeman had lots of time, but defensive tackle Damione Lewis eventually got up off the ground and pressured Freeman. That forced Freeman to throw the ball. He elected to throw for receiver Maurice Stovall, whom Harris was guarding, and Harris made the interception.

The result: For the sixth straight series in which Tampa had moved at least to the Carolina 20, the Bucs failed to score a touchdown. They still trailed by a touchdown. Carolina promptly drove inside the Bucs 20 and John Kasay kicked a field goal a few minutes later to give the Panthers a two-score lead.

The Good, the bad, and the ugly - Week 13 edition

Buc Wild — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:29:44 -0000

It's been awhile since we've featured this column, but after a tough loss to the Panthers, I thought this might be a good time to bring it out. Any loss is not one that is welcomed, but even in losing conditions there can be positives. I've been saying all along that as long as progress is being made, I feel we can get somewhere. Believe it or not, we are making progress in some areas, while in other areas, we are a stagnant heap of failure. Lets take a look at all three categories and see what fits where.

The Good

Overall offense minus the quarterback- There are several things to pick up on here. The 469 net yards of offense. A 100 yard receiver. A near 100 yard running back. Antonio Bryant has finally become involved in the offense and is looking like a #1 WR when the ball is thrown his way. He made two sick catches and ended up with 5 catches for 116 yards. Cadillac almost made his return to 100 yard land by posting a 92 yard rushing day on 17 carries and added another 14 yards on 2 catches. The Bucs also won the time of possession battle, a near miracle in itself

Running game - The ground game in general produced on the higher end of the spectrum, churning out 5.9 yards per run play. That's phenomenal. Both Ward and Caddy hit some huge gainers and Freeman chipped in with some yardage on the ground also. Additional bonus, Caddy played against Carolina and made it off the field safely.

No big plays- Outside of the 66 yard bomb to Smith, the defense really didn't give up many big plays. There were a few 20+ yard runs, but we didn't see any wide receivers running unchecked through our secondary. I don't know if that is a function of who we played (Redman and Moore) or if the switch back to the Cover 2 has solved those woes. Probably a combination of both.

The Bad

Freeman's five picks- I choose to put this in the bad as opposed to the ugly mainly because we knew there would be days like this for a rookie QB. I don't like the 5 interceptions and hope it never happens again, but it had to happen at some point. We probably won't know for another 10 starts if this was an aberration or if this is what we should expect. Count me in the camp that says it will get better, but we can't ignore that it happened.

Connor Barth going 2 for 4 in field goals - Just disappointing, particularly after what we've been through this year with kickers. Any other year, it still sucks, but we chalk it up as a bad week. This year, it seems we may have angered the football gods and invoked the Curse of Bryant.

157 rushing yards against - As Buc 'Em user RuudAwakening said, its something to be optimistic about, given the last two times we faced Carolina they put up over 250 yards on the ground each game. But don't think for a minute that I'm happy about it. We seem to let anyone run over us. Maybe at the NFL Combine, they should let college RB's face off against our defense.

The Ugly

A big, fat 0 for 4 in the red zone - There aren't many ways to discuss this. It was a combination of bad play calling, bad execution and some great plays by Carolina. If we get anything in any one of those 4 red zone trips, the game probably plays out much differently. Beason spoiled two of the trips on great plays but the other two were just missed opportunities by everyone involved.

28% on 3rd down conversions - We led in time of possession, but that was more due to Carolina's offensive futility than our prowess. This number needs to be about 10 percentage points higher. This would allow us to extend drives and wear down a defense.

Tackling - How many times are we going to talk about this? Sabby showed up with an arm ful of air a few times, but it seemed that on multiple occasions, Stewart was hit within 2 yards of the line of scrimmage and somehow would shake free for a longer gain. The point of contact should generally be where the tackle is made. I'd love to see how many yards after contact we gave up. I would venture a guess and say that 90% of the rushing yards happened after first hit. We have to tackle better. This has been an issue for at least two years now.

# of passing attempts/play calling - I won't beat you to death with my play calling agenda, because by now you know where I stand. But 46 passing attempts for a rookie quarterback in a game that we were in until the end, this can't happen. Particularly after said young quarterback has shown he is having an off day. It seemed there was little or no help or adjustment in the game plan. I am astonished at our lack of game planning overall, and we all have talked about the lack of halftime adjustments (thus we get killed in the 3rd quarter every game), but against Carolina, it was obvious to a blind man (no offense to anyone, particularly the refs) that Freeman was struggling. And Olson kept calling pass plays. Adapt man. Play calls, game plans, personnel, these aren't things set in stone, they can and should be fluid.

These lists don't encompass everything, nor are they intended to give a complete overview of the game. They are just a few things that stuck out to me. What do you think about the lists? Anything you would add? Be sure to sound off in the comments section below.

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

3 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