SB Nation User Blog: Revshawn

Injury Report

Revshawn — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:44:32 -0000

Injury Report

The Panthers will be without Daunte Rosario and Moose, who didn't make the trip to New Orleans.

Among the many questionable players that did make the trip but did not practice on Friday include Tony Fiametta, Charles Godfrey, John Kasey, and finally Brad Hoover who has been declared out for next game.

Update: Charles Godfrey is out, and did not make the trip to New Orleans as well.

Navy vs Notre Dame

Revshawn — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:27:33 -0000

Jimmy Clausen of the Fighting Irish had 37-51 pass attempts completed for 452 yards, two touchdowns, 1 INT.

Navy wins the game, 23-21.

Something just seems wrong with that. Something seems terribly, unmistakably wrong.

Questions about the Panthers vs Saints game.

Revshawn — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:52:32 -0000

With a few injuries in the Panthers fold, including a random destruction of the FB position and Charles Godfrey and Moose out because of injury, the Panthers go into the Saints with a lot of questions. Some of them good, and some bad.

1. Can Sherrod Martin duplicate his exceptional 2 INT performance against Drew Brees and the Saints?

This is one of the biggest questions we have to ask during this upcoming game. We're all cheering for Martin to be our new FS, and Sherrod Martin is probably going to get one more game as a starter before Charles Godfrey comes back from injury. If he can pull off another good game here against an explosive offense such as the Saints, John Fox will have no choice but to name him the starter over Charles Godfrey for the rest of the season. John Fox has always been a fan of veterans, so in order for Martin to fully secure his job he will have to completely blow Fox away during the Saints game in order to force his hand and grab himself a starting job. It will also help our team in such a way to where we could look into trading Godfrey away in the offseason, thus allowing us to regain some valuable draft picks we lost in acquiring our D-Line help.

2. Can our D-Line get pressure on Drew Brees?

The Panthers will need to play a complete game against the Saints on Sunday. The Saints have had an explosive offense for a long time now, but now that they actually have a defense for once they can do amazing things. When a team averages 39 points per game while giving up 22, it takes a true moron to not figure out why this team has gone undefeated. Julius Peppers and Everette Brown need to step up early and often and put Drew Brees to the turf. Force him to make mistakes so that you can get their offense back on the field and put us in good field position to take the ball back the other way.

3. Can our running game take over the game?

Last week, we rushed for 270 yards against the #1 rushing defense in the league. In the first half, we were dominant. We went into halftime with the score 28-7, and the Panthers had a sizeable lead. However, I think the most important thing to consider is that the Panthers didn't score a touchdown for the rest of the game. While having a 3 possession lead going into halftime was enough to beat the Cardinals, against such a high powered offense as the Saints we need to be able to play a complete offensive game for four quarters. Many points must be scored, and much time must be taken off the clock!

4. Can our running game be successful without a true fullback?

The injuries to Brad Hoover and Tony Fiametta really hurt us for this game. It wouldn't be a big deal if we had another RB that could take their place, but instead we're going to have to take Jeff King from his TE position and use him as our FB instead. That may prove to be a huge factor if the Panthers can't get their running game going. With Daunte Rosario out because of injury, if the Panthers choose Jeff King to be their fullback, that only leaves one true TE on our roster in Gary Barnidge. Can the Panthers find a way to replace these guys?

5. Can Julius Peppers maintain his play for the rest of the year?

It seems like ever since Jon Beason promised the fans he would call Peppers out the next chance he got, Peppers suddenly kicked his play up to another level. Peppers did something he does not usually do by coming out and telling his teammates that he was letting them down, that he was making excuses for himself, and that he was going to be different from now on. So far, in the last 4 games he has six sacks, 18 tackles, two forced fumbles and one huge pick six. If Peppers can continue to cause the pressure on the opposing QB like he has these last few weeks, he will be a terror for any QB to behold, let alone deal with.

6. Can Jake Delhomme manage the game?

We don't ask much of Jake Delhomme, in his last game we only asked him to throw the ball 14 times, and he completed half that with one touchdown and no pick sixes thrown. There has been many theories of why Jake Delhomme has declined this year. Starting from the question of whether his arm is fully recovered from his Tommy John Surgery, his increased strength is too much for him to control, or just his lack of confidence in general, the cold fact remains that Jake Delhomme leads the league in interceptions, and until proven otherwise the fans will shout obscenities every time he touches the football.

The best way to combat this is to not put Jake in a situation where he needs to make a long completion to get a first down. Get those first 5 or 6 yards so that Jake has a 3rd and 4th on his plate other than a 3rd and 12. Let your running game take over, and make it the majority of your playbook for the game. Shove the ball down their throat with our two running backs, and let Jake work short passes to Steve Smith and our running backs. A turnover with Jake Delhomme in a game like this will go a long way in determining on whether we have victory or we are defeated.

That's really all I have to say guys. I'm sure there is a lot more where that came from, we haven't even started on Dwayne Jarrett yet. But for now, let us have a moment of silence for Ron Meeks, whom will have the biggest task ever in preparing our defense to stop the #1 offense in the world.

Let us hope that he makes it through the week.

Giants get picked as the Stone Cold Lock of the Century....of the Week

Revshawn — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 04:13:42 -0000

http://www.adultswim.com/video/?episodeID=8a250aae24829297012482a951c10005

This is a series I've had my eye on for a while now. It's pretty fun to watch, always good for a chuckle. Last week was the Patriots vs the Bucs, and he ripped the Bucs a new one, calling the match "A secret conspiracy from Roger Goodell to relocate the no good Browns, Bucs, and Rams to England, cause that's a no good country."

Rev Preaches the Good Word on the Cardinals and the Panthers Game

Revshawn — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:04:10 -0000

via www.ihavenet.com Prime Enemy #1 during the Cardinals game. Imagine how bad our defense wants to hit this guy after the playoffs last year!

View full size photo »

If you're looking for hope in such dire times for the Panthers, fans can embrace one thing. The Panthers rank 1st in the nation in defending the pass.

Yes, in spite of everything that's happened, that is one statistic you can hold onto if the Panthers hope to stop the Juggernaut that is the Arizona Cardinals during our next game. The Cardinals will be coming at us with a fury of weapons unlike we have ever seen this season. Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald are two of the most elite players in the NFL, and fellow receivers Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston are two pretty decent threats right along with them.

After rebounding from a 1-2 start before hitting the bye week, the Cardinals are 4-2 with the division lead and are ready to put some distance between them and the 49ers. However, they still don't have a running game. At all. The Panthers are 26th in the league in defending the rush, while the Arizona Cardinals are 32th in rushing yardage. That's a key number you need to circle if you want to cheer for the Panthers on Sunday.

If you look at the game at face value, the Cardinals have a strong advantage. They have an explosive offense when they drop back to pass, and this year their defense threw away all of the crazy scheming in favor of a simpler game-plan, so they suddenly became 1st in the league in rushing defense. While they have not yet become as good as they were on their run to a Super Bowl, they'll have a wonderful stage to show that off against the Carolina Panthers in Week 8.

On the other hand, the Panthers can stop the pass and Julius Peppers has seen the light and has begun to cause constant pressure once more. In spite of the team struggles, Deangelo Williams has still been solid and he's on pace for a 1,000 yard season. If Jake Delhomme suddenly find his groove against the team that took it away so that the Panthers actually have a QB, they may just rise up and take down the Cardinals.

They'll definately need a little help though. So here spawns the list of what the Panthers DO NOT WANT to happen in the game against the Cardinals, inspired by a popular meme running its course on Cat Scratch Reader, the DO NOT WANT dog.

The Panthers DO NOT WANT to play like they are the Colts or the Patriots. Stop giving Jake the chance to throw downfield and get picked off. He's not playing the best right now! Jeff Davidson needs to realize that and get back to what the Panthers know how to do the best, running the football.

The Panthers DO NOT WANT to stop the blitz. Thomas David should return against the Cardinals, and once he does the Panthers get back the best blitzer on their team. The Panthers did great causing pressure with their D-Line against the depleted O-Line of the Bills, but if they start out slow against the Cardinals why not open the playbook a bit and send Davis and Beason in there to kill da't Kurt Warner fella? It couldn't hurt, and Lord knows we can't give Warner forever in the pocket to do his dirty work.

The Panthers DO NOT WANT a dropped punt, kickoff, or otherwise a ball on the ground on special teams. Of the few people that should be fired on the Panthers team, the latter should be Danny Crossman. I can understand a mistake here and there, but when your team is on the field one time every possession and you're making constant mistakes, it should cost you your job. Needless to say, to beat a team on this caliber we don't need any mistakes. Kurt Warner needs to constantly be starting from his own 20, and we need to get some return yards on special teams.

The Panthers DO NOT WANT a bad performance from Jake Delhomme. John Fox took till Wednesday to decide whether or not he would start Jake, if it was a good motivating tool for him we'll see this upcoming performance. There's also that story about where the coaches were messing with his mechanics, which I don't believe. I think it was a clever tool for the coaches to take some heat off of their favorite guy. Anyway, even though Jake will be starting, expect for him to be on a very tight leash for this upcoming game. At the second or so interception if he isn't doing anything decent he will probably be pulled in honor of Matt Moore. The best way for Jake to protect his job is to work the short game, throw beyond the first down marker, and keep drives alive like we've been asking him to do for a while now. We don't need a Peyton Manning, we need the Jake we all know and love.

If we can get away from all the things we DO NOT WANT to happen, then all that is left is what the Panthers want and need to happen. Beating the Cardinals is not a faroff dream, we just need to stop doing stupid things. So let's stop doing stupid things and make the other team look stupid for a change!

I'm sure that is something we can all agree on, at least if you're a Carolina fan.

Poll

What will be the most important factor for the Panthers in the Cardinal's game?

Let's take a look at our Offense and Special Teams :D

Revshawn — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:55:14 -0000

General Overview

For those who don't want to look at the whole article, I'm going to give you a general discription of all of the ball plays during our last game right now. I'm going to leave this in the sidebar and Jack can upgrade it to the front page if he wants, but this is going to be a big shoutout to our offense and special teams. The defense of the Panthers escapes my ire for this week, as they did the best they against the Bills and would have held them to just 6 points if it wasn't for the turnovers caused by Jake Delhomme.

The playcalling on offense was absolutely horrendous. After watching the game for the 2nd time around, it seems like I'm only repeating what I've said all along. The biggest problem on our offense is not Jake Delhomme, but Jeff Davidson. The Panthers gave up the running game in the 4th Quarter when it is precisely that time when the running game is the most effective.

DeAngelo Williams was also not available in the late game because of leg cramps, which could be because the trainers on the sidelines did not make sure he was hydrated sufficiently. Of all the things I expect for a football team, the very least I expect is that you take care of your players. Little things like that cost us this game, as I will detail later on in my article.

Penalties also continue to be a problem on offense. False start penalties. Holding penalties. We even a delay of game penalty on a crucial 3rd down because Jeff Davidson couldn't get the play in on time.

Special teams had the worst game of the season, two muffed catches, two missed field goals, lots of dancing/getting owned on kick and punt returns. The sad fact of the matter is that no one is blocking when they're running downfield. No one is blocking, and our returners can't catch the football. Consistantly giving the offense the ball at the 20 yard line is not a formula to help this team win the football game. It is the most amazing thing in the world that Danny Crossman still has a job on this team. He should be the very first coach fired when we hit the off-season.

That's just the overview of it all, here comes the real stuff. We're going to go over every single offensive drive that the Panthers had, and what killed it.

1st Drive

Kenny Moore didn't impress on his first kickoff return. He ran up the left side of the field, got to the 19, froze in place, and got tackled. You'd see that a lot before the game was over, so if I don't discribe the special team play from now on just assume that that's what happened.

The Panthers started out empty enough. We went 3 and out. Williams couldn't get any yards on the first play of the game, and on 3rd and 5 Jake Delhomme forced the ball to Dwayne Jarrett in tight coverage and a good ol bearhug from the corner blew the play up before it had a chance. The play was pretty close to being called pass interferance, as Smith was close to the play and he was being held, but the refs didn't call it.

What blew my mind on this drive was that DeAngelo Williams was taken off the field on the first rush in favor of Stewart. He's not tired. He's not dazed from a hard hit. But you use up all this time to subsitute and allow the defense to get perfectly set up for the next play. It's stupid and annoying, and it happened several times as the game wore on.

2nd Drive

The woes on special teams stuck once more, as Captain got swallowed up after a 3 yard return. One of the few people that was blocking was Rosario off to the left side of the field, and he got called for holding to start the Panthers at the 16 yard line. ((Second time the offense had to start behind their own 20.))

The reason the 2nd offensive drive failed was because of the Mike Goodson substitution for DeAngelo Williams. After gaining a first down to get the ball to the 27 yard line, Jonathan Stewart came in for Williams and jammed his thumb on a quick pass play off to the flat. So Stewart came back off the field and Williams comes back in, everything is fine and dandy.

A few plays later they call him off the field again in a 1st and 10 situation in favor of Mike Goodson. Instead of running between the tackles like a good boy, he started playing the game the next two running plays like he was in college and failed tremendously, running to the outside of the play instead of between the tackles and leaving the Panthers in a 3rd and 8 situation. Jeff Davidson called a horrible passing play on 3rd and 8, and Jake Delhomme threw the checkdown to Rosario in tight coverage, leading to a 4-3 situation and the end of the Panthers 2nd drive.

3rd drive

((On special teams, see drive 1, 3rd time the Panthers start drive behind their own 20.))

On offense, Jake Delhomme gave a gift. On the first play of the 3rd drive Jake Delhomme did this. Please note that he is not under any kind of pressure at this time. The guy coming behind him doesn't really count because Jake Delhomme doesn't see him. He has a perfect pocket right in front of him, and he throws an uncatchable ball over the head of of the tight end for the big INT.

The turnover later lead to 6 points by Marshawn Lynch, and I gained 6 fantasy points on my Fleaflicker fantasy league.

4th Drive

((On special teams, see drive 1, 4th time the Panthers start drive behind their own 20))

The 4th drive was another promising one, one that swallowed up almost 7 minutes and featured a beautiful 1 handed catch by the Ghost of Wesley Walls, a few quick passes to DeAngelo Williams and Smitty, and a good ground game. But on 1st and 10 at the Buffalo 35 yard line Jeff Otah was lined up ahead of the line of scrimmage. It cost us 5 yards, and along with a couple other mistakes it proved to be the choking point of this drive.

We fought back to make it a 3rd and 3 on a quick pass play to Williams on 2nd down. But all of the sudden Jeff Davidson starts being stupid and calls out the wildcat to show the Bills that we were going to run the football. Williams gets the snap and only makes it two yards up, and on a 4th and 1 John Kasey is called for the field goal and misses it from 43 yards out, killing whatever momentum we had gained.

5th Drive

((See Drive 1, Captain froze again and blocking failed but the Bills didn't kick it far enough for them to start behind their own 20, ending the streak of 4 consecutive times the Panthers started a drive behind the 20.))

Once again good drive by the Panthers. Williams makes a good 17 yard run, and King catches it wide open down the middle for 15 yards. It looks like the Panthers haven't lost their momentum from the previous drive, but Jeff Davidson decides to screw up a drive once more. He had been taking a while to get the plays to Jake Delhomme, but this one was especially long. The refs call the quickest delay of game penalty I have ever seen, leaving the Panthers at a 3rd and 11 on the Buffalo 42 yard line.

They were forced to punt it.

6th Drive

((After the Panthers put two points on the board thanks to a safety, Captain runs the ball back to the Panthers 27 yard line. Momentum is on their side. Surely the Panthers will score this time won't they?))

This drive was killed by a uncharacteristic chop block by Deangelo Williams, one which will probably be a cause for a fine later this week. It left the Panthers right around where the drive started at a 3rd and 20, and our coaches smartly did not allow Jake Delhomme to throw the ball downfield. We made an 11 yard game to a checkoff pass to Steve Smith, and punted on a 4th and 9.

7th drive

((See 1st drive, also a blocking above the waist call by Tony Fiametta. 5th drive started behind our own 20.))

Slowest 2 minute drill I have ever seen. Let me repeat that, this was the SLOWEST 2 minute drill I have ever seen. Remember the Chargers game when every single member of our offensive unit was rushing to the line of scrimmage? This game they were waddling. The Panthers wasted plenty of time getting to the line of scrimmage, and they failed to spike the ball on 3 seperate occasions where they could have saved time on the clock, using their final timeout on the 3rd. I actually got a pretty good laugh at that, because on television it looks like Jake Delhomme is still running the hurry up offense on the field and suddenly he reached out of the television screen and grabs a water bottle from out of nowhere. It's sad at the same time, because you could see other players on the field and you didn't know they were doing the hurry up because they were moving so damn slow.

Nevertheless, they had a pretty good drive going. Jake Delhomme missed a few passes, but also threw a few strikes right up the middle of the field. Somehow the Panthers lucked out and managed to spike the ball with one second left to go on the clock. It proved to be a non-factor, as John Kasey missed a 39 yard field goal to send the Panthers into halftime with their defense having outscored their offense by two points.

8th Drive

((See Drive 1, Fair catch called at the Panthers 12, 6th drive started behind their own 20.))

Deangelo Williams put Jake Delhomme in respectable position for the 3rd down conversion, but on 3rd and 5 Jake Delhomme threw the ball behind the yellow line to Jeff King for a 3 yard gain. These are the kind of stupid decisions that has earned the ire of many a fan. No pressure on Jake Delhomme, and he throws it to a receiver who was in tight coverage, so with the ball at 4th and 2 the Panthers punted yet again, squandering another opportunity to put points on the ball.

9th Drive

Finally a good punt, the Bills kick the ball out of bounds, forcing the Panthers to start the drive behind their own 20 for the 7th time. Do you see a trend going on here? I swear, it's a mystery.

Here's an important drive. Down by a score the Panthers need to rally and make a touchdown. At first, the drive shows promise. A quick pass to Williams and a long pass to Gary Barnidge and suddenly the Panthers are threatening the Bills at their own 22 yard line. Then Jake throws a ball way out of reach of Daunte Rosario on 1st down, throws a badly thrown ball to Stewart whom barely caught it for 3 yards, and then ran it up the right end for 6 yards to make it 4th and 1 at the Buffalo 13.

The Panthers go for it. I would have loved to have Williams in the game right now, but he's on the sideline due to his legs being all cramped up. That was a huge thing going into 4th and 1, because the Bills plugged up the middle of the line and stuffed Stewart. Williams might have been able to run the ball to the outside and break a TD run right there, both lanes to either side of that pile in the middle of the field was wide open, save for one man to beat on either side. Unfortionately, Stewart tried to pound it up the middle, and he was stuffed at the line. Panthers give up the ball.

10th Drive

This is the first time we've seen any return by the Panthers up to this point. The blocking was still bad, but good enough for the Panthers to make it back to the 23 yard line.

But alas, Jake Delhomme strikes again. They get one first down, but on a 2rd and 6 Jake Delhomme does this. I'm not even going to say anything more. That was what killed the drive. No pressure. Plenty of time to throw.

Really Jake? Really? We deserve better than this. Matt Moore for President!

11th Drive

Goodson muffs it on the kickoff return, but luckily the ball didn't go far and he was able to pick it up and kneel it for the touchback.

Here is where Jeff Davidson really starts to show his genius. That is massive sarcasm quotes by the way. He completely abandons the running game after the INT, and 4 straight passing plays later the Panthers punt the ball again, the highlight of the play being the Jake Delhomme sack on 3rd down.

The Panthers start to play like the New England Patriots yet again, and the result is a massive wad of shit thrown in the faces of Panther fans everywhere. Any potential comeback is blown dead in the water right here. It's the 4th quarter, the defense has been on the field a whole lot, and they're getting off the field because of Davidson's playcalling. Clap....clap....clap.

12th Drive

((See Drive 1, Captain gets slaughtered for a no gain return. Panthers start at their 22.))

About 10 minutes left to go in the game, don't worry Panther fans your suffering is almost over. Jake Delhomme is given the ball to pass seven straight times to get the ball to the Buffalo 15. He managed to luck out and get the ball deep to Steve Smith for a 48 yard gain. In fact, Steve Smith could have taken the ball all the way if he hadn't tried for the stiff arm on Byrd.

Finally, on 4th and 1 they call the first running play of the drive on Buffalo's 15, and suprise suprise the play goes for a touchdown. The Panthers opt to kick the extra point instead of the conversion, and it's a one possession game.

13th Drive

There is no 13th drive. After Carolina wastes 2 timeouts on defense, and they manage to stop the Bills on their own 45 yard line, they punt the ball and Moore pulls off his infamous muff. The failure leads to the Buffalo Bills kicking the field goal to put themselves up by 11, and with 2 minutes left to go on the clock it's enough to put the game out of reach.

14th Drive.

The Panthers get the ball at the 40 yard line due to a kick out of bounds, but since the Panthers are forced to throw it due to the time left in the game he gives the ball up to Wilson 4 plays later on his 3rd interception, highlighting the problems the Panthers have had in the passing game all day. The Bills kneel the ball 3 times, and with no timeouts to stop the clock, ((They wasted them during the 12th drive of the Bills.)), the Bills were able to kneel the ball 3 times and finish off their victory.

Final Thoughts

Next week we go up against Arizona, and if Jake Delhomme is at the helm we will be slaughtered. It's time to take the offensive playcalling duties away from Jeff Davidson and send Matt Moore in to be the QB of the Panthers.

That is all.

Panthers vs Bills Preview

Revshawn — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 01:35:13 -0000

via www.polls.newsvine.com Trent Edwards throws off his back foot on the play that concluded his mystical transformation into a pancake. Get well soon Trent.

View full size photo »

When the Panthers kick off the game at Bank of America Stadium this Sunday, it will be the final chance for the Panthers to really show off the talent we have on our team. It will be the final chance for the Panthers to grab another easy win before the schedule gets tough again. And most of all, it will be the final chance for Jake Delhomme to prove to us that he deserves to be starting at the helm of one of the best rushing offenses in the NFL.

The Panthers very quietly put up the 2nd most rushing yards in franchise history last Sunday against the Bucs, matched only by the 299 yard performance against the same team one year ago. They will have a strong chance to match such numbers against the Bills, who rank dead last in defending the rush. The Bills defense will also be without starting defensive tackle Kyle Williams, whom ranks second on the team in tackles and run stopping safety Donte Whitner. Both of these players were a couple of bright spots on an otherwise abysmal run defense.

Expect a heavy dose of the running attack from the opening snap, long enduring drives that take a lot of time off the clock and keep the Buffalo defense on the field for a long period of time. Also expect the Panthers to try to get the ball to Steve Smith, whom is highly disgruntled after his lack of targets for this year. If the rushing game is dominant, they may try to take a few shots into the endzone later on in the game.

On defense, the most curious player to keep on eye on would be our new acquisition in Tank Tyler. The Panthers got a very good DT for a 5th round pick, a player that the Chiefs didn't need due to their switch to a 3-4 defense. Expect him to be worked into the rotation and start the majority of the snaps on the Panthers defensive line.

He will be a definite help to a Panthers defense that has ranked 29th in the league in defending the rush. The Panthers will need bring the blitz early and often in order to stop a couple of capable runners in Lynch and Jackson. The Bills will be without starting QB Trent Edwards, so they expect to sell out against the run until Ryan Fitzpatrick can prove that he can beat them through the air.

And now for the top offensive matchups for the week.

Steve Smith vs Jairus Byrd

With Whitner out, Jairus will be called on to try to keep Steve Smith contained in double coverages. He's coming off a great game where he picked off Sanchez twice on road to a 16-13 route of the Jets. He will have to be on Steve Smith all the time, as he's proven time and time again that he cannot be handled by any single guy. Will we see the guy that the Jets learned to fear, or will we see a rookie? Only time, and the arm of Jake Delhomme, will tell. Steve Smith wants the ball, and I say we give it to him!

Jake Delhomme vs 4th ranked pass defense

Jake Delhomme will probably not be called on to do much during this game, but when he is he needs to get back to doing what he does. Don't hone in on Steve Smith, and spread the ball around to all of his receivers. He needs to go through his reads, and not try to force a pass that isn't there. With a running game like this, the Panthers need a game manager. Jake Delhomme needs to show that he can be that manager, because this will be his last chance before he faces teams like the Cardinals, who sport one of the best defenses in the league. His running backs will need help through the air to win those types of games, so Jake needs to show he can be that guy. What he doesn't need to show is that he's the sole reason that other teams can stay in the game.

DeAngelo Williams/Jonathan Stewart vs Bills D-Line

How good are these guys? Chances are we'll probably see on Sunday. You couldn't ask for a better script. A QB who can't throw the football, a defense that can't defend the run, and a pair of running backs whom are coming off one of the best rushing performances in Panthers history. All of these things point towards an excellent day for the Panthers run game, and we may finally cross over 300 yards rushing for good this game. Wouldn't that be fun?

Panthers O-Line vs Buffalo Blitzes

As spoken before, Buffalo will follow the formula of selling out against the run and trying to force the Panthers to beat them in the air. Whether they can do that or not is another story. Asides from a couple of questionable performances from certain players, the Panthers have one of the best offensive lines in the league. With Jake Delhomme's play though, he's going to need all of the time that we can get for him. If the Panthers offensive line can dominate the Buffalo blitzes and one of our running backs can break off a huge run, it will do wonders to keep us dominating this game.

Final Synopsis

If the Panthers can stick to the run and stop the run, they have this game in the bag. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart should look to dominate and keep Lynch and Jackson off the field. However, Jake Delhomme needs to have a good day for us to be confident going into next week. Feed the ball to Steve Smith and spread the ball around when he isn't open. Steve Smith should be your first and 3rd read, but not your only read. He doesn't need to be a hero this game, he simply needs to deliver the ball to the open receiver.

As long as Jake doesn't blow the game, and we can stop the run and create pressure, the Panthers are in it to win it.

Bonehead of the Week: Week 6

Revshawn — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 02:29:43 -0000

I know, I know, we skipped last week. Don't worry, forget about it! Once Tom Cable is arrested and thrown in jail we have a perfectly good article waiting for him to make up for it. It is important for the man at least gets a fair bit of leeway. We don't want to call bull on him and then have our own words shoved back into our faces because it turns out that the guy he punched is lying his socks off.

And with that said, onto the article.

For the first time in 2009, Owen Shmitt was making his first start as the Fullback for the Seattle Seahawks. He's excited. He's dreamed about this moment all week. This is his chance to show the Seattle Seahawks that he is the most talented fullback on the roster! This is the chance he has to stop being a backup and start making the big bucks.

He was known at West Virginia to be one of the most physical players on the team. Throughout his college career, he broke 11 face masks and had to keep getting them replaced almost on a weekly basis. His running style was so hard that you knew he would get injured eventually. He managed to avoid it in college, he managed to avoid it during his first rookie year. You know that there was no way to avoid it, this guy had to go down eventually

And then, his first injury in his career happened. During Week 5, when they were introducing the players to the stadium. He walks onto the field, he's all pumped, and then he....well....see for yourself!

What else is there to say? There isn't really much you can say about something like this. It's a guy slamming his head against his own helmet so hard that blood is running down his face. He's either a beast or a bonehead, and in this case I'll just say that he's both.

The funniest part of this all is that this is a regular thing for him. He's done it several times in college, even to the point where it has become his moniker. He makes a bad play, he's slamming his helmet against his head. Someone trashes him on the football field, he slams his head. Someone cuts in front of him on a two lane road, he slams on the horn....with his head.

Now don't take me wrong, I'm perfectly fine with someone having something that defines them as a player. If you want to be known as a hunger like Jared Allen or Brett Favre, then go for it. If you want to be seen as a diva wideout like Terrall Owens or Chad Ocho Cinco, then feel free! ((Minor note: Ocho Cinco has actually moved away from being a Diva to being an all around pretty good guy.))

But, slamming your head against a blunt object? Nah, I'm just not feeling that moniker. I'd rather wear a pair of moose antlers on my head.

So congratulations to Owen Smhmitt, bonehead of the week! Wooo!

Why didn't the Panthers draft another Steve Smith?

Revshawn — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 06:57:18 -0000

Let me take you all the way back to the 2007 NFL Draft. It's our 2nd pick in the NFL Draft. Since Moose was still in Chicago, we only had two capable receivers back then, Steve Smith and an elderly veteran in Keyshaun Johnson playing football for us.

We had the choice of two great receivers from USC: Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett.

Dwayne Jarrett had left USC after his 3rd season and was projected as a 1st rounder. Due to his lack of speed in the 40 yard dash ((4.67 with very slow acceleration)), his knack for drops, and a reported playing style similar to Mike Williams, ((10th overall round pick in 2005 by the Lions and a epic fail)) his stock dropped to a late 2nd round projection. He had his best year as a Sophomore, recording 91 catches for 1,274 yards and 16 touchdowns, enough for an All American spot and a Biletnikoff award finalist. Though he struggled with injuries as a Junior, it was enough to get him All American honors and send him off to the draft as a Junior.

Steve Smith didn't have as good a showing as Dwayne Jarrett did during his career with USC, but he had three solid years in 04, 05, and 06 where his numbers continued to climb. He graduated at USC as a Senior in 2006 at the peak of his game, where he posted 71 receptions for 1083 yards and 9 touchdowns in his senior year and qualified for all kinds of awards and an All-American spot. He posted a 4.44 40 time at the NFL Draft, and displayed good hands in the draft. However, he didn't have the height and the elite jump that Dwayne Jarrett had, and with a couple of other wideouts ahead of him he was projected somewhere in the middle of the second round in the draft.

Bottom line, at #45 overall the Panthers selected Dwayne Jarrett to be the eventual successor for Moose and Keyshawn Johnson. Keyshawn went into a rant on how he would be Jarrett's mentor, but was fired 3 days later. That was kind of funny, but I digress from the main point.

Today, the differences between these two wideouts are as clear as night and day. Jarrett went on to not do anything his rookie year, while Steve Smith went and won a Super Bowl with the Giants. Dwayne Jarrett has yet to secure a starting job, while Steve Smith leads the league in yards and receptions this year. One receiver has made the most of his talent, while the other receiver gets arrested for DUI.

Interesting isn't it?

I'll never forget the day that I was watching the NFL Draft. The Panthers were on the clock and Steve Smith was on the board. I thought to myself, 'Here we have a unique chance to have two players with the same name at the same position on our team. Steve Smith and Steve Smith. One of the greatest receivers in the league has freaking spawned a manchild.' I lifted up my 2 liter of Dr. Pepper in glee, hoping that the Panthers would make this dream a reality.

But alas, the Panthers didn't pick him and we're stuck where we are today. The question I have to ask you guys is this. What if we did? Would the Panthers be better off if Steve Smith was on our roster? Would it have helped free up the Steve Smith on the other side of the field? Would it have helped the Panthers make it to the playoffs in 07? Would his presence have been the little push we needed to beat Dallas the other day?

The Panthers vs Redskins: The Good and the Bad

Revshawn — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:43:14 -0000

More photos » by Chuck Burton - AP

about 1 month ago: Carolina Panthers' Jonathan Stewart (28) celebrates his touchdown run against the Washington Redskins in the second half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009. The Panthers won 20-17. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

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This game was not a pretty game to watch. At all. If we would have faced a team like this last year, we would have blown them away without much of a second thought. This year though, it came down to one final play, which should go down as the longest bootleg run in franchise history by Jake Delhomme.

Alright. Deep breath.

There were many good things about this victory. To match them, they were also a good amount of bad things as well. A lot of the problems we had are things we could improve on in the next two weeks before we go to Arizona and find out where our team truly stands against a Super Bowl caliber team.

Let's start with the good things!

* Better Play Calling

The run was never really successful the entire game. The Redskins continued to overload the line of scrimmage the entire game, and never really let Deangelo Williams get hot and break off the long runs we know he's famous for. However, the mere act of calling more running plays is a improvement that has been long in coming, and it allowed us to rule in time of possession and therefore control the pace of the game.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Panthers finally started to get more aggressive. We saw more blitzing during this game than we've probably seen all season, and held Clinton Portis to just 57 yards on 19 attempts. One of the most important blitzes during that game was in the middle of the second quarter, when the Panthers had just turned the ball over on downs and gave the ball to the Redskins at their own one yard line. We crashed all three linebackers through the O-Line and got a safety, giving the ball right back to our offense to try to make another good drive. In a game as close as this, that's huge.

* Jake Delhomme's improved passing game

At times it was not pretty. But when the Panthers fell behind, Jake Delhomme bounced back and got the throws he needed to make on 3rd down to keep drives alive late in the game. He did a good job of spreading the ball around on his 16 receptions. Steve Smith and Moose both got the ball 5 times, and he didn't throw those silly long balls deep to Moose when he's in coverage. Jake also got the balls up the middle to our TE's, both of whom are on pace for almost 30 receptions and 400 yards each for the year. Getting the ball to our TE's is going to be a key part of our game going into the future

Jake still has a problem throwing behind his receivers though, one of which led to another tipped interception and a score for the Redskins. He needs to start cleaning this stuff up and continue to work on his accuracy. These kinds of mistakes may be alright while we're coasting down the easy street part of the schedule, but if you do that kind of stuff against the Arizona Cardinals you can kiss the game goodbye.

* Special Team improved play

Since yesterday, Kenny Moore is clearly the best kick returner on our roster. Hopefully, this will be a 3rd wideout that sticks with us for years to come. With his 55 yard return on Sunday, hopefully it will cement him for a bigger role for us on special teams for years to come. Otherwise, the Panthers did well by just not allowing the return team to make those large returns to the 40 or 50 yard line each and every game. It may be an anomaly, but the Panthers special team unit looked like it could play with the rest of the league for the first time in a long time.

Let's hope it stays that way.

* Julius Peppers improved play

It seemed like the Pep talk from Beason did wonders to increase his play ability. Suddenly, Julius Peppers started playing like the player we want him to be. He started showing off his ability to pressure Campbell and though he didn't get penetration on every play, the threat was there on Campbell's blind side. He caused a safety in the 2nd quarter and he got to Campbell two times, once on a 3rd down situation that got our team off the field. If he continues to play like this, and our defensive coordinator continues to blitz to give Peppers some help, he may be back on track to the Pro-Bowl.

Now for the Negative things....

* Offensive Line Play

Our O-Line was dominated the whole day during running plays. Part of this can be contributed to the Redskins constant blitzing and the mammoth known as Albert Haynesworth, but we hardly ever saw our O-Line pushing back their guys rather than the other way around. DeAngelo Williams often had to gain two or three yards just to make it back to the line of scrimmage, and that's not fair to ask him to do. We also had three straight plays we took at the one yard line on one drive, and three straight plays we could not get the ball into the endzone.

Jordan Gross also deserves a separate callout, he played absolutely horribly in pass protection during the game. Andre Carter just dominated him, and he got credit for three sacks during this game. I don't know if Gross got on the wrong side of the bed or what happened, but this isn't something you expect from a Pro-Bowl left tackle. I hope he can return to form by next game.

* Too many fumbles

Deangelo Williams fumbled the ball for the second time this year, and the rest of the team seemed to follow suit. By the time the game was over, we had fumbled the ball a total of four times, recovering two. Once again, these are the kinds of things that just cannot happen. Captain Munnerlyn also made one on a punt return, and I think he needs to stick to his 3rd corner duties. As much as an aggressive player he is in nickel situations, he shouldn't be given the ball on special teams until he can learn to hold onto the ball better.

* Lack of Big Playmaking Ability

So far this year, the Panthers haven't really had that deep ball threat they had last year. Whether it was Deangelo Williams busting through the defense or Steve Smith catching a couple of deep balls to save the game, the Panthers have been forced this year to act more methodically in their playcalling. This may disappear once the Panthers face the Bucs, but I would like to see Jake take a chance down the field to Steve Smith if he managed to get into single coverage.

You would have to be smart about it, make sure you're doing it around midfield so that if he tosses the INT you're giving your defense a lot of room to work with, but a couple of big plays like this would do wonders for Jake's confidence and regain that a bit of a swagger as an offensive unit that we've been missing these past few weeks.

To wrap it all up

Overall, what I saw on Sunday was a massive improvement from weeks past. The greatest thing I was excited about was the playcalling. We didn't get away from the run and become one-dimensional regardless of their early lead, and we kept blitzing on defense to give Washington the pressure that the D-Line can't deliver alone. If we continue to follow this formula, we shall have no problems beating the Bucs and the Bills these next few weeks.

By the way, the Bills lost to Cleveland by the way. 6-3 against the worst rushing defense in the league. That's good news for us! :D

Poll

What is the greatest thing the Panthers need to improve on?

Our O-Line Blocking

110 votes

Our Passing Game

25 votes

Our Blitzing Schemes

17 votes

152 votes | Poll has closed