Carolina Panthers

[ah59396]

XVI - NULLA

[CLTProductions]

Tampa is absolutely terrible. But wow that Panther defense.....

[Higgs Boson]

Josh Norman.  Pay him.  Now.

[kickazzz2000]

I *want* to eat at the little taco cart on Tryon by 300 S Tryon, but the guy is flying a Seahawks flag.

probably an ncstatelol fan.  look for a chargers flag on the other side of the cart

[grodney]

Man I'm ready for some football.  Schedule analysis follows.

@JAX, HOU, NO, @TB - Hopefully NO and TB still suck.  Hope CAR doesn't think JAX will be a cakewalk in week 1 -- a loss there to start the season would be very disappointing.  Get 4 wins.

@SEA, PHI (sun night), IND (mon night), GB - Yikes.  Thank god 3 of these are at home.  I believe this is the year CAR vanquishes SEA, much like the Bulls finally beating the Pistons.  But I'm not sure if it will be in the regular season or in the playoffs. 

@TEN, WAS, @DAL (t-giving), @NO - Don't mess around and lose to TEN or WAS.  DAL and NO will be tough on the road, even if NO still sucks.

ATL, @NYG, @ATL, TB - Hope ATL and TB still suck.  Suck it up and get a cold win Dec 20 at NYG.

 

19-0

Really though, stay healthy.  That is of chief importance.

 

Okay, quoting myself here....probably faux pas ish.

As for my final comment "stay healthy", well, that didn't work out with Benjamin and Luke and Charles Johnson.  But that's how it goes I guess.

1/4 of the way in, mission accomplished at 4-0.  Now a week off to rest up and heal.

The next 4 still look scary, even if PHI and IND aren't lighting the world on fire.

After that, it's pretty apparent ATL doesn't suck.

Fun season so far, obviously.

 

[rugger62]

I *want* to eat at the little taco cart on Tryon by 300 S Tryon, but the guy is flying a Seahawks flag.

I tried it last week. Tacos are above average. If you're a fan of JB's, their burritos are far superior.

[caterpillar2]

Just happy our team is great even with a mediocre quarterback.  That new guy Norman could be a hell of an asset.

 

[HopHead]

Just happy our team is great even with a mediocre quarterback.  That new guy Norman could be a hell of an asset.

 

A mediocre QB? Seriously? Cam may never put up Aaron Rodgers numbers but you don't have to. You should read one of these articles below... They are a plenty this year. Cam is doing more with less on offense than a lot of QBs in this league.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000542798/article/cam-newton-pushing-panthers-with-mvpcaliber-performance

[cltbwimob]

^^^Have to agree that Cam is a mediocre Quarterback.  He is great at running the ball when he needs to get out of a jam, but if you look at his passing stats, mediocre would be an improvement for him.  In his 5 seasons in the NFL he has only had 3 where he even broke into the top half in terms of rating, and for those three seasons he was ranked 15, 15, and 16- hardly elite numbers.  Last season he was ranked 26th and this year he is ranked 19th overall.  Furthermore his total passing yards have fallen pretty much every season since his rookie year, and he only has one season to his name where he had an overall completion percentage greater than 60%.  Cam has a tendency to air the long ball into lots of traffic, and he seems to flush himself out of the pocket (when there actually is a pocket) quite a bit although he is getting better about not doing that.  It's hard for me to fathom him being MVP-worthy.

Where the Panthers have made their money lately is solid defense, and the team finds ways to not lose...although watching them play this year I would swear they have tried.  This year they have always seemed to bend, but they don't seem to break.  That is good enough when you're  playing a bunch of 1-3 teams, but it may not be good enough as the schedule gets tougher.  Only time will tell.

 

[grodney]

That new guy Norman could be a hell of an asset.

 

What new guy Norman?

[HopHead]

^^^Have to agree that Cam is a mediocre Quarterback.  He is great at running the ball when he needs to get out of a jam, but if you look at his passing stats, mediocre would be an improvement for him.  In his 5 seasons in the NFL he has only had 3 where he even broke into the top half in terms of rating, and for those three seasons he was ranked 15, 15, and 16- hardly elite numbers.  Last season he was ranked 26th and this year he is ranked 19th overall.  Furthermore his total passing yards have fallen pretty much every season since his rookie year, and he only has one season to his name where he had an overall completion percentage greater than 60%.  Cam has a tendency to air the long ball into lots of traffic, and he seems to flush himself out of the pocket (when there actually is a pocket) quite a bit although he is getting better about not doing that.  It's hard for me to fathom him being MVP-worthy.

Where the Panthers have made their money lately is solid defense, and the team finds ways to not lose...although watching them play this year I would swear they have tried.  This year they have always seemed to bend, but they don't seem to break.  That is good enough when you're  playing a bunch of 1-3 teams, but it may not be good enough as the schedule gets tougher.  Only time will tell.

 

This is the biggest problem I have with people saying Cam is a mediocre QB. You're basing it on statistics. Stats are only part of the equation for playing a QB. Statistically, Aaron Rodgers is superior to Tom Brady and Peyton Manning at equal points in their careers. But if the game is on the line, who do you want taking the snaps? I'd take Brady. And you think Dan Marino would trade his passing records for some of Joe Montana's Super Bowl titles? You bet he would. Read that article I posted. It gives you more of a complete perspective of what he's doing as a Quarterback this year. And outside of Greg Olsen, he has very little to work with. I wouldn't necessarily put Cam as the MVP front runner, but his performance is most certainly not mediocre. There are a lot of other teams in this league that would love to have what he brings to the table right now.

Edited October 6, 2015 by HopHead

[ah59396]

This Cam commentary is absolutely ridiculous.

This is his reality:

Ted Ginn Jr

Philly Brown

Devin Funchess

Bersin

Jerricho Cotchery

 

this is the worst receiving corps in the league.  By a large margin.  The only time Cam had a viable receiver (Steve Smith) he set rookie passing records and people still complained about him because he didn't win.  Now he's dragging this dead body of an offense along, completely on his own (our ground game minus Cam is a joke) and the guy still is less than mediocre according to you guys.

 

What is the expectation of Cam Newton on this team, for those of you who think he is mediocre or worse?  Do you honestly believe you could plug anyone not named Brady or Rodgers in our offense and they would flourish?  I'm honestly curious.  

I've seen a guy take leadership of our franchise, change his game to fit a system in order to win, go to 2 pro bowls, take more hits than any QB in the league during his 5 years...and still being considered less than mediocre (or just barely).

it's just comical.

[AuLukey]

^^Amen

This really falls back on Gettleman in the draft.  Drafting at LB was probably the worst move the team could make.  That may be the one defensive position that we didn't need to improve... at all.  Especially given the play of AJ Klein so far this year.  If we had a stronger receiving corps (sure, how could he have expected Benjamin to go down?) and/or OL, this season wouldn't be so littered with close games.  Our defense took a lot vs the Bucs, but they also gave A LOT more than they should have given their potential, with or without CJ & Luke.  Without the takeaways, that would have been a miserable game for our offense.

The hurdle this season will be to have a record good enough to get the wildcard spot.  I'm sorry but Atlanta will win the division.  The remainder of their schedule, all 12 games, is a joke.  Minnesota (3-1) is the only team besides Carolina with a winning record that they have left to play for the rest of the season.  Barring injury or a complete meltdown by their team, this is Atlanta's division to lose, regardless of Carolina's record.

The trade for Allen will help, here's hoping we can get a trade for a receiver worth two sh*ts.  Ted "Butterfingers" Ginn Jr can only drop so many big plays before the offense goes into full collapse mode, it's just a matter of time.

I still feel like this will be the year for Cam to finally defeat Russell Wilson, given their horrible play in their "win" against the Lions.  5-0 still sounds pretty good.  I'd be thrilled to be 7-0 when Rodgers comes to town.  My expectations may not be that high though, it all depends on how the Eagles and Colts keep it together in the next couple of weeks.

[grodney]

Exactly "what" falls back on Gettleman?  The fact that he found somebody at the 25th pick that can be immediately productive and a valuable asset at a position already stacked with talent?  Or that he re-built an offensive line that so far has provided Cam the best protection of his career?  Or that he has dug the Panthers out of salary hell to retain their most valuable players and meanwhile assembled the pieces to get to 4-0?

Wins don't come easy in the NFL, no matter who you're playing.  Be happy.  Enjoy.

 

 

[Synopsis101]

People are way too fascinated with passing stats nowadays. For example Ryan Tannehill and Matt Stafford's stats fool people into believing they are top 10 and better than Cam. Both of these quarterbacks have no playoff wins, and now their fans want them replaced, while Cam is in the MVP conversation.

Edited October 8, 2015 by Synopsis101

[cltcane]

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nfl/carolina-panthers/article38674722.html

If Josh Norman keeps playing like he has to start the season, I'm pretty sure he could launch a crowdfunding site to cover the fines for every pick-6 end zone celebration he wants to try.

[Higgs Boson]

Incredibly dumb to fine players for celebrating.  I mean, who doesn't love TD celebrations?  Lame people, that is who.  #TheNoFunLeague

Edited October 11, 2015 by Higgs Boson

[ah59396]

I love the NFL product, but the league itself is easily the worst of the "big 4".  The Super Bowl has become such a spectacle/joke to me that I have difficulty enjoying, as compared to the NFC/AFC championship games.  And if you compare the Super Bowl to say, the Stanley Cup Finlas or World Series, it looks like even more of a joke.

All empires fall and someday the NFL will too.  I think it's already taken some steps to start that process, even as the money and ratings continue to set records.

[caterpillar2]

This Cam commentary is absolutely ridiculous.

This is his reality:

Ted Ginn Jr

Philly Brown

Devin Funchess

Bersin

Jerricho Cotchery

 

this is the worst receiving corps in the league.  By a large margin.  The only time Cam had a viable receiver (Steve Smith) he set rookie passing records and people still complained about him because he didn't win.  Now he's dragging this dead body of an offense along, completely on his own (our ground game minus Cam is a joke) and the guy still is less than mediocre according to you guys.

 

What is the expectation of Cam Newton on this team, for those of you who think he is mediocre or worse?  Do you honestly believe you could plug anyone not named Brady or Rodgers in our offense and they would flourish?  I'm honestly curious.  

I've seen a guy take leadership of our franchise, change his game to fit a system in order to win, go to 2 pro bowls, take more hits than any QB in the league during his 5 years...and still being considered less than mediocre (or just barely).

it's just comical.

  I see the only problem with weakness on the team is Newton's inability to throw a long pass and holding the ball for 5 minutes. Who can't get a first down if there is an opening. He hides his inability to be a reliable passer by running when he knows he can get honors by doing something that isn't the main part of his job description.  On the news network the other night, several former NFL retirees were discussing the talents of team players. They gave the Panthers a fair chance of making it to the super bowl but said that the reason that wouldn't win was Newton. His skill are just not up to snuff with the other quarterbacks in the league. It is what it is.

I wouldn't worry too much about having no tenant in that building.  Chinese investment into North Carolina is on the rise, I wouldn't be surprised if a Chinese company decided place an American corporate headquarters in Uptown Charlotte.  Having a Chinese company locating to Charlotte wouldn't be so bad either, Lenovo put their American headquarters near Raleigh and it has certainly helped the Triangle area.  I think Eileen Cai at the Chamber of Commerce has done a superb job in drawing foreign interest into the Carolinas, especially for Charlotte.  

Charlotte can learn something from Atlanta, Georgia.  The city of Atlanta reached and maintained a good relationship with Asian countries, especially South Korea.  They even allowed them to build a Korean consulate there and relaxed on sign laws and restaurant codes for certain Korean local businesses.  Mecklenburg county codes are too strict on Korean open grills or certain hotpots, because customers will have to cook their own meat and that is why some of the Koreans I know in the city don't want to open a Korean restaurant in charlotte.  Whoever made that code does not understand Korean culture, or maybe Asian culture.  In Korean restaurants, people share the food and grill on the table when cooking, sometimes they use hot coals.  Charlotte has fire codes against this.  The city of Atlanta realized South Korea was looking for opportunities in America and they allowed Korean restaurants to operate more loosely.  In return, with so many Korean influencing in the region it helped bring car manufacturing jobs for Hyundai and Kia plants to the American South.   Now Atlanta has an awesome Koreatown with delicious Korean BBQ restaurants strewn across the city which helped Koreans find the opportunity to help in Atlanta's multicultural development.  In Charlotte, there is not a single Korean BBQ restaurant and I love Kalbi and Bulgogi.  Raleigh has like 4 and I don't want to drive all the way out there.   Charlotte has no Koreatown or Chinatown, but Atlanta and DC have both.  It's good Charlotte is starting to really open up to foreign investment, because I think Chinese people are starting to see opportunity to really create something in the Carolinas.  Charlotte's central location in the Carolinas is key, so what's worth investing in Charlotte for a Chinese person, or even living in Charlotte?  Charlotte will definitely need to have something that will lure Chinese people to want to be in Charlotte and not Raleigh.  If you know about Grand Asia off 485, you know what I'm talking about.   

[nonillogical]

  I see the only problem with weakness on the team is Newton's inability to throw a long pass and holding the ball for 5 minutes. Who can't get a first down if there is an opening. He hides his inability to be a reliable passer by running when he knows he can get honors by doing something that isn't the main part of his job description.  On the news network the other night, several former NFL retirees were discussing the talents of team players. They gave the Panthers a fair chance of making it to the super bowl but said that the reason that wouldn't win was Newton. His skill are just not up to snuff with the other quarterbacks in the league. It is what it is.

 

Really, you see no weakness in our lineup of receivers? Cam is not perfect but I think it takes a big leap to be able to absolve them of any blame for the passing game and lay it all on him. So far this season I have seen at least 3-4 absolutely perfect passes per game from Cam (some quite long) that get dropped. He has also shown a lot of improvement in making those passes faster.

[ah59396]

  I see the only problem with weakness on the team is Newton's inability to throw a long pass and holding the ball for 5 minutes. Who can't get a first down if there is an opening. He hides his inability to be a reliable passer by running when he knows he can get honors by doing something that isn't the main part of his job description.  On the news network the other night, several former NFL retirees were discussing the talents of team players. They gave the Panthers a fair chance of making it to the super bowl but said that the reason that wouldn't win was Newton. His skill are just not up to snuff with the other quarterbacks in the league. It is what it is.

 

 

Do you not see the inaccuracy of your statement?  "oh hey, Cam only gets first downs because he has an incredible ability to run for them...because he can't throw".  

 

even if somehow that WAS true (which it isn't)...who cares?  It's a first down.  It's how you win football games.  I don't care if he falls forward and fumbles the ball 7 yards forward out of bounds every time...as long as we are getting positive net yardage out of it.  You're so dead set on the idea of a traditional quarterback, you'd rather have someone back there with slightly better throwing stats winning less games just so you can tell them how great of a QB he is.  The guy wins.  He's done it at every level and he is doing it in Carolina now.  He's going to win a superbowl in carolina and when he does, i'm sure you'll be there to tell us all how we only really won because of the defense.  Cam certainly won't have anything to do with it.

 

Cam has 3 turnovers in 4 games this season while everyone's wet dream Andrew Luck has 7 interceptions alone.  I'm sure none of the NFL analysts would ever say that Indy can't win a superbowl because of Luck.  But you win by being smart with the ball.  And Cam has a better career passing percentage than Luck.  I'll take more accurate and smart with the ball ON TOP of his incredible ability on the ground all day.

[Guest]

 

 

Do you not see the inaccuracy of your statement?  "oh hey, Cam only gets first downs because he has an incredible ability to run for them...because he can't throw".  

 

even if somehow that WAS true (which it isn't)...who cares?  It's a first down.  It's how you win football games.  I don't care if he falls forward and fumbles the ball 7 yards forward out of bounds every time...as long as we are getting positive net yardage out of it.  You're so dead set on the idea of a traditional quarterback, you'd rather have someone back there with slightly better throwing stats winning less games just so you can tell them how great of a QB he is.  The guy wins.  He's done it at every level and he is doing it in Carolina now.  He's going to win a superbowl in carolina and when he does, i'm sure you'll be there to tell us all how we only really won because of the defense.  Cam certainly won't have anything to do with it.

 

Cam has 3 turnovers in 4 games this season while everyone's wet dream Andrew Luck has 7 interceptions alone.  I'm sure none of the NFL analysts would ever say that Indy can't win a superbowl because of Luck.  But you win by being smart with the ball.  And Cam has a better career passing percentage than Luck.  I'll take more accurate and smart with the ball ON TOP of his incredible ability on the ground all day.

You forgot to mention something. Who the F ever has said that Cam can't throw a long ball??? Seriously, people laud his cannon. 

[Synopsis101]

  I see the only problem with weakness on the team is Newton's inability to throw a long pass and holding the ball for 5 minutes. Who can't get a first down if there is an opening. He hides his inability to be a reliable passer by running when he knows he can get honors by doing something that isn't the main part of his job description.  On the news network the other night, several former NFL retirees were discussing the talents of team players. They gave the Panthers a fair chance of making it to the super bowl but said that the reason that wouldn't win was Newton. His skill are just not up to snuff with the other quarterbacks in the league. It is what it is.

 

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Yeah, the problem is Cam.

[grodney]

 

 

The guy wins.  He's done it at every level and he is doing it in Carolina now.  

If the Panthers go 7-5 the rest of the way, Cam will pass Kerry Collins in Winning Pct, and will be just behind Rodney Peete and Matt Moore!

(Ha ha, I'm joking here, though the stat is real.  Calling Cam "mediocre" is trollish at best.)

 

[AuLukey]

 

If the Panthers go 7-5 the rest of the way, Cam will pass Kerry Collins in Winning Pct, and will be just behind Rodney Peete and Matt Moore!

(Ha ha, I'm joking here, though the stat is real.  Calling Cam "mediocre" is trollish at best.)

 

Poor Chris Weinke...   Who, btw, is now the QB coach for the Rams.