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Panther Fans and the 2007/08 season


Charlotte_native

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Not sure what to make of the team myself. but, when they are under the radar, they actually do pretty well.

My quick assessment this year so far:

Defense, not horrible but very lackadaisical. No fire in Pepper's eyes, Morgan hurt again, need better D-line play, safties need to gell

Offense-sputters at times, looks good one minute, lost the next

Special Teams: hasn't looked good since Karl Hankton, Jarrod Cooper, and Rod Smart are no longer here

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the problems on D all stem from a lack of pressure on the qb. our defense continues to drop in coverage, allowing the opposing quarterback all the time he needs. we need to abandon the cover 2 defense or at least mix it up. we're getting killed in the middle of the field by the likes of joey harrington and matt shaub! someone needs to step up and put a fire under the defense's butt. i put the blame on our d coordinator mike trgovac. i remember from my playing days that a good coach gets his team fired up. where've you been trgovac? when are you going to get pressure on the qb? when are you going to make peppers work hard? the team is in trouble if they continue to let offenses put on a clinic out there.

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I agree with much of what everyone has said. I can't understand why we don't seem to try and pressure the QB more. I really looks like we don't try. We hardly blitz -- actually that is a offensive and defensive problem to me, we are so predictable. I don't know that teams ever feel that they have to worry about us.

On offense we rarely try anything tricky. Not that we should all the time, but every once in a while -- PLEASE. Give the fans something to be excited about. How about going for it on a fourth every once in a while when we have nothing left to lose like last week against Houston.

I'd be so much happier and forgiving to see us try something different and lose than always try the same ol' thing and lose.

I think we have more of a coaching problem than a player problem. We also need to make some hard decisions about players that are great, but are never healthy. Dan Morgan -- great guy, but is hardly ever able to play.

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The reason our defense drops to cover more times then not is because of the lack of good safeties and corner backs. You notice when teams seem to march down the field on the Panther's D it is with shots right up the middle for about 5 to 15 yard gains.

The only way the Panthers will win games is if the offense is running on all cylinders. In seasons past, the offense could get away with putting a touchdown and a couple field goals on the board and still winning because the defense was stout. Now, with a mediocre defense the offense has to produce that much more. I predict there will be only two types of games this year, shootouts like the one against Atlanta or blowouts like the one against Houston. Gone are the days of the Cardiac Cats.

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I miss the days of the Cardiac Cats. That was so exciting!

Did I miss something, or is Morgan hurt again?

Also, it sucks that Jake got injured yesterday, but at least Carr pulled us through. Hopefully Jake will return against the Bucs.

Steve Smith started slow yesterday but got going throughout the 2nd half, especially getting all those penalties on Hall. That was hilarious. :D

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I'm a Panther fan since creation and I have endured all of the jokes and lack of respect from every tom, dick and harry there is. From the 1-15 season to the superbowl I have stayed on the train baby. Here is my a two cents...

Whats up with Julius! He looks like he doesn't want to play. I mean he bull rushers 98% of the time and just quits. I'm miffed at this. He hasn't even been near a sack this year.

Whats up with our pass defense!!! Ken and Chris look like they couldn't cover my grandmother let alone the top wideouts in the league. How does one of the best corner tandems in the league fall off so far? I would like to know.

Why did we draft a linebacker when we really needed a safety. I mean Chris Draft is no Beason but he could have backed up Dan until a more suitable sub came along. Money Mike already said this would be his last year so why on earth didn't they take him serious. Even if he did play this year it would have been smart to draft his replacement so he could get some "Minter" time....thats my shameless attempt at a pun.

The O-line looks great and I really hope they stick around to continue the chemistry building.

Steve is back and I think Drew Carter should be the number 2. He has made some great catches and plus he has more to offer than Colbert.

Speaking of Colbert I would have let him go a long ago. I know Foxy is a loyalist but come on some times you need to cut ties and continue to get better.

D-will and Foster look good working in tandem. However I am waiting for D-will to break out. I really like how Foster runs with power now.

Jake looks comfortable and relaxed plus he looking for the TE this year. Jeff King could be the key to our season.

Finally I have one observation. In light of all the talent we have been supplying the rest of the league how good would we have been if we had actually tried holding on to some of our big time producers. Nearly everyone was re-signed this year just to "help chemistry". Well I have a question for you Marty. Where was that thinking when we had loads of talent-some of the better players in the league. We just let them go. Spoon, Moose, McCree, Keyshaun, Ricky Proel and Manning just name a few. Not to mention the core of our offensive line from the superbowl year. I really think if we do not make the playoffs this year Hurney is gone and Fox will be firmly planted on the hot seat. I like Fox but he needs to get some consistancy with this team. Not only that he has to fire these boys up. Its a shame that our most vocal player is 5 foot 9 and carries the team on his shoulders. Julius acts like the O-lineman should just move out of the way so he can get to the QB=no fire...Ken and Chirs have regressed in the play for some unknow reason=no fire or passion to play...our safety situation is riduculous...superbowl contenders right with Deke Cooper at safety come on=no fear of retribution from the top=no fire. Special teams can't seem to figure out how to run down the field and at least get in the way of somebody until the rest of his friends show up=no fire. Special teams can't figure out how to go down the field and block somebody so Robinson can show what he can do=no fire. When will someone on defense step up and be a captain. I mean get up in someones face and hurt their feelings if need be=no fire. I say all of these things because just like any other tight knit organization the worker bees take the persona and attitude of their leader. Like I said I like Fox but he needs to show some more fire and get in these boys faces. We have to much talent to let Joey Harrington pass for 300 yards plus. IMO its all up to Foxy and what if anything he is going to do light that fire. As of right now being the Players coach isn't working.

I love football as you can see but it is very frustrating to see this team struggle when it shouldn't.

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They should get Nick Goings off of Kick-Off return...Get Dwayne Jarrett off the bench...Beg Ricky Proehl to come back...and do something to the D-Line because they are getting NO pressure on any quaterback. Jake Delhomme looks pretty good this year as well as Smith. Foster when he has room to run does a good job. DeAngelo Williams needs space to be effective, so I suggest puting him in the slot on the same side as Smith.

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Thoughts:

- Where is Jarrett? Smith is the only good receiver on the team, Carter and Colbert should be cut - they are terrible. Getting rid of K. Johnson was probably not the best idea for this year. I like the catches King has made, but having him with the second most yards on the team isn't appropriate.

- The defense is not aggressive - this is not new, but they are even worse this year. The defense hasn't been great since Del Rio left so it's not suprising.

- Foster and Williams will work. The problems that sometimes occur with the run game aren't their fault but rather the fault of a poor offensive line.

- The playbook didn't factor in Smith enough last week. He had a few drops, but should have received more action early in the game to get things rolling.

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i still think the panthers can turn this into a great season... but, we need make some adjustments now - and stay consistent.

here is my 2 cents:

*colbert and gamble are my picks as the weakest links.

*peppers is low energy and needs to get back to form. a low energy peppers is still a solid DE but, because of his potential we expect more (rightfully so).

*i feel the same way about ken lucas as i do about peppers.

*it's about time we cut our losses with morgan... it's baffling - with all the head injuries he has had - that he is even allowed to play.

*king IS our new proehl.

*drew carter has made some excellent catches and should be utilized more.

*foster and williams are running the ball in such different methods... it's exciting to have that arsenal.

*steve smith rules all.

*we need to see more of carr and now is a good time for that since it's early in the season. hopefully, at least, he'll shine enough to raise the bar for delhomme.

we have alot going for us on offense - alot of tools and potential options. we just need to gel.

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i still think the panthers can turn this into a great season... but, we need make some adjustments now - and stay consistent.

here is my 2 cents:

*colbert and gamble are my picks as the weakest links.

*peppers is low energy and needs to get back to form. a low energy peppers is still a solid DE but, because of his potential we expect more (rightfully so).

*i feel the same way about ken lucas as i do about peppers.

*it's about time we cut our losses with morgan... it's baffling - with all the head injuries he has had - that he is even allowed to play.

*king IS our new proehl.

*drew carter has made some excellent catches and should be utilized more.

*foster and williams are running the ball in such different methods... it's exciting to have that arsenal.

*steve smith rules all.

*we need to see more of carr and now is a good time for that since it's early in the season. hopefully, at least, he'll shine enough to raise the bar for delhomme.

we have alot going for us on offense - alot of tools and potential options. we just need to gel.

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The running game actually looked really good against St. Louis and Atlanta (Deshawn Foster has been straight truckin' people). The running game is the main reason we took control of the game in the second half against Atlanta.

I definitely wish we could protect Jake a little better. It seems as if Travelle Wharton is always getting beat by good defensive ends. I think we should try Ryan Kalil at that tackle position, he looked really good in the first two games.

I also agree with the special teams play. Kick/punt return coverage has been horrible. Ryne Robinson has made some mistakes knowing when to field the ball and when to let it go, especially in the Houston game (gave us poor field position quite a few times).

Our pass defense is looking horrible. I do think that part of it is the fact that we are not getting much pressure on the QB. The other part is our safety situation. Although, Chris Harris has played decent. I can't say the same for the newcomer Emanuel.

Positives:

Our run defense has looked pretty good for the first three games and our running game looked good for two games. Jake Delhomme has looked excellent. His numbers would be even better than they are if it wasn't for all of the drops that we have had (Always seem to have). I wonder if the receivers' coaches make them do enough catching drills with those machines?

Anyway, I am happy that we are 2-1 and we've got a huge game this Sunday against the Bucs. We will have to play much better than we played against Atlanta to beat them.

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Now that I'm in Titans country, I'm lucky if I can even find the Panthers on TV. Nevertheless, my thoughts:

- What's with all the gloom and doom? We're a winning team right now. Granted, the wins are over powder-puffs; but it's a hell of a lot better being 2-1 than 0-3. If we win Sunday (and we should), we'll be in total control of a very weak division. That smells like a playoff berth to me, which is about as optimistic an outcome as you can expect in Week 4.

- The secondary is not the problem; the defensive line is the problem. Every QB we've faced has had time to check down to third and fourth receivers. No team in the league wins when that happens. You could have a Pro Bowl secondary, but with no QB pressure they're going to get lit up by a smart offense. And I don't think that blitzes are a solution (that leads to more coverage problems); we simply HAVE to see better production from the D-line.

- We look better as a running team than as a passing team this year. In fact, this team reminds me an awful lot of the Super Bowl squad in that respect. If Foster can bulldoze linebackers like he did last week, and Williams learns the art of one-cut rushing, that's going to be a nasty combination for other teams' defenses to try and figure out.

- I don't get the frustration with the offensive coordination. We're a hell of a lot more creative this year. The fact that we're finally using the tight end as a receiver is big progress. Also, the coaches found a way to make Steve Smith effective last week, even though he hardly touched the ball. That's creative coaching, and light-years beyond what we saw the past two seasons.

- Frankly, I think Carr is as good a bet as Delhomme. Remember that Jake came off the bench as an unknown at one time. Carr would be coming off the bench as a first-overall pick and veteran starter. The fact that he never won in Houston isn't an indication that he can't play ball.

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