Carolina Panthers

So I listened today to Scott Fowler discussing the Panthers on Keith Larson this morning. The two agreed that Scott is an expert on the subjects of the Tarheels, Panthers and Charlotte sports as a whole.

Scott touched on some subjects that suggest maybe John Fox was at the end of fan patience. He implied the fans love him and the Panther’s have been greatly successful in winning the fan base and the hearts and minds of Charlotte, but it was time to produce with the product.

As you see months ago I had already come to this conclusion.
Here I was pointing out it was already time to start balming Fox.

Scott pointed out that a 3-13, 4-12 season could mean the end of John Fox.
How do you spell “Duhhh” ?

This seemed like saying the “sky is blue”.

Firstly, if Carolina was to have a 3-13 season that would perhaps mark the most dissappointing season for a team in decades, I don’t see Carolina possibly winning less than 6 games. This was a pretty silly comment because it is such an obvious comment. I dont believe Fox should be surviving 8-8 seasons in this weak NFC conference, so a 3 or 4 win season is just plain silly to think is possible.

If Carolina goes 8-8 or less this season without a reason such as major injury to Steve Smith or Delhomme for most of the season, then Fox needs to go.

I would hope he would leave on his own as better coaches have done in the past. A true show of football knowledge would be to know when even your own system can’t get it done, or that you have stopped invoking emotion in your players on a personal level.

Marty Schottenheimer just lost a job after a 14 win season, becuase you measure success based on the product you produce from the parts you are given.

Fox has far too much personel to miss the playoffs again, I would hate to see great careers like Smith’s languish further under possible coaching stagnancy.

The fact is I know football far beyond the limits of the normal armchair wannabe quarterback. Scott mentioned that Carolina has two of the top 10- players in the league in Peppers and Steve Smith. I agree with this statement, clearly the top 15 players, likely top 10 is a fair statement.

The fact is the Panthers outcome has been the number one disappointment in the entire league this past year.

Carolina was considered the 2nd or 3rd most likely champion coming into 2006 behind only San Diego and maybe Indy. Carolina had essentially played their way out of the playoffs by week 11. They only had a decent chance of the playoffs late in the season due to the embarrassingly bad NFC conference.

Position by position, Carolina is one of the top 8 teams in terms of talent. Injury excuses are just not acceptable since New England did alot more with much less. New England, whom is my mortal enemy as a Bills fan, had almost no receiving core and riddled with defensive injuries and still proved to play like a top 5 team.

The true weakness with Carolina is that they are weakest at the most crucial points. They have a quarterback that is prone to mistakes at the most innopportune times, and they apparently have a coach that is so stuck on a weak game plan that he allows his team to fail almost weekly. I believe Fox’s Slow moving game plans leave other teams within striking distance and leave the door open for Jake to make the one “error” that Sinks the Panthers in the 4rth Quarter of many games.

I believe Carolina lost ‘6′ 4rth quarter leads last year? That is a statistic that should get a coach fired immediately.

Even the great hall of famer Don Shula eventually had nothing else to offer his team in Miami and had to move on so thee team could win.

When you dont invoke emotion in your players, then you game plans will never be enough.

A coach that has a telented team and not the mentality that team’s attributes require will be doomed to be out of its element.

With a great open field back, a great deep threat and two receivers that can go over the middle on short fast routes, Carolina may be better suited for a west coast offense that fox isnt providing. Im not offering this as an answer, just an example of what may be the mismatch.

I wish the best to talented teams like Carolina. Im a Bills fan, but respect the Panthers in all their talent and history of being defensive fighters. The games with Tampa were groundbreaking games for the Carolina sports fans, and defined Carolina as a great and scrappy team. The issue seems to be that the team has an identity, and the coach no longer has the ability to channel it into a concentrated effort or game plan.

Well I know what the Panthers need, and you need what the Panthers need but the coach and GM will mess up everything and dash your dreams again.

You can insert any fan and any team into that statment and that sums up what makes draft day fun.

I am a 20 year Bills fan, So I know horrible drafts better than most anyone (perhaps not Jets fans). I also know that holding your breath just to be dissapointed is something that happens in every city on every pick.

I say the Panthers need a Linebacker or a light DE that can play multiple spots like Peppers. Other than this perhaps a top notch tight end. Can you imagine Dallas Clark in Charlotte? he might be enough to make Jake seem servicable.

And what about Jake, a few folks out their with fading Delhomme jerseys must be mumbling to draft a QB, but honestly at pick #14 your not getting anyone to start for many years, or ever, so thats a wasted sentiment.

I dont much care for the QB’s in this years draft anyhow

More important is that this is a great year for QB’s that may be available around the League.

Jacksonville and Atlanta both have 2 QB each that deserve to start and may want to move. David Carr is possibly available and Jeff Garcia may seek a new home. If you want a QB its not from the draft this year.

So what does Carolina do in your mind? What would be considered “not messing things up”?

The top draft sites have pick 13-15 all going with players that the Panthers could use.

These are their predictions:

St. Louis - Amobi Okoye, DT, Louisville
Carolina - Patrick Willis, LB, Ole Miss
Pittsburgh - Quentin Moses, DE/OLB, Georgia

3 teams picking together all addressing the same needs in their front 7. I think this makes a strong case for one of these 3 ending up in Carolina.

So which would you want? Which position is most in need, and which of these 3 offers the most now while Keyshawn and Smith are still young enough to win it all?

I think Okoye is clearly the prodigy of the bunch (he was an NCAA player at age 16!) but how many years down the line till he peaks?

I like that they are all local boys too as that is something Charlotte seems to do well in the Bobcats and the Panthers.

I personally think Quentin Moses may be the right choice as he can move around n the 7 positions on the line and with Peppers speed they could make for a nice versatile combination for creative blitz packages.

Another 6′5″ 250 speedster to mix and stunt and blitz alongside Peppers?

I think I see my favorite choice, we can fix the run D with a MLB in the second round.

I dont know who John Fox is giving back rubs to? or who his uncle is that is keeping him from catching any shit, but it is sad for the players that they have caught 100% of the blame for each letdown.

With 6 loses after leading in the fourth quarter, with a clear iunability to adjust a gameplan at halftime, giving up a huge lead (albeit winning) at Tampa, squandering the immense talent on both sides of the ball all point to a coach firing.

Im not saying he has caused the problems, but the other things the media reports are not the reason nor the common denominator in every loss.

First we here its Smith being out, then team injuries, then adjusting to a healthy lineup, then special teams errors, then blah blah blah.

If you were coaching somewhere where you had no history the media would have fired the coach (followed by the owner firing him) already. Squadering leads with poor play calling is a bad coaching error. The first or second time this happens you live and learn, but the sixth time this happens you need to be 100% to blame.

The next time a reporter asks him if Delhomme is to blame or will keep his spot, ETC, I think a coach needs to say, we are past blaming Jake, after 6-7 failures to execute it must be more than one player, it must be me.

Now is Fox a bad coach?

Maybe yes maybe no. The media seems to want to rub his back and tell him hes great, but even a good coach that cant inspire his team or adjust to his personel neds to go.

Fox has more talent to work with than 28 other teams, but has only won 6 games - Thats the end of that point.

A good coach takes pieces and makes something with it, something that works. He expects adversity and doesnt point at it after losses, but acknowledges that it exists and he didnt have a plan to deal with it.

Jimmy Johnson is a great coach, hes the guy who invented “younger, smaller & faster” defenses in Dallas, but he couldn’t connect or get it done in Miami.

Don Shula is one of the 5 great coaches of all time, but when it was time to go, he had to go because he was no longer pushing the buttons that the Miami players had, he was pushing the ones he wanted and it wasnt getting the job done.

But the season just had everything go wrong!? 

Yep so did Pittsburgh’s season. They had even more go wrong from training camp on out. They got off to perhaps the worst start of any defending champion, but they have a hall of fame level coach in BillCower . Cower is perhaps my favorite coach of all time, though not the best (good though). I fell instantly in love with this coach the minute I saw him ‘headbutt’ a team member formaking a goal line stop, and the player had a helmet on (Cower did not). Headbutting a helmetted player (hard)!? now thats a football coach who relates to his players.

And you can see what a true top level coach does with his bad fortune, and lesser total team talent….he rights the ship, gives them a new identity and doesnt look for why they lost but how they are going to win the next 6 straight.

I guess my point is, If my steak is burnt, and I paid $30 for it, I dont blame the waiter, I dont blame the valet, I blame the cook.

And to apply this analogy to the excellent coaching of Cower who also dealt with an off season for 8 weeks?
If my steak is great and perfectly done, even after the waiter dropped it, and the valet dinged my ride, I then say the service sucked,…. but the food was perfect, so cheers to the cook in the back.
So Fox, you need to be the #1, first, premiero, solo guy to be taking the blame for a team you have 100% control over doing the wrong things over and over again.

Youve escaped blame one week after another,but all persistent UNSOLVED problems point to the leader.

The bandwagon is a lonely and desolate place for the Panthers.

I just got done talking with a Steelers fan that was at the game and described the crwod as almost 50-50 with Steelers fans. I know Steeler fans to be strong nationwide thanks to good team history, colors and last year’s performance but to have a sea of ‘terrible towels’ in a Charlotte stadium is a sad sight for a Panthers fan.

Now to verify this story I was walking round Northlake Mall in North Charlotte (Exit 18), and must confirm I saw more Steeler jerseys there then Panther jerseys. Im not sure if they are showing that they never change their clothes? or they are proud of the current streak, but it was clear that this town appears to be unable to keep the bandwagon full of teamcolors till the season is over.

I believe the Panther fans to be very loyal, and this is one team that has the heart of the city, in a city where other teams havnt been able to keep a fan base, but when your team ’sucks’, which appears to be what the critics are now stating, thats when you need to double your effort.

As A Bills fan I can confirm that a sucky team can be just as fun to rout for as a good team. The take a beating like a man cacthphrase really can be the mark of a higher quality of fan.

I see an opportunity for the Panthers as a team and the Panther fans to establish the evidence that they stand with their team. This upcoming game with Atlanta, who has become the new anti-panthers rivalry (no longer TB), is a great chance to show a never die look. I hope this week we se less articles in the media and talk from the critics of a panther team that is “looking like the leagues biggest dissapointment”, and more talk about “we will not end this season without righting the ship.

The media I have read bashing the Panthers season, which they deserve for underachieving, doesnt sit right with me. The low powerranking (25th) on ESPN, is an insult to a talented team, perhaps true in performance but misplaced.

This is why the panthers suck here. (link coming)

So as millions of my readers have followed, I have been watching closely the turbulent ride for Carolina. The Panthers have been trying to avoid the huge letdown of not making the playoffs since the analysts placed them on such a lofty pedestal at the start of the year.

First we were bad because Smith was out (0-2), then we were great and back on track (2-2), then we have the Dallas game and the Washington game kick us “Squwaaa in the nuts”, and the NFC east seems to have pulled out some sort of Voodoo curse on our fourth quarter execution.

Then “we were good again” as I broke down the huge run to the playoffs which had lots of teams beating us in tiebreakers and sure to keep us out, but they all faultered the last two weeks and handed Carolina a path into the playoffs and perhaps even the conference. I am referring to the Saints dropping a game, the Rams and Minnesota self destructing, Atlanta, Philly and the Giants forgetting which is a DB and which is a wide receiver and just falling to pieces on offense.

It seemed like everyone was going to implode more than Carolina and make it easier to get in than expected. Also heling this out is the fact that the NFC is like pee-wee football compared to the AFC these days, with the top 4 teams all playing in the AFC (San Diego, Baltimore, New England, Indy).

But just as this ride goes up after down, the teams that were opening the door and letting us in now have one foot back in the door.

Atlanta has their hopes still alive at .500 and they now have a home game VS the Panthers that is a must win for them, (thats bad for us).

The Eagles all but died when McNabb went out, but now they too have a home game Monday nighter (in 4 hours) which is a must win for them (bad for us again).

The Giants have managed to self destruct, and they may have one of the top 3 teams in the league based on a player to player breakdown. If you think thats a crazy statment then you need to look closer. I am not saying they are in the top 8 teams, but their players are. They have a top 10 in the entire league player at 4 main positions (Tight end, Defensive end, Wide Receiver, Running Back) And when Eli is playing well that equals all three main positions on offense coupled with a good QB.

They also have a great pass rush from 2 or 3 different players on defense. On a player by player breakdown they are as good as anyone on offense and add to that a great defensive line and you have another team that is now playing the panthers in a few weeks as a must win. (3rd time thats bad)

So now ive shown that 3 of the final games are against teams that must win to stay alive and all capable of beating Carolina (though not better), add to this the final game is in New Orleans who is playing amazingly on offense, and add to that the likliness that they MUST WIN that game against Carolina to assure a home playoff game in New Orleans and you get a schedule that is “medium hard” but made to playout “very hard” due to the needs of the opponants.

I still predict Atlanta will burn us again, and the Saints will have the chance to eliminate us from the playoffs in the final week.

I wont predict if they will do that or not, since I dont know how bad they will need that win yet.

By Tom Sorensen

McClatchy Newspapers
“Is the decline, which was so evident in Sunday’s 17-13 loss to Washington, the fault of quarterback Jake Delhomme?

Not all of it. But Delhomme is having a poor season. His throws are long and short, often over the receiver’s head, into the dirt and turf or the hands of a defensive back.

What he did best in seasons past is win. You knew that late in the game when the Panthers had to have a touchdown, field goal or first down, Jake invariably would make it happen.

You don’t know anymore, and neither does Carolina.

If I’m John Fox, I send Delhomme to the bench, now, and replace him with six-year veteran Chris Weinke.

But I’m not. So I ask Fox on Monday if there is any chance he’ll change quarterbacks this week.

“Uh, no,” Fox says.

Coach, can you envision any circumstance other than injury that would prompt you to change quarterbacks this season?

“No,” Fox says immediately.

I should have asked, OK, if Jake were like a mini-Jake, and the opponent were regular-sized, would you change quarterbacks?

But I knew the answer”

This piece above was one of three or four top listed articles I found in the news feeds in reference toi thew search query “bench Jake Delhomme”. I have to say that pretty much ever relevent listing was pro “bench”, which as I pointed out here:

http://www.charlottecritic.com/bench-jake-delhomme-says-who/

Is not only what is worst for the team as a scoring unit, but what is worst for the moral and image given off to the still on field players that have underperformed in many a game throughout the year. (im looking at you run defense).

So I typed this search into google and google news to get a feel for which way the media was viewing this. I have to say that to say bench Jake Delhomme, is just plain silly and shows a lack of football understanding.

The questions to think about are as follows when weighing this statement:

1. Is he playing bad or a bad player?

Playing bad means it goes in a cycle, and what you see now may be gone for the rest of the year at the very next snap. Inconsistant can still win superbowls as long as it gets on a high note by playoff time. The answer to this is that Jake is a good QB who is not playing all to well. But also Jake is a good but flawed QB who makes mistakes that can be avoided, and in the past could be overcome by a defense that was able to produce more 3 and outs.

2. Will the backup exceed what we are now getting from the position?

Not likely, and if so perhaps just for a flash in the pan. There are not too many Tom Brady’s sitting on the bench, and actually there are almost none. Tony Romo has looked great, but like I said this can be a flash sometimes and not what is best for the LONG playoff push. I think Big Ben in Pittsburgh has already had his flash run its course, and perhaps without a 3and out defense has been exposed as overrated or vulnerable to turnovers and over extending himself.

3. How will a switch affect the team?

I think this is almost always negatively. There are exceptions like Flutie coming in for Rob Johnson back in Buffalo, Gerard coming in for leftwich, Vince Young getting the nod, but more often than not a coach giving up on his starter is a contagious insecurity. Again, this is just my view of sports and team thinking.

So now that I have said “dont bench Jake Delhomme”, I guess I have to go on to say what is the real fix to the Panthers inability to take the next step upward in the league this year. I do see jake’s play as a problem, and im not a big fan of his game. I think the problem is his very untimely errors. He, like Eli Manning, has been playing well enough getting all the weapons they have off on the field, but in this confident attitude you can also walk right into walls.

Tossing some god awful INT’s and generally on the end of good drives is the most damaging thing you can do to a talented team. The real issue with this is that the rest of the team has not afforded Jake the luxary of getting away with a few of these.

This year has been alot of badly timed turnovers, a defense that cant get crucial 3 and outs, and most importantly a team that seems unable to stop the run inside despite having 2 teams worth of top talent on defense.

This lack of what is considered simple execution in Charlotte has become a struggle that has made too many games tight down the stretch and led to jake breaking the “camels back” and cacthing the blame for a game long lack of execution.

If you bench Jake, you need to bench the entire interior defense as well.

But the truth is that they are all good enough to beat anyone, so dont bench them just be a fan, shut your piehole and enjoy the fact that your team has enough talent to still be in the run for the superbowl.

If Jake costs you the season with a few more lemons at the games end, then ill retract my thoughts, but you will have at least afforded him what ever starter deserves.
(a full season to work with)

“No one will mistake either team for an offensive juggernaut anytime soon, and the reputations were kept safe in a first half that included nine punts, no touchdowns and only 91 combined yards passing.”

I told my crazy Panther fan friend to not overlook a Washington team that has a very agressive attitude on defense, good linebacking, good wide receivers and a mystery of a backup QB starting the game.

This may have been the easiest game left on the Panther schedule and it also may be the straw that breaks the team on the comeback path from a slow start.

No offense and again giving up some pretty consistant running lanes to the Redskins led to a game that was close to the end and left the door open for Jake to break everyones heart as he so often seems to do.

A team that is this loaded continues to get bit by a QB that is an egg juggler, and always seems to break them all when it hurts the most.

Im not a Jake Hater, though I see him very over rated, but he is a steady QB that sems to always toss a pick at the very worst of times and places on the field.

 Well that was a pretty sad performance from the visiting team fro St Louis. I felt like I had just paid $2500 for a front row seat to a Mike Tyson (age 21) fight against a guy named “Stanley”. The Hall of fame bound Rams receiving core looked like the neighborhood pee wee team dropping passing that were hitting them in the numbers.

Long Story Short:
“Jake Delhomme threw 62-yard TD pass to Steve Smith, and Panthers’ D recorded 7 sacks. Rams shut out for 1st time since 1998.
Mike Rucker had 2 sacks, including 1 for safety with 2:24 left.”
The Panthers looked like men vs boys as the defense set new sack records with 8 and pretty much bullrushed the Rams O-line all game with ease. Understand that Orlando pace is one of the great offensive linemen of our time and was not playing for the rams, but this can account formaybe one or two sacks, not the drubbing the line received in Carolina.

I wasnt surprised that the defense of Carolina dominated, I would say it is about time, but more so how pathetic Stephen Davis, Isaac Bruce and Holt looked for the Rams. I just named 3 of the bestin the NFL and they looked scared to even try out there, a real football fan dissapointment from any perspective.

I had recently broken down the playoffs and stated how important a win was over the Rams with the wildcard up for grabs, I am sorry now I even included them in the coversation.

I had made the Rams a real threat to get a wildcard due to their easy schedule and their solid pass rush and offense, but again I am sorry I spent any time on a team that looked so inept against Carolina.

Carolina took command of the division with thew help of a superstar in the making rookie in DeAngelo Williams. Couple this talent with the crumbling competition and you have a lock to take the division.

McNabb is out for the year, Strahan is hurt, the Saints are dropping the ball, and Atlanta is imploding. All of these self destructions will mean perhaps a home game in the playoffs for Carolina.

For any of you blue eyed glasses fans that are looking past this game at more daunting Giants or Falcons games, then you need to take the time to read my NFC PLayoff breakdown which is calling this game VS the Rams as perhaps a game that decides a playoff spot.

You are thinking “the Rams are 4-5″, and that I must be full of crap to make such an early statement, but alas it is genius not madness.

If you take a close look at the Rams schedule you will see 5 other VERY winnable games in their immediate future.

The Rams have games with Arizona, Oakland, San Francisco and home VS Washington.

We may be talking about the Rams as a team “on a roll” if they could get this win then roll to 2-3 more over the weak teams on their schedule.

The Rams will likely get 8 or 9 wins this year even if the lose this one with Carolina. Carolina can not survive another tiebreaker conceeded to a team destined to be 9-7 or close to that figure.

Already the Panthers are down a tiebreaker to Dallas, Atlanta, and Minnesota (who play the Rams in the final game, so one of them will get that win). A loss to the Rams would pretty much end any wildcard hopes, and anyone not agreeing or thinking that estimation as premature should take a read of the playoff breakdown.

I almost forgot a score prediction

Carolina Wins thanks to a defensve touchdown early:
Panthers 23 Rams 21