Four Lessons the Panthers Can Learn from Super Bowl XLIII

I don’t really know if we need to be more creative in the passing game. When Warner dropped back to pass, if Fitz was doubled, he threw the ball to the open man. Early on, it was Breaston. He got rid of the ball quickly and to the open man. Maybe we had some good plays called, but when Smitty was covered, Jake would just count to 17, and if he wasn’t sacked yet, he would throw to it Smitty. So when that happened, it’s also possible that the other receivers, except Moose, are half-heartedly running their routes. They don’t expect the ball, so they don’t complete their routes. I say this because I look at our game plan against the Cards, and while we wanted to run more, we didn’t exactly see the gameplan run the way it was drawn up.

In the Superbowl, the Steelers adjusted to the passes in the flat to Breaston and the others, so they laid off Fitz for a minute, and he burned them. Jake needs to learn how to read defenses faster, make quicker decisions, and spread the ball around.

But we still averaged 32 pts a game over the last 7, so Jake must have been doing something right.

I was telling my wife that Warner was going for the Madden “complete passes to 7 different players” bonus. What that tells you, though, is that the gameplan includes a variety of formations/packages combined with a QB making good reads. Screens, swings, flats, and slants are all valid ways to advance the ball. They also confuse the snot out of the defense. The more decisions a LB/DB has to make, the more likely someone is going to miss an assignment – like the Panthers kept doing.

One lesson learned from the Cards is that you can still run when you’re losing. But when I watch D-Will’s highlights, it seems that he is always being caught from behind. Does anyone know his 40 time? When players catch him from behind, he often fights off the tackler and still scores (20 TDs to be exact), but does he need speed training?

I heard Haynesworth saying he wouldn’t mind coming to Carolina. I don’t know if anyone on our staff actually wants to go get him, though. Also, I hear Nate Washington of Pittsburgh is going to be a free agent. I’m really thinking of a #3 receiver, either him or Mike Furrey. What do you guys think? Washington is faster and younger, but he was already a #3 on Pittsburgh when they drafted Limas Sweed. Furrey was #2 in Detroit, and had 98 catches, then they drafted Calvin Johnson and signed Shaun McDonald, making him the #4 guy. The point, though, is that both of those guys might be a step up from Jarrett and Hackett. Also, if Jones remains our main return guy, maybe we see what Robinson really has to offer as the #3 receiver, or we draft a receiver in the later rounds.

Then again, as stated earlier in this post, maybe the #3 receiver doesn’t matter because Jake won’t look that way anyway.

Speaking of Jake, a couple back-up QBs might be in the market soon…Leinart and Leftwich. What are your thoughts on either of those guys sitting behind Jake for a little while and taking over when Fox is ready?