Top 10 Reasons the Panthers Can Win Monday
by Ryan Basen on Sep 25, 2009 3:57 PM EDT
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The Cowboys are nine-point favorites, are playing at home and have won the last three games in the teams' series. Fans and some media members are all set to bury the Panthers, and spend the bye week speculating on who will replace John Fox as coach next season.
But this game has not been played yet, remember. Despite the long odds and pessimism, the Panthers can avoid an 0-3 start and beat Dallas Monday night. Here are 10 reasons why it could happen:
10. The Cowboys' coach is Wade Phillips
9. The game is being played in Dallas. Not Bank of America Stadium, which has been a second home for the Cowboys of late (It was the site of each of those Dallas wins in the series -- in 2005, 2006 and 2007).
8. Jake Delhomme promises not to commit any turnovers. Honest. He won't.
7. The game is on national television. We all know how the Cowboys usually play when the spotlight is on.
6. Jerry Jones has angered the economy with his frivolous new stadium. Perhaps 1,000 years from now Chinese tourists will visit Dallas, Tex. to ogle the new Cowboys stadium, much like the way American college students now visit the Colesseum in Rome. Whether this happens or not, I know this much: Jones has made the economy very, very mad, worse than buying a Margaritaville machine. Not even young Kyle Broflovski can save him. His punishment: Dallas shall fail to win a single home game this season.
5. The Panthers are going to play with 10 men on defense when Marion Barber is lined up in the backfield, relying on air to tackle him. And why not? This works for a couple reasons. First of fall, air made a better tackle on Barber than any Giant defender last week. Second of all, every defensive tackle the Panthers line up next to Damione Lewis this season gets injured. It's like there's some sort of Final Destination-curse on that position. Why tempt fate with an 11th defender on every play?
4. This is the NFL, and the more desperate team usually wins in the NFL when the talent is about even. The Cowboys want to win but the Panthers definitely need this one.
3. The Panthers are not as bad as their record would indicate. In fact, they are the best 0-2 team in the NFC. And congratulations to the Tennessee Titans, the best 0-2 team in the AFC. I'm sure neither one of these teams at all regrets losing a divisional playoff game at home last season to a heavy underdog. I'm sure they will both get back to that position and get a do-over this year.
2. Did I mention Wade Phillips coaches the Cowboys?
1. Much of Panther Nation has already given up. You know you can't shake this team. Every time you try to bury Fox, he pulls one out. He will again on Monday.
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Nice post!
Love the esoteric analysis!
I’m hoping we tire out their special teams with Baker continually punting into the Jerry Board… then when they least expect it, pooch it and hope for a fumble.
Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
I loved the 'best 0-2 team in the NFC"
and I think #1 is very true. Fox does seem to pull himself away from the brink at times
I blog the Carolina Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com
There's actually a lot of truth in your jokes
Unfortunately we did this last week and it didn’t work. But for no good reason, I can’t help but think that a slightly struggling Dallas team is about to face a Carolina team that is ready to explode offensively. I have been skeptical, but I really think we win this one.
on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city
by southtunnel on Sep 25, 2009 4:33 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
That's the spirit ST... keep up the optimism.
I look at it this way:
- Our defense was horrible
- Our ST were god awful
- The offense was good, but not incidiary
And despite all this we came within one catch of taking the Falcons to OT (who some are calling the class of the NFC).
We’re 0-2… the only way is up, and it’ll be alot higher than the Jerry Board
Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
Well up or lateral ;)
on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city
by southtunnel on Sep 25, 2009 8:08 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
As much as that stadium in a momument to JJ's vanity
it surely brought a few hundred or more jobs to the dallas area. A giant stadium can run itself. Secondly, more seats means more spectators, and presumably more tourists coming in to see games = more revenue for restaurants, hotels, etc. and the dallas area. Obviously it will take decades to “pay for itself” but it isn’t all bad. I’m just being realistic.
That aside. Boo Cowboys, Go Panthers!!!
by chillicothe20 on Sep 25, 2009 6:29 PM EDT up reply actions
No doubt... I just like making fun of anything Jerry Jones.
Even though it brought a ton of jobs the notion that a city would spend roughly $700 million in tax money to fund the place is obscene to me.
Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
Here's one reason they can't win... And Yes I'm being facetious
Our QB is tied with only one other QB in a couple statistical categories…
Lowest QB rating: Jake 45.3, the other QB 40.5
Fewest TDs: Jake 1, the other QB 1
Most INTs: Jake 5, the other QB 5
Who is the other QB? Matthew Stafford, the rookie QB for a team that has lost over 18 straight games. No matter who you blame that on, it flat out sucks!
on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city
those are some nice stats, but stats dont make a team
and were we watching the same delhomme last week? aparently not
by carolinabrave89 on Sep 25, 2009 10:52 PM EDT up reply actions
C'mon CarolinaBrave let me bask in my woes
on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city
One reason we can win is they play a 3-4
Fewer fatties up front means they should be susceptible to the run if we can hold our blocks. The Panthers should come out thowing the ball though like they did against the Falcons. Let’s get the secondary worried about Smitty to begin with and that will lay things open for Double Trouble.
I blog the Carolina Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com
Good point
If they can bring a lot of pressure on Jake, well, we all know how that goes. But supposedly their secondary is struggling. If we can get some balls down field to Smitty, then that could REALLY soften things for Double Bubble. I just wish we had somebody else to go deep.
on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city
I would like to see more passes 5-10 yards from the LOS.
IMO, our offense is too predictable. We need to challenge every area of the field with multiple receivers. I would like to see 3-4 passes to King on outs, curls and play-action skinny posts. Sprinkle in a few passes to Barnidge/Rosario as well.
Do not be mistaken by my comments, I still want Smitty to be the focal point of the passing attack. What I want to see is more efficency in the passing game. If we can spread the ball around a FEW more times to other receivers, then that will open up more opportunities for Smitty. Our first drive’s of the game seem to do this, only to fall back to our usual tendencies afterward.
Will Parker
by WillParker81 on Sep 26, 2009 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions
I think they should throw to Rosario like he's our 2nd receiver
The guy has great hands, he finds space, and is too big for many DBs to cover easily. I know King is a better blocker. But still he should be in on every 3rd down and redzone downs.
on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city
Run the dang ball.
CAR run D is bad, and probably won’t get much better this year because of personnel issues. Keep the D off the field. No matter how Jake looks, keep the ball on the ground, and grind out 15 play, 6+ min drives and then make sure to put it in the end zone. I KNOW the Panthers can do this, they should to follow that formula…
I have six locks on my door all in a row. When I go out, I only lock every other one. I figure no matter how long somebody stands there picking the locks, they are always locking three.
Elayne Boosler
However the pass defense is 3rd in the league
Which is a little odd considering we haven’t been getting much of a pass rush. The best way to halt their defense is to pick off Romo a couple times when he does throw… And at some point he will have to throw.
on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city
The Panthers will win if they play Panther football & run, run, run on offense. Williams & Stewart need atleast 35 carries combined.
"it's a bad day to have a bad day"
I'm ready to see another 300+ yard ground game!
I just hope if it happens were not like 1-8
on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city
Running is going to be vital.
But I think the offensive key this week will be the passing game. Dallas has a piecemeal secondary right now where every player is underperforming and I really think we’ll see them stack the box a lot to stop the run. It will be on Jake, Smitty and co to see if they can exploit these elements to their favor.
Provided Jordan Gross can control DeMarcus Ware I think Smitty could be in for a huge day…. as in over 150 yards and 2 TDs kind of day.
Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
Dallas's defense
Week 1 = gave up 159 rushing yards and 2 TD’s to Cadillac and D Ward
Week 2 = allowed 20 rec, 284 yards, and 2 TD’s to Manningham and Smith last week.
I think they are suspect either way. They have not gotten a sack yet this season and our O-line will need to be ready for a hungry pass rush. Gross has spoken out about our need for a win this week, and as the leader of the line I expect a solid performance from the group. Our O-line success will be vital to a victory.
Will Parker
by WillParker81 on Sep 26, 2009 12:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Injuries
Was checking out Panthers.com & KFFL.com, & noticed we’ve got a ton of walking wounded that seem to be day-to-day. Two bothersome recent concerns are Otah & Gross. We really need those guys for good line play. I was really astonished by the sheer number of injuries………and this is after just 2 games. At least we seem to be dishing it out as well as we’re getting. McNabb out in week 1 & Norwood & Peria in week 2. We’re tenderizing the competition for other teams. I see definite purpose out there and some really hard hitting. Unfortunately; we’re running short on healthy hitters. I believe we win this week with heart and willpower………and because we have to.
Geaux Panthers !!!
The pass defense might show up.
It’s a Monday-Nighter, so Peppers will likely be auditioning for Jerry Jones and the three other teams on his list. This could result in another “Oh no Romo” performance.
Audition time?
I wouldn’t mind if he showed up & helped win the game. At the same time; just maybe we could work a nice trade for some consistent talent and/or draft picks to rebuild our team and rid ourselves of his monstrously, ridiculous salary. Who knows; maybe we’ll get another #1 pick for next draft. We can only hope.
Geaux Panthers !!!
I wouldn't count on it.
One of 2 things are going to happen with Pep in the future.
1. He signs a long term deal with us
2. He walks in free agency. I do not see the FO placing the tag on him again. The depth is bad this year with a 16.7, 18.7, however much, mill cap hit. How bad would it be next year with a 20% increase?!?
Will Parker
by WillParker81 on Sep 26, 2009 1:02 PM EDT up reply actions
Depends on if there is a cap or not.
If there isn’t a cap next year, then they’ll franchise him again. (Each team will have 3 franchise tags.) If there is a cap, they’ll let him walk.
Grr! You missed a GOLDEN opportunity, Ryan!
I was really hoping, in point number 5, for a Spinal Tap drummer reference. Instead you gave us Final Destination. Not cool. I’m so disappointed, especially considering the awesomeness of the Margaritaville reference. (Btw, I saw one of those in Target and about passed out. I had no idea that $200 ice-crusher was actually a real thing. Incredible.)
Come on r3...demo what was on your mind for #5
You got me curious
I blog the Carolina Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com
Why can't you just make ten louder?
“These go to eleven.”
If you haven’t seen “Spinal Tap,” I recommend you head to Blockbuster post haste!
LOL! Jerry Jones "Gotta Boogie!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW7iF7q5NRo
on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city
I HATE THE COWBOYS...
That’s all I really had to say.
I can at least respect this...
other than calling cowboys fans idiots based on what a supposed “sports analyst” may have said.
“I hate the Cowboys” is something we are used to hearing on a weekly basis from opposing teams fans.
Beware D-Ware
by WittenRocks on Sep 26, 2009 11:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Sadly, being 'America's Team' has its ups and downs.
Because of your team’s stature in the American milieu there are a lot of self professed Cowboys fans who know little to nothing about the team or the game and give your fanbase a bad name by calling sports radio stations countrywide and making obscene and ridiculous claims.
I feel for you in that regard, and I would definitely not compare those casual at best football fans with members of ‘Blogging the boys’. You guys have been very gracious this week and I appreciate the insight from you guys.
Good luck to your team on Monday, and by good luck I mean I hope you don’t have any injuries and the loss is easily accepted. ; )
Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
by James Dator on Sep 26, 2009 11:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Ok, then respect this...
Maybe the “rumor” is not true. But what I have learned today IS that Cowboy fans are the most fickle, bent out of shape, cry baby fan base that I have ever come in contact with.
on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city
by southtunnel on Sep 27, 2009 12:15 AM EDT up reply actions
To Quote the Movie Napoleon Dynamite...
“Like anyone can even know that!”
James, I for one always appreciate a knowledgeable football discussion and friendly bantering. That is what makes this game great for fans.
Beware D-Ware
by WittenRocks on Sep 27, 2009 10:34 AM EDT up reply actions
Comments deleted...
That was a little over the top I agree. We will try to keep our Cowboy hate in general terms ;)
Is your boy DeWare ready to bust out this week?
I blog the Carolina Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com
I certainly hope so.
You have to have that feeling that he is ready to have a break out game. I think the bottom line is that we have to be more creative on defense to get the quick pressure. Teams are effective against us getting rid of the ball quick. It is extremely frustrating for me as a Cowboys fan because it always seems like our DBs are 10-15 yards off the receivers. I am excited for the game!
Beware D-Ware
Two things to win...
1. Smash and Dash need to have a good day running the ball.
2. Our defense needs to work around the injuries and just play ball.
Here's a play I'd like to see -- we haven't used it yet.
Wait for a 3rd and long — we’re sure to have one. Say a 3rd and 15, like after 2 incompletions and a false start penalty! (all too familiar?)
Call TO and bring in Goodson and 3 WR’s, set up double flankers, Jeff King back to block, Jake in shotgun.
Deep pass, right?
Goodson goes in motion, right to left, then circles back from the left slot position (assuming Ware is coming from Gross’ side.) — Jake rolls right, as the 3 WR’s take at least 4, maybe 5 defenders deep with them. There’ll be pressure coming, maybe 5 on a blitz.
Jake hits Goodson on a slant, and the rest is giving him the chance in space to do what he did best in Thunderstruck.
??
At the snap is Goodson still on the left side? Slant across the middle? Anything that gets Goodson in space has got to be a big play. I’d like to see that play on 2nd and short too, play action to Goodson who then sits down about five yds past the LOS. He’ll juke the first guy and then has space to turn on the jets. That guy has got speed!
I blog the Carolina Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com
I'm glad more people than me have faith.
Rome wasn't built in a day.
by panther no panth on Sep 27, 2009 9:09 PM EDT reply actions
Brady Quinn
I think this kid can play, if the Browns want to give up on him, maybe we could clear up some cap space if we don’t get the job done tonight.
MNF
To the Panthers,
The real fans will never give up on our guys. This is a good team and I hope that everyone steps up tonight and shows the rest of the haters that the Panthers are not the team they think they are!!
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