Big Hits: Strong Opinions after Preseason Game 1
by pancanbra on Aug 13, 2010 10:10 AM EDT
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PrintI know it's only preseason but...
...we've got a LONG way to go.
This is the first in a series of posts I hope to do after each preseason game, and I may continue it into the regular season if it's successful. I took notes throughout the game and these are the 'Big Hits' (the most important things to look at following the game). I didn't hit on everything, especially because a lot of the These are strong opinions and it's early, so feel free to take them with a spoonful of salt. But I feel that these are pretty dead on. Dispute them at your peril.
OFFENSE:
- DWill was his old self in the short time he was on the field. Expect much of the same from him and JStew this year.
- The starting O-Line looked out of sync for the most part, but it's expected because it's so early in the year. I expect them to be fine with Otah back in the regular season.
- Backup O-line was as porous as advertised. Let's hope we can keep our starters as healthy as possible. Perhaps there are some projects: diamonds in the rough.
- Sutton and Vaughn looked good. Not good enough to be second string RB's, but decent enough to make the team. Sutton shows promise if he stops shifting around in the backfield with the ball and just hits a hole and keeps moving forward. Reminds me of a rookie DWill actually.
- I was really disappointed by our Wide Receivers. To be honest, I thought D. Jarrett looked the best out of all of them. I don't know if that's good or bad. It's only one preseason game, but based off of what I saw, he looks like the front runner for the number 2 spot.
- Kenny Moore looked good too, made a great catch in traffic, looks to be the front runner for the slot position.
- You can see Lafell's promise, but he needs to show it on the field in a game. He's not ready yet.
- A. Edwards looks to be a year long project before he makes any sort of significant impact. I don't even know if he'll be able to cut it as a return man this year.
- Claussen is as polished a rookie QB as I have seen in some time. I honestly believe he could step in as a rookie and be a serviceable QB. Made some good throws. He may be a total jerk in the eyes of some, but he has that "it" quality of determination and cockiness that you need to be a big time QB. I'm excited about this kid. Moore may have to have a Pro Bowl type season to keep Jimmy off the field next year.
- Moore made some over throws that were his fault, but to be honest, the offensive line didn't really give him much of an opportunity to showcase himself in the short time he was out there. The Ravens starting D did NOT go with a vanilla scheme. They did quite a few blitzes against our ones. I'm not worried about M. Moore yet.
- I can see why the team is so big on Cantwell. He has one hell of an arm. Definitely the best of all our QB's. But it's clear he doesn't have the polish or intangibles that Claussen has. I'd be surprised if Pike beats him out for the 3rd spot though, because another team would pick up Cantwell based on his arm strength alone. Look for Cantwell to be Jimmy's back up next year after we trade Moore in the offseason. You heard it here first.
DEFENSE:
- Brayton was our only starting D-Lineman that showed something out there. I fully expect him to be a starter all year.
- C. Johnson looks like a serviceable DE on the other side, but I don't think he will be anything more than that. He's just serviceable. Nothing special.
- It's just one preseason game, but E. Brown looks like a bust out there. He didn't do anything. Not on D. He missed a tackle on ST. He was manhandled by their starting OT.
- We need to make sure to take everything we saw of G. Hardy with a big grain of salt. It's preseason, and he was playing against their backup O Line. That being said, he looked like an absolute man possessed out there. He must be playing with the biggest chip on his shoulder in the world. He did NOT look like a 6th round draft choice, and he knows he's a legitimate starter in the NFL. He was getting consistent penetration, and was getting to the QB, not just pressuring him. The most important thing that I saw from him though, was that he finished plays. He's fast and strong enough to make an impact on the running game and looked a LOT like Julius Peppers did against the run when he actually felt like playing. Again, BIG grain of salt. The coaching staff needs to see what he can do against a starting O-line, but if I'm a coach, after that one game, G. Hardy would be starting opposite Brayton at DE.
- Our defensive tackles looked pretty awful. No penetration whatsoever against Baltimore's starting O-line. Ed Johnson looks too slow. The Panthers need to be genuinely concerned about their DT situation. The media has been harping on it, and we fans have been trying to say that it will be okay with T. Tyler and L. Leonard and/or whomever, but we need to take off the rose colored lenses and realize that we may not make the playoffs or even go over .500 with the DT situation being what it is. We clearly made the right choice in choosing Claussen in the second round, because he looks like a franchise caliber QB, but an overweight T. Cody right now, is better than anything we have at DT. Just saying.
- The jury is still out for our linebacker lineup situation. It's hard to tell just yet if Beason at WLB is going to be better for the team or not. He's clearly our best defensive player, so I think it's best to put him wherever he's most efficient (MLB), and then plug up the other holes best you can. Connor looked serviceable at MLB, nothing too special. J. Anderson didn't look good at all this game. Again, it's early, but it looks as if we're going to need penetration from our DT's much more with T. Davis out. The Panthers have to be praying that Davis can play in the last quarter of the season.
- Norwood showed some flashes in the time that he was on the field and he looked pretty fast out there. Also showed a knack for getting to the football. He may be a bit too raw, but he could find himself in a starting role at OLB later on in the season. Look for him to be effective in passing downs, as it seems that that is how he will be utilized most this season.
- The starting secondary didn't really impress, but they didn't stink up the place. Again, they're only going to be as effective as our pass rush. We went with a fairly vanilla defensive scheme against the Ravens and didn't really do too much blitzing, but Meeks is really going to have to use an effective blitz scheme if we want to win games. Otherwise we may be allowing scores in bunches.
- It appeared Munnerlyn got a little shove in the back on the touchdown against him. If the NFL is going to call any sort of little contact that the defensive player does against a Wide Out, then they should be doing the same against the Wide Receiver. The fact is, if Munnerlyn wanted to prevent that touchdown, he would have had to have placed a hand on the receiver and I can guarantee it would have gotten called. Again, another reason we need to put pressure on the QB to have an effective pass defense.
- I really don't put any credence into what the backup secondary did or didn't do. It turned into a wet, sloppy game against their backups, so nothing to read into.
- E. Moore and Ivy looked decent out there, but again, it was against backups in a sloppy second half, and they will have to contribute more on ST's if they want to stick with the team.
SPECIAL TEAMS:
- Bad. Pretty terrible. And just plain awful.
- Again, it's early days, and I would say, of the three phases of the game, special teams requires the most practice and polish to get right, but it doesn't look like we've made any progress from last season. Perhaps it wasn't Crossman after all. Ugh.
- The game last night also affirmed my thought that letting go of Rhys Lloyd was probably our worst offseason move. Really? You want to save one million dollars? Lloyd was the only reason we didn't lead the league in kickoff returns for touchdowns last season. We could be in trouble.
- On a positive note, Baker appeared to be in Pro Bowl form.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
- Claussen looks legit and it will take a big push from Moore to fend him off for the starting spot next season.
- Our rookie WR's are RAW, to say the least.
- D. Jarrett has a real opportunity to have a break out year. It's now or never.
- G. Hardy could be a starter in game one this year.
- E. Brown doesn't look like he's worth the trade.
- Our DT position is obviously our weakest position.
- Beason at WLB may not be the best idea.
- Our special teams has lots of work to do.
- We currently do not have an answer for the loss of Rhys Lloyd.
- It's early, but we've got a long way to go before week one. On the bright side, this means lots of room for improvement, plenty of tape to go over, and plenty of things to work on for the remainder of the offseason. The key is just improving each week.
Projected record based on play up to now: 7-9
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I would disagree that our DTs looked bad last night
I was pleasantly surprised at the D-line last night, more concerning is linebackers and secondary, supposedly our defence’s strong areas, they looked just plain bad. Even Beason looked like a fish out of water, I say send him back to Mike and see what either Anderson or Williams can do at Will. I think Connor has the size and solidity to play Sam in this offence.
I posted this on another fan post, but I'll post it here to reply to you.
Let me set it straight for everyone. What truly matters in the game is what our starting d-line did against their starting o-line, and if we were watching the same game, you will see that on many passing plays, Flacco saw no pressure whatsoever. Everette Brown looked terrible. The only instances we brought pressure were from Brayton on his sacks. He looked really good out there. Every other one of our starting d-line members didn’t do much of anything. This is all considering the fact that going in we knew they were going to be passing the ball more times than not (because that’s what you do in preseason unless you have some major running back camp battle).
Yes, when the backups were in after the first quarter, and the game was wet and sloppy, and there was pretty much passing all the time, only THEN did our d-line start to look good and we racked up the sacks and pressures. Mainly because Greg Hardy looks like a man-beast out there. But to be honest, none of that matters as much as what happened in the first quarter. If you’re able, watch the tape again. Aside from Brayton, you won’t like what you see.
If I remember correctly Ed Johnson looked better than I expected,
got some good pressure up the middle on one play
by jojoisthemann on Aug 15, 2010 9:36 AM EDT up reply actions
next year
i’m concerned, and you brought it up. next year, i think clausen will be our starter because, for some reason, we act like he was drafted as high as matt ryan or philip rivers. i think that if matt moore makes the pro bowl, which is very possible considering his 104 qb rating over his last five starts, then we get a lot for him, but he’s still gone. here’s the kicker, though, we can’t trade him unless he’s under contract.
it’s looking like richardson is kind of cheap. maybe it’s just my own perspective and i’m way off, but i think moore just walks – no trade or anything. i think d-will gets the same treatment. unlike moore, at 28 (next year) some will say d-will only has 2-3 good years left. so we’ll have clausen and stewart, which may not be too bad, but there’s not gonna be any football in 2011 anyway. by the way, jarrett will be gone, too, but that’s not reallly news.
either way, if you got facebook, search for matt moore and show him your support.
D-Will...
…has more in the tank than 2 or 3 years. Playing behind Foster and then plitting carries with J-Stew has seen to that.
And I DO appreciate Matt Moore…and yes, he always has an iffy preseason…but Clausen was the better looking QB last night. I’m not talking about just statistics, I’m talking about presence. Now I’m not suggesting they should demote Moore, I just don’t see him having anything other than a solid year at best…but I do hope I’m wrong. And I would never suggest Clausen would do any better…he was just better last night in general.
Some good points usana
If Matt Moore has a Pro Bowl type season, it’s going to be awfully hard for the Panthers to let him go, Clausen or no. I realize his contract would be up, but I’d expect the Panthers to franchise him and trade him to a team that has already worked out a contract extension with him. (ie. Matt Cassel) I would expect to get quite a bit in return, but speaking of Cassel, he didn’t bring much of a return to the Patriots. My main point though, is that most analysts, after seeing him play, and based off of his scouting in play in college, think that he is a legitimate franchise caliber QB. Based off of how he looked Thursday, and my own opinions of him at Notre Dame, I’m inclined to believe. He’s just so polished already, that he’s going to be ready to start next year, I guarantee. I don’t think the Panthers can afford to just let him sit around on the bench. It’s kind of like the situation San Diego had with Brees and Rivers.
As for Deangelo, he’s going to want a fat contract, and deservedly so. We do have a fantastic RB in JStew, who seems to fit Fox’s mold, but Fox may not even be around after this year. And I think the Panthers front office actually favor Williams currently because of his ability to break off big play after big play. This means we don’t have to pass it on 2nd or 3rd and long all the time. That being said, the Panthers believe in a two RB system more than anything else, so they won’t move Williams or let him go, unless they have a viable replacement to run with Stewart. I don’t think they’ll find that in a year, so I think they resign Deangelo to a big ol’ 3 to 4 year contract.
Now this is all assuming we even play football next year. So far, it looks like we’re headed to a lockout, which changes things, to say the least. But that’s the reason we haven’t signed Moore or especially DWill to anything long term just yet. We don’t want to pay anyone all this guaranteed money for a year that they won’t even be playing. I don’t think Richardson is cheap, he’s just business savvy. He’s preparing himself for the lockout, and will begin spending money again just like he used to, after the dust settles.
Williams will be resigned. He is one of the absolute best RBs in football. There’s no reason not to pay him like one.
Here's the reason...
…he splits carries. Unless ego comes into play (you can give lip service to the team, but when you know you’re good, it’s hard to accept 2nd tier money and accolades), both D-Will and J-Stew should appreciate the situation they’re in. Although neither will make top 5 RB money on a year to year basis if the Panthers keep them, both will have significantly longer careers (barring catastrophic injury). Statistically speaking, this should even out their earning potential over the long haul (it’s like comparing a lump sum payout to an annuity distribution). They’ll also both be more likely to retire without degenerative knees/hips or the long term effects of multiple concussions.
I’m not saying either will (or should) recognize or consider these points during contract negotiations, but I believe they’d be well served to keep it in mind.
Draft position is just a number
Who cares when someone was drafted (e.g. Brady)? All I care about is how a player performs. Based on Furney’s analysis (remember how giddy he was?) and the way he played last night, I don’t care where he was drafted. For this early in his career, he looked very good. If Clausen keeps progressing, I say we try to pawn Moore off to a team who needs a QB in the later part of the season. I’m sure we’ll get some decent value out of him then.
I think once the labor dispute has been resolved, you’ll see Jerry open the wallet for select players. He’s never been shy about opening the wallet before. I think this year is just a special case. I’m not saying D-Will will be resigned (who knows with the new cap) but I wouldn’t be surprised if he was.
I think it's too early for strong opinions.
Having said that, we can take away some good and bad things from this game. I’ll hopefully be able to weigh by Sunday when I get the DVR tape watched.
Ready for 2010 football already!!!
by Flowing Willow on Aug 13, 2010 10:41 PM EDT reply actions
Too early for strong opinions?
Don’t tell that to anyone working over at ESPN.
Besides, no one wants to read mild and carefully guarded opinions. ;-)
I guess what I meant was that strong opinions are usually firm opinions.
Everything is fluid at this time of year, our opinions should remain the same IMO. :)
Ready for 2010 football already!!!
by Flowing Willow on Aug 14, 2010 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Very nice summary
I think some areas of the game are still works in progress so I would not worry too much. That said, our defense does not enthrall me at the moment and I feel that there are still 4 or 5 positions on defense that are up for grabs. This is in complete contrast to our offense where the only open spot is #2 WR. I am sticking with 9-7 as I predicted earlier.
Agreed
There are plenty of spots up for grabs, and that’s not even considering special teams,. where it seems to be one big crap shoot. With the Panthers being such a young team, these preseason games are going to be more important to them than to other teams. I fully expect Carolina to improve on Thursday’s performance and I expect them to do better than 7-9 in the season. However, my 7-9 prediction is based on the talent/performance I saw on Thursday, while taking into account the talent that will be with the team in Game 1 but didn’t play, ie. Smitty, Otah, JStew, etc. Obviously, some guys that played Thursday are going to have to improve their game if we wanna be playoff contenders ie. WR’s, D-Line, etc.
Vaughn probably isn't good enough to be a #2 RB, but I think Sutton is
He’s not a homerun threat, but he can come in and move the chains. Which is exactly what you want a backup RB to do to chew up the clock in cleanup minutes.
Moore seemed uncomfortable at 1st, but he settled in and made some nice throws. A couple were dropped as well. Jarrett showed up, and LaFell just needs more reps. If this was mid-season with Smitty, I think the passing game would be fine. Considering we’ll be facing many much weaker D-lines and I’m not too concerned about our passing game.
With the lack of confidence I have in our current LBs and D-Line, I’m sort of hoping Hardy starts at DE and Norwood at weak side LB. They need more than one game to do something that dramatic, but somebody needs to step up soon. The D is hurting.
on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city
Let's also consider Moore has a history of somewhat shaky starts to games.
With this being his first action in months, we shouldn’t expect that problem to have gone away.
Ready for 2010 football already!!!
by Flowing Willow on Aug 14, 2010 11:32 PM EDT up reply actions
he said his postgame interview on Panthers.com
that he felt some jitters on the first drive.
Founding Member of the Unofficial LaFan Club, #11 Brandon LaFell
by John Chilton on Aug 15, 2010 8:35 AM EDT up reply actions
After re-watching, the only bad throw, in my opinion was an overthrow over the middle
to a wide open Rosario. He later completed the same route. Otherwise, Moore looked pretty sharp. He missed King in the flat when Suggs jumped off-sides and was in his face. And he got flushed and had to throw one away. As for the blind side sack/fumble, he had time to get the ball away. They blitzed the kitchen sink on that one… he’s got to dump it down or throw it away. D-Lo did have a great pickup on one of the blitzers, totally flipping him.
Where there’s a will… I want to be in it.
Its just the preseason
I strongly disagree with you about Brown and the Wide Receivers. Remember its only game 1 of the PRE SEASON i don ‘t expect players to come out and be superstars especially the veterans because its just the pre season. I also think you guys have or had to mush expectation for armanti edwards i didn’t expect him to look good at Wide Receiver or Returner because its his first game as either one. Before you start saying anything bad about anyone remember its just the preseason and nothing can be said until the regular season starts
You're right - this was just a get-your-feet-wet scrimmage, with no game plan, no practice against a 3-3, lots of subs, and no continuity.
Plus it was wet. I’m just happy to see few fumbles (especially on PR’s by Edwards, which would’ve eroded his confidence for the future) and only the mild injury to Brayton. Let’s keep in mind the Ravens only got 61 yds rushing. It was an okay result against a highly regarded opponent, who should win 9-10 games this year, maybe more.
Our OL looked weak, but when Kalil goes out, we lose a LOT. We had no Otah, and Robinson is a turnstile on pass protection. That’ll work itself out, when Kalil, Bernadeau and Otah are at their proper positions.
On to the next scrimmage. If we get improvement as we go along, things will be alright.
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