Panthers Roll Rams 27-13 - Game Analysis
by Jaxon
on Sep 9, 2007 7:28 PM EDT
in News
I wasn’t feeling too good about this game until Steven Jackson’s first fumble. Shortly thereafter Jake Delhomme hit Steve Smith on the bomb and the momentum turned. His next fumble let the air out of the Rams and the Panthers running game kicked it up a notch.
Keys to the Game:
• Drew Carter (19 yds, 2 TD) was my MVP for his two TD’s, the second of which was a beauty. He got both feet in bounds as he fell and maintained control of the ball. This is exactly what the Panthers needed from Carter, a red zone threat and he delivered.
• The run defense held Steven Jackson to 58 yards, most of which came in the first half.
• Orlando Pace went out with a shoulder injury that resulted in more pressure being put on Mark Bulger from the left side. From then on he was rushing his throws the rest of the game.
• Once the defense started blitzing they made Bulger throw bad passes. Though the Panthers had no picks the Rams passing game was ineffective.
• Steve Smith was his usual self (118 yds, 1 TD). He TD turned the momentum of the game in the Panthers favor.
• DeShaun Foster had a good day (94 yds) and would have been MVP in my view if not for the fumble at the goal line. Overall the Panthers running game was effective and helped the Panthers control the ball. The only negative was that both Foster and DeAngelo Williams (62 yds) lost fumbles.
• Jeff King made some key 3rd down catches that kept drives alive
• The offensive line protected Jake very well and did not give up a sack
Other Players Who Shined:
• Kris Jenkins seemed to get stronger in the 4th quarter and laid a big hit on Bulger on one play
• Damione Lewis and Kindall Moorehead (1 sack) played well in relief of Jenkins and Kemo
• Otis Grigsby played well in relief of Mike Rucker and also put a big hit on Bulger
• Jason Baker averaged 51 yards on three punts
Players Who Need to Tighten it Up
• Justin Hartwig had two bad snaps and on several occasions got man-handled by the Rams rookie Adam Carriker• Kemo was getting blown back off the line pretty often early in the game
• As mentioned earlier, DeAngelo had a fumble. Certainly not the way to earn more carries.
Handing Out the Grades
• I give the offense an A-. The fumbles will always take a little off the grade as well as the bad snaps. Overall 27 points is a good day.
• The defense gets an A- as well. They only gave up 13 points to a good Rams offense. The only downgrade is lack of sacks (1) though they did get pressure and hits on Bulger.
• Special teams gets a C+. They gave up along return to Hall, missed a field goal and didn’t do much in the kick return game. They didn’t make mistakes though and Baker was sensational.
Overall it was a great start to the season. I feel slightly vindicated now that the Panthers won convincingly making my bold predictions seem valid for now.
Even better, since the Falcons, Saints and Bucs all lost the Panthers find themselves in sole possession of first place of the NFC South.
Finally, I'm so bad at predicting who will be the game MVP I didn't even include Drew Carter as an option in my pre-game poll below. There was one person who said "Other" so they may have been thinking of Carter. Congrats if that was the case.
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delhomme
someone needs to make jake realize that his good game was partially a result of him throwing the ball away when he didn't have an open WR. he has finally taken a necessary step to being a quality QB. I can't remember the last time i've seen him throw a ball away, but it's absolutely necessary sometimes. by doing so, the panthers made less mistakes than the rams and thereby kept the lead, and won. it's so simple sometimes, i just wish that someone would explain to delhomme why sunday was such a success.
by jonmeier on Sep 9, 2007 9:23 PM EDT 0 recs
haterade for real
Let's be honest. This isn't the first time he's played great. He's got one of the highest playoff QB ratings of all-time, and what helps him more than your mentoring is a real running game and more solid play from the defense.
by usana_gaines on
Sep 10, 2007 4:43 AM EDT
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Good analysis, Jaxon / LIghten up, charlsong
Jaxon, good analysis of the game. Best I've seen so far.
Charlsong, lighten up, man. You jumped me for "hating" Jake, when I'd said nothing but nice things about him, and now you're jumping jonmeier. Unless you know jonmeier from prior comments, then your remarks are totally unjustified by what he wrote. What's with this obsession with calling everyone a "jakehater"? There is plenty of room for legitimate criticism of Jake, and everyone who does so is not a "hater" or wishes him ill.
Living in Houston, I didn't get to see the game, so I have no idea what jonmeier is talking about. But if his facts are right, then there's certainly nothing wrong with him stating it (or even if his facts are wrong). I am a fan of David Carr, but I had the same criticism of him. He tended not to just get rid of the ball. Of course, in David's case, he usually had only a second or two to make that decision.
I think it is probably the competitive nature of both Jake and David that drives them to try to make a play when it might be better to just throw it away. But, obviously, you can't move your team down the field on throwaway passes.
Overall, it was a great win for the Panthers and a great game for Delhomme. I am happy for both. Now, I would like to see them mop the field with the Texans.
by A J on Sep 10, 2007 7:44 AM EDT 0 recs
good point
You're right that it was a great game, and Jonmeier can say what he wants. Hopefully Jake takes the team to a point where there's nothing to argue about. If he ends up finishing the year like last year, he'll end up proving Jon right.
I like that we really didn't play that great and still came away with a big win. I agree with Jaxon's grades completely, and if we can take it up a notch, we'll have the division wrapped up by week 14, but that's a big if.
Either way, Jenkins and Peppers are playing for new contracts, Fox, Delhomme and the DBs are fighting for their jobs. It shows on the field.
What did you guys think about that hit at the end of the game? I think it was Deke Cooper. I wonder if a fine will come out of that for him.
by usana_gaines on
Sep 10, 2007 9:57 AM EDT
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Terry Bradshaw on Delhomme
Terry Bradshaw:
"Delhomme rebounds
I know I said in the pregame show that Jake Delhomme better start playing better or the Panthers could make a change to David Carr. But I wasn't tough on Jake. If you are veteran quarterback and you have taken your team to the Super Bowl that is my measuring stick for him. I know that Jake can play well.Maybe I expect more out of Jake than most people. But last year he made a lot of mistakes for a guy in his position. I know he thinks he can make mistakes because he's trying to win games, but you don't want to do that. He's no Marino; he's no Elway. But he's a very good NFL quarterback. If he plays smart football like he did against the Rams, he can get the Panthers back into the playoffs. This team started out ugly last season, but it's obvious that he has receivers and a good running game, too. He simply has to allow the game to come to him. He played really well today and won on the road.
The Panthers showed me a lot. It seemed like there were a lot of questions around this team. Guys are even saying that John Fox could get fired. But they were coached well and played hard and played smart. That first game, it just sets you up for a possibly big season."
By the way, I posted my season predictions at the forum on the Observor website under NuPantherFan. I tried to post it here as a diary, but the word limit stopped me.
by A J on Sep 10, 2007 10:31 AM EDT 0 recs
Didos for Jake
I have felt like the only Jake supporter for the past year. He is one of only 5 QBs that have made it to two Championship games over the past 5 years. The other 4 our Brady, Manning, Roethlisberger and McNabb. So he is in very good company. He wasn’t the problem last year. It was that Henning had absolutely no creativity. Jake was just a product of a predictable offense.
I was most excited to see all kinds of offensive weapons. It will be much more difficult for teams to double Smith, when they have to worry about King, Carter, and a variety of running plays that even included Hoover! This should almost always either leave someone uncovered, or Smith in single coverage.
by Jaxonweb on Sep 10, 2007 11:06 AM EDT 0 recs
Good points
Jonmeier is right Jake made some good decisions. I remember a WR screen that was covered where Jake immediately threw it away. I'm sure we all agree and hope Jake continues his winning ways. I don't heap all the blame from last season on Jake. He had lots of help.
I liked Bradshaws comments, I think he is right on with the measuring stick comment. Once you get to the SB that becomes your expectation and when you then fail to get there again its perceived your not playing as well. Also, forget the fire Fox junk. He's not going anywhere. I give him Kudos for bringing in a new OC. We saw the difference yesterday.
You weren't the only Jake supporter Jaxonweb. I've always felt he could still play at a high level and once I saw the throws he was making in camp I knew he still had it.
At one point there I thought Jake was hurt
and we might see your boy Carr AJ. Jake is a tough as they come though. Great start but I don't want to get too happy about one game. I still think 11-5 and NFC South champions is our destiny. Neither the Falsons or Bucs will break .500 and the Saints will struggle at times and go 9-7.
BTW, I bought the Direct TV sunday ticket for the first time and its awesome. You can view stats, scoring summaries, etc... for all the games. Love it.
by Jaxon on Sep 10, 2007 12:02 PM EDT 0 recs
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