Being a Panthers fan out on the west coast, I don't get to see many of their games, unless they're playing the 49ers or Raiders, and that's a rarity. (They did get one of their two wins against the Niners this year.) The NFL-N offered me as a fan a RARE treat: a nationally televised game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Perhaps it's time to stuff the Panthers back into obscurity after this game.
OH the horrah!! After a pretty decent start in which they moved the ball, the Steelers adjusted and the Panthers didn't. Therein lies the problem. Coaching, or lack thereof. The Panthers DO have talent on both sides of the ball, but they're not well-coached. Too many mental errors, breakdowns in coverages, poor tackling--they can be attributed to poor coaching. The players DO play hard and have no quit in them--that is a testament to John Fox.
Offensively, the Panthers have the WORST offensive coordinator in Jeff Davidson. No imagination, doesn't make adjustments, and doesn't put his players in a position to succeed. Plus no quarterback stability doesn't help. I'm ready for the Panthers to draft Andrew Luck IF he comes out. (Rumor has it IF Jim Harbaugh stays at Stanford, Luck will stay also.) Jimmy Clausen is NOT cutting it. The Panthers could very well be the first team since the 1992 Seattle Seahawks to NOT score multiple touchdowns in ANY game in a season, as they (mercifully) finish their season against Atlanta. One good thing, though: they ALWAYS give Atlanta a hard time. This is embarrassing: finishing up against two Super Bowl-caliber teams and not even showing up.
Defensively, they have an emerging stud in DE Charles Johnson. He has six consecutive games with a QB sack, tying the franchise record set by Kevin Greene WAY back in 1996. (He sacked Big Ben TWICE.) Now they need a BIG run-stuffer, a big oak tree in the middle that stops opposing runners in their tracks. I like how DC Ron Meeks makes adjustments, but sometimes he overthinks himself. The linebacking corps that was in there wasn't bad--Beason is a stud, but he had a couple of guys off the street alongside him. The secondary is PUTRID. THEY CAN'T COVER ANYONE!! Any one of the Lug Nuts could have made a big play on that secondary with Big Ben throwing to us!! GET RID OF THE WHOLE SECONDARY EXCEPT FOR CHRIS GAMBLE (He was out with an injury.)
As far as special teams, they have a good punt returner in Captain Munnerlyn. But they need someone that is a threat to make a house call on kickoff returns. A Devin Hester-type, if you will. Someone that strikes abject fear into the hearts of their opponents. The guys we have don't do that. Steve Smith USED to do that when he returned punts and kickoffs way back in the day. Kicking wise, John Kasay is old, not as accurate as he used to be, and doesn't kickoff any more due to his decreased length on kickoffs. Jason Baker is atrocious as a punter. Granted, the wind was swirling and was consistently between 15-20 MPH. It even knocked down the Steelers' punter's punts.
Overall, the game was unwatchable. What made it unwatchable was how atrocious the Panthers' offense is, aside from Jonathan Stewart. Even Smith dropped a few balls, which is uncharacteristic of him.
My take on the Panthers is this: they need an identity. Mr. Richardson needs to hire someone to handle ALL the football operations and pay him HUGE jack. John Fox won't return; that's pretty much the worst-kept secret in the league. I'm torn about whether or not hiring Bill Cowher is a good move. On the surface it is. But does HE want to subject himself to the grind of coaching again? AND would he want total control of the operations? What about his emotions in dealing with his late wife's passing over the summer? Those are questions that Mr. Richardson and Cowher would have to answer. IF Mr. Richardson is going to hire someone to control the football operations, he NEEDS to trust him and let him do his job.
As the GM, I'd be inclined to hire a coach that stresses discipline and character, and who would want to bring in good character players. Then let him hire his own coaching staff. (But getting rid of Davidson is A MUST.) I'd make recommendations and suggestions, but the final decision would be the head coach's to make. If the new coach requests, I'd draft Andrew Luck (if he comes out) first overall and bring Jake Delhomme back as that veteran QB and mentor to Luck. I'd dangle Clausen as trade bait. A functional movement coach would be hired to reduce the amount of injuries to the players. NO detail would be unattended.
The Panthers DO have talent, they just need an overhaul of the coaching staff, plus an identity.
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3 comments:
Great rant jon!
I watched that game last night (on and off while adding on to my house)... It was brutal.
If I owned the team I'd make major changes, not only coaching and personnel, but I'd come up with a new uniform (Probably reverse everything... whatever's white would become black... I'd have real Panthers on the field!) Everything would be geared to change this team's attitude. Witness what happened to the Tampa Bay Rays simply by dropping "Devil" and coming up with a new uniform. (I know it's not that simple, but sometimes little things mean a lot)
The Panthers have bright spots across their roster. The defense is ranked 12th in the NFL... The O-line and running game are good. There's positives to work with.
I'd hate to see Cowher coach anywhere... I just don't think he's that good. He stuck his chin out for how many seasons coaching one of the NFL's storied franchises and won one Superbowl (and that was a fluke thanks to atrocious officiating)...
Take a chance and bring in a proven younger coach. It's a crap shoot, but someone like Cowher will just give the Carolina Panther fans a respectable team, you've got to jump out there and gamble to get a great coach, someone that'll take you to the promised land... It's too bad Fox has lost his edge. He's a good coach and won't be out of work long. I wonder how successful he'll be elsewhere.
Well, my favs are both on shakey ground but still in the hunt with 2 games to play... Nothing to brag about on their part... The Niners need lady luck to shine on them while the Seahawks are potentially going to win the NFC West with a losing record. If either makes the playoffs it'll undoubtedly be one and done... Oh well...
Hang in there jon and have a Merry Christmas!
I doubt Fox forgot how to coach. That offensive line is horrendous! Smith quit on this team long ago. He is a cancer. Clausen is following along in the long line of overrated QBs from Notre Dame. Go back over 30 years to their last good one... Montana.
It starts and ends with that O Line. they will suck until that gets better.
Merry Christmas, Jon!
Dwindy, I HAD to get that off my chest! It was percolating for so long and it finally blew! I like the color scheme, but I'd tweak it a bit, maybe LESS powder blue and black pants for all their games. The defense IS decent, but is prone to giving up big plays. As far as a head coach, I WOULD bring in a fairly young guy and get him his first gig as an NFL head coach, someone like Ron Rivera. His defenses are consistently in the top 5 in the league. IF the Niners win out, and there's a three-way tie at 7-9, the Niners are in the playoffs based on their division record. (They'd be 5-1 w/in the NFC West.) Merry Christmas!
Gene, I think they need to trade Smith to a contender. Get some draft picks for him. (You could probably get a third and sixth-round pick for him.) He still has some trade value. I think the Panthers' woes on offense can be placed SQUARELY on Jeff Davidson, the offensive coordinator. As for Fox, he'll get a gig somewhere. Strangely enough, Dallas would be a good fit for him should they let Jason Garrett go. (I'd take Garrett in a HEARTBEAT!) I agree about ND QB's. With that first overall pick, I'd draft Andrew Luck out of Stanford. Perhaps he'd be reunited with Jim Harbaugh at the pro level in Carolina. Luck reminds me of Matt Ryan--he pays attention to detail, he's a "gym rat", and he's cool under pressure and a great leader. Plus he has a strong work ethic. Luck would be the first to arrive at the facility and the last to leave.
Merry Christmas Gene!
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