Viewpoints from Carolina on Pats-Panthers week 4 game

[jmt57]

Just wanted to share some articles from the Charlotte Observer in order to get an idea of how people in Carolina are looking at Sunday's game between the Patriots and Panthers.


My Carolina-New England prediction, plus why Panthers so badly need Vitamin T

Panthers fans are acting right now more like the team is 0-3. Carolina can’t score.....

Through three games, Carolina has exactly three TDs. That “one-TD-per-game” average is tied for dead last in the NFL. New England, by comparison, has scored 12 TDs.

Touchdowns make fans feel good. It’s a lot easier for a fan to stomach losing a game 45-21 than it is to lose one 24-0, even though the margin is exactly the same.

New Orleans was supposed to present a great opportunity for Carolina to score last week, but instead the Saints intercepted Cam Newton three times and won 34-13.

New England enters this game first in the NFL in offense but dead last in defense. The Patriots would seem ripe for a shootout – but only if Carolina can score. Because you know Tom Brady will.

My prediction: Too much Brady, but the Panthers offense shows a little life. New England 31, Carolina 20.​

 

[jmt57]

Inside the matchup: Luke Kuechly, Carolina’s linebackers against Rob Gronkowski

It can be assumed that Carolina will utilize all three of its linebackers against Gronkowski and Brady’s other weapons on Sunday, especially in their hybrid linebacker/safety nickel package that they call “Buffalo.”

That package exists specifically to counter big, route-running tight ends or slot receivers, where Gronkowski will spend most of his snaps.

That means Buffalo nickel Shaq Thompson will have his hands full, as will Kuechly and Thomas Davis. Gronkowski said this week that because of the Panthers’ linebackers’ skill in coverage, downfield routes will be more of an emphasis.

“With their linebackers, they’ve just got top-notch speed. They can go across the whole field and keep up with anyone – all three of their linebackers can keep up with anyone,” he said. “When you get the ball you have to go straight up the field. You can’t go side to side. They just have that much speed.”​

 

[jmt57]

How can the Panthers beat the Patriots and Tom Brady? Here’s a 3-step plan

Get a transcendent performance from Christian McCaffrey
When the Chiefs spanked New England 42-27 in the NFL’s kickoff game, rookie running back Kareem Hunt put on a remarkable show. Hunt racked up 148 yards and one touchdown on the ground and added 98 receiving yards and two more scores.

The Panthers don’t need anyone to match that, but they do need a big game from one of their playmakers. There aren’t many healthy ones left, so it falls on McCaffrey to seize the moment.....

Take some shots deep

The Panthers face the league’s worst-ranked defense for the second week in a row. They weren’t able to take advantage of the Saints’ porous D, in part because Newton’s timing was off and he couldn’t connect with Devin Funchess on a pair of deep throws when Funchess had separation....

Shula has been dialing up quicker-hitting plays to protect Newton. But the Patriots lack a difference-making edge rusher, so Shula has to give Newton chances to throw deep against a Patriots’ defense ranked last in total yards allowed (461), passing yards (330.7) and points (31.7).

Take the ball away

Brady will test the Carolina corners on the outside, and likely will have success there. But as often as he likes to throw underneath to running back James White and down the seam to tight end Rob Gronkowski, there should be opportunities for the Panthers’ linebackers to make plays.

Luke Kuechly, who dropped an interception last week vs. Brees, said it’s imperative the Panthers stop the run to get Brady in some obvious passing situations....​

 

[jmt57]

Panthers will face Patriots, Tom Brady with a DB making his first start for Carolina

When the Carolina Panthers were doing some advance scouting on Buffalo during the preseason, then-Bills cornerback Kevon Seymour stood out in part because of his speed and ball skills.

Seymour, a second-year player, will get to show off both Sunday when he’s thrown into a big spot Sunday at New England.

Seymour, acquired four weeks ago in a trade with Buffalo, will make his first start as a Panther when he replaces injured cornerback Daryl Worley against Tom Brady and the Patriots.

Worley wasn’t able to recover from the injury he sustained on a big hit against Saints running back Alvin Kamara late in last week’s game.

That means an opportunity for Seymour, who came to Carolina in exchange for wide receiver Kaelin Clay and the Panthers’ seventh-round pick in 2019 on Sept. 2.

Seymour, 6-feet and 185 pounds, was the Bills’ sixth-round pick in 2016 out of Southern Cal. He ran the 40 in 4.39 seconds at the 2016 combine, putting him among the fastest players on the Panthers’ roster.

Seymour started three games last season for the Bills, but only played 13 defensive snaps in the two meetings with the Patriots.

“He is long, but he’s got good speed,” Rivera said. “He’s got quick-twitch and he’s got good ball skills. I think that plays very nicely to his skill set.”​

 

[jmt57]

A couple of videos featuring some guy named Matt Walsh...

He said, she said: Will Panthers beat the Patriots?

He said, she said: Do the Panthers have any chance of beating Patriots on the road?

 

[jmt57]

Commentary on the Panthers' primary fan forum:

Carolina Panthers News and Talk

Panthers at Patriots - The positive thread...

Patriots week: Dunkin Donuts biscuits are ass water

 

[jmt57]

An good in-depth analysis of Cam Newton and the Panthers from Sports Illustrated:

Panthers Need to Play to Cam Newton’s Strengths

Most likely, the quick-strike stuff will be shelved until 2018. That’d be Carolina’s best move. McCaffrey and Samuel can still fit the old offense. McCaffrey, with his shifty and patient running, works in Carolina’s multidimensional, man-blocking ground game. Samuel is built to prosper on the misdirection tactics that were once reserved for Ted Ginn Jr. Both men were sharp in these capacities early against the Saints, but after falling behind, 24-6, the Panthers had to abandon that plan and play catch-up.

Making McCaffrey a newer, better Darren Sproles or Julian Edelman will have to wait; he needs to be this team’s version of Danny Woodhead and Chris Thompson. Put him in the slot and out wide occasionally, but feature him mostly on screen passes and checkdowns. Those concepts come out of the slower-developing, downfield aerial passing game that is familiar to Newton. And one thing Newton did well against New Orleans was work to his checkdown when zone coverage took away deeper options.

Checkdowns will be common because the Panthers don’t have much vertical speed. Ginn is now a Saint, and no receiver has shown he can influence safeties.​

 

[jmt57]

This is from the Panthers web site. The column primarily introduces their fans to the 2017 Patriots, but also talks about their brand new corner.

Five Things to Watch: Panthers at Patriots 

2. Worry without Worley?

Daryl Worley didn’t participate in practice this week and isn’t expected to play against the Patriots. Without the second-year cornerback, newcomer Kevon Seymour is expected to start in his place, despite only playing one defensive snap this season.

The Panthers acquired Seymour in the offseason via a trade with Buffalo.

“He’s done a nice job," head coach Ron Rivera said. "Biggest thing about Kevon is that he’s coming from Buffalo and a lot of things that they do there cross over with us. His getting acclimated with what we do has been a lot shorter than some of the other guys that we brought in recently. He’s done a nice job handling it and looked good in practice today as well.”​

 

[jmt57]

WEEK 4 PREVIEW: Carolina Panthers at New England Patriots

McCAFFREY'S ROLE: Rookie running back Christian McCaffrey saw an expanded role as a receiver last week with tight end Greg Olsen (broken foot) out and wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin missing the final three quarters with a strained knee.

McCaffrey was really the one weapon Cam Newton had in the passing game, hauling in nine catches for 101 yards.

The Panthers have struggled all season with picking up big chunk plays and were held to just 13 points by the Saints, who had the NFL's 32nd ranked defense coming into last week's game. This week, New England is No. 32, but Newton has struggled against all competition this season with twice as many interceptions (four) as TD passes (two).​

 

[jmt57]

Panthers at Patriots Key Matchups: Can Steve Wilks out-scheme Josh McDaniels?

The Panthers offense generally seems to be at least decent on the first drive or two of a game. Then the offense, and largely the play calling, takes a turn for the worse. This has always been a struggle for Mike Shula since he began his tenure in Carolina. A large portion of Cam Newton’s success has come from no-huddle offense when he calls the plays.​

 

[supafly]

#1 offense vs. #1 defense

Should be a good test for both teams

In addition, both the CAR offense and NE defense are ranked near or at the bottom, so again, should be a good test on that side of the ball, too.

 

[SammyBlueCat]

My prediction: Too much Brady, but the Panthers offense shows a little life. New England 31, Carolina 20.

Yup

 

[Wheelman]

In back-to-back wins vs. New Orleans and Houston, Brady passed for more than 375 yards and three touchdowns without an interception in each game. That’s only been done in consecutive games three times in NFL history, and Brady is responsible for two of them.

Read more here: How can the Panthers beat the Patriots and Tom Brady? Here’s a 3-step plan

 

[Brewskies]

jmt57, 10 posts to start one thread????

 

[jmt57]

jmt57, 10 posts to start one thread????

Thought it would be more legible and easier for people to respond if each article was on its own post.

Hopefully it didn't come across like a certain unnamed forum member who had recently decided to make hundreds of comments in a single thread.

 

[Brewskies]

Thought it would be more legible and easier for people to respond if each article was on its own post.

Hopefully it didn't come across like a certain unnamed forum member who had recently decided to make hundreds of comments in a single thread.

IMO if you are going to call someone out to a group then have the balls to name him or her so they can defend themselves.

 

[jmt57]

IMO if you are going to call someone out to a group then have the balls to name him or her so they can defend themselves.

Not a matter of testosterone. I thought that detail would be obvious to most everyone here. If not, then consider yourself lucky to have not been part of mosslost's trolling, flooding and thread hijacks.