What worries you the most about the Panthers game?

[Snooky97]

Dwayne Allen/Hollister are going to be really important this game, mainly because Gronk is going to face his hardest test this year in Luke.. guy is a freak. Hopefully someone might stand on him Shaq Mason... this could be you..

All in all it's going to be another thriller. Hopefully the D will turn up this week. Panthers are good but we played one of the Best D in the league last week and still Put up 35+ points...

All the Defence needs to do is stop giving up the big plays. Play as a unit. Not as individuals. They should have a long hard look at themselves because they have been poor. By poor I mean the secondary who we all thought would be ridiculously good this year but that hasn't been the case. The front 4 have been good and the linebackers are doing OK. But secondary has been woeful.

 

[Simpelton]

I'll be honest, the thing that worries me the most is the potential for massive off field distractions. I have never seen an off the field controversy take over the narrative surrounding a season like it is right now. Leaving the political aspect aside for now, splitting the clubhouse is never a good thing for a team that wants to win. Certain players on both sides of the argument need to forget about rights and wrongs and focus on X's and O's. if they can do that I have no doubt they can beat Cam Newton on the field. They're a better football team with a much stronger organization.

I should also add that I have faith in our excellent coaching to keep the team focused on the field. I don't actually think the clubhouse is that badly fractured, but at the same time I've never seen someone step out of the brotherhood and criticize a teammate openly the way Matt Light did, and it has me a little concerned. There's a level of mutual trust required for a team to function at peak efficiency, and what I don't know right now, is how the recent controversy and the fact that Patriots players have taken different sides of it will have an impact. Hopefully it doesn't and any issues don't clear the noise threshhold. But if Belichick does lose control of the clubhouse, and it's more possible than it used to be because, let's face it, he's getting up there, then we might have a problem.

Again I do think this is going to blow over, at least as far as the Pats are concerned, but I honestly believe that making sure that it blows over and the whole team is pulling together by game day is the biggest hurdle facing this team right now. If the team overcomes this political tempest in a teacup and is on the field thinking like a unit and playing like a unit, I have no doubt of the outcome.

 

[NG Pats Fan]

Good point. Watson came out of nowhere and decided to play five games worth of football in one afternoon.

Amazing how below average QBs have these career days against new England's conservative defenses. Coincidence?

 

[patman12]

Don't worry, as we speak, McCourty is having a great new SJW t-shirt printed up for when he takes to the podium after the game to explain why a country that is paying him 11 million dollars a year to be the worst safety in the NFL is oppressive to black people. And Oh, Tom Brady is going to have to put up thirty plus points to save them, again.

Too bad his cap hit would be crushing, because he would look great in Cleveland Orange!

This is a football thread, there's a more appropriate thread for your post. Take it there.

 

[PatsFan2]

I wonder if this weeks game plan will be similar to next weeks given the very short turnaround?? Can't stress how much I hate Thursday Night NFL games. Do we need extra days to prepare for a Team like the Jets??

 

[ForThoseAboutToRock]

For me again it's the D (Probably most of us)...but with DH hopefully back..i think they have a strong game.

I'm worried that the Panthers need a major bounce-back game after losing to the Saints last week.

Specifically, Cam Newton has apparently got stuff going on - heard on a podcast some folks calling him into question (saying that the 2 straight losses to Denver broke him). Also Newton apparently didn't celebrate after a touchdown. All this is building a narrative. With doubters gathering, I'm slightly worried that we'll get a very good version of the Panthers if they focus hard on the task of coming up and beating the Patriots.

 

[PatsFan2]

I'm worried that the Panthers need a major bounce-back game after losing to the Saints last week.

Specifically, Cam Newton has apparently got stuff going on - heard on a podcast some folks calling him into question (saying that the 2 straight losses to Denver broke him). Also Newton apparently didn't celebrate after a touchdown. All this is building a narrative. With doubters gathering, I'm slightly worried that we'll get a very good version of the Panthers if they focus hard on the task of coming up and beating the Patriots.

With Greg Olsen his Safety blanket out means slim picking Offensively Kelvin Benjamin can be taken away and the Pats can rough up Christian McCaffrey at the LOS before he gets into his routes.

 

[ForThoseAboutToRock]

With Greg Olsen his Safety blanket out means slim picking Offensively Kelvin Benjamin can be taken away and the Pats can rough up Christian McCaffrey at the LOS before he gets into his routes.

Yeah, I expect Benjamin to be questionable / limited for this game too. I guess he had a scare in terms of a knee injury against the Saints. I've seen it reported that he's "fine," but guys still often need some time to bounce back - especially since he had a torn ACL in the same knee in 2015.

I'd say Panthers will look to pull off some of what KC did in week 1 (we should coin this the almighty anti-Patriot blueprint). Newton or one of their runners could make a big play or two and the Panthers defense was being talked about as among the best in the league before week 3.

My opinion - I don't think the Panthers are nearly as explosive on offense as KC is. I'm hoping our D has its best performance of the season. Definitely not very worried about CAR - yet here I am in this thread ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[FCB02062]

You should stay there they will be close by the following Thursday.

We actually are - thought about getting tickets, but just cost prohibitive after spending several month's mortgage on Disney. We will be in the The Villages (visiting in laws) when the Pats play TB. Wife & I hoping to find a bar just outside the Villages or inside the Villages in which to watch the game. Problem is, given it's a retirement community, the bars in the Villages close at 11 pm during the week. All else fails we'll watch it at inlaws house, but we want to enjoy a proper happy hour in FL. In MA happy hour is half price apps - in FL it's 2 for 1 booze!

 

[captain stone]

...The front 4 have been good and the linebackers are doing OK...

Exsqueeze me?

 

[Snooky97]

Exsqueeze me?

We all knew that the front 7 were going to be weak this year, but they have done well in my opinion. Loosing Hightower was always going to be hard but I was surprised that we have managed without him.

What has let us down is the poor secondary play.

 

[Simpelton]

This is a football thread, there's a more appropriate thread for your post. Take it there.

There actually isn't. They keep getting locked. And mods think that that's the best way to keep the debate from spilling over into the main forum, is to give it nowhere else to exist.. I dunno, I just live here.

 

[Baboon]

We actually are - thought about getting tickets, but just cost prohibitive after spending several month's mortgage on Disney. We will be in the The Villages (visiting in laws) when the Pats play TB. Wife & I hoping to find a bar just outside the Villages or inside the Villages in which to watch the game. Problem is, given it's a retirement community, the bars in the Villages close at 11 pm during the week. All else fails we'll watch it at inlaws house, but we want to enjoy a proper happy hour in FL. In MA happy hour is half price apps - in FL it's 2 for 1 booze!

I am in the villages. There are a couple of bars in spanish springs that sometimes stay open late for sporting events if they know enough regulars want to watch. (One place stayed open late recently so 6 of us could watch usa soccer.) I'll check with those managers sometime this week to see if they expect to be open next Thursday.

 

[bobbutts]

I'll be honest, the thing that worries me the most is the potential for massive off field distractions. ....

One equalizer there is that every team is facing this. However it is probably worse for the Patriots since I think they have traditionally had at least above average (probably better) team chemistry and unity.

 

[bobbutts]

Injuries

I share this fear.. Honestly I get nervous anytime any Patriots player with a recent injury history has the ball, esp Gronk.

 

[PatriotsNumero1Fan]

I wonder if this weeks game plan will be similar to next weeks given the very short turnaround?? Can't stress how much I hate Thursday Night NFL games. Do we need extra days to prepare for a Team like the Jets??

Also playing in Tampa bay with the weather being a factor. It's gonna be tricky. I hope this game with the panthers won't be as physical and they can jump on them early.

 

[doesntmatter1]

Nothing worries me besides injuries. Defense is ranked last so going up is the only option. I still don't understand Harris sitting on the bench. Hightower is hurt and we can't stop the run but a great run defender in Harris is m.i.a. I know he has lost a step but we have seen sluggish linebackers such as Spikes get extensive playing time. How much of a liability can he be?

 

[patman12]

There actually isn't. They keep getting locked. And mods think that that's the best way to keep the debate from spilling over into the main forum, is to give it nowhere else to exist.. I dunno, I just live here.

It was alive when I posted but I see it's now closed. Someone must have peed in the pool again.

 

[archstanton543]

I am afraid of Gronk in the end zone getting tackled by Luke and not getting a call...

To be clear, they did throw a flag on the Gronk play but then they picked it up and said "Game over".

 

[supafly]

I'm concerned about their big play offense (much like the Texans, of course) gaining huge chunks of 25-30 yards at a time against ineffective zone coverage.