The Carolina Panthers lost 20-10 to the New England Patriots on Sunday. I thought this game was pretty close even though we loss by two scores. We had a pretty good defensive showing, with a pick and shutting down Randy Moss to one catch; even though part of this could be due to Tom Brady's injuries. Also, Matt Moore had a good showing, posting nearly identical numbers to Tom Brady except for the interception. WR Steve Smith had another rare TD for the season and Williams and DeAngelo had decent showings with 29 and 82 yards rushing respectively. Even though our players had relatively decent games, it wasn't enough to overcome the Patriots, even in an off season for them.
While this season has been a disappointment for the Panthers who entered this season with high expectations, I have still enjoyed watching them. Even if we are not going to the Playoffs, the remaining 3 weeks will still be fun to watch. All I can say is good luck to them.
-Gray
Monday, December 14, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Preview: Panthers at Patriots
The Carolina Panthers (5-7) travel to the New England Patriots (7-5) this Sunday. Once again Matt Moore will start for the injured Jake Delhomme as quarterback. Even though the Patriots have lost two games in a row and star quarterback Tom Brady is fighting several injuries and is questionable for the game, this will be a hard away game. We will have to rely heavily on our running game and hopefully DeAngelo Williams returns and is able to contribute. Jonathon Stewart had a great game last week against Tampa Bay and Matt Moore did what he was suppose to do in his first game starting this season, not loose it. Moore should be fine against this defense since they are ranked 28th in the league in pass rush with only 20 sacks all season, so he will have plenty of time to throw the ball. While the Patriots are not the superior 16-0 team of 2007, they are still a good team but we do have a chance of winning this game. I think we have a shot because our defense is still pretty good, especially our defensive backs who have had a lot of interceptions this season, and if Tom Brady doesn't play then we'll be in much better shape.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Panthers beat the Bucs 16-6
The Carolina Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday 16-6 at home. Second string QB Matt Moore had his first start since the 2007 and played decent enough for a win. But it was really the defense that won the game for us. We had 5 interceptions against Bucs QB Josh Freeman and several of them came in the end zone or near the goal line. Without those turnovers, the Bucs likely would have scored on several occasions. While Matt Moore had decent numbers (14/20, 161 yards, 1 interception, 0 TD) I am not sure he would of been able to lead us on long TD drives. Also, DeAngelo Williams didn't play in the game, but Jonathon Stewart had his first start and racked up 120 yards and 1 TD. Think how damaging our running game could have been if Williams was also in the game? Since Jake Delhomme's finger will likely still be hurt on this Sunday, Moore will start against the New England Patriots. Hopefully this win gave him some confidence, which he will need when we play against a team much better than the Bucs.
Also, Kicker John Kasay, my favorite Carolina Panther and the only player remaining from the original team, became only the 7th kicker to have at least 400 career field goals.
-Gray
Also, Kicker John Kasay, my favorite Carolina Panther and the only player remaining from the original team, became only the 7th kicker to have at least 400 career field goals.
-Gray
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Tampa Bay @ Carolina Preview
The Tampa Bay Bucs (1-10) visit the Carolina Panthers (4-7) Sunday in a NFC South division rivalry game. Both teams have had disappointed seasons so far with Tampa Bay definitely not going to the playoffs and Carolina most likely no going. So at this point in the season, these teams and players are fighting and playing for pride and dignity points; at least I would be. If Jake Delhomme was playing in this game, I would pick the Panthers to win. But Matt Moore is playing for the injured Delhomme, so it is hard to tell how well or poorly Moore will play. Strong games by DeAngelo Williams and Jonathon Stewart would go a long way for helping Moore out. Who knows, Moore could have a stellar performance and be a great, new quarterback. Even though I find it hard to predict the winner, I think the Panthers will win by a score.
-Gray
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QB Matt Moore to Start Sunday
Back-up quarterback Matt Moore will be the starting QB against Tampa Bay on Sunday. Starter Jake Delhomme is not playing because he suffered a broken finger in the Panthers' loss to the Jets this previous Sunday. Even after Jake's bad performance on Sunday, I think he would have started against the Bucs if he was not injured because Coach John Fox has seemed like he will stick with Jake all season. But Jake is hurt so Fox has no choice but to start Matt Moore. I am not sure how well Moore will play, but thankfully this game is against a pretty bad team. I do not know if we will win or lose this game, especially since how well Moore will play is unknown. Hopefully Moore plays well and takes pressure off of Jake to return early while still injured.
-Gray
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
NY Jets 17, Carolina Panthers 6
The Carolina Panthers lost a game on Sunday that was all too similar to the beginning of the season. Losing to the Jets 17 to 6 most likely put them out of playoff contention, which would of been hard to do anyway with the way the Panthers played Sunday. Unfortunately our offense struggled to get a TD and Jake Delhomme threw 4 interceptions. The defense did a nice job, only allowing 10 points from the Jets' offense. While we didn't play that well, we also had some bad luck such as the ball that hit Steve Smith's foot and ricocheted into the arms of a Jets defender, leading to a pick 6. Even though we have had more than our fair share of mishaps, injuries, bad luck, etc., the Panthers are just not a team that can be a contender this season. I was surprised by this game though. I truly thought the Panthers were going to win this game without too much trouble, but that was not the case.
-Gray
-Gray
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Preview: Panthers @ Jets
Vs.
Both the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers are 4-6 this season and have dimming playoff chances. With that said, I think the Panthers will win this game. The Jets' QB Mark Sanchez has been having trouble lately with 6 TDs and 14 interceptions in is last 7 games. The Panthers have a great pass defense and we should be able to add a few more interceptions to Sanchez's tally. Hopefully their run attack will not compensate for their lowly passing game due to our multiple injuries on our D-line and Linebackers. For our offense, Delhomme and Smith seem to be on the same page again having several TD passes between the them in the past few games. Also, Williams and Stewart should continue their exceptional running attack, which is our offense's best weapon. I predict the Panthers to win this game by a TD.
-Gray
-Gray
Carolina 17, Miami 24
The Miami Dolphins beat the Carolina Panthers 24 to 17 in this game. It was an important game to both teams since they were trying to reach .500 and keep their playoff chances alive. But with this loss, the best record the Panthers could have is 10-6, which would means winning every game for the rest of the season. The odds of our team doing that are slim because we are a good team, but this year we can not win this close ones, and those games are the deciding factors of seasons. Even though we are plagued by injuries to our top players, that alone is not an excuse for our performance. In this loss against the Dolphins, Miami RB Ricky Williams pounded us for 119 yards rushing and 3 TD, and this is a 32 year old RB which is pretty old for a player who takes so much beating over the years. While Jake's performance has been much better for the past month, no longer having multiple interceptions in a game, the Panthers have still not found a solid rythm to win many games. With 6 games left, I think we will win 3 of them, beating the Jets, Bucs, and Giants.
-Gray
-Gray
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Preview: Miami @ Caolina
The Miami Dolphins visit the Carolina Panthers tonight in tonight's Thursday night game. Both the Dolphins and Panthers are 4-5 this season and winning tonight's game is critical to their hopes of winning a Wild Card berth into this year's playoffs. So both teams will be looking to win this game to keep their post season hopes alive. Another thing these teams have in common is running back injuries: Miami Dolphin's RB Ronnie Brown is out for the season with an injury and both DeAngelo Williams and Jonathon Stewart are questionable for tonight's game. Brown's injury will likely affect the Dolphins' Wild Cat offense which will likely play into the hands of our defense. The Panthers have been playing well recently and have a great chance of winning this game even with the mounting injuries.
-Gray
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Injuries are starting to add up for Panthers
The Carolina Panthers' injuries are starting to add up for the season. In this past week's game against the Falcons, Veteran Pro-Bowler Left Tackle Jordan Gross broke his ankle and is out for the rest of the season. Just the other week, LB Thomas Davis had a season ending injury with a torn mcl. Also, at this year's very first practice, Defensive Tackle Maake Kemoeatu tore his Achilles tendon, which ended his season before it even began. These players with season ending injuries are some of the best players on the team and at least Gross and Davis were likely going to the Pro-Bowl the way they had been playing. But it is not just major injuries that plague the Panthers; there are multiple non-season ending injuries that could become major. Both DeAngelo Williams and Jonathon Stewart have been sitting out of practice recently for knee and Achilles issues respectively. Then FB Brad Hoover has been out the past few games with an ankle problem that has severely hurt our FB position, especially hurtful since the Panthers often rely on a FB to help block in their offense. On top of this all, DE Julius Peppers has a broken bone in his hand. While he is still playing, he was limited to passing downs in the game against the Falcons. If he is limited to only a few downs per possession, then our defense will take a huge hit without his contributions. Even thought the Panthers have been playing pretty well recently, these injuries might start to add up and have a significant impact on the Panthers for the rest of the season just as we are getting in a steady rhythm.
-Gray
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Carolina 28, Atlanta 19
The Panthers beat the Atlanta Falcons 28 to 19 this past Sunday. The Panthers played pretty well in this great win over our NFC South rivals. The reasons for the win include a strong running game by DeAngelo Williams and Jonathon Stewart, another turn over free game by Jake Delhomme, and a solid defensive showing with a few interceptions. At this point in the season I think Jake Delhomme has finally worked out the major problems he had in the beginning of the season. He is no longer having 3 or 4 turnovers a game and is slowing starting to have decent stats for a QB, most noticeably his two TD throws to WR Steve Smith. The Panthers have been playing some good ball the last few weeks, including the Saints game where we let that win slip through our fingers. We have finally turned our season around and have a decent chance at finishing above .500.
-Gray
-Gray
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Preview: Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers
The Atlanta Falcons will visit the Carolina Panthers this week in a NFC South rival game. This game should be a great one. Both teams have been having trouble with their Quarterbacks, and thus have been relying on their terrific running backs: Michael Turner for Atlanta and DeAngelo Williams and Jonathon Stewart for Carolina. After the watching the Panthers' game last week against the top team New Orleans Saints, I think the Panthers are definitely in swing to win this game. If they played like they did for the majority of the game last week AND if they can actually close out the game and finish, we will beat the Falcons tomorrow. The key to this win will be the Panthers not self destructing towards the end of the game.
-Gray
-Gray
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Thomas Davis Out for the Season
Linebacker Thomas Davis is out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. Davis injured his knee in the fourth quarter in Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints. This is bad news for the Panther's defense because Davis was having an amazing season and had a great chance of going to the Pro Bowl. Replacing him will be tough due to how physical and athletic Davis has been this season. Many contribute his great year not only to his physical and mental talent, but also the new defensive system installed by the new Defensive coordinator Ron Meeks which places a linebacker with the skill set of Davis to really excel. Hopefully our defense will be able to make it without such an effective player.
-Gray
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
A lost opportunity against the Saints
The Panthers lost to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday 30-20. The Panthers had the chance to win this game but were never able to seal the deal, which allowed the Saints' amazing offense come back. We jumped to an early 14-0 lead in the first half and were able to go into halftime up 17-6, which included a huge defensive stop that led to the Saints getting a field goal instead of a TD at the end of the half. But then the Saints came back in the second half and we more or less lost our composure. While there were several aspects that cost us the game, two plays stick out in my mind as the most important. The first one was when the Panthers were 1st and goal from the 1 yard line, but due to extensive injuries we had Mackenzy Bernadeau, an o-line man, as our fullback who bumped into Jake on the play causing him to be sacked for a loss. We ended up settling for a field goal on this play and a TD would have put us up more and kept our momentum going. Instead it was a momentum killer. (I wonder why Bernadeau was in as fullback since he doesn't know that position and why a RB like Jonathon Stewart, who knows the motions in that area perfectly, was not called in to block for DeAngelo Williams). The second play was when the Panthers drove to make a comeback, DeAngelo Williams fumbled the ball and the Saints recovered in the endzone for a TD. This put the game out of our hands. So if we had continued to play in the second half like we did in the first, then we would have beaten an undefeated team, but at the end of the day we were not good enough to do that.
-Gray
-Gray
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Preview: Panthers @ Saints
Coming off a great road win last week, the Panthers have another tough game ahead of them. They will be playing at the unbeaten New Orleans Saints (7-0). The Saints are one of the best teams in the NFL right now, if not the best. They are being led by their outstanding quarterback Drew Brees who is having another outstanding season. But something will have to give in this game: Either Drew Brees will have a great day passing or the Panther's pass defense, which is ranked #1 in the NFL, will shut him down. Hopefully our defense will have another 5 interception game like we did last week against Arizona. I think for us to win the game 3 things have to happen. 1. Jake Delhomme can not turn the ball over. If he starts throwing interceptions again, then this game will be over shortly. 2. Our running game has to be productive. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathon Stewart have been superb the past few games, so they just need to keep doing what they have been doing. 3. Our defense has to provide good pressure against Drew Brees and our corner backs can't let him complete huge plays. So the Panthers have a decent chance of winning this game if they play the way they did last week, but still the Saints are probably the best team out there.
-Gray
-Gray
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Cardinals get a taste of their own medicine
I am thrilled to say that I was completely wrong with my prediction about this game. I thought the Panthers were going to play poorly against the Arizona Cardinals and lose. Fortunately, the Panthers played their best game of the year. The greatest part of this game that helped redeem our horrible loss against the Cardinals last year was the irony of the stats. In last year's playoff meltdown, Jake Delhomme had 5 interceptions and 1 fumble; in Sunday's game, Arizona's QB Kurt Warner had 5 interceptions and 1 fumble. Jake had ZERO turnovers in this game. But the success, or rather lack of failure, of Jake Delhomme was not the only high point of this magnificent win. Our running game was fantastic. The Cardinals were the number one team in rush defense before this game but DeAngelo Williams put up 158 yards and Jonathon Stewart posted 87 yards and 2 touchdowns. Also, DE Julius Peppers had his best performance in years. He was applying great pressure to Kurt Warner all day, had an amazing interception he returned for a TD, and sacked Warner causing him to fumble the ball. This game is a turn around point for the Panthers. All of our big name players had great games, Delhomme is starting to get back to normal and actually threw a TD to Steve Smith, and the confidence gained from this redemption win will work wonders. I'm sure Jake Delhomme knows exactly how Kurt Warner feels, but what comes around goes around.
-Gray
-Gray
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Panthers @ Cardinals Preview
In just one hour the Carolina Panthers will visit the Arizona Cardinals. It would be impossible to talk about this game without referring to last year's playoff game between the two teams. It was a painful loss and it seemed to be the start of Jake Delhomme's string of bad performances. In that game he had 5 interceptions and 1 fumble, which made us lose the game. Since Jake is the starting QB in this game, he will have a chance at redemption. Unfortunately, and I hate saying this, Jake and the Panthers will likely not be able to do that. For various reasons we are just not that good of a football team this year and the Cardinals are a good team. It is doubtful that Jake will have an identical performance to last year (Coach John Fox would likely bench him before that happened) the panthers just do not have what it takes to beat the Cardinals at home at this point in the season.
-Gray
-Gray
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Delhomme: "I'm Going Down Swinging"
On Wednesday, Panther's coach John Fox announced that Jake Delhomme would start this Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. This signals Fox either still has faith in his starting Quarterback at doing a good job or he does not have a viable option in back up Matt Moore. Jake will have the chance to avenge his horrible performance he performed in last year's playoffs against the Cardinals that threw the Panthers out of the playoffs. In that game, Jake had 5 interceptions and 1 fumble. A humiliating performance. While he hasn't exactly been performing much better this year, Jake has the will, drive, and heart to not let it happen again. But that doesn't mean it won't happen again. Unfortunately desire alone is not good enough to get the job done in this league, and while I applaud Jake "going down swinging", I would much rather see him get back to his feet.
-Gray
Monday, October 26, 2009
A Nail in the Coffin: Panthers loss Vs. Bills
This game hurt. Of all the games played so far this season, this one has been the most pivotal one. Unfortunately it was pivotal in the wrong direction; the Panthers dodged left and success dodged right. Losing to the Bills 20-9 at home was a tough one to swallow. The game was one that we should have won and if a person were to look at the stats, they would have thought the Panthers had won: We produced 425 yards to their 167, we had 20 first downs compared to their 9, and we held onto the ball nearly 10 minutes longer. All of those stats would suggest domination, but they do not take into account the turnovers: 3 by Jake Delhomme and 1 by Kenny Moore. These turnovers gave the Bills great field possession and resulted in easy points for them that they probably would not of been able to score if they had to of drive the whole field. While I like Jake as a player and the persona and mentality he produces, sometimes you have to cut your losses: It is time to bench Jake for one game and try starting backup quarterback Matt Moore. I am not saying Matt Moore is better than Jake, I just think we need to mix it up a little and see if it works because lets be honest, we can't sink much lower. Then, we had some momentum going, Jake made a nice long pass to Steve Smith and Jonathon Stewart ran it in for a TD. But then Kenny Moore lost a punt just as soon as it was starting to look like we were making a comeback. Also, I was surprised by John Kasay missing two field goals. He is practically guaranteed points if he is kicking, so this was an odd sight to see. So once again it was not all Jake's fault for this loss, but we need to start altering our game plan for a little bit.
Hopefully the Panthers mix things up a little, try starting Moore for just a game, and maybe we will see some type of difference, for better of worse, and lets pray this game was not the final nail in the coffin.
-Gray
Hopefully the Panthers mix things up a little, try starting Moore for just a game, and maybe we will see some type of difference, for better of worse, and lets pray this game was not the final nail in the coffin.
-Gray
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Preview: Buffalo Bills @ Carolina Panthers
The Panthers have a good chance to win another game this week when the Buffalo Bills (2-4) visit us at home. We are favored in this game and while Jake Delhomme and our pass attack still is not functioning well, our running game is improving greatly. This could set up some a very productive offense because the Bills have allowed 961 rushing yards in their last 4 games. Both Jonathon Stewart and DeAngelo Williams will likely have great stats by the end of the game. Now assuming our running game works, then hopefully our receivers, especially Steve Smith, will get a few good looks. Steve Smith, who only had one reception in last week's game, has been frustrated recently with his lack of contribution to the team. He will start to emerge sooner or later since you can not contain that much talent forever. My prediction is the Panthers will win by 10.
-Gray
-Gray
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The Panthers Beat the Bucs 28-21
The Carolina Panthers recorded their second win of the season against our division rival Tampa Bay Bucs. The Panthers scored the most points in a game yet this season with 28, while still allowing the Bucs to score 21, but 14 of these were allowed on special teams and by a pick 6. This pick 6 brings up the performance of Jake Delhomme: for him it was a relatively bearable game. While his numbers were nothing to be impressed by (9 of 17, 65 yards, 1 Td and 2 INT), they got the job done. So while our passing game was not existent, our running game won us this one. DeAngelo Williams ran for 152 yards and 2 TDs and Jonathon Stewart ran for 110 yards and a TD. The offense lived off the running attack this game and the game winning drive that scored a TD with about 30 seconds left was completely based off the run. So it seems that we can manage to win if our running backs are productive and we rely little on the pass, but then again this was against a win less team. To win against respectable teams, our production on the ground will have to continue so that Jake is able to start throwing the ball a little better. But regardless, we came out with a W on Sunday.
-Gray
-Gray
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Preview: Carolina @ Tampa Bay
Coming off our first win of the season, the Panthers have a great opportunity to win again this week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs are having a worse season than we are as they are 0-5 right now. I think we can win this game for multiple reasons. First, Jake Delhomme is no longing playing like a high school quarterback. While he isn't exactly breaking and making records, he is getting the job done sufficiently. Minimally. Another main reason why the Panthers will win tomorrow is that the Bucs are a horrible team right now. Even though we only have one more win than they do, we are still the better team. Also, it was a game against the Bucs last year where DeAngelo Williams and Jonathon Stewart became only the 6th pair of running backs with 100+ rushing yards and 2 TDs in the same game. So hopefully this is the game where our running game finally gets going and becomes the huge threat it was last year.
Gray
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Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Carolina win Vs. Redskins Highlights
Here are the highlights from this past week's win over the Redskins. Jake Delhomme's "redemption" run is at 2:46.
Jake's Redemption Run
It was the play that sealed the first win for the Carolina Panthers. On third and 8, with two minutes left, Jake Delhomme ran a bootleg run to the right and stiff armed a defender to make a first down. It was a surprising play; no one would expect a play where Jake is suppose to run for 8+ yards where success meant a win and failure meant the Redskins would have a chance to score and win. Had Jake not succeeded and the Redskins were able to score a TD and win, the Panthers would be in the biggest hole yet. But he made it. With that one run, at least in my mind, Jake has regained the majority of my confidence in him and I'm sure his teammates feel similar. Hopefully this is the start of a new Panthers team that has regained its confidence and will be able to win.
Gray
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Monday, October 12, 2009
The First Win!
It is nice to finally be able to talk about a win for once. All of preseason and the first three games of this season have been hard to handle. At times we just weren't playing well and other times we were just horrible. While the win over the Redskins 20-17 was not a gorgeous win, it was an exceptional win though. The Panthers were able to overcome a 15 point deficit and hold off the Redskins on some decisive plays in the last few minutes of the game. With great performances by Thomas Davis, Kenneth Moore, and finally Julius Peppers, our team finally had players to laud. This win will give the Panthers much needed energy and restore their lost confidence, so hopefully they can continue this upward swing and have a winning season.
Gray
Gray
Monday, October 5, 2009
My Favorite Player
Since it is a bye week for the Panthers, I'll talk about some of my favorite player for the Panthers.
I love John Kasay. Everyone I know who is a fan of the Panthers is a fan of John Kasay. There are several clear reasons why is a the most beloved member of the team, starting with the fact that he is the only player left on the team from the original Panthers team when they were created back in 1995. Also, he is a very good kicker and has won us many games in the last few seconds. If you took a poll of Panther fans, I think John Kasay would rank as the most liked and the player with the most fans and least amount of criticism. While Julius Peppers and Steve Smith once could of claimed this title, they can't now due to Peppers clearly wanting to leave the Panthers and appearing lazy to most people and Smith can't either after breaking Ken Lucas' nose in preseason last year.
I would enjoy seeing Kasay kick for us until he is in a wheel chair and this might be possible because there are no signs of him slowing down at the ripe age of 39.
Gray
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Rough Loss in Dallas
The Panthers lost 21-7 Monday night against Dallas. I'll be honest, I was pretty optimistic with my prediction of the Panthers winning in my last post. I'm biased towards the Panthers, so if you want a realistic prediction, check out espn or Vegas.
I thought this was a pivotal game for the season: If they won, they could easily get this season back on track; If they lost, they would be in a bad situation that didn't look too good. And they lost. People, if they weren't already, are now yelling for Jake Delhomme to be benched and John Fox to be fired. As for me, I'm still not entirely sure what my view is on these topics. I know something has to be changed or altered for the team to change, but I don't know what to change. The easy answer to this question is get rid of Delhomme and Fox. But how about telling Julius Peppers to get off the couch and play a down. Or tell the O-line to make some holes for the run game. Or tell Steve Smith to live up to his hype. Or tell all the D-backs to make a tackle. The team as a whole is not doing well, its not just Jake, even though there is definitely some blame that deserves to go his way. The Panthers have a bye this coming week, so hopefully they can figure some of these things out during this time. If they don't figure something out, then two weeks from now I'll be saying we are in an even worse position than we are now.
I thought this was a pivotal game for the season: If they won, they could easily get this season back on track; If they lost, they would be in a bad situation that didn't look too good. And they lost. People, if they weren't already, are now yelling for Jake Delhomme to be benched and John Fox to be fired. As for me, I'm still not entirely sure what my view is on these topics. I know something has to be changed or altered for the team to change, but I don't know what to change. The easy answer to this question is get rid of Delhomme and Fox. But how about telling Julius Peppers to get off the couch and play a down. Or tell the O-line to make some holes for the run game. Or tell Steve Smith to live up to his hype. Or tell all the D-backs to make a tackle. The team as a whole is not doing well, its not just Jake, even though there is definitely some blame that deserves to go his way. The Panthers have a bye this coming week, so hopefully they can figure some of these things out during this time. If they don't figure something out, then two weeks from now I'll be saying we are in an even worse position than we are now.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Preview: Panthers @ Cowboys
The Panthers are playing against Dallas Cowboys in this week's Monday Night Football game. We are 0-2 so far this season and we really need a win this week to turn around the season and to restore faith in this team. While this game is at the Cowboys, which clearly works in their favor, I think the Panthers have a few things in their favor to win. First, the Cowboy's RB Marion Barber has a leg injury and it's doubtful he will play. Considering how shallow we are at D-line this year, we can use some help by having other teams' starting RB injured. (On a side note, where has Julius Peppers been this year? How much are we paying him again? I'll be sure to talk about him at another time in depth). Also, I think that our running game is about to take off from the ground. I think this will happen because we clearly have the talent in RBs Williams and Stewart (just look at last year's stats) and those two are too good of players to be a small factor for so long. Once our running game is back up and running (no pun intended), Jake Delhomme will have less pressure on him which will lead to him having better games. So I think we can beat the Cowboys because their running game is questionable at this point in time and because I think our running game is about to improve leading to an all around better team which can win games.
Predicted score: Panthers 24 Cowboys 17
Gray
Predicted score: Panthers 24 Cowboys 17
Gray
Monday, September 21, 2009
Carolina's loss at Atlanta
Panthers 20, Falcons 28
The Carolina panthers are off to a 0-2 start this season after being destroyed by the Eagles at home and loosing to the Falcons in Atlanta. The first game was hard to watch. We were taken apart by the eagles and much of this was due to Jake Delhomme's multiple turnovers (but you can not put all the blame of these turnovers on him, after all there are other players on the team who help prevent those i.e. offensive line, etc.). While it is hard to support Jake after that game and last season's similar performance in the playoffs, I still have hope for him and there was hope showing in the loss to Atlanta. While we did not win, we improved drastically from last week. Jake had a decent game, driving down the field in the fourth quarter and completing a nice TD pass to Dante Rosario, which seemed like the verge of a comeback. Unfortunately, we weren't able to come back and win, but Jake's single turnover of the game came on a fourth down pass where he had no option but to throw it into coverage. After watching the panthers perform much better against the falcons than the eagles, I still believe this can be a successful season. I don't think we are NFC champions are Superbowl contenders this year, but I think we have a shot at making the playoffs and that would be a great season if we accomplished that.
Also, Steve Smith had a very nice game with 131 yards receiving. Williams and Stewart both contributed to an alright rushing game, not their strongest performances but still respectable. As soon as Jake gets back in a rhythm, that will open the door for these two amazing running backs to accomplish what they did last year.
Next game: Monday Night @ the Dallas Cowboys
The Carolina panthers are off to a 0-2 start this season after being destroyed by the Eagles at home and loosing to the Falcons in Atlanta. The first game was hard to watch. We were taken apart by the eagles and much of this was due to Jake Delhomme's multiple turnovers (but you can not put all the blame of these turnovers on him, after all there are other players on the team who help prevent those i.e. offensive line, etc.). While it is hard to support Jake after that game and last season's similar performance in the playoffs, I still have hope for him and there was hope showing in the loss to Atlanta. While we did not win, we improved drastically from last week. Jake had a decent game, driving down the field in the fourth quarter and completing a nice TD pass to Dante Rosario, which seemed like the verge of a comeback. Unfortunately, we weren't able to come back and win, but Jake's single turnover of the game came on a fourth down pass where he had no option but to throw it into coverage. After watching the panthers perform much better against the falcons than the eagles, I still believe this can be a successful season. I don't think we are NFC champions are Superbowl contenders this year, but I think we have a shot at making the playoffs and that would be a great season if we accomplished that.
Also, Steve Smith had a very nice game with 131 yards receiving. Williams and Stewart both contributed to an alright rushing game, not their strongest performances but still respectable. As soon as Jake gets back in a rhythm, that will open the door for these two amazing running backs to accomplish what they did last year.
Next game: Monday Night @ the Dallas Cowboys
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
The First Post
Well it is the start of the 2009 NFL season and I will be blogging about the Carolina Panthers for the season. Just a Little background info about me: I lived in Charlotte and have been a fan of the Panthers my whole life. Even if it turns out to be a bad season for them, I will still be cheering for them. In this blog I will try to cover several aspects of the season including my view of upcoming games, my analysis of past games, my view of individual players in general and their specific performances, and any other aspect of the Panthers this season.
Go Panthers!!
-Gray
Go Panthers!!
-Gray
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