Keep in mind, I see the game through the viewfinder of a TV camera, but some of what I saw...
- The Panthers miss Thomas Davis on defense more than words can describe. All due respect to Landon Johnson (who was hurt Thursday as well), TD is TD, and the way his 2009 season was going, #58 was Pro Bowl bound. Now there is a void in the SLB that was noticeable against the Dolphins. Johnson played well while he was on the field, but the drop off is evident.
- Staying with the defense, the question of how much heart Julius Peppers has should fade away now. The guy is playing with 1 hand, because the other is broken, and heavily wrapped. He is ineffective in that state--but he's out there, and he's trying. The matchup against the monstrous Jake Long simply wasn't a fair fight, with Peppers limited by injury.
- 47 passes. 24 rush attempts. What happened to the balance? The 2/3 to 1/3 run v. pass? How about this....It's 3rd and 1 on a drive that the Panthers had moved it well on the ground. They throw deep to Steve Smith? Now, don't get me wrong, I like Smith coming down with the home run ball more often than not, but on a 3rd and 1, a drive Miami wasn't stopping to that point, dance with the date that brung ya. The Panthers trailed 14-3 at the half, but with the number of throws, you would think it was 100-3.
Not wanting to throw the cold water on anyone hoping the Panthers can sneak into the playoffs, but, the remaining schedule shows mild promise.
At the NY Jets. Home with Tampa Bay. At New England. Home with Minnesota. At the NY Giants. Home with New Orleans.
At 4-6, the Panthers have to go 5-1 (minimum) to reach the post-season. Given the banged up state of the roster, and the road ahead, 5 wins will be hard to come by.
Mike Solarte
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1 comment:
Doesn't anyone want to blame the head coach for the problems with the Panthers? Gerry Richardson needs to drop his "loyalty" to Fox,,and find a coach who can get the job done,,so far,,Fox has not made any changes that have worked, and obviously doesn't know how to get his talented players to do what they need to do to win some games. Lets see now,,we have Shannahan, Grueden(?), Cower again (?),,there are sure a multitude to choose from,,,any one could do better at this point.
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