Carolina Panthers musings

BY Cory Spiers coryspiers@gmail.com The Internet is great because it allows us to hear all kinds of opinions from all over the place. Wait, is that great? When it comes to the NFL, there are a number of outlets for fans to express their opinions, frustrations and questions regarding their favorite team and their upcoming opponents. It's a battle of 2-1 teams this weekend when Carolina travels to Foxborough to face the Patriots.  Let's check out what some of the Patriots fans are saying online in advance of Sunday's game and whip up quick responses to the good, bad, funny and ugly. Pats Pulpit (SB Nation): "if this Pats defense doesn't give up 400 yards and 5 TD's, I'm going to be very disappointed. Very, very disappointed." I hate to see anyone disappointed, but I wouldn't hold my breath on this. The Patriots enter the game as the NFL's worst defense with 461 yards allowed per game through three games. They have surrendered a

BY Cory Spiers coryspiers@gmail.com When the Panthers released wide receiver Steve Smith prior to the start of the 2014 season, it was easy to get the feeling he would be counting down the days until he got a shot at revenge against the only NFL team he ever knew. Smith was drafted by the Panthers in the third round of the 2001 Draft and spent the next 13 seasons in Charlotte. Smith stands as one of the best athletes and competitors the Panthers have employed. The 5-9 Los Angeles native had plenty of heart to make up for what he lacked in size. After a quiet rookie season that saw him suit up in 15 games and record 10 catches for 154 yards, Smith started to make his name known to Panthers fans in 2002 with 54 catches for 872 yards and three touchdowns. Smith recorded his first 1,000-yard receiving season in his third campaign in 2003. He racked up 1,000 or more receiving yards in six more seasons as a Panther. Smith was at the height of his powers in 2005-- a season that s

BY Cory Spiers coryspiers@gmail.com There was no storybook ending the last time the Panthers and Patriots clashed in the regular season, but there was plenty of drama. The last meeting with New England in 2013 was a big one for the Panthers, who entered the mid-November game with a 6-3 record. That season, the Panthers tripped out of the gate to a 1-2 start before an early bye week in Week 4. The team lost its first game after the bye to Arizona but then won five straight before its Monday Night Football date with New England in Charlotte. The Patriots were 7-2 and were fresh off their bye week. In front of a prime time audience on ESPN, it was the streaking Panthers who surged ahead early. Cam Newton hit receiver Brandon LaFell for a 9-yard score in the opening quarter and a 43-yard field goal from Graham Gano in the second quarter pushed Carolina's lead to 10-0. The Patriots added a field goal to cut into the Panthers lead, trimming it to 10-3 at halftime. The sl

BY Cory Spiers coryspiers@gmail.com Pro Football Focus (a great site for all the things NFL statistical nerds love) has released their Week 3 grades for the Panthers and Saints. There are some really nice things to dive into on this list, so I'll help you digest some of the highlights and what they mean for the 2-1 Panthers. The Week 3 grades are worth noting, but so are the early 2017 player rankings. While numbers and statistics aren't everything (after all, former head coach John Fox would sometimes say stats were for losers), you'll love this stuff, so let's go with no further ado. Top five grades: If I told you three of Carolina's top five graded players from Sunday's loss were offensive linemen, would you believe me? Well, that's the reality. Cam Newton was sacked four times but guards Trai Turner and Andrew Norwell as well as center Tyler Larsen all clock in with 80 ratings or better from PFF. Norwell was Carolina's top-rated player

BY Cory Spiers coryspiers@gmail.com The Panthers were embarrassed by the visiting Saints in Week 3. Behind a putrid offense and an uncharacteristically leaky defense, Carolina fell to 2-1 after a 34-13 loss to its NFC South rival. Position report cards are a fun way to analyze where things went wrong. Who is going to be seeking some extra enrichment before Carolina's Week 4 game against the Patriots? More than a couple positions. Quarterback: F: Panthers fans will surely remember when former quarterback Jake Delhomme would have a bad game and folks would remind each other that it was a case of "bad Jake" showing himself. Sunday's game was a shining example of "bad Cam". Cam Newton was awful. Horrendous. Atrocious. Putrid. And the stat sheet doesn't tell the whole story. The box score shows a line of 17-of-26 for 167 yards. Consider though, most of those completions were easy check downs to running backs Christian McCaffrey and Jonathon S

BY Cory Spiers coryspiers@gmail.com Carolina's Week 3 home game against the Saints is obviously a NFC South game, which means you can effectively throw the records out of the window for both teams. The Panthers enter the game with a 2-0 record but questions abound regarding their offense, which managed just nine points (tying the record for fewest points scored in a win in franchise history) against a stingy Buffalo defense in Week 2. The last time the Panthers won scoring nine points was in 1997. There's a reason it's been a long time-- it simply doesn't happen often. Things don't get any easier offensively for Carolina, either. The team lost Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen to a broken foot in the first half last week while already playing without veteran starting center Ryan Kalil. Kalil, who woke up with neck soreness prior to the game against Buffalo and missed the game, is out again this Sunday. Backup Tyler Larsen was serviceable in Kalil's plac

BY Cory Spiers coryspiers@gmail.com Panthers running back Jonathon Stewart needs 103 more yards to pass DeAngelo Williams as the team's all-time leading rusher. Stewart should reach that number in the next game or two. That accomplishment will be further proof that despite his history of injuries, Stewart is one of the best backs the Panthers have employed. Stephen Davis and Fred Lane were both fantastic backs, but Davis was only with the team for three seasons before spending one final season with the Rams before retiring. The promising Lane also put three seasons in the books before his untimely death. DeShaun Foster, Tshimanga Biakabutuka and Williams were also fine backs but when reflecting on Stewart's 10 NFL seasons (all in Carolina) it's easy to find a handful of iconic, memorable moments to look back on as the former Oregon Duck prepares to soon cement his place in Panthers history. The 5-10, 240-pound Stewart was Carolina's first round draft pick (13

BY Cory Spiers coryspiers@gmail.com The last time the Saints came to Charlotte in Week 3 of the regular season, it was part of the beginning of a long streak of smiles and success in Carolina. And now, the circumstances feel eerily similar. New Orleans came to Carolina in Week 3 of the 2015 season. The Panthers would eventually finish the regular season a franchise-best 15-1 and go to the Super Bowl. But when the Saints met the Panthers in the third game of the season, the Super Bowl was a long way off and few thought Carolina would win close to 15 games. Just like this season, the 2015 Saints entered their first game against Carolina 0-2. The Panthers, after wins over Jacksonville and Houston, were 2-0. Much like Week 1 this season, Carolina's defense was stout in its Week 1 win, limiting the host Jaguars to just nine points in a 20-9 win. In a Week 2 win over the Texans, it was the Cam Newton show. Big No. 1 threw for two touchdowns and somersaulted over the offens

BY Cory Spiers coryspiers@gmail.com Like it or not, the Panthers will have to find a way to live without the services of veteran tight end Greg Olsen for six to eight weeks after he broke a bone in his right foot in the team's Week 2 win over Buffalo. It's certainly bad news, but definitely not as doom-and-gloom as some on social media would have you believe. Olsen is a very important part of what the Panthers do offensively. His crisp, clean route running makes him a favorite target, especially on third down, for quarterback Cam Newton. After amassing 1,073 receiving yards last season, Olsen became the first tight end in league history to post three consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons. So, yes. Olsen is important to this team, but they'll get by. The silver lining? He should return for the stretch run that features five games (three at home) against NFC opponents to end the season. Newton really seems to play better when he's without a key weapon. Rem

I wrote about five things that needed to happen for the Panthers to improve to 2-0 yesterday just a couple hours before the game. I predicted that if we woke up this morning and the Panthers had won, these five things probably happened. How did those five things go? Well, let's just say in a very unconventional and dirty slug fest, I certainly wasn't perfect. As always, and like I did with my final 53 roster projection which you can also read for fun on this blog, I'll review myself and see where things went wrong and what the Panthers did instead to edge the Bills 9-3 in Charlotte. 1. LeSean McCoy was bottled up  Starting off strong. Actually, yes. Bills running back LeSean McCoy was in fact very bottled up. After racking up 110 rushing yards against the Jets, McCoy managed just nine yards on 12 carries against the stout Panthers defense. I predicted it would be a tough day for McCoy against the Panthers but I had no idea it'd be that tough. Since 2013,

BY Cory Spiers coryspiers@gmail.com If we wake up tomorrow morning and the Panthers are 2-0, here are some things that probably happened. Carolina plays its home opener today against former defensive coordinator turned head coach Sean McDermott and his Buffalo Bills. In addition to McDermott, it's a homecoming for former Panthers quarterback Joe Webb and fullback Mike Tolbert, but plenty has been written about that over the past week. Let's cut to the chase-- if Carolina is to win today, I predict the following happens. Conversely, if they don't win, these probably didn't happen. 1. LeSean McCoy was bottled up LeSean McCoy is a very capable running back and he ran well in Buffalo's Week 1 victory over the Jets. McCoy ran 22 times for 110 and caught five passes for 49 yards. Things will not be as easy against a fierce Carolina front-seven. Early in last week's road opener against the 49ers, it looked as if San Francisco running back Carlos Hyde

BY Cory Spiers coryspiers@gmail.com At long last, it's finally here. The NFL is back and its a clean slate for all 32 teams. I'm prepared to start putting the disastrous 2016-17 season in Carolina behind me, and I think the team is, too. The Panthers are at San Francisco-- the site of their dreadful Super Bowl 50-- and will look to jump out to 1-0 start against former Falcons assistant and now Niners head coach, Kyle Shanahan. We saw first-hand this time last year what a Week 1 loss can do to the momentum of your season. If Carolina is to skate out of California with a win, here is what I'm hoping to see to make it a little easier. It's an NFL road game, against a veteran quarterback  I've seen a lot of folks around the Internet penciling this in as an automatic win for the Panthers and I wouldn't be so quick to assume that. First of all, it's an NFL road game. And trust me, those are never easy to win. Going into hostile territory and wi

BY Cory Spiers coryspiers@gmail.com The Panthers 2017 53-man roster is set. In a three-post saga last week, I took an educated guess as to how this roster would shake out, even before the preseason finale against Pittsburgh this past Thursday. How did it go for me? Not terribly. But not great, either. A few things happened I definitely didn't see coming and injuries to the offensive line and secondary that happened after I posted moved through my projections like a hurricane. I'll wear my heart on my sleeve, though and break down where I went wrong and why that was. No shame here. My original predictions are in italics  below the Panthers actual final selections (in bold) Offense QB: Cam Newton, Derek Anderson, Brad Kaaya Cam Newton, Derek Anderson, Joe Webb  My guess that Carolina would lean toward veteran Derek Anderson as its backup despite his disastrous preseason was right. The 34-year-old Anderson will once again be behind Cam Newton this season. As I