Carolina Panthers Week 8 - 11 Minutes of Glory!!

by FatMan

Charlotte, NC (10/30) - "On a sunny, mild October day, the Carolina Panthers took the damp sodded field at Bank of America Stadium with a sole purpose - to defeat the Indianapolis Colts. These larger than life warriors hustled out of the tunnel much to the delight of the half-filled stadium and won the coin toss. What happened next is a thing legends are made of. They took the opening kick and embarked on a majestic march up the gridiron. Running left, then right. Tossing the ball to sure-handed receivers. A man who had seen battles decades ago, pulled from his experiences, looked the mighty Colts in the eye and said, "Stop this 5-yard out if you can". The Super Bowl Champs could not. On the eighteenth play of an eleven minute drive, DeShaun Foster plunged into the Holy Land from three yards out, and the upstart Panthers had slayed their Giant. Brothers in battle, eleven men bravely trotted to the sideline barely realizing the magnitude of their accomplishment"

If this were an NFL Films recap of the 1975 Saints, this is the point where the video ends, with John Facenda's voice booming out some glorious victory statement, even though the team was well under .500 for the year. Heck, the archives probably still have the title of that video as, The Saints Came, Marched, and Conquered. Unfortunately for the Panthers, a NFL game lasts more than 11 minutes these days. And the Panthers only seemed to play 11 minutes worth of football.

Despite getting manhandled by the Colts 31-7 on Sunday, the Panthers are still in sole possession of the NFC South lead. But the trouble signs are hard to ignore. Vinny Testaverde left the game with a foot injury. At no point after Vinny Testaverde got hurt did they have a pass go over 20 yards. This is a team with Steve Smith on it. He finished with 2 catches for 18 yards, both grabs coming on that opening drive. Without Jake Delhomme, Steve Smith, arguably the best WR in the NFC, is woefully forgotten. David Carr appears to be shell-shocked after spending years behind the Texans line, and holds onto the ball far too long. For a young, agile QB, he showed less arm strength and vision than the 44 year old Testaverde.

Unfortunately, the Panthers ills extend to the other side of the ball. A defensive line that features Julius Peppers, Kris Jenkins, and Mike Rucker has anchored a team that had 1 QB pressure on Peyton Manning. Only 1! The team has a total of 4 sacks for the year. There are 34 individual players with as many or more sacks than the entire team. And this is a team with Peppers. The newly crowned captain. It is an embarrassment.

The team is 4-3, but they might be one of the most embattled 4-3 teams of all time. If Vinny Testaverde can't play because of a hurt foot, there is little faith in David Carr. A guy who was signed to provide insurance for an injury to Delhomme can't even beat out an ancient man. and barring a complete turnaround, the David Carr Experiment will be a one-year test. The downfield passing game is non-existent, but it isn't because of shoddy skills. It is from a lack of vision. Carr's longest completion is 38 yards. To put that in perspective, Matt Moore, the 4th QB has one completion all year - it was for 40 yards. Carr holds onto the ball too long, but then commits the error of dumping it to the release valve or the TE, even when WR's have broken free. He is negating the purpose of holding onto the ball. This tentativeness is why he has been replaced by Vinny. In the running game, coach John Fox seemed to lean towards giving DeAngelo Williams more carries, but he only had 5 against the Colts, compared to 19 for Foster.

I think the offense is in trouble, but nobody really has a clue how to fix it. It could get worse - Steve Smith has remained silent so far this year, but he is a time bomb who could verbally explode at any moment. That will only add gasoline to a simmering pile of ashes. Here is the conundrum - the Panthers aren't utilizing the player who can stretch the D - Smith. Instead, they are throwing nearly every pass within 10 yards of the LOS, and while the defense is packed in awaiting these short throws they are using their more plodding RB to carry the ball. Thus, on every play 9 defenders are within a tight area and can easily stop whatever playcall is sent in.

On defense, the problems are just as concerning. The stats on the pass rush given earlier are damning enough, but they have had such a lack of continuity at LB and DB that they are 23rd in the league versus the pass. If you can't get a sustained pass rush going, then you can't expect inexperienced LB's and DB's to maintain coverage long enough to stop people. Opponents are converting 3rd down opportunities at a 45% clip. This leads to drives being extended. about the only thing saving the Panthers right now is that they have a turnover differential of +3. But they need answers on both sides of the ball, and they need them quickly. The Saints are finally waking up, and the Panthers have to play at Tennessee and at Green Bay in the next three weeks. But that is where another odd stat slaps us in the face - the Panthers are undefeated on the road and winless at home.

It's been a hard year to figure out so far, and it most likely will continue. To succeed, they will need to grit out wins with an uncertain QB situation, but if they do, they will certainly earn everything they achieve. It will be a head-scratching finish.