Questions Answered…or not
by John Watson
Friday’s game against the New England Patriots was a test, an important test that would show many fans what the Carolina Panthers were capable of in the up coming regular season.
Hopefully, it wasn’t.
The game started off pretty slowly for an offense that many of us hoped would dazzle us from its inception, but that wasn’t the case either. John Fox’s philosophy is a simple one, “establish the run on offense and stop the run on defense.” Unfortunately Coach Fox saw his philosophy tossed right out the window as the Panther running backs couldn’t move the ball; where as the Patriots runners seemed to move the chains with relative ease.
As a firm believer that the games are won and lost in the “trenches” we have to start up front with the big uglies (offensive linemen). With Jeremy Bridges’ impending suspension for the first two games of the regular season comes a wrench in the works. The short term problem is finding a suitable replacement for the Right Guard position. Rookie Ryan Kalil looked posed to take the job at the start of the Philadelphia game, however second year man Jeff Hangartner got the nod against New England, so the position is still in flux. Who starts against the Steelers on Thursday may be the indicator as to who is ahead in the temporary starting position battle.
Installing a new offense is always a tall order, undergoing a blocking scheme change further complicates the process. While we hoped to be impressed with the new ideas brought with Jeff Davidson’s offense I think a fair amount of patience is required. At this point the Panthers, specifically the offense, are still installing plays and concepts. Matching personnel packages with plays, plays with individual talents and the entire offense with a new, tougher system isn’t something that isn’t going to happen over night. You should also keep in mind that while we have the weapons to have an offense that could rival that of the Saints, Colts or Bengals, that’s just not the game that John Fox plays, at least not in the past.
For Fox it’s all about ball control and time of possession. That philosophy backfired a couple of times last year, so it’ll be interesting to see if Davidson is as comfortable with a seven point lead as Fox has always seemed to be. Secondly, this is still just the preseason; they’re not going to show their hand. While it’s standard practice for offenses to display a boring and “vanilla” offense, I feel compelled to remind my fellow Panther fans that we still have the element of surprise in our corner. We, as fans, don’t know what to expect, but neither do opposing defensive coordinators.
The Steelers will be another good test for the Panthers and their starters, whoever they may be, because they are a blitz happy group who rely heavily on pressuring the quarterback. Pittsburgh’s new head coach Mike Tomlin made a name for himself last year in Minnesota as the defensive coordinator by putting together a very stingy run defense. Look for Tomlin and long time defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau to come together to re-establish a very nasty defense in the Steel City. Pittsburgh very well may be the definition of a “smash mouth” team.
Look for Thursday’s starting right guard to take extra reps in order to prepare for the start of the regular season. Fortunately for the Panthers, offensive line depth isn’t a problem…experienced depth may still prove to be.
Another area of concern, as mentioned above, is the Panther’s run defense. While Julius Peppers and Dan Morgan saw few snaps against the Patriots, the rest of the starting defense was pretty ineffective in stopping Lawrence Maroney on the ground, he grabbed 58 yards in 15 attempts for an average of 3.8. Even more disappointing is the efficiency with which his back ups ran. It seems as though our interior defense, especially on the D-line, was porous at best, surrendering 148 yards on the ground for the game.
Many consider 2006 free agent pick up Ma’ake Kemoeatu a disappointment because of his lack of stats, but if you look at his make up and history, he’s a role player. His role is that of a space eating run stuffer, but in the last two games he looked worse than last season, a season he, himself, acknowledged as being less than his best. With Kris Jenkins returning from his Pro-Bowl comeback tour after missing two seasons, one would assume that the D-line is, perhaps, as good as it’s ever been, but so far that simply hasn’t been the case.
Right Defensive End will be a position to watch as sophomore and high motor man Stanley McClover challenges the aging and previously injured Mike Rucker. The Panthers have built the defense around their front four, but the linebackers look poised for a productive year. While one can only hope that veteran middle linebacker Dan Morgan will stay healthy it’s something you shouldn’t count on.
First round pick and fellow Miami Hurricane Jon Beason has shown a knack for the ball and racking up tackles, but he learned against Heath Evans that you won’t be taking down any NFL full backs with just a shoulder. There will be some bumps and bruises along the way, but Beason, paired with a very fast and athletic Thomas Davis, should be able to answer the call in the event that Dan Morgan is lost to an injury for any length of time
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For now the question is whether or not letting veteran, versatile linebacker Chris Draft walk to the Rams was a mistake.
Yes ladies and gentlemen, this game of football is won and lost at the line of scrimmage, or the trenches, and so far I’m not overly impressed with what I see, but it’s only the preseason. Hopefully the coaching staff will rise to the occasion and begin the 2007 season on a winning note that will carry throughout the January.
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