Game Grades – Cardinals at Panthers
January 11, 2009
Sometimes I wish I had a big red marker while handing out these grades. It would definitely get some use today.
Offense:
The offense should have left the field after the first series. Just let the special teams punt the ball on first down the rest of the game. The score really would have been closer in the end. Jake Delhomme finished the game with a passers rating of 39.1, which may be the lowest in history for any home QB in a playoff game. Against a very simple Cardinals defense, Jake was still able to throw the ball directly to defenders. Deangelow Williams ran effectively, but unfortunately the run was abandoned far too early. Don’t expect many changes in the offense this offseason, John Fox is happy with their performance over the entire season as a whole.
Offensive Grade: F-
Defense:
The Panthers have not had a dominating defense in many years, and this year was no exception. While I believe there is talent on the team to be a top 5 defense year in and year out, they lack adequate coaching and a scheme to take advantage of their strengths. For instance, Larry Fitzgerald was able to basically run the field alone all night long. When I saw Jon Beason covering Larry Fitzgerald in open space, I knew the game was over. The Cardinals did a great job in pointing out how unprepared the Panthers were, and they did a better job in taking advantage of it.
Defensive Grade: F-
Special Teams:
Probably the only unit today that deserved to be on the field.
Special Teams Grade: B
Coaching:
The bottom line here is that under this coaching regime, it is clear the Panthers will never have a dominant defense. Most of the blame falls on Mike Trgovac, who is responsible for the weekly prep and planning on how to match up against the opposing offense. To put it plainly, he is not good at his job. To put it more plainly, if he worked in a Charlotte sky rise like many of us, he would have a box waiting for him when he got in on Monday.
However, John Fox is as loyal to his coaches as they come. He will not on his own let Trgovac go. It will be up to Marty Hurney to make a move. If Hurney is unable to do so, it will be up to Mark Richardson to apply the pressure. Carolina has the talent to become a 3 and out defense. They only lack the coaching.
Coaching Grade: F-
