joe person write-up, btw.Personnel-wise, the Panthers continue to experiment with their offensive line following center Ryan Kalil's season-ending foot surgery. Byron Bell returns to right tackle after playing guard last week, while Jeff Byers gets a shot at guard next to Bell.
This likely coincides with the Panthers' shift from the zone read package to more reliance on a power running game. Rivera has only hinted about his plans for the offense. But based on last week's game against Dallas – when power-running Jonathan Stewart received the bulk of the work and speed back DeAngelo Williams mostly watched – it's clear the Panthers are trying to re-create themselves offensively.
Carolina, the NFL's third-best rushing offense in 2011, has dropped to 13th this season. And the only reason the drop isn't bigger is Cam Newton's scrambling ability.
The Panthers won't dump the zone read completely. It gives defenses something extra to prepare for. But so far in Year 2 under Rivera and offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski, those defenses look plenty well prepared.
http://blogs.charlot...nning-game.html
one of the few times he actually wrote something that was kind of worth reading and that wasn't 3 days behind everyone else.







