Jeremy Igo

The Carolina Panthers preseason week 1 PFF grades are out. ProFootballFocus.com offers performance ratings on individual players throughout the year. Some value their grades more than others. For what it is worth, here is how they saw the Panthers player performances... Here is a look at the top 10 on offense Offensive summary Play CountsRatings Pos.#NameTotalRunPassRun BlockPass BlockOverallPassRushPass BlockScreen BlockRun BlockPenalty# of PenQB SkQB HtQB Hu RT60 Daryl Williams310012192.4 1.20.01.10.10-0 RG77O Martin Wallace270010171.4 0.70.00.60.10-0 LWR13 Kelvin Benjamin *16011501.12.10.00.00.00.0-1.01-0 QB1 Cam Newton *16011501.11.10.00.00.00.00.00-0 C64 Brian Folkerts20007131.0 -0.20.01.20.00-0 1 RWR19 Ted Ginn705200.80.80.00.00.00.00.00-0 RG79 Chris Scott280012160.8 -0.90.01.60.10-0 1 RT75 Tony Hills19005140.6 0.90.0-0.40.10-0 RT74 Mike Remmers *19005140.6 0.40.00.10.11-1 1 RWR17 Devin Funchess18013500.50.50.00.00.00.00.00-0 And here is the top 10 on defense Defensive summary Play CountsRatings Pos.#NameTotalRunRushCov.OverallRun DefensePass RushPass Cov.Penalty# of PenQB SkQB HtQB HuBPTksAssMTStops SS29 Dean Marlowe30161131.30.7-0.10.70.00-0 2 1 SS41 Roman Harper *20100100.80.10.00.70.00-0 1 1 DLT62 Terry Redden31151600.80.50.20.00.10-0 2 2 1 RCB31 Charles Tillman *20100100.80.60.00.20.00-0 3 1 MLB53 Ben Jacobs1513110.60.20.40.00.00-0 1 3 1 DRE77 Rakim Cox24111030.6-0.20.70.00.10-0111 1 2 FS38 Robert Lester34180160.50.20.00.30.00-0 2 1 SLB93 Jason Trusnik3116780.40.3-0.10.20.00-0 1 11 1 FS36 Marcus Ball21100110.30.10.00.20.00-0 FS33 Tre Boston25131110.20.1-0.10.20.00-0 It looks like PFF has two rookies, Williams and Marlowe, leading the pack. Not a bad start for the class of 2015. View full article

All things being equal, Rivera will go with Bersin because he is a known commodity. He likes guys he "has gone to battle with"

The Bills had a good number of second stringers in on that third drive, mainly in the secondary.

I'd love that, but hesitant to say it due to the level of predictability of the offense

Sure it is premature, just being optimistic. CAP has the style that is super productive in the NFL, especially behind guys like Norwell and Turner. Be patient, take what they give you, and make a quick burst at just the right time. This is so much better than dancing around and waiting for a bigger hole to pop open(and never does).

Friday I wrote about the 5 things I would be watching during the Panthers - Bills matchup. Here is the outcome, as I see it. 1. Michael Oher Oher did very well for his first outing as a left tackle in quite some time. Paired up against one of the best defensive lines in the league, Oher gave up no pressures or sacks. I am not sure you could ask for more. This is a very promising sign for the Panthers faithful. If Oher can maintain this level of play throughout the season it will be the most significant upgrade over 2014 on the field. 2. Special Teams In their first dress rehearsal, the Panthers special teams unit looked as if they were still in training camp mode. Punt return coverage was the most concerning, as it didn't look improved over last season despite adding specialists in that area. It isn't time to worry yet, however. The special teams unit just got their first taste of live action under new special teams coach Bruce Dehaven. Things should improve from here. A bright spot was Damiere Byrd on punt returns. Getting a few yards out of nothing is just as impressive to me as a nice return with plenty of room to run. 3. That 6th Receiver Bersin and Boykin did the most out of the 6th receiver group to raise their stock. Boykin's leaping sideline grab and Bersin's back of the end zone touchdown place both of them ahead of the pack. Byrd also looked pretty good, but has not yet proven he is more than a practice squad project. He will need to remove any doubt in the upcoming preseason games. Mike Brown's drop at the first yard marker hurt his stock a bit. He won't have many of those opportunities before cuts are made. He needs to make those plays. 4. Rookie Backs All three rookie backs wake up this morning with their stock on the rise. Cameron Artis-Payne will be getting more than a few reps this season, that much is clear. He may not have the break away speed of Todman, but his shiftiness around the line of scrimmage and vision will make him a solid 3.5-4 YPC runner. Brandon Wegher provided the best highlight of the game with his blazing speed taking him to the end zone. Joe Person and I talked earlier in the week about Wegher. Joe was just as excited to see him in action this weekend. He also saw the potential I thought could be there. The media will take notice of Wegher now, it will be interesting to see how he responds this week and against the Dolphins. Lee Ward looked solid, administering textbook blocks for Cameron Artis-Payne and Brandon Wegher, and also protecting the quarterback. I did not see a single miscue in Lee's game last night. It was Ward's blocking that allowed Artis-Paybe to gain a nice few yards up the middle in the third quarter. Without Lee, that could have been a tackle for loss. View image | gettyimages.com5. Offensive Intangibles I think Panthers fans saw what I was talking about last night in terms of those intangibles holding the offense back. The offense, when paired against the Bills' first string defense, was anemic. A bit of rust is to be expected this time of year, but this was more than a bit of rust. It took the Panthers 3 series to get in the 10 offensive plays the first string was scheduled for. Yikes. The Panthers offense was plagued by delay of game warnings all night long, for which there really is no excuse. If there was a rookie QB under center I could probably understand. But given all three Panthers QB's are established veterans, the delays of game are more of a symptom of a squad not yet ready for the regular season. The good news? It is preseason week one. Plenty of time is left for them to get on the same page. View full article

execution?

Delay of games you say? weird!

starting to see why i have fozzy as expendable?

and Williams

Lee Ward with a crushing block and nice pass block so far.

Funch looking more comfortable. Looked like he was in training camp mode there for a while still.

Now everyone sees why I have not mentioned Funchess much in camp.

You guys do realize the Panthers thrid string front seven is playing right?

I don't think without Star and KK and Chuck it is a top 3 defense. That is what the offense has faced lately, and still looked rusty.

Nope, sitting this one out. Making sure the budget is there to travel to all the regular season games. If it were the third preseason game I probably would have gone. But the first? eh....

Here she is, ladies and gents. Who: Panthers at Bills Where: Somewhere, NY What: First preseason game of 2015 When: Sometime tonight TV: WCCB in Charlotte Radio: 1110 WBT Time: 7:00 This thread is for discussion before and during the game. DO NOT START IDIOTIC REACTIONARY TOPICS IN THE MAIN FORUM. YOU WILL BE BANNED.

If it were only that black and white. Execution falls under preparedness. Preparedness is a joint effort between coaches and players. If you don't think an amazing coach can increase the quality of execution of his players, you haven't watched much football.

I am at camp every day and talk to all the media that matters every day. His name has never come up.

My general rule of thumb is a player needs to at least take one second string snap in camp before I consider them for the regular roster. Not saying there is no chance he makes it, but he is going to need many more opportunities. And those are hard to come by so far down the depth chart.

You signed up, posted 4 times, and all about Paul Browning. What I am trying to say is.....

It is tricky. I assume zero game planning went on with the Saints. Especially on teams lacking in physical talent such as the Saints defense, game planning is everything. Superior coaching can make up for so many flaws. (not saying the Saints have superior defensive coaching, obviously they do not, just an example)

Here are my top 5 things I will be watching closely during the Panthers vs Bills preseason game. 1. Michael Oher Oher had a shaky start to training camp but has improved since. Tonight will be the best indicator on the progress he has made in the transition back to left tackle. Buffalo presents a real challenge as the team with the most sacks of 2014. If Michael Oher can perform adequately this evening, you will hear a collective exhale as Panthers fans across the nation relax a bit. 2. Special Teams Special teams is one aspect of a team that really cannot be assessed during training camp. There has not been a single live drill with actual contact from which to draw conclusions. Returns, kickoffs, field goals, punts... all simulated. Up until now, no one has had a single clue on how the Panthers special teams units will perform this season. Tomorrow at this time, we all will have a much better perspective. 3. That 6th Receiver One, maybe two, wide receiver positions are still up for grabs. Brenton Bersin, Mike Brown, Jarrett Boykin and rookie Damiere Byrd are all in the mix. This evening provides an opportunity for one of these receivers to pull away from the rest. Ron Rivera stated this week that he will also be watching this carefully this evening. Who will step up and seize the moment? 4. Rookie Backs On offense the Panthers have three intriguing prospects lining up behind the quarterback. Cameron Artis-Payne, Brandon Wegher, and fullback Lee Ward should all see plenty of action this evening. Wegher has had limited reps in practice just due to the numbers, but has shown promise. He is a tough kid that may excel once contact is allowed. Lee Ward is on the bubble and could possibly grab a roster spot if he can prove to the Panthers he improves the run game, pass protection, and special teams. It won't be enough for him to simply do well. He needs to make the Panthers coaching staff believe they are not nearly as good without him. 5. Offensive Intangibles This year in training camp the Panthers offense has been less than sharp. Play confusion, miscues, overthrows, wrong routes, slow play development all have been on show. Can the Panthers pull it together and execute in and out of the huddle? Can they minimize mental mistakes and show they are ready for the regular season? Lets hope so. View full article

The NFL preseason has officially arrived. Here are a few rules for watching a NFL preseason game that will help keep your blood pressure in check. RULE 1 - Scores don't matter What's this? A football game where scores don't matter? Well, yes. A preseason game is a game in name only. A more accurate description would be a preseason "scrimmage in which individual performances are assessed". If a team scores zero points but comes away with loads of great information about their players... it is a win for that franchise. RULE 2 - Overreactions in either direction are silly Every year, including this year, fans will draw sweeping conclusions and generalizations about their teams. "They didn't run it on 3rd and 1! What were they thinking!". Well, they were thinking they would like to have one particular play with specific personnel on film. That's it, that's all. If the play actually works, great, that's icing. RULE 3 - Individual performances are fair game One thing that can be observed during preseason is the individual performance. One on one match ups do matter and absolutely can be an indicator of a player's progress. Dropped passes, missed tackles, overthrown receivers, etc. All of these things are fair game. View full article

Many of you are forgetting that Tolbert is essentially another RB. Thats 4 total, which is plenty.