Zod

While we all site and wait for the dreaded bye week to be over, let us take some time to appreciate the lovely Topcats for keeping the Bank of America crowd pumped up and ready to go. These gals work extremely hard perfecting their high kicks and hair swings for all of our benefit. Let us take a moment to thank the Topcats for all that they do! Click here to view the article

Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson, Marshawn Lynch, Arian Foster... all running backs who are being out performed by the Carolina Panthers own Deangelo Williams. Deangelo quietly ranks 4th in the entire NFL, yet you won't hear his name in the media. Deangelo Williams With the promotion of Mike Shula to Offensive Coordinator, the Carolina Panthers doubled down on a running game still being important in a passing league. A risky move, but it appears to have some early returns. The Panthers have the second ranked rushing attack in the entire NFL. An amazing accomplishment given that Jonathan Stewart has been unavailable due to injury. By far Deangelo's most efficient running has been to the left edge with blocks provided by Jordan Gross where Deangelo is averaging a whopping 6.9 yards a carry. Interestingly, his second most efficient running is behind the right guard, who this season has been a mix of players. In a career with highs and lows, health and injuries, Deangelo has kept the right attitude. It remains to be seen if a premier rushing attack can again elevate teams to the NFL playoffs. No one is more hopeful than Ron Rivera and Mike Shula, who have wagered on this notion with their jobs on the line. Click here to view the article

Taking pictures of half naked women is against my values.

Funny you mention that, one of the Panthers representatives contacted me wanting a copy. Could be....

During warmups, Jerry Richardson typically plays host to the visiting executives. He is routinely seen driving them around on his cart as he shows them the stadium. This day was different. Jerry was not playing host. Instead, he got out of his cart and made his presence felt in the end zone during warm up drills. At one point I thought he was in danger of being hit by an offensive linemen, but he didn't budge. As they players walked to mid field, Jerry Richardson stood there stoically. The result was the biggest lopsided victory in Panthers history. The Panthers fired on all cylinders and finally gave fans a glimpse of what is possible with this team. The defense posted a shutout as I began to actually feel a little sorry for young Eli Manning. Eli frequently decided to hit the dirt before contact was made, a wise decision on his part. This was the defense that we all dreamed of this offseason. An unrelenting group of men determined to devastate their opponent. In fact, some of their hits knocked the Giants offensive players cleanly off their feet. The biggest question mark going in to the game was the Panthers secondary. Thomas Davis challenged them to make a play. The front seven was doing their part, it was time for the secondary to step up and contribute. Melvin White, a rookie out of Lafayette, did so in convincing fashion. His interception of Eli Manning some would say put the nail in their coffin. On offense we saw the Cam Newton of old. A Cam Newton not afraid to run the ball. A Cam Newton without the leash that Mike Shula had placed on him for two games. It seems the Panthers remembered they have one of the most exciting quarterbacks in the league, and called plays accordingly. Cam did have an interception (pictured below). Credit the Giants defense for getting in his face and forcing Cam to throw off his back foot. That would be the last time the Giants defense did something worth mentioning. The Panthers rushing attack also found its mojo once again. Deangelo Wiliams rushed for 120 yards. Mike Tolbert was not as effective in terms of yards, but very effective in spelling Deangelo and making sure the Giants defensive interior stayed winded. One thing I pointed out in the pregame was that Cam would need to spread the ball around if the Panthers were to win this game. While it is strange not seeing Steve Smith on the top of the receiving stats, it is for the best. Brandon Lafell finally got a pair of Cam Newton touchdowns, and was congratulated by #1 in epic fashion... Tedd Ginn Also snared a touchdown... and promptly rewarded a lucky fan. But to me, the play of the game was the Cam Newton QB sneak for the touchdown. For weeks we have been calling for the Panthers to use Cam on short down yardage. You have a huge and hugely talented quarterback, why would you not run him for a short quick gain? Apparently Mike Shula heard our cries and turned him loose. The result was sustained drives and 7 points. Once Cam scored that touchdown, I could literally feel a huge weight being lifted off of his shoulders for him. He gave a yell that was more serious than campy. more genuine than contrived. It was pure unadulterated joy, and it was fantastic. After the game Cam was called over by Eli Manning and exchanged a few pleasantries with him. Cam was all class and wished him the best of luck the rest of the season. The End. Click here to view the article

Joe Person ‏@josephperson 9m Could an 0-3 start headed into the bye week mean the end for Ron Rivera in Charlotte? #Panthers Looks like I was only about 3 days ahead of Joe.

You know better than every top notch steak restaurant in the world?

Doesn't matter. You don't cook steak on the grill. At most, give it a nice searing on the grill and then stick it in the oven.

Ole hair of the dog huh?

Today, the Panthers get back on track with a glorious win against the Giants! Where: Bank of America Stadium When: 1:00 Weather: 75 and partly cloudy TV: Fox Radio: 1110 WBT Follow @carolinahuddleon twitter for tweets from the sidelines Keys to Panthers Victory - Intercept Eli Manning at least twice - Apply pressure with front four while in max coverage - Cam must spread the ball around and not lock in on receivers - Help Byron Bell with Justin Tuck Click here to view the article

So you are saying we are going to propel them to another SB win? Off to call my bookie....

The point is if we do go 0-3, there isn't much worth discussing. Just another lame duck season and try to enjoy meaningless wins as they come.

The 1998 Buffalo Bill led by Doug Flutie... here is what their schedule looked like... They had a week 4 bye week. They also lost all 3 first games by under 7 points. Look at the results after the bye week. A five game win streak and did not lose two in a row from there on out. THATS what it takes to make the playoffs after starting 0-3. What has RIvera's longest win streak been? 2 games? It looks MUCH harder on paper once you realize what 0-3 does to you. Its a good thing the Panthers will be 1-2 this week... no? Click here to view the article

Here are some of the more interesting tidbits about the NY Giants this week... Giants will try to run the ball against Carolina Former first round draft pick has struggled this season as a feature back. His two fumbles in Dallas and his 36 total yards this season are tell tale stats. Ron Rivera remarked that he believes the Giants will try to run the ball against Carolina, and he may be right, at least initially. Look for the Giants to try to establish a ground game in the first quarter and test the Carolina Panthers defense. The Giants are very healthy Carolina has had to bring in new starters to the roster on defense due to injuries, while the Giants look like the healthiest team in football. Not exactly a great sign for Sunday's game. Tom Coughlin not taking Carolina lightly, but it seems the NY Press is... Coughlin lost his younger brother in a freak accident yesterday, but appears to be focused on the game more than ever. This emotional loss could translate into his players showing their support by giving it everything they have got on the field Sunday. The Panthers had better be prepared for nothing less than the Giants have to offer.... Click here to view the article

9 target zones left, center, right 3 long 3 middle 3 short the zone in the middle and center, out of 9 zones, accounts for 1/3 of his passing yards.

Yes, its why I love it.

The Carolina Panthers defense faces a tough task on Sunday against Eli Manning and the Giants. Here are a few things the Panthers can do to hold them at bay. Cover the Middle - The NY Giants bread and butter in the passing game is the center of the field and ten to twenty yards deep. Eli Manning's passing rating here is 137 and accounts for over a third of their total passing yards. With the Carolina Panthers secondary depleted, this will be a tough task. Luke Kuechly will have his hands full dropping back in coverage,Monstarz Inc must get pressure. The Panthers front four has been talking a lot, but aside from Star Lotulelei, have produced little. This week the Panthers need them to apply pressure to the quarterback in their base package. Eli Manning is great at a blitz pickup and is quick to find the open hot route. In fact, Eli's QB rating actually goes up when facing a blitz.What about the run? The Giants have only attempted 33 rushing plays in two games where they have averaged 2.2 yards per carry. This is an abysmal stat for them. The Panthers must minimize the Giants passing attack and force them to run. The front seven of Carolina should have little problem containing the Giants rushing attack.Be Patient - Eli Manning already has 7 interceptions this season. Even with a makeshift secondary, there will be opportunities for turnovers. The Panthers must intercept Manning in this game and give the Panthers offense plenty of opportunities to score. Click here to view the article

taking it rectally now.

A fat man in a corn dog costume. They'll never see it coming.

The options behind him are not an improvement.

50/50 I'd say. If he does, I doubt he will see many snaps. Maybe a kick return.

Its the offense's turn to step up and control a a game.

With how our secondary is shaping up, I think I will be satisfied with 3-4 Eli incompletions

If the Panthers have a chance to win on Sunday against the New York Giants, it is going to be on the shoulder pads of the Panthers offense. That's right gentlemen, you're up. For two weeks the Panthers have been kept in the game due to the play of the Panthers defense. Against Seattle, they allowed only 12 points. In Buffalo, they provided two key turnovers that resulted in 6 gift wrapped points (should have been 14 points given the excellent field position). This week, it is time for the Panthers offense to take control and win a game. With key injuries in the Panthers defensive secondary, it is a forgone conclusion that Eli Manning and the New York Giants will score points. Lots of points. The good news, however, is that the Giants have also given up at least 36 points in both of their games this season. They are dead last in the league in points allowed at 38.5 a game. The Panthers offense is healthy. They are now in the third year of the same system (OC Mike Shula was hired solely on the continuity of that system). There are no excuses. The Panthers should score 30+. The road to victory will hinge on the following: 1. Right Tackle Byron Bell needs help. Bell had arguably his worst game as a pro against Buffalo. He will need help when facings Giants DE Justin Tuck this weekend. The Panthers can help Bell by chipping Tuck with Greg Olsen or Mike Tolbert. They may also want to consider moving Cam out of the pocket to buy time on passing downs. It is completely obvious that Bell is going to need help, failing to provide him with any this Sunday will be unacceptable. 2. Cam Newton must improve is accuracy while under pressure. This is where good quarterbacks become great quarterbacks. Last week Cam Newton's completion percentage dropped to 36.4 when under pressure. Russell Wilson has a 50% completion rating when under pressure. Eli Manning also completes 50% of his passes while under pressure. If Cam Newton wants to be considered a great QB, he must do so when under pressure. 3. Cam must run. Because of the NFL's new rule that allows harder hitting of a QB while running, Carolina has grounded Cam Newton's rushing attack. While it is a good idea to keep Cam healthy, I feel they have taken it to far. This season Cam has had ample room to run for 5-10 yards and safely and slide, but has chosen not to. Newton has a knack for getting down before a hit and avoiding injury, unlike RGIII. Let Cam run the ball, this will go a long way into pulling linebackers in and opening up passing lanes. 4. Speed it up Shula. This is the second week in a row I have called for the Panthers to speed up the offense. Efficiency is at its highest when Cam can call his own plays at the line and move the chains. This Sunday, the Panthers must go into a hurry up mode and keep the Giants defense winded. New York will most likely score quickly. The Panthers need to match them score for score. Click here to view the article

rushing for 85 yards against a poor run defense is not a strong game. How many times did Deangelo run right into a defender and fall down?