Bama Panther

Last night was the classic example of a visiting team just holding on through the wave of emotion a home team has at the start of a big time game. Bama’s first two kickoff returns really set them back as far as playcalling and allowed OU to dictate field position. The emotion of the home crowd fed into what OU was doing at that point, and it felt like Bama would not be able to overcome that. Once the kickoff returner was told to fair catch every kick, the game shifted, as Bama wasn’t starting each drive inside their own 15. It was then that Bama was able to make some plays, outscoring OU 34-7 the rest of the way. I think the last 3/4 of the game proves Bama was the better team. OU was just able to ride the initial wave of emotion to a big lead, but Bama held on just enough. However, had OU blocked the punt on Bama’s second drive and scored a TD (vice a FG on the ensuing drive), things likely would have been different. Anyway, Roll Tide!

Rule 8, Section 3, Articles 1-4 leave a lot of room for discretion and subjectivity. For instance, the player has to maintain control through the ground but the rule also says this is Note 1: Movement of the ball does not automatically result in loss of control. Doesn't make a lot of sense.

Also, watch though the whole process and you will see T-Mac’s middle finger stay firmly planted on the NFL shield on the ball (and his fingers stay planted where they are). If he lost control, the fingers would have moved.

Under the old rule, this picture would show an incomplete pass, as the ball touching the ground, regardless of control, was enough to make a pass incomplete. Under the current rule, the ball can touch the ground, so long as the receiver maintains control of the ball. The rule even states that movement of the ball does not mean control was lost. This all goes to the question I posed in my original post: can control be established and maintained with one hand during a reception? If it can, this should be a catch, as the ball never moves in T-Mac’s right hand when it touches the grab. Yes, his left hand came off, but the right did not and never lost control.

It was absolutely a catch, and I can’t believe how many folks were stating, before the NFL’s apology, that the overturn was the right call. The ultimate question in this case is this: can a player complete a catch with only one hand? Of course, we all know the answer to that question, and it is an emphatic “Yes.” T-Mac maintained complete control with one hand (believe it was the right) while the other came off when the ball hit the ground. The ball was in the same position in the one hand (watch T-Mac’s fingers in relation to the NFL shield on the ball) after touching the ground as it was when it first went to the ground. Going back to the question above, if one hand can establish control, then there was no need for the other to stay on the ball, so long as the ball doesn’t move in that one hand that stays on it It blew my mind that they overturned this in the first place. This should not be a “We got it wrong on the replay because there wasn’t clear and convincing evidence.” This should have been, “That was absolutely a catch.”

They really need to change rule to disallow late slides though. It’s an absolutely ridiculous position to put the defender in.

This was how the Panthers came out off their bye week. Ridiculous.

So, the Canes only have one serviceable goalie, huh?

I get that Bama should take a hit for losing to FSU. That’s why they dropped after at loss and had to work their way back up. However, why are we arguing about losses instead of who teams best. That’s insane to me.

I understand that you are a Miami fan and want the Canes to get into the playoffs, but why should Bama, who finished the SEC with a 7-1 conference record not have been in the SECCG? Bama’s schedule was not unbalanced amongst SEC teams, at least not in Bama’s favor. Bama played Georgia, Vandy, Missouri, Tennessee, LSU, and Oklahoma, in addition to South Carolina and Auburn, in conference this year. The first four were in back-to-back-to-back-to-back weeks. LSU and Oklahoma were also back-to-back weeks with each of those opponents coming off a bye week the week before playing Bama. What else should they have done to be in the SECCG? Add Texas, coming off a bye, to a back-to back-to-back-to-back stretch of LSU-OU-Texas-Auburn? I get that Bama got a ton of credit for being Bama during Saban’s run. Hell, they earned it and proved themselves to be among the top teams pretty much every time they got into the BCS/playoffs. Do they deserve to be in the playoffs this year? I don’t know. It depends on how you think conference championship games should factor in. An extra game against a top ranked opponent provides an extra opportunity for a loss when other teams aren’t playing in that extra game. The committee has already established the precedent that conference championship losses don’t affect things too much (SMU last year). I agree with that. It should affect overall seeding (IU as #1 with their win against OSU), but I’m not sure it should be used to the detriment of teams who make it those games. That’s such a crappy “reward” for making it to your conference’s championship game. Had someone else won the tiebreaker over Bama, Bama would be on right now.

Nevermind the fact that it’s 3 goals on 8 shots. What a great save percentage!

But the common denominator of all pissy goals against this year is Freddie Anderson.

Can’t get Freddie out of the pipes fast enough.

I don’t think DeBoer’s lack of NFL QB success is a data point. Before coaching at Washington, he coached at levels that don’t really equate to NFL success at any position, much less the most important one. I’m not suggesting that Simpson will have a Burrow arc. He definitely has room for development though, and I’m not willing to say that it couldn’t happen at Bama next year.

I see your point, although I would note there is a new system in T-town now. There’s no disputing the fact that Saban’s QBs were unsuccessful in the NFL. Outside of Penix, there’s no historical data to say how DeBoer QBs will fare in the League.

Yeah. This year’s QB crop is lacking, so it would be a good year for him to come out. However, if he truly cares about development and actually having a chance to succeed, he would stay at Bama for another year.

He played really well after the FSU loss. He balled against Georgia, Vandy, Tennessee, and LSU. However, he has regressed over the course of the season. It seems to like teams finally have tape on him, and Bama’s offense under Ryan Grubb in general, and are scheming to affect it. I think he needs to stay at Bama for another year. He has some development that needs to happen. I’d be interested to see how he responds next year to the changes teams have made to him based on his tape.

FIFY

Bryce can’t be gone soon enough. The trade for him and his subsequent lackluster play has set the franchise back at least three years.

He was on Carroll’s staff in Seattle, right?

JT Sanders is terrible.

I know it can’t be done, but taking out the NE and BUF games turn that differential around. Those two games alone count for a -60 point differential for the Panthers. The only other loss that was a bit out of hand was the Jacksonville game, which had a -16 differential, and the first ATL win was a +30. All in all, a few lopsided games but most have been close. All it says is the Panthers aren’t dominating teams when they win, and they have a complete dud of a loss every few games.

Canes are going nowhere with Freddie as their primary goalie. Can’t outshoot teams 2:1 in the playoffs just to have a chance to keep the score tight.

Bryce was neither Dave’s or Dan’s choice. Coming into the situation, both understood what the Panthers gave up to get him and, on a sense, were almost required to see if they could ever develop him into a quality starter. It is explicitly evident now that Bryce will never be that guy. The hope is that Bryce’s inability to cement himself as the starter gives Dave and Dan the ammunition to go to Tepper and say, “Look, this guy is just not going to work out.” The fifth-year option is the best point in time at which to do this. It then gives this coach/GM tandem an opportunity to go get “their” guy.