BrianS

We have a deep threat. It remains to be seen if Cam can use him. But I didn't see many plays called that were even designed with a deep option.

I agree, we couldn't get off the field, but you can't say our O was putting points up. 21 points is terrible. It's below average for the league. 24.5 is average, 26.5 gets you into the top 10. Our offense had MULTIPLE chances to win that game in the final six minutes, and we failed TWICE! The defense got a poo sandwich because the offense turned it over at our 32, and they held to a FG and gave the offense two minutes to win.

Anyone who thinks Cam was at fault isn't paying attention man. We had four drives in the first three quarters against Washington that did not end in points: 1. (First quarter) Fumbled snap / bad snap. Not sure what they were trying to do here, whether it was supposed to be a direct snap to CMC or a snap to Cam and hand to CMC. It looked bad, but in no way can Cam take the blame for that. 2. (First quarter) We had a 2nd and 2, which turned into a 2nd and 7 because of a false start, putting us behind the sticks. Not sure how you blame Cam for that one either. 3. (Second quarter) This one was on Cam, 100%. He had Robby wide open on a shallow under for a first down but pushed it further down to DJ instead and it was broken up. 100%, a poor decision. 4. (Third quarter) This was probably not on Cam. He was trying to get it to DJ who had sat down in a void, but the pass was deflected by a LB. Not sure if Tremble ran the wrong route or whether the design was bad, but Tremble led the LB directly to the point where he could deflect it. Coverage wasn't terrible, but without the underneath LB, this play may have worked. Even if you believe that going for it on fourth at our own 32 was the right call, and you allow that we got the ball back with a chance to win, that final sequence was awful play calling. 3rd and 2 and the WTF 48 with 1:16 left? Come on man, THAT is the perfect read option situation right there. That crap we called was just awful man. Nobody was open, and Cam tried to force it in. Then we take the sack on 4th down because, oh yea, nobody was open. Man, you gotta just get the 1st down. You have the most dynamic short yardage player in the league taking snaps. And we still can't get two yards in two plays? Come on man. That's not on Cam. No way.

Agree 100%. This is why I don't want to see as much read option. I love Cam, he's become a really solid decision maker in the passing game. However, we've got CMC and I would much rather see him with the ball in the run game. Cam may get you 3-5 yards, but CMC could break it for 20+ at any time. I think this is the problem. In the past, Cam was our biggest running threat. Now, on the read option, if I'm the DC I tell my guys to take away CMC and let Cam do it. It lets you as a defense punish the QB and keep the ball out of the hands of the best back in football. That seems like defense 101 to me.

No, I get it, we definitely did not do the job shutting them down. Only two 3-and-out drives for WTF yesterday. I just don't think handing the ball to them already in FG range (despite Slye) was a great idea. Our offense had not demonstrated the ability to convert on a money down all game. I think at the 50, yes, you make that call. But not at your own 32.

Gilmore played well yesterday. I thought Henderson showed up pretty well also. I like that they are bringing him along slowly. He looked like damaged goods when he got here. Donte got exposed a bit yesterday. Maybe it's just that Ron knew how to do so, but now he's shown the rest of the league. I really like our secondary man. I hope we can at least keep some of them around. Lot of free agents this year and we MUST spend on our OLine. We can't keep them all and fix the line. Oh, and QB.

Our coaches made some mistakes for sure. To me, I thought the biggest mistake we made was going for it on fourth at our own 32. If we punt that away and get a stop, we're now only down 3 and probably have about the same amount of clock left. If you really believe in your defense, you put them on the field and tell them to get the stop.

Yes, we'll probably end up 3 or so games better off than last year. Ask yourself however, how much of this can we place at the feet of a QB not named Cam Newton? I don't blame Rhule for getting QB wrong. That's not true. It is his fault, technically he's to blame. Best to say I don't begrudge him getting it wrong. It happens all over the league. I think Cam has shown his value already. He's not 2015 Cam, but he's an NFL QB. I think he'll be here next year. Given an entire offseason with the team, I think he can be an EXTREMELY effective QB for us. My real concern is what we do about Joe Brady. We need to bring in someone to help him. It's either that or get rid of him entirely. Our offense, despite it's deficiencies, should be more effective. There are some design problems. There are some situational play calling problems. All of that falls on Brady.

So much of this man. We *must* stop opponents from running on us. Burns and Reddick are fantastic at getting after the passer, but someone has got to be stout against the run. Our defense is built just like the Manning Colts defense. Smaller. Faster. Built to play with a lead, built to play with time of possession in their favor. When teams run power at us, we don't have an answer. Cowboys did it - predictably mind you. Washington now did it - also predictably.

I keep telling everyone, this is not our year. It was never meant to be. Rhule turnarounds typically start to pay off in year three. Not year two. Year two is when you start to see the change begin to take hold.

There were some positives today, for sure. Cam looked really good given what he likely knows of our play book. BC looked like he's continuing to grow. Burris looked pretty good in the back. IDGAF what the refs say, that was a good hit.

It's almost like some rookies need time to adjust to the NFL . . . Listen, I don't know if BC is gonna make it in the NFL. I hope he does, of course. One game certainly won't be the turning point. But as bad as our line has been this year, it seems crazy to me that he hasn't gotten more opportunities. Not starts. Just opportunities.

This is what I fear fans are expecting. That last bit there "If Cam has his deep ball back". He doesn't. That cannon he had attached to his shoulder is gone. That doesn't mean he can't / won't be an incredibly effective player for us. He can still get a ball downfield under the right conditions. Not 60+ yards, but if he's set I suspect that he can get it 50-55 yards. I know that his sense of touch has grown by leaps and bounds. His short passes are much more catchable than they were. His decision making is greatly improved. It's a much more sustainable and consistent style of play. He's no longer a freak athlete - though he is still quite athletic. I have high hopes for a healthy, happy Cam here surrounded by weapons the likes of which he has never had before.

I think you're forgetting about the first half of 2018 (pre Steelers / Watt). Go back and watch some of those games. Norv and Scott coached him up. His completion percentage jumped way up to a career high. His TD percentage was the second highest of his career. He made better decisions. He ran less. While his arm wasn't quite 2015, he could still throw lasers when he was set, and with that coaching he was set a lot more often. Unfortunately TJ Watt happened and he lost a lot of velocity. That doesn't change the fact that Cam is a much more refined player than he was. But it didn't start in Foxboro. It started here.

Based on what evidence? Lest we forget, Ron Rivera was the coach of the 31st ranked defense here in Carolina two years ago. Riveras' first two years in Carolina began with a defense ranked 26th and ended with one ranked 18th. His offense began ranked 32nd and ended ranked 18th. "Ok, I guess". This while drafting and employing the most dynamic QB the league has seen. Rhule began work with the 31st ranked defense and the 20th ranked offense. Two years on we now have the 2nd ranked defense and 21st ranked offense. This while making some serious mistakes at QB.

His catch rate prior to last year was terrible as well, which we also forget. One of the reasons we perceive that he was so good last year is that his catch percentage went from mid 50's for the first three years to 80 in 2020. To me, that says less about how he was used and more about him making the most of his opportunities. In a contract year.

The only guarantee for our season is that if we go undefeated the rest of the way we'll get in. That's a tall order, yes. However, if we do manage it, no one will be able to say we don't deserve to be there. Past that, you're rolling the dice.

Really? I can: Dude got 11 per season. He's now been injured all year. VERY glad we aren't the ones paying for that. On Donte, I like him as a player, but how do you write a contract for him that incentivizes this level of commitment? Because before this year, I wasn't at all sold on him. I hate players that don't do anything until that contract year.

This guy does a pretty nice job of showcasing some of the changes Shaq has made this year, focusing on what he did against AZ. Worth a watch imo.

See, lens of negativity? In your "best case" of Sam balling out they get an extra year to work it out at a lower rate. Cap flexibility to go all in on a Super Bowl even. More options open. In the other, we will never know what that might have looked like. Maybe it went first half of the season Sam goes 3-6, has maybe 14 TD's and 13 INT's. Second half of the season Sam goes 6-2, 18 TD's and 5 INT's. In that scenario I'd want to see Sam kick off the next year as he finished this one, and work out that contract then. Now, if you've got a time machine, I'm sure Rhule and company would love to have a chat. Otherwise, we are where we are. Stuck with it. You can scream about how "right" you were all day long, and it won't change the situation.

Here are two: 1. Sam balls out and shows everyone it was Gase + Jets at fault. If we're sitting here today at 8-2 with Sam balling 18 million next year looks really good. 2. Sam shows steady improvement toward becoming the guy. With a young QB showing steady improvement toward becoming a franchise QB, 18 million looks cheap. Yes, 18 million is a lot of money. Kirk Cousins is hitting the Vikings for 31 million. That's an immense amount of money for a good not great QB. Dak will hit next year for 34 million and would be the barometer for successful young QB contracts. When you view 18 million through the lens of failure, yes, it looks like a lot. When you view it through the lens of success, it looks a lot more reasonable. At the time the decision was made, the team didn't have the benefit of the last nine games to look at.

If you want to look for inspiration from prior years, you should probably look at 2018. Prior to TJ Watt ending Cam's shoulder, our offense looked really smooth. Watch the Ravens game from that year if you want to see what Cam can look like with less Shula and more playmakers.

You're missing the point. We have one QB on our roster who is demonstrably capable of being an actual NFL winner. Is that the guy you want taking unnecessary hits? I DON'T. How long do RB's last in the NFL? Most don't make it much past 30. Cam is 32. I just cannot comprehend how people don't see that Cam's value to our franchise goes so far beyond a few runs per game. Do we just not believe in Cam's ability to complete a pass? Cam is a more rounded passer now than he was in 2015. No, he can't make those amazing 60 yard bombs off his back foot. But he can anticipate much better. He has a touch now that he never had before. He's learned that checking the ball down can be a great play. He can read a defense more reliably. I'm way more interested in seeing Cam extend his career by another 2-4 years by becoming a more complete QB than seeing him run the read option for this year and maybe part of next. We have a defense that is playoff ready, right now. We have skill players. All we lack is some talent on the OLine. It's a real possibility that we become consistent contenders in the next couple years. If we have an actual NFL QB on the roster who is healthy.

Rules say the Panthers can replace captains who are injured. Two of our offensive captains are on IR. That said, Cam doesn't need a patch on his jersey to demonstrate that he's a leader. Anyone with eyes can figure that out.

All these folks wanting to see Cam run a bunch of read option have clearly forgotten that this is a QB who hasn't had a fully healthy season since 2015. I think you run just enough read option to force defenses to account for it, but not enough that Cam is getting hit. You need to bubble wrap the only QB on your roster who has won significant games in the NFL, not subject him to a bunch of hits that other players could take. You don't scheme to Cam, you scheme to your team. We have good players in the skill positions and less talent in the line. This is not the 2015 team where Cam has to carry us. Cam just has to get us in the right play and distribute the ball to a very talented supporting cast.