bigdog10

Needed to go for that. 

Peanut Punch!!!!

need a better defensive play call on third down. 

What a start. Wow. 

1 hour ago, hepcat said:

I could really use a Panthers win today!!!! My brother in law passed away yesterday at only 37 due to a freak accident and my house is bleak right now. 

Man, so sorry to hear about your loss.  Definitely praying for the family. 

Line moved from Bucs -3 to Bucs -3.5. Take that for what you will. 

Packers vs Cowboys

Bills vs Bengals

Packers over Bengals 

Young is that dude. We need to hope the Texans screw up and win some games and let the bears have the first round pick. We then trade up with them to nab Young. 

24-13 bucs

Brady vs Cowboys is a ratings dream in the playoff. No way the NFL allows us to spoil that. 
 

I expect a noticeable amount of offensive holds on first down to put our run first offense behind an eight ball. 
 

I also expect quite a few defensive holds on third downs to usher Brady down the field. 

Reading all these negative takes on Levis reminds me so much of all the negativity surrounding Cam predraft as well as Herbert more recently on the Huddle.  
 

I have no clue if Levis will be even a serviceable QB but knowing the huddle is remarkably against him, makes me have a little comfort if he is in fact the pick. 

4 hours ago, Gregg S said:

 

I was there, too, but can't remember if it was Monday or Thursday night.  The one image imprinted on my brain, though, is JStew planting Ronde Barber into the BOA turf with one of the nastiest stiff-arms I've ever seen..

Was there also. That was on a four play 85+ Yard TD drive in which Stewart and Williams were the only ones to touch the ball on the ground. 

1 hour ago, electro's horse said:

Panthers entered the year with high expectations. They stumbled out of the gate, and when the dust settled they had one win, tons of losses, and were complete afterthoughts in regards to the playoffs. To make matters worse, they had lost their best offensive player. 

However, things began to stabilize and the team started to play better. They began leaning on an afterthought running back. Their line solidified, helped in part by a first rounder playing his first season at left tackle. The defense began playing very well. They were led by a young DE, and first round draft pick corner, and a veteran linebacker who was playing out of his mind. By the end of the season, the Panthers were poised to make the playoffs, and were generally considered a team that no one wanted to play. All they had to do was beat two teams: the Bucs and the Saints. 

of course that was 2004, but the similarities are....interesting.

Both teams failed to live up to expectations but for far different reasons. In 2004 the Panthers were coming off a close Super Bowl loss (less said about it the better). This year was the fabled third year of "the process" and the NFC south was prime for the taking. In 2004, the Panthers season was derailed by injuries.

In 2004, the Panthers lost Davis, Smith and Foster within the first five weeks of the season. On defense, they lost Kris Jenkins (the teams best player in 2003), and Dan Morgan was in and out with several injuries. In 2022, the Panthers have been derailed by...Matt Rhule. The panthers were in even worse shape record wise in 2004: they were 1-7 compared to 1-5. The one early win in 2002 was in Kansas City, which was most memorable for a TD pass Delhomme threw backwards while literally being spun around. 

In 2004, Steve Smith broke his leg the first game of the season against Green Bay. Thankfully Moose was in Contract Year Mode so the significance was readily apparent at the time, but Smith had just signed a new contract, was considered the future of the team, and I always like to think back on how we would have done if he'd been healthy. In 2022, the Panthers also lost their best offensive player. Instead of injury they traded him instead. 

A big part of the ship getting righted in 2004 was the offensive line. Gross switched to LT from RT due to some injuries and shuffling around, and by midway through the season things had really solidified. Today, the line has been solidified with another young high draft pick LT.

Since losing CMC, the panthers offense has played much better. Foreman is a better fit for what they're doing right now and the talent they have at the QB position. It's weird, but the team just isn't good enough right now to maximize him. Back in 2004, it was Nick Goings, who was averaging close to 100 yards a game as the Panthers lead back in the 2nd half of the season. He wasn't fancy; he just leaned his head forward and took what the line gave him. In 2022, it's Foreman and a couple other nobodies. If the circumstances were different, I think the Foreman acquisition would compare favorably to Stephen Davis...just with less broken jaws after Michael Westbrook haymakers 

The two defenses have a lot of similarities. Obviously we have Burns, Horn, and Luvu now, but back in 2004 it was Peppers, Gamble, and Fields. Burns is good, but I don't think anyone is going to confuse him for Peppers. Peppers was probably the best player on the team in 2004, and in my opinion it was his best season as a Panther. He was just unstoppable at times. Reminder, he did this all without Jenkins. Horn isn't a rookie per se, but he didn't play much his first year. Gamble was a rookie in 2004 and played lights out. Most people don't remember that his 2005 campaign was actually somewhat of a disappointment compared to his 2004, and in 2005 he would be supplanted as the "number 1" corner by Ken Lucas. I think I'd take Horn over Gamble any day, but I think he's also the Real Deal, and have always thought Gamble was overrated. 

Luvu is a heat seeking missile and one of the most fun players on defense to watch, but he's no Mark Fields. Fields finally got over his treatments for NHL about halfway through 2004. Recall that Fox and Del Rio had actually designed the defense around Fields. We all know the story; at half-time of the niners game in 2004, Fields called everyone together and told them to get their poo together. Panthers came back at halftime and went on a tear. Fields was a monster for the rest of the season. Luvu has a flare for the big play, but he's not the constant presence Fields was back then. 

And hey, look how we finish the season this year! Back in 2004, both the Bucs and the Saints were flagging. The Bucs Super Bowl window was firmly shut and they were desperate for an infusion of young talent. They ended the season losing 5/6 games and the Panthers routed them. The current Bucs are probably a season away from something like that. They're a banged up team led by a washed up tom Brady who's barely effective. They're winning close games against bad teams due to Brady's "intangibles," but this is a team clearly on the way down and staring at a likely full rebuild and new coaching staff regardless of whether or not they make the playoffs.

The saints are currently staring at a big rebuild too, without draft picks to boot. Back in 2004, they were kinda in perpetual 8-8 hell. Heading into week 17 against Carolina, they'd won three in a row to get to 7-8. The panthers were "win and they're in" and most people assumed Carolina would blow them out. But the Saints could ALSO make the playoffs if a bunch of other stuff happened.

The panthers defense came out and destroyed the saints on their first drive; I remember this because I was at the game and Delhomme came out onto the field to celebrate with the defense when they forced a punt on the Saints first possession. Unfortunately, the Saints defense just murdered the Panthers that day. Jake took 6 sacks and they couldn't get anything going. It was the kind of game where, in the stands, everyone realized very early that New Orleans had come to play and the Panthers had not. 

Of course there was another game late in 2004 towards the end of the season that ended in an overtime loss and we are absolutely not going to talk about it ever again. 

Lots of difference between the two seasons, obviously. But I don't think these teams are really heading in the same direction. In retrospect, 2004 was kinda the last best chance at a Super Bowl for that first wave of the Fox panthers. Yeah they beat Chicago in Chicago in 2005 (top 5 panthers game ever) but that team was very inconsistent. The offense was very weird (the 2nd leading receiver was Deshaun foster) and a lot of the older pieces, especially on the offensive line, started showing their wear and tear. Looking back 2004 was the best chance for a SB in the Fox era, and in my opinion would have been a better team than 2003 if not for the injuries. 

I think this Panthers season is actually closer to 2002. That season, they had a new coach, they had a lot of early growing pains, but by the end of the year they were playing very good football, and everyone on the Super Bowl team said the strong finish in 2002 propelled them into the next year. All they needed were a couple of draft picks, hit on a couple of free agent choices, and bada bing bada boom Super Bowl.

Oh yeah, that kid returning punts is actually a hall of fame player, so uh, time to step it up Shi Smith if we want this comparison to continue. 

Was at that game. Will never forget them trotting Kasay out there for that 60+ Yarder. We all knew how that movie was ending before it even started to play. 

18 minutes ago, Panthers Fan 69 said:

Wow he didn’t even make it a full year. Just think how much better we would be if Tepper would have done this to Fat Fhule 3 years ago. 

To be fair, almost everybody considered Rhules first year a small success. We were all blinded by the thought that Teddy and Joe were the issues. 
 

Rhule should have been canned following the collapse at the end of year two. All his shortcomings were evident and everyone saw them except tepper. 

Brady. At home. With a chance to clinch the division? To set up a Dallas vs Tom wild card game. 
 

If you think there is any shot we are winning this game against Brady and his zebra crew, I’ve got some oceanfront property at a discount in Iowa for you. 

This is an offensive line appreciation post masquerading as a Chubba Hubbard post. 

2 hours ago, cookinbrak said:

I'm sure Lambeau and Soldier were much softer yesterday....

Lambeau would have been. They have a pretty sophisticated heating system under their grass field. It’s pretty impressive. 
 

Not sure about soldier field though. 

Just now, Proudiddy said:

What did Burns do?  I was away from the TV and don't have DVR anymore lol.

Great inside pass rush move. Beat the tackle inside for a quick sack on third and five. 

Shi scares me

Filthy Burns. 

Can’t be kicking the ball out of bounds. 

27 minutes ago, jb2288 said:

I was just quoting the OP I didn’t go look up their schedule but I am like 99.999% sure the colts did not play in the AFC championship game in the year you referenced? 

You’re correct. They lost in the divisional round to Kansas City. 

23 hours ago, jb2288 said:

I'm not following the logic here then. If the Colts = Panthers and have been dumpster fires since we lost our respective pro bowl QBs, why would Reich do better here than with the Colts? It's actually almost scary how similar... above avg defense, all star RBs, revolving door at QB, losing seasons. 

10-6 (AFC Championship Game)

7-9

11-5 (Playoffs)

9-8 (should have been a division title if Wentz didn’t forget how to play qb in week 18 against the Jags)

3-5-1 before he was fired for Jeff Saturday

 The colts absolutely have not been a dumpster fire. It’s been portrayed as one just because of the revolving door at qb, but let’s not pretend for a second that the colts have been in the same class of teams as the panthers since 2018. 
 

for reference, here’s the panthers record since 2018

7-9

5-11

5-11

5-12

5-9

If we’re dumping Wilks, I want Reich. 
 

People should look at what Pederson is doing in Jacksonville and should be excited about the prospects of Reich. I’m not judging him at all for his time with the Colts. That franchise has been a dumpster fire just like ours since their qb left. 

There’s a scenario where we clinch the division against the Bucs on New Years day and have nothing to play for in New Orleans. 
 

Here is that scenario

Falcons lose at Ravens

Saints lose at Browns

Panthers beat Lions

Bucs lose at Cardinals

if those four things happen this week a panthers win vs the Bucs gives the panthers the division and an essential bye week in week 18 against the Saints. 

Man. Watching Herbert makes me so sad. 
 

meaningless win against Ron and the commanders cost us a franchise qb. 

Colts putting it on Minnesota right now. Gilmore has looked good in coverage against Jefferson. Kind of wish we had him opposite of Horn for this stretch run.