USA Today: Five reasons to believe in the Carolina Panthers

[Jeremy Igo]

Time of possession matters a great deal to teams who rely on their defense to win games... .like the Panthers.

[Fiz]

Time of possession matters a great deal to teams who rely on their defense to win games... .like the Panthers.

Like the Seahawks, who finished 14th in TOP, or the niners, who finished 17th. 

 

If you decide to ignore half century old truisms and look at stats objectively, there's really nothing that can be gleaned. 

[Jeremy Igo]

Like the Seahawks, who finished 14th in TOP, or the niners, who finished 17th. 

 

If you decide to ignore half century old truisms and look at stats objectively, there's really nothing that can be gleaned. 

 

Look at their losses, and their TOP in those games, get back to me.

[top dawg]

To your first point, why not? This board is ready to crown the defense as the greatest unit in NFL history, even with probably its best pass rushing threat facing a suspension for beating the poo out of a girl for having sex with Nelly.

 

To your second, what do you expect them to say? Yeah they could toss him under the bus or whatever but that's never really been the Panthers style. As far as reports, from people that have actually seen him practice..

 

The loss of Hardy for however many games he is suspended hurts, sure. But, Gettleman looks like a genius for drafting Kony Ealy who is more than likely Hardy's heir apparent. Personally, I don't believe Addison is a slouch, and I would like to see more of Horton.  Bottom line: For this season we will more than likely have Hardy for at least 10 games, and probably 12 (maybe even 14).  And, no, Hardy is not our best pass rusher.  CJ is our best pass rusher, as well as our anchor on the D-line. Anyone that is truthful and has watched the Panthers knows that CJ has been our most consistent D-lineman.

 

As for Benjamin, just show me one largely negative report or tweet about Benjamin being a flop, overrated, overstated, exaggerated, or whatever in the off season camps. Come on, Fiz, give it up until you actually have something to criticize. And I mean something out of the ordinary...a pattern of negativity that is related to his game.  Until then, you just need to stop.

[Fiz]

Look at their losses, and their TOP in those games, get back to me.

Does the inverse work for this? So I can point to games where teams won the TOP and lost? 

 

I've posted the average TOP in 2013 and the differences are actually negligible. And I've quoted the best offensive mind in the game of football right now. 

 

Come back when you have something. 

[Sloth]

Just wait until we pay Newton $TEXAS so that he can captain an offense that Jake Delhomme could run just fine (other than Cam bailing the team out on 3rd and longs with his scrambling).

 

The Panthers finally acquire a QB that they can build a franchise around and then throw 90% of their resources at the other side of the ball and implement a ball control offense.

[Fiz]

The loss of Hardy for however many games he is suspended hurts, sure. But, Gettleman looks like a genius for drafting Kony Ealy who is more than likely Hardy's heir apparent. Personally, I don't believe Addison is a slouch, and I would like to see more of Horton.  Bottom line: For this season we will more than likely have Hardy for at least 10 games, and probably 12 (maybe even 14).  And, no, Hardy is not our best pass rusher.  CJ is our best pass rusher, as well as our anchor on the D-line. Anyone that is truthful and has watched the Panthers knows that CJ has been our most consistent D-lineman.

 

As for Benjamin, just show me one largely negative report or tweet about Benjamin being a flop, overrated, overstated, exaggerated, or whatever in the off season camps. Come on, Fiz, give it up until you actually have something to criticize. And I mean something out of the ordinary...a pattern of negativity that is related to his game.  Until then, you just need to stop.

Hardy is the better pass rusher, CJ is the better overall DE, although I don't think the difference between the two is that great. Advanced stats and traditional ones back that up. 

 

Benjamin couldn't catch the ball in college playing in a smurf conference, and the first thing we've seen shows he struggles at things wide receivers should not struggle with coming into the pros. I'm sure this will be consistent once we move to training camp.

 

Jordan Matthews will outperform Benjamin across the board this year. 

[Jeremy Igo]

Does the inverse work for this? So I can point to games where teams won the TOP and lost? 

 

I've posted the average TOP in 2013 and the differences are actually negligible. And I've quoted the best offensive mind in the game of football right now. 

 

Come back when you have something. 

 

I don't blame you for not doing what I asked, as it makes your TOP means nothing theory look silly. 

 

 

Carry on.

[Fiz]

The Panthers finally acquire a QB that they can build a franchise around and then throw 90% of their resources at the other side of the ball and implement a ball control offense.

Actually 90 percent of their resources have been thrown at their number 3 running back. 

[Johnny Rockets]

Were the last TOP, plays per game, yards per play stats good enough for you?

 

Or do you think stats translates to "paper brick of rhetorical questions"? 

 

 

 For every "bad" stat there are good ones also.  I have brought these stats from last year up before but they seem rather efficient to me. Although it may seem vanilla at times, I just don't entirely get the hate for Shula from so many around here. I think his offensive play calling really compliments this teams identity. 

 

NFL Rankings:

 

% of drives that led to 1st down or TD - 5th

 

Offensive Yards Per Drive - 11th

 

Offensive Points per drive - 10th

 

Turnovers per Drive - 7th

 

Time of Possesion per drive - 2nd

[Fiz]

I don't blame you for not doing what I asked, as it makes your TOP means nothing theory look silly. 

 

 

Carry on.

oh wow daring me to do your work for you.

 

I'll call Chip Kelly and tell him to pack it up. 

[Jeremy Igo]

I'll call Chip Kelly and tell him to pack it up. 

 

 

What the fug is a fiz, why are you calling me "bro" , and yes I lift why do you ask?

 

 

 

[Fiz]

 For every "bad" stat there are good ones also.  I have brought these stats from last year up before but they seem rather efficient to me. Although it may seem vanilla at times, I just don't entirely get the hate for Shula from so many around here. I think his offensive play calling really compliments this teams identity. 

 

NFL Rankings:

 

% of drives that led to 1st down or TD - 5th

 

Offensive Yards Per Drive - 11th

 

Offensive Points per drive - 10th

 

Turnovers per Drive - 7th

 

Time of Possesion per drive - 2nd

Oh they were incredibly efficient last year, top five per FO and top ten overall by DVOA. But as I'm trying to get through to you people (not you specifically), these are misleading stats, because the Panthers DON'T RUN MANY PLAYS. 

 

and if you think that helps the defense, the stats don't back that up!

[thefuzz]

depends on what you consider more significant.

 

in infrequent, high leverage situations (4th and 1 in atlanta, for example) he's changed. There's no doubt in my mind if that exact same situation had come up this year, he would have told Cam to just get the yard. Let's say that happens roughly 10 times in the 2014 season (just a made up number, probably around there) and he changed, yes.

 

Now lets consider the rest of the plays. Lots of inside runs, stick throws, safe routes, etc. Little to no rolling Newton out, little creativity, very close to the vest. Sure they led the league in TOP, but in today's NFL that's not nearly the bellcow stat it once was. What is more telling in your opinion? Those few plays where he's calling them differently a little more wide open, or the vast majority that are now called far more conservatively?

 

Compare the offense in 2013 to 2011-2012. It became DRASTICALLY more conservative. There were far better OC choices heading into the season, and the Panthers (and ron rivera) went with the most vanilla, malleable, unthreatening one of the bunch. I'd argue the makeup and style of the current panthers team is a far more accurate reflection of the head coach than it was in his first two years.

 

Lastly, the whole going for it on 4th and short thing isn't necessarily a change in philosophy. I think that's a little too grandiose of a term. Ron rivera simply corrected a fault. There are better plays to call in better situations. Sure, he's become a little better at situational football, but I don't know what that means his philosophy (meaning the way he approaches the entirety of nfl offense) is now different. For example, he hasn't called a timeout at the end of the first half allowing the opposing team to better set up for a field goal since he did it to the one you cheer for in 2012. 

 

Is that a change in timeout philosophy? Of course not, he just stopped fuging up. 

 

The Panthers won in 2013 because they had a fantastic defense, Cam Newton, and had a lot of bounces go their way, not because one guy bought a footballoutsiders account. 

 

Bolded part jumps out.

 

IIRC, we were not willing to give out a long term contract to anyone on RR's coaching staff at the time, as his blood was just before boiling from sitting on the hot seat.  Hue Jackson wanted to come here, Norv would have been perfect here, but JR didn't want a long term contract on the books that wasn't coaching here.