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Right now, we're the 2002-2004 Falcons

Mr. Scot

By Mr. Scot,
in Carolina Panthers

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Mr. Scot Grand Master

Mr. Scot

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If you look at the way the team approached last season, you'll notice they concentrated a fair amount on the run game.  In this case, a run game which included (some would say was powered by) our quarterback.  The passing game was there and decent, but it was the run game that was the engine of the offense.  And on the other side, an attacking, smothering defense.

 

Now, if you think back about ten years or so, that style of play might seem familiar.

 

It's what the Atlanta Falcons of the early 2000s used when Vick was at his peak with them.  Their run game, Vick included, was deadly.  The pass game - at its best - was complementary but hardly frightening.

 

So now that we have a quarterback who can beat teams with his legs, here we were last season using a similar approach.

 

Aaaaand honestly, I'm not in favor of that :(

 

Why?

 

The Falcons taking that approach was understandable, even wise when you think about it.  Vick was an amazing runner, but a mediocre passer.  Teams knew the best game plan against the Falcons was to concentrate on the run and force Vick to throw.  Hence, the 'mush rush' by many, except the Bucs who always used heavy pressure to flush Vick to his right where he wasn't as effective.

 

Still, the run game was so good that even when teams did their best to take it away, they didn't always succeed.

 

So now, we take a similar path because we have a quarterback with a similar profile, right?

 

Cool, except we don't :unsure:

 

Cam Newton is, in only his fourth year, a better passer than Michael Vick was even in his best years.  Yes, he's also a great runner and it's wise to use that quality and/or the threat of it.  But in the process, let's not get unbalanced too far toward the run.

 

Now I'd imagine the coaches know this, so perhaps it's just been the lack of a deep receiving corps that's forced them into that approach.  It seems more logical when you think about it.  Newton, although sometimes lacking consistency, is still a good passer, but of course someone has to catch the ball.

 

Truthfully though, the reason behind why we went that route last year doesn't really matter.

 

The bottom line for me is that I don't want to see us looking that way again this coming season. 

 

With a deeper receiving corps, another year under Newton's belt and a super-talented mega-tall receiver as a target, there's no reason why we shouldn't air it out as much as anybody.  Rivera's preference has always been to be able to attack teams any way we choose, and that's exactly what I want to see in the year ahead.

 

Here's hoping we do.

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Mr. Scot Grand Master

Mr. Scot

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I don't like this comparison. Nope, not one bit.

1620371_4042612999389_2031858434_n.jpg?o

 

I expect some flack for comparing us to the Falcons :lol:

 

To be fair, those teams won their fair share of games, made it into the playoffs and almost made the Super Bowl.

 

I'm hoping for better though.

 

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t96 Grand Master

t96

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I agree Cam's passing ability should be highlighted, but the Seahawks just dominated the Super Bowl by having an elite defense and an elite run game to control the clock. What we really need is balance. We need teams to stack the box for the run so we can be able to get single coverage and get a chunk through the air. Then they drop a couple back, and bam we smash it right down the middle for 5 yards or more. Need to keep them guessing. But I will say controlling the clock and pounding the ball by running it and using duel TEs could work really really well for us. I don't think we should emphasize passing this year much more than last year just because our tackles are so questionable. Our WRs are better than last year and with Cam, good enough to be a top 10 team in passing stats. But I don't think we can do that until we've got some safety for Cam in the pocket. Our interior line should be much better so I think we do need to go with the run game here. The difference between us and those Falcons? Our defense vs. theirs. We have an elite defense now and should build around that more than our offense. They had in 2002 the 8th ranked defense, in 2003, the 30th and in 2004 the 14th. We need to be consistently in the top 3 defensively. The Patriots won 3 Super Bowls by being efficient on offense with the run game and a game manager QB (lets be honest, that's what Brady was at that point in his career). They were built around a balanced offense slightly leaned toward the run and a top 3 (or #1) defense. Could we be a powerhouse passing team like the recent Patriots or the recent Broncos? Sure. But I don't think we want to be or should be. 

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frash.exe Apprentice

frash.exe

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I expect some flack for comparing us to the Falcons :lol:

To be fair, those teams won their fair share of games, made it into the playoffs and almost made the Super Bowl.

I'm hoping for better though.

Welp they did have our number for a while so I guess we better hope the majority of our opponents are built like the 2002-2004 panthers

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Mr. Scot Grand Master

Mr. Scot

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I agree Cam's passing ability should be highlighted, but the Seahawks just dominated the Super Bowl by having an elite defense and an elite run game to control the clock. What we really need is balance. We need teams to stack the box for the run so we can be able to get single coverage and get a chunk through the air. Then they drop a couple back, and bam we smash it right down the middle for 5 yards or more. Need to keep them guessing. But I will say controlling the clock and pounding the ball by running it and using duel TEs could work really really well for us. I don't think we should emphasize passing this year much more than last year just because our tackles are so questionable. Our WRs are better than last year and with Cam, good enough to be a top 10 team in passing stats. But I don't think we can do that until we've got some safety for Cam in the pocket. Our interior line should be much better so I think we do need to go with the run game here. The difference between us and those Falcons? Our defense vs. theirs. We have an elite defense now and should build around that more than our offense. They had in 2002 the 8th ranked defense, in 2003, the 30th and in 2004 the 14th. We need to be consistently in the top 3 defensively. The Patriots won 3 Super Bowls by being efficient on offense with the run game and a game manager QB (lets be honest, that's what Brady was at that point in his career). They were built around a balanced offense slightly leaned toward the run and a top 3 (or #1) defense. Could we be a powerhouse passing team like the recent Patriots or the recent Broncos? Sure. But I don't think we want to be or should be. 

 

And here's the thing on the Seahawks...

 

Seattle turned Wilson into a game manager.  Yes, it worked, but Newton is too dynamic to be put in that sort of box and I don't think it'd be a wise use of his talents.

 

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Mr. Scot Grand Master

Mr. Scot

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Welp they did have our number for a while so I guess we better hope the majority of our opponents are built like the 2002-2004 panthers

 

I know in 2002 Del Rio had no clue how to defend Vick.  Honestly, his career since the Panthers hadn't exactly shown strength against other mobile QBs either.

 

Trgovac might have had a better handle on the concepts (surprising as that sounds) but until we drafted Thomas Davis he didn't have the right tools for the job.

 

Once TD came aboard though, things started changing.

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