I can't imagine moving forward without some type of offensive changes; what do you think happens?

[Argus Plexus]

I just want Bell gone. He's had so many chances, and if I have to watch him let opposing players literally go unabated to Cam for one more week, it'll be too soon.

[chknwing]

we have plenty of cap available. just nothing to use it on

[AU-panther]

we have plenty of cap available. just nothing to use it on

 

We do?  How much do we have this year?  How much do we have next?  What free agents do we have in the next few years?

 

[chknwing]

We do?  How much do we have this year?  How much do we have next?  What free agents do we have in the next few years?

 

 

getty just cleared $5 million.  Its doing nothing right now, just sitting there.  Carolina is $7 million under right now.

 

http://www.spotrac.com/cap-tracker/nfl/

[AU-panther]

getty just cleared $5 million. Its doing nothing right now, just sitting there. Carolina is $7 million under right now.

http://www.spotrac.com/cap-tracker/nfl/

My guess it is for an extension or a roster move. You should tell everyone what our cap space is for next year.

[CPantherKing]

Is it too early for some perspective? Seems like many people are focusing on the wrong side of the ball in the Steelers game for what went horribly wrong. Even though there are 2 more teams to play this week I am going to throw this out there.

 

The offense:

 

- Scored on 44% of their drives. Rank 11th of all offenses on Sunday. League average this season is 37.1%.

 

- Had an average of 37.7 yards per drive. Rank 12th. League averages 32.4 yards per drive.

 

- Held the ball for 2m47s per drive. Rank 16th. League average is 2m45s per drive.

 

- Offensive turnover % was 11.1%. Rank 17th. League average is 12.1%.

 

So, the offense did not suck. They were not the worst in the league. People hold the offense to an expectation of being perfect. Being the all time best offense in NFL history. You have bright spots and weak spots like any other team. The Panther were not even average on offense last night. They were an above average offense with their on field production. Some people minds just probably blew up and they are running to look at the numbers now.

 

Here was the problem.

 

Starting field position was horrible. Ranked 22nd. Was well below the league average. That is mainly defense and some special teams. If you are a numbers fan, then you know an offense must start at the 30-40 to consistently put up points.

 

I want to make this very clear. The Panthers did not lose this game because of their offense.

 

They lost this game because the Panthers defense allowed the Steelers to control the ball for an average of 3m25s (rank 23) while moving the ball an average of 46.7 yards (rank 27)  and scoring on 67% of their drives (rank 29th) [This does not count the TD from the fumble fiasco. Add that and the Panthers are dead last]. So, you now go to the offense put them in that position, right? Wrong. The Steelers started on average at the 24 yard line and still averaged less than 7 plays per drive (6.9). Nortman finished the day by pinning the Steelers back near their end zone time and time again. Steelers were near the bottom half of the league in starting field position. And to top it all off the Panthers defense did not get a single turnover in the game and only mustered 1 sack.

 

When your defense is playing this bad and you do not have one of the top 5 offenses in the NFL, mental mistakes are huge when your opponent is not making any mistakes. Philly Brown (fumbled), Josh Norman(did not fall on the ball and tried to pick it up near the 2 yard line), and Wes Horton(encroachment on a FG attempt) led to an 11 point swing to top it off. Eliminate the mental errors for an 11 point swing and you still have the defense giving up 27 points. The offense is equipped for a 4th quarter comeback and could have come close to pulling out a victory without the mental errors on the special teams units. 

 

This Panthers offense has its deficiencies, but when you look at the big picture around the league the Panthers offense is above average.

 

I hope that the Steelers got one up on the defense last night and this is not a trend. I was enjoying having the NFLs best defense until last night.

 

Perspective people. Perspective. Clear your minds. Focus on the defense.

[Catweisers]

Did u see what Rburger did to our defense on real fast release stuff???  He had no time but he prospered.  

We need to let Cam heal and Pray DA leads us to a few more wins.  Cam will always be Super Man and I for one Love the Swag or Confidence or just a big ole contagious Smile he brings........  There is no way for him to half step and not get hurt because that is not Him No slides no dodging He is the Man and he will not be able to play safe. 

Lets start new winning streak that lasts longer!!!  This is a War and that was a Battle, hope next battle comes out better.

[RomanG18]

Nothing but an old fashioned ass whooping last night. I think we were starting to read our own press. The only good news is our whipping came in week three and we have time to recover from the wounds.  We were out played physically in every aspect and out coached the entire game mostly on the D side. We had no answer for the short quick passes that negated our pass rush. Now there is an idea for Shula on how to game plan a modern day offense.

 

We will play the same game next week in Baltimore against a much better team than Pittsburgh, on the road, in a loud stadium, with Smitty looking for revenge. Good teams bounce back and overcome adversity. The test is now week 4. Judge the team on how we respond. I am sure the players and hopefully the coaches are as embarrassed as the fans. 

[mc52beast]

It's still early in the season, but I'm thinking that Gettlemen's choice to use Bell or Chandler at LT could come back to bite him. I don't think either one can stand their own against the upper echelon of pass rushers.

[pstall]

this team is built to play with a lead.

 

stop getting in predictable 2nd and 3rd and long.they never seem to want to get Cam outside the pocket at anytime in the game. i know he may not be 100% but if he just stands there like a statue behind the turnstile o line he will only be able to show off his clothing line at the Belk's in North Myrtle Beach.

[Billy Love]

LAWL ... changes. We're a run-heavy team that thinks it's the 90s and wants to win with our D ... no matter how tired we make them throughout the season. What you see is what we are.

NO, NO, NO we claim to be a run heavy team. Our payroll is an impressive 90 million in our backfield. The problem is, we can't run the fugin ball. Not being able to run the ball is very concerning because for the last 3 years our fudging QB has been our run threat...no he's hurt. Dwill and Stewart need to be cut ASAP and let's get some fresh legs in the backfield.

[mcdougal]

And the thing is, out offense isn't even that bad. Once we start running the option it will be more explosive and people will have to account for healthy cams running ability. Benjamin is making crazy catches every week too, but he needs to work on the drops.

 

Exactly. The offense is producing about where one would expect an offense devoid of talent and explosive pieces to perform.

 

Against ANY medicore defense, the Panthers offense can  be expected to score somewhere from 13 to 17 points.

Against bad defenses, about 20 to 23 points.

Against top 10 defenses, about 7 to 10 points.

 

Going into every offseason EVERYONE complains about the lack of talent on offense, but then by the time the Draft and Free agency rolls around most are content with the FO drafting Defense, keeping the offensive coaching staff in tact, and dumping money into the dline. Come September, these SAME people start complaining about our offense output and can't figure out why the offense is regressing.

 

The panthers defense MUST perform in order for us to win games. And that is only LOGICAL as that is where our resources are tied up.

[pstall]

its been several games since we hit 30 pts.

[mcdougal]

The salary cap is split pretty much even among the offense and defense.

 

 

Which is why I used the term "resources". Resources to me are: available money for current players, effort to bring in elite coaches, draft picks, and money available for free agents.

 

For the better part of 4 years, the Panthers have spent significantly more resources on the defensive side of the ball. This includes the Head Coach (who is defensive minded), draft picks, and money for player personnel.

 

And a great deal of the money on offense is wrapped up into a position that is not producing (injuries).

 

Which AGAIN, highlights my point. Alot of people want MORE production out of three areas of the team where resources aren't being spent: The QB (as in salary), the WR (as in draft picks and salary), and the OLine (draft picks and salary).