Impressions - Preseason Three

[Mr. Scot]

Uglier than ever: This is quite probably the best offensive line the Panthers have had since Ron Rivera was hired.  Even without Pro Bowl center Ryan Kalil, the line overall had a good night.

The other 'ugly' performance: Corey brown...Ugh!  The guy earned a shot at starting with his performance last season, but his preseason performance is throwing that good will away.

Going out on high notes: Both starting quarterbacks got pulled after their best drives, though Newton had the better night prior to his last drive.

Backups step up: Even with three of the starting four defensive linemen out, the DL still managed to get some pressure and be stiff against the run.  Kony Ealy had some nice plays too.

Stars have iffy moments: The normally reliable Greg Olsen dropped a good pass, Thomas Davis got beaten for a touchdown and Jonathan Stewart had arguably the weakest night of the runningbacks who played.

And scary moments: Greg Olsen and Luke Kuechly looked like they might have injuries.  Happily they didn't turn out to be anything.

Waka Waka: Some good work tonight from Fozzy Whittaker, his best this preseason.  Cameron Artis-Payne looked like he was getting better as well.  Not much from Brandon Wegher tonight though.  He'll likely get plenty of time next week to make his case.

That's why you don't play receiver: Josh Norman and Bene Benwikere both dropped easy interceptions.

Ted 2: Also saw some nice work from Ted Ginn Jr.  Yeah, he should have caught that one high pass, but that's at least somewhat forgivable.

Shaqen Up: Looking more and more like Shaq Thompson is the real deal.  Very much looking forward to seeing him alongside Luke and Davis.

Hi Kurt: Kurt Coleman put an exclamation point on his bid to start with that Brady pick.

Peanut tosses cookies: Ick. That was a tad worrisome, especially after they said it was a possible concussion.  Hope Tillman is okay.  his takeaway was the most fun play of the game.

Special Teams: Decent performance tonight.  Hope that's a sign of better things to come.

Wouldda been nice: Sure would have loved to have seen Devin Funchess play

Familiar Face: Wonder how the Patriots and their fans felt about seeing Clete Blakeman here again.  For those who don't remember, Blakeman is the guy who picked up the flag against Kuechly the last time these two teams played in Charlotte and thus earned the ire of Tom Brady.  Something tells me Brady probably won't say "Good to see ya again. Hey, remember what we talked about last time?"

My name's not Janeane: Patriot fans irrationally hoping that Jimmy Garoppolo isn't much of a dropoff from Tom Brady should probably dial those ideas back a bit.  If Brady's suspension stands, those first four games might be some rough sledding unless the Pats can find ways to adjust (which yeah, they've been good at)

Newton: One of the reasons gunslinger QBs tend to be closely associated with 4th quarter comebacks is that they tend to start slow and get better as the game goes on.  That's Newton now too, which is a complete reverse from his early career when he tended to start out hot and fade late. Mind you, he's not starting out bad, but he definitely gets better later.  His stats may not be as 'record setting' as they once were, but I much prefer this version of Cam.

Overall: Said it elsewhere, but this game left me feeling better than the prior two that we won.  The team played well against the world champs and did plenty to boost the confidence of anyone not named Corey Brown.  As to Brown, he's gonna need to do a lot to redeem himself.  It's hard to say what's wrong with him, but for his sake, I hope he and Coach Proehl can find it and fix it...fast.

[PandaPancake]

This thread delivers

[CarolinaNCSU]

Watching the game now since I was at work earlier...

 

Frankly, I feel like we did/should've dominated.  Bene and Norman both drop picks.  The Brady TD was just a perfect pass.  Drops, drops, and more drops from Philly, including a TD (or two if he goes after the ball).  OL looks pretty good so far, though running lanes are still iffy at times.  Adding Shaq and Coleman to the defense could be HUGE...just get Harper off the field at some point. 

 

Can't wait to get Kalil, CJ, Star, KK, and Funchess back. I still think the ceiling caved in once KB got hurt...but damn if this game didn't give a lot to be excited about. The defense has great potential, and the offense can at least be competent if the WRs catch the damn ball (Cam's been pretty accurate so far outside of drops).  Let's get to Jacksonville already. 

[Mr. Scot]

Watching the game now since I was at work earlier...

Frankly, I feel like we did/should've dominated.  Bene and Norman both drop picks.  The Brady TD was just a perfect pass.  Drops, drops, and more drops from Philly, including a TD (or two if he goes after the ball).  OL looks pretty good so far, though running lanes are still iffy at times.  Adding Shaq and Coleman to the defense could be HUGE...just get Harper off the field at some point. 

Can't wait to get Kalil, CJ, Star, KK, and Funchess back. I still think the ceiling caved in once KB got hurt...but damn if this game didn't give a lot to be excited about. The defense has great potential, and the offense can at least be competent if the WRs catch the damn ball (Cam's been pretty accurate so far outside of drops).  Let's get to Jacksonville already. 

Lot of guys who didn't play tonight (for both teams) would definitely have played if this game counted.

Mind you, I'm certainly not calling "Super Bowl" right now.  There are definitely concerns, but there are also a lot of things to feel good about.

I like to go into a season feeling cautiously optimistic, and I've got that right now.

[KJ89]

I hate it for Philly. I think he'll get it together though. 

[Mr. Scot]

I hate it for Philly. I think he'll get it together though. 

They definitely wanted to give him as many chances as possible.

Again, that's something you can do in preseason.  In a regular season game, he'd likely have been benched.

Guessing they'll put in a lot of work with him this week, and he may play more against Pittsburgh than he otherwise would have.

[PhillyB]

nice writeup mr scot.

i'd like to add that fozzy made his case by both being an awesome blocker in pass support and keeping those legs churning through the pile against the first-team superbowl champion patriots defense. fozzy makes big plays when it counts and this should be remembered when the masses insist on replacing him with the latest running back version of jeremy leman.

[Boxhead85]

I am also just watching the game right now. I love what the defense is doing. They show that they are capable of special things. Really love the Kurt Coleman pickup!

Offensively, from what I have seen, Corey Brown needs work on his hands...or at least hand-eye coordination. He's too much of a body catcher. Feel like Ginn should be starting alongside Funchess Week 1. Even with the drops...seems like Cam is comfortable and trusts the O-line. Looks like we can move the ball.

Just gotta stop imploding.

[Mr. Scot]

nice writeup mr scot.

i'd like to add that fozzy made his case by both being an awesome blocker in pass support and keeping those legs churning through the pile against the first-team superbowl champion patriots defense. fozzy makes big plays when it counts and this should be remembered when the masses insist on replacing him with the latest running back version of jeremy leman.

Boy there's a name that brings up memories.

[zacka77ack]

I kept finding myself bracing for impact after Cam's drop backs. Im so use to the pocket crumbling around him.  I was pleasantly surprised when he would step up and the interior held.  Good job OLine.

[PhillyB]

Boy there's a name that brings up memories.

happens every year. a kid from nantucket community college trucks an UDFA from southwestern billings divinity school and everyone thinks he's gonna roll in and take the world by storm, and GM-douche of choice is a raging dumbcunt for cutting the guy (who invariably ends up in a career with geico by next august anyway, despite everyone's prediction that 31 other times will fight each other to scoop him up.) 

[Mr. Scot]

happens every year. a kid from nantucket community college trucks an UDFA from southwestern billings divinity school and everyone thinks he's gonna roll in and take the world by storm, and GM-douche of choice is a raging dumbcunt for cutting the guy (who invariably ends up in a career with geico by next august anyway, despite everyone's prediction that 31 other times will fight each other to scoop him up.) 

Tis true.

I remember thinking this season it would be tougher for UDFAs to make the team than in years past.

Injuries could change that, of course.

[Mr. Scot]

And I'd be remiss not to mention that we got to see Mike Tolbert score - and dance - again.

[Mr. Scot]

Probably should have mentioned that Graham Gano looked good last night too (as someone else pointed out). Ditto Brad Nortman.

And hey, nobody ever mentions J Jonah Jansen.