Today's press conference tweets

[panthers55]

We put our rookies on the field often very early in the season in the past because we had to not because we always wanted to.  With the cap hell we have been under we had to heavily count on the draft and play players before they may have been ready. Truth is that most times you dont want a rookie out there if you have a veteran with more experience.  With the rookie cap it makes it even easier to bring them along slowly.  Our defense is very complicated and requires a ton of repetitions which you get most often in practice whether you play that much in the game or not.  Honestly I dont know why this is a problem for you, I would think that the best scenario is to have rookies learning rom the vets who start until the rookies exceed them.

[LinvilleGorge]

We put our rookies on the field often very early in the season in the past because we had to not because we always wanted to.  With the cap hell we have been under we had to heavily count on the draft and play players before they may have been ready. Truth is that most times you dont want a rookie out there if you have a veteran with more experience.  With the rookie cap it makes it even easier to bring them along slowly.  Our defense is very complicated and requires a ton of repetitions which you get most often in practice whether you play that much in the game or not.  Honestly I dont know why this is a problem for you, I would think that the best scenario is to have rookies learning rom the vets who start until the rookies exceed them.

This post would make a lot of sense if we were playing a lot of 4-3 looks and we had a proven, experienced LB out there instead of Shaq.  That wasn't the case.  We were doing the same thing as last season and that was essentially playing nickel as our base D.

All that talk about talk about switching up our defensive looks sure sounds like bullshit after yesterday's game and Rivera's comments today.  I wouldn't have thought anything of it without Rivera's comments.  Shaq missed a lot of work leading up to the season and if would make sense to work him in slowly.  But, based on Rivera's comments, what we saw yesterday is the plan going forward.  Hopefully that's not the case and I'm just reading too much into comments made by a coach in a presser he probably isn't putting a ton of thought into.

 

[Jackofalltrades]

So another top defensive pick who's just a rotational player. Sad

For now.

[The NFL Shield At Midfield]

Who are the other ones?

probably ealy because he's losing snaps to addison

[panthers55]

This post would make a lot of sense if we were playing a lot of 4-3 looks and we had a proven, experienced LB out there instead of Shaq.  That wasn't the case.  We were doing the same thing as last season and that was essentially playing nickel as our base D.

All that talk about talk about switching up our defensive looks sure sounds like bullshit after yesterday's game and Rivera's comments today.  I wouldn't have thought anything of it without Rivera's comments.  Shaq missed a lot of work leading up to the season and if would make sense to work him in slowly.  But, based on Rivera's comments, what we saw yesterday is the plan going forward.  Hopefully that's not the case and I'm just reading too much into comments made by a coach in a presser he probably isn't putting a ton of thought into.

 

It appears you are making conclusions based on one game which at this point appears way premature.  Every week teams gameplan for each opponent and try to exploit matchups.  Against Jacksonville the coaches felt that Shaq did not present the best matchup for us and went with a more experienced corner in the nickel.  Next week it may be different.  Shaq was drafted for his potential not necessarily for the fact he will be plug and play day one.  If you remember when we drafted Davis who he is expected to eventually replace, there was an issue initially trying to figure out where he would best fit. That is the same issue with Shaq.  He is light for a linebacker at less than 220 and is not particularly fast for a corner running the combine 40 in 4.65.  He ultimately will put on more weight and muscle and be a linebacker for us but right now he is likely to be in there some of the time but not all the time.  He was drafted for his athleticism and play making ability which will take time to develop. Lets have this discussion down the road when we have enough tie to see how he is best being used.

[Ricky Spanish]

probably ealy because he's losing snaps to addison

He wasn't losing snaps from what I recall, he was sliding inside and rushing from the DT spot on passing downs.

[AceBoogie]

Who are the other ones?

KK spent the first two years in a limited rotational role, Kony isn't a full-time starter either.

[Ricky Spanish]

KK spent the first two years in a limited rotational role, Kony isn't a full-time starter either.

Rivera rotates his DT's. Said he'd do that when they drafted him. Keeps the guys fresh all game. KK has only improved each year, and with the improvement, his playing time has also increased.

It's Ealy's second year as a pro. DE's take a few years to get their sea legs. He's a long term investment and won the starting job through the preseason this year. He also has versatility to slide inside on passing downs. 

I think you're making a mountain out of a molehill but that's just me. 

[AceBoogie]

Rivera rotates his DT's. Said he'd do that when they drafted him. Keeps the guys fresh all game. KK has only improved each year, and with the improvement, his playing time has also increased.

It's Ealy's second year as a pro. DE's take a few years to get their sea legs. He's a long term investment and won the starting job through the preseason this year. He also has versatility to slide inside on passing downs. 

I think you're making a mountain out of a molehill but that's just me. 

I'm just pointing out the lopsided talent on each side of the ball. How many udfa's is the defense out there playing with?

[KSpan]

I'm just pointing out the lopsided talent on each side of the ball. How many udfa's is the defense out there playing with?

That's a fair assessment, and the Panthers drafts have been defense-heavy lately. One could argue that it's staying ahead of the curve by stocking up on plentiful defensive talent available throughout the draft while the rest of the league is scrapping for offensive players.

While Carolina's offense does have some low-round guys out there, I really think it wouldn't make nearly as much difference if the team had a better offensive mind at the helm. Not saying that Jerricho Cotchery and Corey Brown would magically become Green Bay-quality receivers, but a higher-quality OC would probably be worth at least an extra 7 points a game.