Some factors to consider

[j2sgam]

I think getting experience to the young guys is a little more important than spelling the vets, although both are accomplished by rotating them in. Don't want to speak it, but I still remember Nick Goings in the '05 championship. The young'uns need some real game experience if we are going to depend on them late in/post season...

Home field advantage is our to lose, with a 2 game cushion, no less. Just like in games, so goes the season, gonna need a strong 4th qtr and do not let up. Finish strong, we've seen too many times what a conservative approach gets us.... I hope that lesson has been learned....

When CJ & Dwan come back, it'll be huge for the D-line, them 2 can keep our rotation fresh. Don't know how to consider Norwell & Daryl in regards to continuity vs rotation... Short of an injury, we are poised to get better when a few return. 8-0, and getting better? I'll take it.......

[SpeedOFLight]

I love how we are in the drivers seat at this point and we decid our on destiny. I'm not into the idea of resting starters but I would love to see our backups get more time but that will only happen if we blow out teams. We are capable of doing so but we have to convert those 3rd down into 1st downs.i want home field advantage throughout the playoffs and we can control that. 

[CRA]

I think the fact Stewart is basically our only RB used and is asked to get dirty yards could wear on him.

Olsen I think is the only TE/WR/RB that has played every offensive snap for his team isn't as great of a stat as we assume.  That is a lot of reps.  

Cam is running at a higher pace than any time in his career.

That is our offense.  I think it needs to be tweaked.

On D, Rivera has already spoken about doing a less than stellar job managing some of those guys 

[panthers55]

We already rotate in backups and will do more as we get more folks healthy. CJ will be coming back healthy and fresh. The same with Williams who is just getting back in the rotation . With all the injuries and missed games I don't know that we will see guys wearing down. Guys like Kuechly haven't played more than 4 or 5 games so far. With all the experience our backups have gotten due to injury they should be getting better and gaining chemistry with the starters. 

[arbnranger]

14 hours ago, Mr. Scot said:

A few things to think about...

One: Under Ron Rivera, the Panthers have typically started slow but played better late in the season. We are currently at the halfway point. Does that still apply this year?

Two: It's been speculated that Rivera does his best coaching under pressure. Being undefeated is a different kind of pressure, but it's still pressure. Same effect?

Three: The Panthers have so far this year played their backups less than in any season I've watched. The starters could begin getting fatigued as the season drags on, but the top backups will still be very fresh. How do you balance it out to get the best overall performance at the most important time?

 

So how do you see these factors coming into play as we enter the latter part of the season?

Which matters most? And are there others to consider?

What say you?

1- Starting slow has been the SOP    so far. Today... is new territory just like it has been all season. my personal vibe says we will keep the constant course. Hopefully we run into the roadblocks at the right part of the season that makes us stronger. Who is peaking at the right time is a huge factor on who goes to the dance.

2- I believe pressure is pressure when it comes to decision making. (Pressure not to be confused with desperation) I think Coach has done well on risk vs reward decision making so far. I believe it will continue based in the circumstances 

3- From all the press conferences I get the feeling Coach understands the long view. (He has experienced this as a player) We had to push snap counts during this difficult 4 game run. I believe Ron will get creative with allowing other players to get some much needed experience and snap counts.... If we are in a good position .. Allowing for some rest time for starters and a different perspective to cheer for other players. 

Ron seems to be self aware right now and detailed oriented. I think Coach will play it by ear and allow enough rest based on our performance but never jeopardize a potential loss because of it . 

[jayflip]

14 hours ago, Mr. Scot said:

I am most definitely not into the idea of resting starters.

I could see rotating the backups in more often though, especially at runningback and linebacker, to at least someone minimize wear and tear.

Running back should see a heavier rotation as the season wears on and we get the softer schedule after our gauntlet.

The LB rotation ain't happening. I'd like to see Shaq spell TD some, but TD isn't gonna come out. Keek is gonna Keek, and twisted ankles aside, he'll be prominently featured in every possible moment. Maybe his concussion absence helped to keep him fresh, but who knows. I've had concussions, and I wouldn't use the term "rest" to describe the healing process. However, on the flip side, it's def not the pounding, wear and tear on the body as an NFL game provides. 

DE and DT rotation should be helped out by the return of Dwan and eventually CJ. 

It'll be interesting to see who gets the boot when CJ comes back. With how gassed our DE's have been late in games, I don't think it'll be Delaire. My guess would be Bersin or Norwood. Proven production vs draft capital...

In summary, I don't think I really contributed to the conversation. 

[ElkinPanthersFan]

I think that if you do want to rest some players later after homefield is locked up you need to at least get them in a few series to mentally keep up the preparation week to week. I agree we need to see less Olsen down the stretch to keep him fresh for the playoffs. Same goes for Allen and Johnson when they get get back as they need some legs for the 3 game stretch.

[Daddy_Uncle]

Fozzy and Cap need to start taking some reps from Stew. We'll need him late season and playoffs. Having CJ fresh for the stretch will be great and allow for a,better rotation at DE. We have nice depth on both the oline and dline and those are the only spots I worry about guys wearing down along with RB. We will be fine. We have quality depth and can rotate with not losing much. We are so focused and hungry this season I don't see anything stopping us