Cam backing away from the ball...

[cardiackat88.]

3 hours ago, Chris1 said:

It was a momentum killer but Gano missing that field goal was what really buried this team.

No. The massive amounts of false starts, four turnovers, and lack of pass blocking buried this game. To hang it all on one field goal is incorrect.

i really feel sorry for Luke and the defense. 

[uscgamecocks]

If you watch the replay of that fumble full speed it is much more understandable than if you watch the low angle slow-motion replay CBS threw up on the screen immediately after the play.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/why-didn-t-cam-newton-dive-for-his-fumble--033329131.html

From the high angle, it seems clear that Cam initially overran the fumble (he thought it was going to keep rolling).  The ball died in the turf right as Ware got his hand on it.  At that point, Cam's feet were too close to the ball and his momentum was carrying him past the ball so he checked up for a split second to reposition and fall on the ball - and then the ball squirted out and went between his legs as Kalil jumped onto the pile.

It's important to remember that Cam is 6'5" - biomechanically, that's a difficult move to make.  If Cam had just dove at the ball the second Ware got a hand on it he would have hit the ball with his knees.  

Slow motion makes it look much worse than full speed.  Cam has taken a beating countless times throughout his career and he has never flinched.  I highly doubt this was a business decision.  Just a weird play where he panicked, sprinted for the ball, misjudged the distance, and had trouble getting down because he's 6' 5".

[Carolina Cajun]

7 hours ago, Chris1 said:

It was a momentum killer but Gano missing that field goal was what really buried this team.

Refs buried us there with the picked up flag and blatant missed offsides.  The refs were pure fuging garbage, NFL should be embarrassed by this trash, but they won't be, got their storyline.

[unicar15]

Dude was injured early in the game. The game was over. They were dominating us. I get the whole "sell out for the game and risk injury" mentality but if he has an injury that is going to be in the back of his mind. 

 

Its what happens when the refs consistently let the big, black QB get pummeled for an entire freaking season and call nothing. Cam is the Shaq of the NFL. He gets hit more than any other player at his position and percentage-wise probably gets the least amount of those hits called for roughing. It has to be absolutely blatant for him to be protected. 

 

So…does it suck that we lost the possession? Yeah. We will never know whats going thru Cam's head. Maybe he thought if the ball popped back he could pick it up and run. Who knows…maybe he thought I don't want to hurt my shoulder worse than it already is. If he dives on the ball maybe he ends up with a torn rotator cuff and has to have surgery that keeps him out all offseason. When you have injuries and continue to get hit that stuff messes with your mind. 

[Spaceballs83]

That was the worst game I have watched in awhile. I happy with myself I didn't throw anything at the house with friends over. I just was just very disappointed at the effort i saw on the field . Looked like Atlanta game all over again

[OriginalPantherDan]

7 hours ago, Allaine said:

Whatever!  You were up his a$$ all year.  We lost to an excellent  defence in a game in which our defence didn't come to play and you're dogging Cam.  Piss on you sunny day support. 

Our defense didn't come to play?! We held Denver to less than 200 yards of offense. Denver converted one third down. One!  No, defense wasn't the problem here. The problem was two-fold: the offensive line was horrid, and the receivers were just as bad. Cam was off, but even when he hit them, they dropped catchable balls. Don't blame the defense, they were every bit as good as Denver, minus the torrent of turnovers we committed. 

[OriginalPantherDan]

19 minutes ago, Carolina Cajun said:

Refs buried us there with the picked up flag and blatant missed offsides.  The refs were pure fuging garbage, NFL should be embarrassed by this trash, but they won't be, got their storyline.

I hate to blame refs, but the one-sidedness of the calls was questionable at best. And I'm being generous here. 

[uscgamecocks]

1 minute ago, OriginalPantherDan said:

Our defense didn't come to play?! We held Denver to less than 200 yards of offense. Denver converted one third down. One!  No, defense wasn't the problem here. The problem was two-fold: the offensive line was horrid, and the receivers were just as bad. Cam was off, but even when he hit them, they dropped catchable balls. Don't blame the defense, they were every bit as good as Denver, minus the torrent of turnovers we committed. 

Yep.  Denver wouldn't have hit double digits without defensive touchdowns.  Can't ask much more from the defense.

I wish Norman had caught those two picks.  They would have been outstanding individual plays - but that's what we needed last night, because the offense couldn't get out of its own way.  Both defenses were great but Von Miller made outstanding plays and our guys - outside of Ealy - just couldn't make those game changing plays.  Tough, but not at all the defense's fault.

[d-dave]

When I saw that fumble, it was one of the wierdest things I've seen a ball do.  Cam was running towards it, and it was just the wrong angle for him to jump on it.  It also looked like Kalil had it.  I agree that it looked almost physically impossible for him to run and get it.

Playing the "what ifs" (which is completely pointless, but folks here love this crap), so Cam jumps on the ball, and Ware/Kalil combo rolls his wrist or his ankle, and completely knocks him out of the game?  Is that a better out come?  Folks are going say what they are going to say, but the reality is that Denver made the play, we didn't.  Denver made a lot of plays, and we didn't.

[Carolina Cajun]

19 minutes ago, OriginalPantherDan said:

I hate to blame refs, but the one-sidedness of the calls was questionable at best. And I'm being generous here. 

While the refs aren't why we lost, they sure as fug didn't help.  Problem is, it'll be same ole NFL, protect the shield...JR should remove that fuger from midfield tonight, nothing legitimate about this league.

[thennek]

I actually thought Cam looked 'out of sorts' from the beginning.  Something just did not seem right about him last night.  Even when he ran for a 1st down....no celebration.  When the Panthers scored a TD....I did not seem him celebrate.  He just seemed 'off'.....I wondered if he was sick.  His first throw of the game he missed a wide open Brown when he threw it about 10-feet above his head.  Cam did not seem like 'himself' at all last night.