SI.com - Carolina Panthers Open Camp in Search of Offensive Complement to Last Season's Dominant Defense

[TheSpecialJuan]

SPARTANBURG, S.C.—“Let’s go motherf------!”
 
It’s 9:36 a.m. and Thomas Davis is at the center of a small, bouncing huddle of linebackers, shoving or headbutting anyone willing to get close enough.
 
A few hundred fans within an earshot buzz from a moderately sloped grass hill that looks down on the sun-fried turf at Wofford College. Home of the Terriers. Individual periods are starting after a rotating group of warm-up exercises that move in stunning fluidity. An airhorn blows and, 40 seconds later, a new phase begins. The first inside run installation in full pads is minutes away, and soon a few of those linebackers will get their first live licks at the offensive line, and second-year running back Christian McCaffrey.
 
This is the good part of being head coach Ron Rivera. Familiar, veteran voices to fire up the team and young stars that provide hope for the near future. A practice schedule that has tightened with eight years of experience and wastes little time. 

[TheSpecialJuan]

https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/07/28/carolina-panthers-training-camp-nfl-2018-season-offense-match-defense-norv-turner

[KSpan]

The defense was dominant last year?

[TheSpecialJuan]

1 minute ago, KSpan said:

The defense was dominant last year?

absolutely 

[KSpan]

Just now, TheSpecialJuan said:

absolutely 

Good, sure, but the 2013 and, to a lesser degree if only because of the leads they were working with, 2015 defenses were dominant. I don't feel like last year's team was near that level.

[Daeavorn]

I personally dont think you can call us dominant with the 28th ranked secondary.

 

Plus i doubt we get 11 sacks from Pep this year. Id say anything over 6 or 7 is a plus.

[PleaseCutStewart]

20 minutes ago, KSpan said:

The defense was dominant last year?

Yeah, if you don't count the secondary...

[Moose Hoover]

Just now, PleaseCutStewart said:

 

We did!

[KSpan]

1 minute ago, PleaseCutStewart said:

Yeah, if you don't count the secondary...

Can't discount that though if talking about the defense as a whole.

[Pup McBarky]

Denver was the last team to have a dominant defense. We were good last year, and could be dominant this year, if our secondary jumps into the top half.

[Hoenheim]

Last years defense was terrible in terms of pass coverage , either middling or bottom tier in every pass coverage stat iirc and hard to watch them too.

The overall defense numbers got skewed by our front 7 and i think their numbers plunged after we started to get roasted through the air in the latter part of the year from playing divisional matches. 

[CPF4LIFE]

When they start being dominant against other good teams instead of just the bad ones then we can talk. 

[top dawg]

I wonder if DT read this:

 

"Wofford is a beautiful campus and may be home to one of the most convenient and fan-friendly training camps I’ve seen. Massive amounts of parking on an otherwise empty college campus give way to a large, open-hill space where fans can bring chairs and blankets to set up for the afternoon. It beats the feel of some camps where the fan experience can seem more like a sweaty cattle call, where fans are cramped and unable to see their favorite players far off in the distance."

 

If Wofford is deep-sixed, perhaps Tepper will give genuine, legitimate consideration to a relaxed, spacious atmosphere where fans can see and interact with the players.

 

 

[KB_fan]

24 minutes ago, top dawg said:

I wonder if DT read this:

 

"Wofford is a beautiful campus and may be home to one of the most convenient and fan-friendly training camps I’ve seen. Massive amounts of parking on an otherwise empty college campus give way to a large, open-hill space where fans can bring chairs and blankets to set up for the afternoon. It beats the feel of some camps where the fan experience can seem more like a sweaty cattle call, where fans are cramped and unable to see their favorite players far off in the distance."

 

If Wofford is deep-sixed, perhaps Tepper will give genuine, legitimate consideration to a relaxed, spacious atmosphere where fans can see and interact with the players.

 

 

Preach.  Been down to Wofford once. Loved the atmosphere.