Norv Turner: Good teams continue to improve every time they play. You shouldn’t play your best game until December or, hopefully, January."

[Saca312]

Really good article on Panthers.com with a few quotes from Norv Turner. Explains how the Panthers haven't scratched the surface (obviously) of their offensive potential. 

https://www.panthers.com/news/norv-turner-panthers-offense-just-scratching-the-surface

Some highlights.

On Panthers Only Having Two Turnovers In Three Games

Quote

“The most positive thing, and it’s something that we set out in April to work on, is that we’ve only turned the ball over twice." 

“It’s not by chance. That’s been a priority for our players. If we can continue to be real good in that area, we’ll give ourselves a chance to win every week.”

This speaks volumes. For one, Cam Newton's continuing his MVP-like play he showed from last year against the Saints in the playoffs. He arguably should be without an interception thus far given that his only interception happened due to a CJ Anderson whiff. Sure, I guess you could argue he also had dropped interceptions, but even then he's still playing at a high tier level. 

The other turnover comes from week 1 on a CMC fumble. That is certainly fixable and I'm sure CMC will ensure that doesn't happen often again. Those come and go at times and from all accounts this shouldn't be common.

The less turnovers the better. And the Panthers are doing a decent job at that.

On The Panthers Run Game

Quote

“What we’ve tried to do is camouflage and move some people around. We’re trying to put together a scheme that keeps defenses from overloading and playing one guy.”

This is critical. Once more, I emphasized in my other thread how Norv seems to be trying to always create a numbers advantage on offense. What this means is basically trying to ensure the Panthers aren't running into loaded boxes and killing the offense. He's trying to spread them out, keep them accounting for everyone on the field, and put all the play-makers in a position to make plays.

It's a big turn from simply running into disadvantageous boxes and misusing CMC and our guys. He's looking at the team's strengths and weaknesses and maximizing all our strengths.

On The Offensive Line

Quote

“It’s pretty remarkable what the offensive line has done. Some of the things we’ve been careful with were based on the offensive line. But as we continue to grow in that area and feel good about those matchups, that will give us a chance to do some more things.”

“The things that happen through a season, some of it has to do with who you are playing and how games are going. But we’ve got a lot of things that we haven’t used yet. We’re continuing to work on those things in practice so when the opportunity does present itself in games, we’re able to execute.”

Well, this can help explain the lack of deep targets thus far. It's apparent Norv is being more safe than sorry when it comes to the offensive line, as he should. However, it's clear he's evaluating during the bye just how good the players are, who we get back, and other variables in an attempt to create more opportunities for the Panthers to do even bigger things.

Hence, the title "only scratching the surface."

Even then, it's clear that Norv has already prepared plenty of plays for the future with a few looks against the Bengals I found interesting. For example, a few plays that looked like CMC checkdowns/immediate targets have shown plenty of looks of bigger plays downfield that I'm sure Norv is noting. 

With healthier players back, expect to see great things.

Which brings me to the next topic...

On DJ Moore and WR1 Curtis Samuel

Quote

We’re working to get DJ more involved and up to speed,” Turner said. “And Curtis gives us another (weapon) – he is going to make plays for us.”

Obviously, we're looking at Calvin Ridley's insane production right now and thinking "why isn't DJ Moore out there doing that?" And many would point to his touchdown against the Falcons as evidence he needs more starting time.

Sure, he definitely deserves more looks. But I doubt he'll be at Ridley's level yet.

Once more, it's been clear that DJ Moore's release needs refinement. That's partly why playing him at outside WR isn't as great of an idea just yet. His low production in the preseason is just evidence of how he needs to improvise his route tree.

However, he certainly can get more involved. His YAC ability can be utilized, and I expect Norv to come up with ideas on that. Some ideas I personally would like seeing in action is utilizing him against a bunch of zone looks and scheming him in space through the slot. He can turn short-intermediate targets into money and I hope the Panthers tap into that.

As for Curtis Samuel, he's literally a game-changer. I think he alone opens up a whole new volume in Norv Turner's playbook. Putting him, Moore, and CMC on the field at the same time on misdirection and option looks would be straight filthy. Motion sweeps with Samuel alongside CMC and Moore will keep defenses on their toes.

And that's just with him as a gadget player. Only 0.0001% of the potential he brings on offense.

As a receiver, he could honestly take over as our #1. Put him against press and his good release will leave corners in the dust. His ability to, well, "crossover" cornerbacks  is fantastic. In essence, a WR release is honestly just a crossover. Juke out the defender, stack him, and separate. 

His cuts are insanely good and efficient. He never loses speed when he's cutting and knows how to attain separation and run routes precisely. Plus, given his preseason performance, he looks to have dramatically improved his hands tenfold. With his already stellar history of being a tough player with grabs and holding onto the ball, already fixing up his weakness at catching outside his frame would make him the most complete WR on the roster by far. 

And, he can certainly be used as a deep threat. He's got fantastic speed and separation abilities like no other WR on this roster. I am by far the most ecstatic about this receiver.

Norv shows he understands that by saying "he is going to make plays for us." That shows confidence and acknowledgement that Samuel is really good and needs far more snaps on offense.

And finally, his best quote:

Quote

“Good teams continue to improve every time they play,” Turner said. “You shouldn’t play your best game until December or, hopefully, January.”

This is crucial. Right now, we have the Rams and Chiefs playing their best September football. They're getting all the hype, love, and affection right now for blowing out of the gates on their 4-0 starts. However, the honeymoon will soon have to end, and the real contenders will start coming forward.

I love this quote by Norv. He acknowledges the Panthers have to be patient. Sure, we may not be the most shocking and electric team in September. That's expected. Football is just getting started.

However, the idea is to improve each and every week. Down the stretch, the real games start mid-season and towards the end, when the playoff pictures becomes more clear. As you all remember, plenty of teams in 2015 had started off 5-0, but soon started fizzling out to leave the Panthers as the sole team with an undefeated record up until they were 14-0. The Falcons were considered a contender above us, yet fizzled out. In 2017, the Chiefs were starting off hot as well, but fizzled out once teams adjusted.

The key idea is that sure, electrifying starts sound fun and look great. However, the best teams adjust and continually improve until they become a wrecking ball when it counts. 

And that's what Norv is looking for.

This is great.

[BigSyke]

Panthers have traditionally been great in December with a record of around 22-7 under Rivera/Cam.

[TheSpecialJuan]

Thanks sucker, I mean Saca

[JARROD]

Anyone remember the Bills going 5-0 one year then losing all the rest?

the best teams win games for sure during the year, they have to win but they peak going into the playoffs

a lot of teams look great in season and peak in the middle but then fall apart by the playoffs.

 

[yayfootball]

29 minutes ago, Saca312 said:

Once more, it's been clear that DJ Moore's release needs refinement. That's partly why playing him at outside WR isn't as great of an idea just yet. His low production in the preseason is just evidence of how he needs to improvise his route tree.

However, he certainly can get more involved. His YAC ability can be utilized, and I expect Norv to come up with ideas on that. Some ideas I personally would like seeing in action is utilizing him against a bunch of zone looks and scheming him in space through the slot. He can turn short-intermediate targets into money and I hope the Panthers tap into that.

Agreed. Moore clearly needs to improve his route-running, but there are ways in which he can contribute immediately. The key, I think, is to find ways to get him more short-intermediate targets and less behind-the-LOS targets. Including preseason, Moore has gotten the ball in his hands 8 times on offense. Four of those came behind the line of scrimmage, and the best gain was 7 yards. Of the four that were beyond the LOS, the worst gain was 16 yards. Because of his YAC ability and because screens are easy, we seem to be content so far in the regular season to mostly use him on screens, but where we'll see the real big YAC is if we can get him the ball beyond the first level of defenders.

Also really excited to see what Curtis Samuel does. Last year he looked like a really fast guy who was playing receiver in the NFL. In the preseason he looked like an NFL wide receiver who also happened to be really fast. If he brings that to the regular season, this Panthers offense could be special.

[KB_fan]

Just one minor quibble. Norv misspelled February. It's F- E- B -R uary not JANuary 

[Mage]

3 minutes ago, KB_fan said:

Just one minor quibble. Norv misspelled February. It's F- E- B -R uary not JANuary 

Probably because you aren't going to make it to February if you aren't playing your best football by January. 

[Hotsauce]

I can’t help to think of DJ Moore turning into Dwayne Jarrett. 

Dumb thought I know, but it’s in the back of my mind. 

[Davidson Deac II]

Not worried about Moore at this point.  If he has the talent and work ethic, success will come.

[UpstatePanther]

I love having a real offensive coordinator

[KillerKat]

What a moron. Everyone knows you're supposed to do the samething over again and never change anything. 

[Joe the Show]

I seem to recall previous seasons where the chiefs started out looking like sure-fire Superbowl champs.  Then Andy Reid gets too much nacho cheese on his play sheet and they fall apart.

[Salisburysean98]

3 hours ago, JARROD said:

Anyone remember the Bills going 5-0 one year then losing all the rest?

the best teams win games for sure during the year, they have to win but they peak going into the playoffs

a lot of teams look great in season and peak in the middle but then fall apart by the playoffs.

 

This ^ Everyone loves the Rams but what happens when some team shuts Todd Gurley down and Goff has to sling it 50 times in a game? They'll probably lose, the Chiefs don't have a good Defense but I think they'll be super tough come playoff time assuming they stay relatively healthy, and there is plenty of time for that Defense to get better. Mahomes is going to be like stopping Russell Wilson earlier in his Career when he won a SB. It'll be tough but this Chiefs team is no legion of boom, I suspect they'll go down to the Patriots or Jaguars. Jags dont have much in Bortles but the AFC is always super soft, defensively it's just not there for any other team to stop that run game. People are sleeping on the Bears though, I wouldn't be surprised at all if they won the NFC north but if a defensively sound team shuts their run game down they're kind of in the same boat as the Rams. Trubisky can be erratic.

[ZoneRead]

3 hours ago, Hotsauce said:

I can’t help to think of DJ Moore turning into Dwayne Jarrett. 

Dumb thought I know, but it’s in the back of my mind. 

I disagree with that  DJ Moore has potential he just needs time.