This Was Always Going to Happen???

[mc52beast]

Remember going back to training camp how everyone thought the defense would be our strong point... 

[SetfreexX]

2 hours ago, Leeroy Jenkins Ph.D. said:

I have seen a number of plays where Poe is completely blocked out of his gap assignment.  I'm not expecting QB pressure or even penetration,  but dont get moved out of your running lane.  That is legitimately your only job.

Then you have also seen plays where he ties up two defenders as well. That is his job, if he's being blocked by two and out of a gap that is one less blocker to get a body on a LB, you need to ask who's filling that running lane. 

Just on memory if you think about it the cut back lanes are not on the DL, there should be a force defender to sill whether its a CB, LB, or S depending on personnel, we have been VERY poor in the 2nd level regarding two things...

1) Gap integrity, and over pursuit, aka not doing your job

2) Missed tackles, at or around the LOS 

[Icege]

This is a combination of the dreadful 2016 offseason, which despite being an advocate of the Gettleman regime will admit that the moves he made there alone were fireable. The team was expected to repeat with nothing restocked from 2015, Matt Kalil being signed due to Michael Oher's concussion issues, and then the JNo debacle plus the subsequent effects on the draft. When looking back over that entire draft class, best case scenario for the Panthers is that we draft Byard, Ngakoue, or Nassib (I was partial to Shon Coleman) and Bradberry is still there where we picked Worley. Zack Sanchez, best case scenario, would have turned into some other future journeyman at another position. We would have never drafted Tyreek Hill, weren't in the market for RBs, and could have maybe landed Spencer Drango when we already had Norwell + Turner. All in all... as bad as the draft looks on paper, there really wasn't a whole lot of talent that year. To have missed on a 1st round prospect though in a shallow draft... ugh, which segues too...

We have the scarce yet large investments made at DL with Ealy, Butler, and Hall who all end up not working out. Now, we're old and thin at the position while our DB group is still in rebuild mode with needs at nickel and eternal needs at the safety positions. Maybe we get lucky and sign Eric Reid on the cheap and/or Gaulden develops (though I'm currently starting to think that won't be the case, but he's just a rookie so I'm patient).

Then we have a coaching staff built thru the good ole boy system, where guys like Richard Rogers are protected despite appearing to have contributed little to nothing and worse options like Shula are even clung to.

Finally, we have a coach that wants to keep games close where they can be decided by a field goal and his kicker has the yips... Rather than adjusting to allow his new and improved offense to run the score up and allow his struggling defense to play bend but don't break (where opponents might move the ball and score as well, but hopefully when it gets into the redzone the rate of turnovers created greatly increases).

It's an absolute culmination of things, some that some we expected (DB),  some where we were concerned (DL),  and others that we have known (coaching).

 

[-13 Amp-]

we havent had that same attitude since 2015...i donno if the team has recovered from that and then opening week 1 in denver and Cam getting beat to death...Gano hits that FG, i donno if they spiral out the way they have and look....mediocre...

the have fun attitude we had in 2015 is what we gave to the NFL, look at all the teams doing pretend team photos during games and dancing every chance they get...what happened to us?

Philly had that swag last year, won the SB, ATL had attitude in 2016, made the Super Bowl...the Saints have in in spades this season...they look to be headed that way too

we need that attitude back

[Riverboat Ron]

I don't understand why a GM just doesn't draft All-pros with every pick?