2018 Hangover

[Moo Daeng]

17 minutes ago, LinvilleGorge said:

Honestly, I was more hopeful at this time last year. We were finding ways to win games despite the fact that we really weren't playing all that well. I was hoping things would click and we'd really take off when things started clicking. Instead, the Steelers game happened and TJ Watt knocked Cam's shoulder off ensuring our doom.

This year, things really couldn't be going any better over the last 4 games. Forcing 14 turnovers. +9 turnover differential. Leading the NFL in sacks. 2nd in the NFL in INTs. Throwing 0 INTs over the last 9 games. CMC leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage and 20 yards per game ahead of 2nd place. Rookie 6th rounder playing like an All-Pro LT.

It just seems too good to be true. It's not sustainable. I just hope that we can sustain the winning when some of those things start hedging back toward the median.

The defense has a lot of room to improve. Other than sacks it's been mediocre on the whole. 

[Mr. Scot]

It's a fair point that people sometimes look at highlight reel plays like sacks and interceptions but don't judge the defense as a whole. Points allowed is probably a more true indicator.

[pantherj]

Well I know that you hate the Ron and Marty combination, and you thought and probably still think Marty is a bad GM, so it makes sense that you might think the bottom is about to drop out for this team. I think Marty is a good GM and he needed time to fix Gettleman running this franchise into the ground with terrible draft picks and free agent disasters. Now we have plenty of Marty's pieces in place and you see the results, but you might still have doubts like any fan.

In any season you play top tier, middle tier, and bottom tier teams. I trust that this team can beat bottom tier teams now, and win more than we lose against middle tier teams, and steal a few close ones against top tier teams. That's really all you need to make the playoffs in most cases, and anything can happen in the playoffs. So we appear to be in a great situation.

My main fear is the injury bug, and the cap space we lost due to Gettleman's Matt Kalil disaster, and he will hit our cap again in 2020. KK is out for the season, and he is an expensive loss to boot. Think about what Marty could do with the lost Matt Kalil money, but that's water under the bridge. My main worry is further injuries, and the Saints uncanny ability to stay healthy overall. If the Saints start losing key pieces we can take the South. If we continue to get our ass kicked by the injury bug then we'll be lucky to even make the playoffs.

Fear of a total collapse? Sure. Cam could come out against SF and start throwing picks and dead ducks all over the place and start us on a losing streak. This could all fall apart due to Cam in a heartbeat. Is Cam going to be Superman or Bizarro? Who the hell knows? If we knew it wouldn't be as much fun.

 

[Snake]

There needs to be improvements on both sides but with Allen in as QB you just get a more consistent player than you did with Cam. The defense also knows this. Many times in the past we were either boom or bust with Cam. Either he passes for 2 TDs rushes for 2 or he throws 3 ints and everything gets stuffed. Now the defense knows it's on them to get Allen the ball in good field position. Allen knows he needs to get the ball out quickly, and CMC knows he needs to make plays. 

[1of10Charnatives]

1 hour ago, Mr. Scot said:

In my time, I have seen a lot of teams fall off after hot starts, not just the Panthers.

Tell us Mr. Scot, what was it like with the leather helmets?

*ducks*

[Malt Liquor]

I agree 100 percent. With Cam you don't know what you are getting. You might get superman or a juggs machine with a bad motor. 

[Jon Snow]

I never get my hopes up with this team.  You only set yourself up for disappointment.  If they have a good season then great, if not, well it is what it is.  I don't drink the Kool-Aid or fall for the hype.  I just watch the games and hope for the best.

[1of10Charnatives]

26 minutes ago, pantherj said:

Fear of a total collapse? Sure. Cam could come out against SF and start throwing picks and dead ducks all over the place and start us on a losing streak. This could all fall apart due to Cam in a heartbeat. Is Cam going to be Superman or Bizarro? Who the hell knows? If we knew it wouldn't be as much fun.

 

I can live with the monotony of a healthy Cam shredding other teams week after week. I’m a team player. I would make that sacrifice.

[outlaw4]

My biggest fear is that our team - regardless of who's our QB - is going to look worse coming off the bye. Just a nagging feeling that Ron will not have the team ready and the 49ers will give us the Steelers treatment to where we can never full recover.

[Forty-Eight]

Toughest team left on our schedule is New Orleans and I believe that we will definitely split it. 
 

SF and Jimmy G will come back down to Earth after next weekend. Our guys will be rested and more healthy with almost two weeks to game plan for them. 
 

Ron always coach well vs Rodgers and the Packers. I think we put a beat down on them early. It’ll be one of those games where Rodgers will come back late in the 4th. But i like our defense a whole lot. Lots of sacks and multiple picks.
 

Tennessee, Atlanta and Washington should be all wins. 
 

And I think we beat both Seattle and Indy. 

[DeAngelo Beason]

11 hours ago, Mr. Scot said:

I'm not generally a guy who gets my hopes up anyway. I always try to be measured and not set my expectations too high too early.

Granted, sometimes that's not easy.

Last year was one of those years. I was pretty happy with the early season results. Admittedly, there was this nagging little thought in the back of my head that maybe we were a house of cards, but I kinda hoped I was just being paranoid.

Then came the week that reality (or was it the Steelers) walked up and slapped us in the face.

You know the rest.

Fast forward to this year. As usual I'm trying to be cautious, but there are also a lot of things to like about how the team is looking right now. Rationally speaking, I know we're still in the easy part of our schedule and that it gets tougher from here.

And that's where the memory of last year creeps in.

To be clear, it's not a particular factor or a certain area of the team that I worry about. Honestly, it's probably not even a rational thing. It's just the memory of how quickly last year went from the penthouse to the outhouse and sincerely not wanting to see that happen again.

So I'm curious now as to whether anybody else is thinking about it. Are you fully hyped up again, all systems go on your optimism, ready to take on the world and come out victorious?

Or is there that nagging doubt that we could get smacked in the face and fall back to Earth again?

I generally remain firmly on the side of pessimism when it comes to my beloved Panthers.  It seems the only time you can expect greatness out of them is when they have, by all logic, very little chance of being great.  Going into this season they looked great on paper, so naturally, I was, and remain doubtful that we can keep pace... even with "healthy" Cam.  I'm just trying to enjoy the wins while I can, and see some fresh faces (particularly on defense) put up some good performances.

If this season winds up being magical, you can count me among those very surprised by it.

[musicman]

If we survived all those injuries, didn't play our best and won 4 in a row and in reality could be 6-0. We should have beat the Rams and Bucs. The only game that was a real test was the Texans and maybe the Jags (but they're starting to fade). SF will be a test and I hope it's Allen at QB only to not throw Cam out against them his 1st game. Maybe he starts the Titans game as a step up to getting back in, not jumping into the fire in SF. We've got depth and guys are playing really good. Stay healthy and we could go deep into the playoffs. 

[raz]

how the hell did we get a schedule this tough?   its a tough tough schedule.  texans and jags were no joke.   neither are the bucs and it just seems to be getting harder.   yeah the bucs and jags may not be real good, but they're like we have been a few years when we weren't real good, you're gonna be beat up after you play them.  if we make it to the playoffs we're def gonna be a battle tested team and i'm gonna be really impressed.   i think we have a chance to win every week, a chance.  that's where i'm at.   didn't think it would be this way with a udfa playing qb and i couldn't be happier about that.

[Mr. Scot]

10 hours ago, 1of10Charnatives said:

Tell us Mr. Scot, what was it like with the leather helmets?

*ducks*