Firstdayfan's Fanfest Observations...

[firstdayfan]

Just made it home from charlotte (had to visit some family) so it's super late but I want to write everything down before I forget what I saw. I didn't necessarily agree with everthing that's been said but I'll get to that as it comes. I'll do a summary of each position and then give you my MVP of Fan Fest at the end. Here we go:

Quarterbacks:

Just for starters Matt Moore definitely has a swagger about him this year...this is HIS team and contrary to national media and a few JC fans this is not a competition for the starting job. Jimmy is at least one year away from being capable to take over as a starter. He can definitely make the throws (the comments about his arm strength are ridiculous) and has a nice zip on the ball as so many have said to this point. He has a short delivery and gets the ball out fast. Cantwell definitely has the best arm and looked very poised for the most part. Clausen did put one on the money during the 7 on 7 to Gettis but outside of that he seemed very hesitant to make any deep throws. My guess is that they aren't giving him very many plays to work with and I think the defense knows that. Either way I feel like he has the tools but is a year away from truly getting the offense down. Moore was decent but the entire offense was bad and it's not really fair to pin it on him. The almost pick that he threw was a bad pass but he was just trying to throw it, I know he wouldn't have done that in a game. He was very frusturated with the offensive line and the offense in general, we could hear him yelling all the way across the field...he's got a little Jake attitude in him which is good.

Offensive line:

This was the most disappointing part of fan fest for me bc the oline didn't show up today. I know all the chicken little's out there will freak out but honestly they just weren't "clicking" but it is still basically the same line that dominated the Giants and Vikings last year so I'm not too worried. Garry Williams was out so that hurt the depth at left tackle which may be why a lot of pressure came from that side.

Wide Receivers:

Again, the comment about Jarrett not being able to catch is obsurd...I never saw him drop one but I could have missed it. It wasn't that bad. I was really impressed with Wright, Lafell, and Gettis. Gettis hasn't got a lot of attention but really looked good out there and Lafell was catching it very well during warmups (I just want to see him catch the ball, that's it) and Wright made a play or two when the rest of the offense didn't seem to want to. Nothing much from Armanti (I'll talk more about him later) and Jarrett was Jarrett, not great, not terrible, just Jarrett. Oh and Moore is taking a beating for the "dropped" pass. It went over his head and is the most difficult catch in football to make (over the outside shoulder). It would have been a spectacular catch but it wasn't as "catchable" as people make it out to be.

Tightends:

The most dominant part of the offense today. Every Gantt tweat about throwing more to them and less to the WR's was true. All three made great catches and big plays, especially on the final drive.

Runningbacks:

With Stewart, Sutton, and Goodson out there wasn't much to see. I will say that it seems like Fiammetta has definitely worked on his hands out of the backfield. Last year they resembled bricks, now its more like a bag of sand.

Offense:

The stories are true...the offense was out of sync and didn't impress. Probably the worst showing I've seen at fan fest, BUT with all the reports that the offense has actually been good at camp I'm willing to give them a pass. I think the defense was much more fired up today and I think they threw a lot more blitzes the offense's way. They may struggle during preseason but I feel like when Smitty, Otah, and Stewart are back it will be a different story.

Defensive Line:

Wow. What can I say? Just stand up...clap and realize that we aren't going to miss Peppers, Kemo, and Lewis as much as people think. First off the DT's were as solid as I've seen. Even with Landri in with the first team. They did a lot of rotating so it was hard to keep up but I thought Leonard was SOLID and got some good pressure several times. Tank was a tank and Johnson held up well at the point of attack. Even Irvin made a few plays and got in the backfield. The DT's were excellent but overshadowed by the dominant play of the ends...especially Hardy. Yup, he's as good as advertised. Everette Brown is noticably bigger and looked quick but I didn't notice too much from him. Brayton and Johnson were incredibly active and got pressure on the QB. But there is one more guy who deserves a ton of credit but I will wait to name him later.

Linebackers:

Beason was excellent and really flows to the ball well at the WLB position...only problem is that Connor was already tackling the ball carrier before Beason could get there. Connor looks very comfortable in the middle and I could see him with 85-90 tackles this year (would be more but he won't play in the nickel). Anderson made some plays as well and Culberson had the stop on Dwill. Overall a solid effort.

Secondary:

It was hard to evaluate them because of the lack of throws but I have to say that CJ Wilson had a good day as he broke up several passes. Munnerlyn also had a few solid plays. Hudson made some tackles and while Pugh muffed one tackle attempt he did come up and help in the run several times. One thing I noticed was that it appeared that Godfrey was playing "free" and Martin was playing "strong". As soon as the ball was snapped Martin went to the line of scrimmage and Godfrey dropped back in his cover 1. That could change but that's what I noticed.

Defense:

They were absolutely fired up today and they dominated the scrimmage from start to finish. They pressure all the QB's the entire time and no big plays were made against them (although Moore was wide open). I feel much better about the defense and I really feel like they brought the heat on the offense. It almost seemed personal...it was impressive to watch.

Special Teams:

It seems as if only three guys are in the punt return race and those guys are Edwards, Munnerlyn, and Moore. Edwards muffed one or two in the early stages of practice but fielded them cleanly later. One thing I noticed was that he has trouble judging the ball in the air. There were a few times he had to adjust at the last second which slowed him down. Moore looked the best and most natural. Carter's kickoff's were decent but nothing even close to Lloyd, and he is a terrible field goal kicker...you could easily tell the differnce between him and Kasay. Baker was solid.

Injuries:

None that I saw. Most of the guys who are "injured" were there with the exception of Otah (anyone see him?). They all seemed ok nobody was in any big cast or anything. I don't even think Goodson had the boot on.

Side Notes:

-During warmups for the big boys (OL, DL) Jordan Gross starting jumping up and down and really getting the crowd fired up. He was really acting crazy but it was good to see that from a leader. Although, I wished the rest of the Oline had played with that type of intensity during the scrimmage.

-After practice Hardy was in Baker's ear about how to improve himself. I couldn't believe a kid who has the "reputation" of not being a hard worker was listening to coaching advice after practice...and he was REALLY listening. Not just nodding his head.

-Smitty was involved on the sidelines throughout practice and he really seems like he enjoys being the heart and soul of the team.

MVP:

Wow, you didn't think I would forget to mention this guy did you? Eric Norwood is a flat out beast!!! The kid never stopped running and he was in on every single tackle. He lined up at 'backer and end, but the best part was watching him come off the end and wreak havoc on the QB's. It was amazing to watch and there is no doubt in my mind that this kid has the potential to put up 7-8 sacks this year...easy. He just completely blew me away.

[Beason n Smitty beaston]

good stuff man!!! thanks for all ur work...im in the chicago area which sux cuz bears fans are sucking cutler and peppers dick hard..but norwood i have a feeling is gonna have a brian orakpo season if not better..hes a different type of player than wat the panthers are used to. our defense will be better and the offense will be fine cuz we do have the best rb tandem and smitty and qb who checks down 2 whoever is open so the sky is the limit.

[SorthNarolina]

Was Norwood actually lined up at DE or was he just a OLB on the LOS?

I'm kind of interested to see what they are planning with him.

[tukafan21]

I'm starting to wonder if our best LB combination might be Beason - Connor - Norwood. I loved the pic when we made it, couldn't believe he fell that far in the draft after such a great college career. Even if that doesn't happen this year with Norwood, I think that could be the LB unit of the future.

[pantherclaw]

Good stuff.

I recall advising many fellow huddles that there wasn't as much to be concerned on the defense as there is on offense.

Of course its very early. Many offensive starters arnt even getting in practice.

This tells me not to expect the offense to start the season playing well. If fact, it could end up being our defense could end up carrying the team until the offense gels.

Fox always has been, always will be a coach who stresses good defense. I expect a defense in the top half of the league. Top 10 even.

As our offense gets their starters back, and moore gets more time with the receivers and tight ends. The offense will come along, and hopefully be balanced enough to be considered dangerous.

Still haven't even pllayed a game yet, and another month before week one. I pray our guys get and remain healthy, and continue to improve.

[firstdayfan]

Was Norwood actually lined up at DE or was he just a OLB on the LOS?

I'm kind of interested to see what they are planning with him.

Yup..."his hand was in the dirt" as John Fox would say.

One other thing about the offense was that in one three receiver set I saw it was Moore split to the left and lafell and jarrett to the right. Read into that whatever you want. Also...in regards to the offense's poor showing I did read a quote from beason that said that he had been upset that the offense had busted some big plays on them in camp and was proud that the defenae dominated the way it did today. I think the defense emulated it's leader and was hella fired up while the offense was just "going through the motions".

[Jpjr]

When Moore's production sucks, he never gets blamed on here we just say what a great job the defense did. Then we justify it further by saying how much better he is then the other QBs based on non-production factors like "poise" and "command of the offense".

Are we going to say what a great job the other team's defense did during the regular season if this keeps up?

Dude had a bad scrimmage. Plenty of time to fix it and have a great season. Just sayin'...

[firstdayfan]

Yeah man. I think I said that exact thing. That the offense had been playing well at camp and just seemed off today. He did have a bad day...but I think that's it. Some people just want him to fail and I don't understand why? None of the QB's looked good today...or the WR's...or the OL. Which makes me think it wasn't just one person but the whole group was just "off".

[JWill_90]

Good stuff. I am very excited about Connor playing MLB this season. I think our LBs are going to anchor a tough defense to beat.

[Jpjr]

Yeah man. I think I said that exact thing. That the offense had been playing well at camp and just seemed off today. He did have a bad day...but I think that's it. Some people just want him to fail and I don't understand why? None of the QB's looked good today...or the WR's...or the OL. Which makes me think it wasn't just one person but the whole group was just "off".

I am a Clausen fan but have said time and again it is Moore's job to lose. He deserves to start this season and would have to play pretty poorly to get yanked. That said, if Clausen was 4-9 with 26 yards playing with the starters yesterday there would have been an entirely different response. The truth is that the offense had a bad day but Moore was a part of that. Now it's time to fix it ahead of next week!

[Achilles]

Wow...for the first time in a long time I'm stoked about our d-line situation! I like what I am hearing about Leonard, Hardy, and Norwood. This is something that I've read in nearly every fan day recap. I'll be watching these guys and the TEs in the Balt game.

In a way, I'm not as worried about the offense as I was the defense. Not that I thought the loss of Peppers alone would sink the team, but I thought inexperience at safety and DE would be a setback. Sounds like they are up to speed, which really surprises me. Maybe Baker is just that awesome of a coach...

I feel like the offense really should be working toward bringing it all together in that 3rd pre-season game, if the first team can't get it together by then, I'll be worried.

Looks like WR is currently our biggest weakness.

firstdayfun, your post has some great detail...thanks.

[firstdayfan]

I am a Clausen fan but have said time and again it is Moore's job to lose. He deserves to start this season and would have to play pretty poorly to get yanked. That said, if Clausen was 4-9 with 26 yards playing with the starters yesterday there would have been an entirely different response. The truth is that the offense had a bad day but Moore was a part of that. Now it's time to fix it ahead of next week!

Well he may be much better in camp but clausen looked very timid out there. He did say that he was nervous but I just don't see it happening. He does have a good arm and is pretty accurate...I also like his command at the line of scrimmage. He was barking out calls that could be heard all the way across the stadium.

[JungleCat]

Gettis hasn't got a lot of attention but really looked good out there...

Yeah, I was wondering why we haven't heard much about this guy. Nice write-up.

[gmonet]

Well he may be much better in camp but clausen looked very timid out there. He did say that he was nervous but I just don't see it happening. He does have a good arm and is pretty accurate...I also like his command at the line of scrimmage. He was barking out calls that could be heard all the way across the stadium.

I am not sure if Clausen has been advised to tone down the idol-ness a bit. I do know some have said he was in a discussion with one vet who told him that rookies "...should savor the moment, but vets focus on the moment." He did not seem into the autographing at BOA during FF, and was certainly more to himself on the sidelines. I still think he's a gem in the rough and wel'll benefit from having him.

BTW...Vaughn is quite good. I hope he makes it.