Moving on...the Saints***

[CRA]

I know it won't sound popular....but I think Martin should have a bigger roll this week. Have Luke on Graham with Martin over the top of it....

[CRA]

JA guards TE's in our base package, and Godfrey guards them when we're in our nickel package, so no, Kuechly won't be on Graham.

Not that I think this is the best matchup, it's just how it is, when we play man.

With Luke and Thomas Davis......JA shouldn't see the field in our nickel packages.

[pantherj]

The Saints* have the size and speed on offense to exploit our aimless defense. They'll spread us out and get the matchups they want. I expect Graham to have a monster game, and the Saints* will run a lot of screen plays if we try to bring pressure. Interesting enough, I think Dwan Edwards might have a big game getting pressure up the middle, and he might get a sack or 2 on Brees.

Our only chance of staying in this game is to establish the running game early, and stick with it. We didn't have the power to run on the Bucs, they simply dominatied the los and made running impossible, but the Saints* are not that type of team. A heathly dose of Williams, Stewart, and our bizzare FA pickup Tolbert should be able to keep us in the game.

[CRA]

The Saints** have the size and speed on offense to exploit our aimless defense. They'll spread us out and get the matchups they want. I expect Graham to have a monster game, and the Saints** will run a lot of screen plays if we try to bring pressure. Interesting enough, I think Dwan Edwards might have a big game getting pressure up the middle, and he might get a sack or 2 on Brees.

Our only chance of staying in this game is to establish the running game early, and stick with it. We didn't have the power to run on the Bucs, they simply dominatied the los and made running impossible, but the Saints** are not that type of team. A heathly dose of Williams, Stewart, and our bizzare FA pickup Tolbert should be able to keep us in the game.

In a ideal world, TD gets more reps against the Sainys than your typical game. I'd love for TD to be a spy of sorts on Sproles and take those garbage throws to the flat away. Gamble on Colston....have S help on Graham all game. make someone else beat us

[pantherj]

In a ideal world, TD gets more reps against the Sainys than your typical game. I'd love for TD to be a spy of sorts on Sproles and take those garbage throws to the flat away. Gamble on Colston....have S help on Graham all game. make someone else beat us

TD needs to be on the field as much as possible. We need to get as physical as possible with the Saints* recievers, go for stripping the ball after the catch, try for big hits, do anything possible to generate a turnover. Our CB Norman has good technique in going for the strip while also making a secure tackle. He might cause a fumble in this game.

[CRA]

TD needs to be on the field as much as possible. We need to get as physical as possible with the Saints** recievers, go for stripping the ball after the catch, try for big hits, do anything possible to generate a turnover. Our CB Norman has good technique in going for the strip while also making a secure tackle. He might cause a fumble in this game.

I think we just need to make Brees gamble and air it out.....as great as he is, he as that Cam quality to him. Will try to do too much if you take his go to stuff away.

[MaineManPanther]

JA guards TE's in our base package, and Godfrey guards them when we're in our nickel package, so no, Kuechly won't be on Graham.

Not that I think this is the best matchup, it's just how it is, when we play man.

At this point it is.

Anderson has always been a good coverage linebacker, and I don't think it would be wise to put Luke in only his second game, up agiasnt two of the best players in the league in Bree's and Graham.

Tampa game showed this, Anderson gave up only eleven yards while Luke 30. And that was only on three throws. A pass oriented offence with such a great Te-Qb combo could do a lot more damage.

[BigFan12]

Vikings and Redskins O-lines allowed just 2 total pressures each in Wk 1. Steelers OL allowed 22 to lead NFL.

Pretty impressive stat but the Saints** dont have much of a pass rush. I think Carolina can control the line and

give Cam the time he needs. Panthers need to run, alot. Also get their playmakers the ball in space. Saints** are

shitty tacklers so screens and quick hitters could lead to long gainers. Yo Cam, not every pass needs to be down

field buddy.

Gamble on Colston, blanket Graham with a linebacker/safety and force Brees to beat you with Moore

and whoever is Henderson's backup. IDK if Henderson will be healthy this week. I haven't heard anything.

From PFF:

The Redskins’ offensive line had a great day in pass protection and kept RGIII clean in the pocket, allowing only eight pressures. However, they were largely manhandled by the Saints’ front seven in the run game. So much so, that despite all five lineman gaining positive pass blocking grades, only left tackle Trent Williams and center Will Montgomery graded positively overall. While those two spots are clear strengths for Washington, the rest of the line is much shakier. Chris Chester and Tyler Polumbus had trouble against the left side of the Saints’ line and Kory Lichtensteiger was tormented by the stout Broderick Bunkley.

As will be mentioned later, the Saints* have some dominating run defenders on that defensive line while lacking truly explosive pass rushers, so we may not be able to read too much into this display just yet. But it’s something to monitor as the season goes on.

New Orleans – Three Performances of Note

Improved Run D

While New Orleans fans won’t be happy with the outcome against the Redskins, the Saints’ performance in run defense might be a small consolation. Perhaps motivated by Ryan Kerrigan’s strong day, second-year defensive end Cam Jordan followed up his strong rookie campaign with a +6.8 grade in run defense. Primarily working against Polumbus (-6.9 run block), Jordan totaled a mammoth nine stops in 41 run snaps, good for a 22% Run Stop Percentage. He generally overwhelmed Polumbus and any tight end that attempted to block him in the run game.

In the middle of the defense, newcomers Brodrick Bunkley and Curtis Lofton each made sure their presence was felt. Lining up almost exclusively at DRT, Bunkley dominated Redskins left guard Lichtensteiger and made four stops while constantly standing up or pushing offensive players into the backfield. Meanwhile, Lofton showed Saints* fans something they haven’t seen in a while; a linebacker who could get off blocks.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2012/09/10/re-focused-redskins-Saints*-week-1/

[Match.com]

yeah, I don't think we are ready for the Saints* based on last weeks outing.

[BigFan12]

PFF Writeup from our game

In a game that most expected Carolina to win, it seemed some of the Panther coaches had forgotten there had been an offseason and this wasn’t the end-of-season-2011 Buccaneers they were facing. They came to Florida with a new, aggressive offensive philosophy, neglected what they’d done well last year and failed to adjust when things didn’t go to plan.

Behind one of the best run blocking lines in the league, they went to three wide receiver sets on 75% of their plays (last year they averaged 44%) and ran half of DeAngelo Williams’ ridiculous six rushing attempts from that package. In what at times looked like an effort to pad offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinki’s resume, they even lined-up Jordan Gross at WR for a snap; a two-yard “A” gap run on 1st-and-10.

While the Panthers need to regroup quickly, Tampa Bay don’t have time to dwell on what was clearly a massive upgrade on both sides of the ball. They travel to a chastened Giants team that will not forgo what are still some glaring weaknesses in their pass coverage. The good news is, though, that while offensively conservative, there were still plenty of positives to improve on.

Carolina – Three Performances of Note

Passing Fancy

At times it looked like Carolina had determined that with Cam Newton (+0.1) at the helm they could immediately morph into the Al Davis’ Raiders. Passing deep (20+ yards) on 24% of throws was more, on average, than any QB attempted last year, and certainly not very successful. Throwing mostly post and go routes against the Buccaneer cornerbacks, Newton eschewed the vulnerable short middle of the field where rookies Lavonte David and Mark Barron were suffering growing pains;  for example on the second offensive play of the game when Barron completely lost Greg Olsen.

Newton threw some excellent balls (like the beauty to Brandon LaFell with 13:21 gone in the fourth) and had lots of help from the mercurial Steve Smith (+3.4) but it was too little, too late, and if he’s to be consistently successful he’ll need help from his coaches in developing a better gameplan than this one.

Guards, Guards

While neither Amini Silatolu (-2.2) nor veteran Geoff Hangartner (-3.2) were completely awful, they will certainly need to improve on their performances in this game. Rookie left guard Silatolu had played well in preseason but when the real action started he looked stretched. He was penalized for a false start and a hold that negated a 14-yard run by Newton. He also gave up a sack, a hit and two hurries in pass protection. Unfortunately for the Panthers, right guard Hangartner was worse. He was bullied by Gerald McCoy, allowed three hurries and a hit, and also had a false start. Take a look at the way Roy Miller gets him moving back and across with 12:54 left in the fourth, and makes the tackle for a two-yard loss.

Miracle Man

I could dwell on the rather inauspicious debut of first-round pick Luke Kuechly (-3.9) here, but would much prefer to leave the Carolina section of this article with one of the feel good stories of the year. Returning from three ACL tears in three years is unprecedented, but for Thomas Davis (+1.2) to then play at such a high level is unbelievable. He was only on defense for 12 plays, rotating snaps in nickel with James Anderson and Kuechly, but he made his mark with back-to-back plays toward the end of the second quarter. Firstly, (4:26 left) he was too quick for Jeremy Zuttah and got across to nail Doug Martin for no gain on 2nd-and-1 at the Panther 1-yard line. On the next play, he spotted Erik Lorig open at the two and made good ground to bring down the fullback for a loss.

If this continues his play may demand more than 18% of snaps in the coming weeks.

Tampa Bay – Three Performances of Note

Safety First

It wasn’t so much what Josh Freeman (+5.5) did do in this game that mattered; it was what he didn’t do, and that was to make any mistakes. You can argue he was responsible for the Dwan Edwards sack he stepped into, but what other errors did he make? Of his 21 aimed passes he completed 16, with one drop. He ran effectively and picked up three first downs with his feet. A stat line of 138 yards passing and a touchdown isn’t going to set too many tongues wagging, but this was a high quality display that showed significantly improved maturity.

Guards, Guards Redux

Tampa Bay has the No.1 and No.4 highest paid guards in the NFL. They have a remarkable 18.2% of their salary cap tied up in these two players. While RG, Davin Joseph is unfortunately injured and out for the year, it was time to see how their investment in free agent LG, Carl Nicks had worked out. Although he wasn’t perfect, he had a good day (+1.7) that included moments of domination–such as the way he pushed back Dwan Edwards with 5:11 gone in the third. He gave up a hit, hurry and missed a screen block, but generally looked as advertised if not as valued.

The value judgment is always difficult, but at $9M-a-year less than Joseph it was hard to believe that $0.5M replacement RG, Ted Larsen played much worse than his wealthier colleague may have. His grade (-0.8) was hardly outstanding, but when you realize Joseph has averaged -9.8 over the past four years it puts things in perspective.

Mister Direct

If what we saw in the preseason is anything to go by, halfback Doug Martin (+1.1) looks an exciting prospect. Here? Well exciting wasn’t the first word to my lips. Workman-like, efficient and above all, direct were all more appropriate in describing Martin’s performance. He took every yard that was available by hitting the hole, hitting it hard and very rarely being knocked back. He made 63 of his 95 yards after contact and broke four tackles. If anything, he looked more thrilling in the passing game, particularly pulling in his 11-yarder falling backwards with Kuechly in his face.

Game Notes

- With the Panthers in three WR sets so much, the Buccaneers played 52% of plays in nickel and 25% in dime. The result of which was $5.75M-a-year linebacker Quincy Black played 12 snaps.

- When Steve Smith lined up on the outside he was tracked by Eric Wright. The result: 9 targets, 5 receptions and 69 yards; a win for Smith but not a significant one.

- Tampa Bay’s top pass rusher on the day was Gerald McCoy who picked up a sack, hit and two hurries on 36 rushes. He also had a solid day against the run on the few plays the Bucs were tested.

[Match.com]

but i hope that i'm wrong...Im still going to stream the game...see you sunday.

[DaveThePanther2008]

I believe this team has the tools to beat the Saints*. Last year we played 6 quarters and stood toe to toe with the Saints*. Even with a depleted defense. It wasn't until we coughed up the lead at the end of the 1st half of our last game that it fell apart.

I think Chudz is as much to blame as anyone over Sunday's loss. I said this last season and I believe it more now than ever. Chudz is a great offensive mind but is terrible at making adjustments. Look what our defense did compared to the 1st half. Though our offense had more yardage in the second half we still never addressed the running game. We still let the defense dictate what we would do. Played right into their hands. Chudz has to be prepared to make those halftime adjustments. He needs to be able to adjust better and get our team rolling. He has the mind for it. Just needs to alter his course of action once the second half comes.

We are better defensively, we have the offense and we have the overall tools to beat New Orleans. Anybody for that matter. We are home, we are playing a division rival (that also ran up the score the last game so Brees could get his record) and we stunk up the last game. All the stars are aligned for us to come out and play our absolute best.

Wake up and get this season back on track before it is so far off track that we can't fix it.

[bigdog10]

This is going to be a tough game to win.

Can the panthers win? Absolutely, but there is a 0% chance we win Sunday if we remotely resemble the team that went to Tampa.

[rayzor]

yeah, I don't think we are ready for the Saints** based on last weeks outing.

i don't think the Saints* are ready for the season based on last week's outing.

it's almost like they didn't have a head coach to pull them together.