Football Outsider has Panthers rated 6th best team in NFL

[Zaximus]

This really isn't that crazy.  We had a top 10 defense last year and now we have Beason back, Short, Star in the front 7 and more experience in the secondary.  It only makes sense we'll be better.  Not to mention Rivera has fielded two different #1 defenses with a 3-4 and a 4-3 in the past (Bears, Chargers).   If there is one thing he knows, it's defense.  I know McDermott is the DC but you know Rivera has a hand in there.

 

The offense was a top 5 offensive before last year, with relatively the same roster (offensive line differences).  

 

This SHOULD be a good team.   Now, if that'll happen, we'll see, but we were historically unlucky last year in close games, even if we win half of the close games last year, we are a playoff team, and the same the year before.  

[carolinarolls]

This is a game where performance does not always equal results. We were better than 7-9 last season.

This season we might not be completely deserving of all 10 of our regular season victories.

But we are better in somegood places and I love our chances to compete

[Delhommey]

I suggest everyone read and or sub to ProFootBall focus and Football Outsiders.

They do the poo ESPN and NFL network should be doing.

This.

Stop bitching about ESPN while you continue to read/watch ESPN.

I haven't watched Sports Center in years. I've gotten a lot smarter about football because of it.

[Happy Panther]

I'm a blind homer and even I think that's a bit crazy.

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/dvoa-ratings/2013/2013-dvoa-projections

 

Data Driven predictions do have us much higher than the rest. I posted one that has us 9th.

[nctarheel0619]

I'm taking this with a grain of salt. They had the Jets and Bills both in the playoffs last year.

[FattyFatFat]

DVDA>DVOA

[Happy Panther]

DVDA

Doesn't Exist!

[jarhead]

I suggest everyone read and or sub to ProFootBall focus and Football Outsiders.

They do the poo ESPN and NFL network should be doing.

 

 

I do not pay much attention to ESPN but the NFL Network makes me want to Puke. They only talk about The Golden Calf of Bristol, Mark Sancheese,and RG3. That is pretty bad considering The Golden Calf of Bristol and Sanchez are horrible football players.

[TimTom]

Doesn't Exist!

 

Tell that to Orgazmo!!!

[frash.exe]

Yea, FO and PFF are in a nutshell top shelf stats/analysis entities. If you see me bring up a stat based on ranking or integer, it's probably from one of those sites

[FattyFatFat]

Doesn't Exist!

 

It takes a limber sort and willingness. And money.

[TheJason]

DVDA>DVOA

 

 

 

Name of our softball team... Hard to tell some people what exactly it stands for...

[panthernation23]

The fact that we lost like 12 straight coin tosses or whatever the hell it was is a perfect microcosm of this team as a whole the last two years. Everything that could go wrong did at the most inopportune time.

As the article mentioned, simply playing similarly yet regressing to the mean gets us at 9-7. I think the team has improved by at least a couple wins above that. I'm always blindly optimistic, but 10-6 or 11-5 doesn't seem far fetched to me.

 

 

You should always pick tails, everyone knows that

[CPcavedweller]

Are these the same guys who had us as like the #4 team last season?

The talent/numbers are there as we all know...the luck/coaching/end game failure is what has held us back. Change a little of that around and that ranking could be justifiable.

There is no such thing as bad luck in football. It is what you make it and there are too many factors going into any given play (around 135) to say it was bad luck. Because over the course of 60 minutes 32 times we have had a shot to stay out of the "bad luck". Just do your job, everything else will fall into place.