Panthers vs Bears (aka the start of a 10 game win streak) gameday thread

Not this again. DE is a huge need. Let it go, man.

Wouldn't be a bad idea, but there is no one capable of backing them up along with the aforementioned lack of OLBs.

Congratulations. Not only did you say something utterly stupid by insisting that Cam's pass to Steve in the endzone was "perfect," but you've gone on to shine a spotlight on that stupidity by getting defensive and running your mouth. And I already said weeks ago that I would have benched Norman because he's not ready, you colossal moron. Guys with bad habits playing more doesn't fix them, it just makes their bad habits that much more ingrained. Cam isn't struggling because he doesn't understand NFL defenses, something that would actually be helped by experience. He's struggling because he can't handle the basics.

MLB is much more advanced than the NFL in how they develop prospects, and one of the things they emphasize is that repetition of bad habits makes players worse instead of better. That's why it's so important early in a player's career to have the coaches instruct them on the basics. Once they are sound mechanically, then it's time for game experience. Essentially I guess the concept can be boiled down to the notion that you need to master yourself before you learn how to react to others. So having Cam improve his footwork and throwing mechanics would help his accuracy, and after that he can worry about reading defenses along with the other things that improve through experience. Just having a guy go out and play will never change his mechanical flaws, which is why a guy like Cutler never gets better. He always has to get by in spite of the things he does poorly.

 

I get mad at the end of games too. It is ok that you were not thinking rationally about Cam or provided any real evidence of your claim, but you have convinced me that the pass was not perfect. I will now change it to above average. I think we have reached a compromise.

 

It was a poor pass. There was no defender between Cam and Steve, so there was no excuse not to hit him in stride.

 

nah. It's not at all illogical to find CB, DT bigger need. It helped to have the Bears OL this week, but the team was 9th in sacks before the bye, too. Since the team hasn't rubbed together a half sack from non-DL, there are worse problems.

The idea is to get the OLB as I noted. Starting over at DT is inevitable one way or another, but having two good ILB and two bigger DE feels no less 3-4 than what we have for 4-3.

this isn't baseball, there's no farm system and this QB is playing. They're not going to sit him for two games either way, but I disagree with the ideal of doing so.

 

No, there really aren't. The lack of a consistent pass rush is probably the biggest problem the defense has, and unquestionably one of the biggest. For whatever reason they did have a big game against Atlanta and then Chicago's abysmal O-line gave them another on Sunday, but the rest of the season has been a consistent story of opposing QBs having all the time in the world. Carolina sacked Josh Freeman twice, Drew Brees once, Eli Manning once, Russell Wilson twice, and Tony Romo not at all.

And we both know that it's not just a lack of sacks. Carolina isn't getting hurries. Opposing quarterbacks have time to sit back and pick apart the secondary. I'm all for getting better cornerbacks, but no corner can cover indefinitely. Plus, Dwan Edwards is second among all DTs in sacks, so if you're going to use numbers to say that DE isn't a major need then I'm going to throw your own numbers right back in your face about DT. Both positions need to be addressed, and I get that you feel like you have to pretend that DE isn't important because you said that before the season and look silly now, and you can never back off an opinion or admit that you were wrong. But again, just let it go. DE is a major need. I'm pretty sure that no one agrees with you that it isn't, so you look stubborn, defensive, and delusional when you insist otherwise.

Hardy would probably fit better in a 3-4, but he's the only one on the defense who would. We really have no idea if Beason will ever be good again, and we certainly don't know that he would be a better 3-4 ILB than 4-3 WLB. Really what it boils down to is the plan at DT, because you would take a completely different kind of guy for 3-4 nose than you would a 4-3 1 technique.

I agree that they're not going to do it, but just because you're ignorant about developmental techniques isn't a good reason to oppose them. Whether you like it or not, it has proven effective to take a struggling player and have them work on mechanics without playing before returning to the field. Cam's footwork absolutely isn't going to get any better just by playing and you already know that. Nor will his throwing motion. His decision making might, but who knows. Right now the team has a quarterback who consistently struggles with his mechanics, and those struggles are greatly affecting his performance.

 

oh, no, definitely. When I think of the issues of this season, I definitely think that getting 14 sacks from defensive ends in six games is the worst possible thing that's happened all year. DE can be upgraded like anything else but the problem isn't there, regardless of how much you want to rehash old issues. I didn't feel bad about what I said then, and don't care if you don't like it now.

You don't have to like my answers. But, I do find DT and CB bigger issues. I do find a lot of what's there to fit the 3-4 (edit - you don't need a 350 lb guy to play one gap nose, 4-3 or 3-4, but we need that player either way). And I don't think your suggestion on Cam is realistic. You can call me ignorant and bitch about it all night, I feel OK about what I'm putting out there. If you want to show an example of a pro football team sitting a second year player for two games for "technique" and that working, be my guest, but I still won't think it's a good idea. Since you so consistently go to consensus, it's worth mentioning that I don't see anyone that thinks this is a good idea here.

 

We have bodies at DE at least. And the 2 starters are above average when they decide to give a shit.

Whereas were litterally throwing shit out there at CB and DT (Dwan is clearly our best DT and we were lucky to get him).

DE may still be a need but the DT and CB position is more dire IMO.

Losing Dwan in the second half really seemed to impact the DE's yesterday.

 

DE, DT, and CB are all huge needs, and I'd be happy to address any of them.

To me, I think Thomas is playing well all things considered, and Norman still struggles - guy reminds me of Jimmy Hitchcock a little - confident, gets burned a lot, but will ballhawk and get his share of big plays - so I'm inclined to go DL as the biggest need. Man, I don't care. DE or DT, both are fucking great.

Either way, we've lost our way on the lines, and we're not physical enough there. We've never really replaced Kemoeatu as a physical force in the inside, and since there's no one to tie up the interior blockers, our ends struggle to get one on one match ups (much less wo having to worry about chips from the backs and TEs) as do our linebackers now struggle with OL getting into centerfield on run plays.

DT is a massive need, IMO. But so is DE. I mean...we're terribly inconsistent there.

I don't know. I'm so worried for this franchise for the coming years, it's just sad to me.

Cam Newton's mechanics? Sure, they need work. But I'm afraid his fucking brain and his attitude are going to make this thing come to a head sooner rather than later, but who knows.

Dude...LaFell was knocked OUT, and Newton never ran up to him with the other players. That to me, man...that to me was the final straw for me. I don't know that I have any confidence in him as a man, much less a leader of this team.

 

That's a funny way of spelling Kris Jenkins you have there.