Panthers win, sort of.

agreed. I'll take it. Foster was totally hit or miss, but

He had a good game. Sure, he needed to handle the ball better in the pocket, too, but I don't know for certain about those fumbles being called correctly. Last week's struggles weren't there as much, and while he could be more decisive with the ball when he was caught holding it 4-5 times including the sacks, he's not forcing them in too badly and he wasn't that high this week. Granted, Kasay doesn't kick that FG and half the board's calling for Weinke.

It's Simeon Rice, so it happens, but too much of it happened. He's all but a waste - I haven't seen him stand out from his teammates since 03.

Overall I can understand the line struggles. FWIW, Hangartner looks like a fine center. Mathis didn't make any mistakes that I saw, and they blitzed the hell out of us and all I can remember bad coming of it was the one Brooks stuff (which FWIW looked a lot like what Nappy Harris did last week). They all had minor injuries out there, but we did allright except the edges.

he was getting blocked, but yeah, he's not been a huge space eater as much. Did see him pick a shoulder and push the pocket at least once, maybe twice.

 

That's really the key. He's big enough and strong enough to be a force, but he plays wth very poor leverage. Hopefully we can work with him on that, but for those who don't know, this is why scouts talk about butts so much. They're not gay, it's just that a guy with a big butt (like Jenkins) generally has a weight distribution that is amenable to staying low to the ground out of your stance. Actually they talk about "bubble" instead of "butt," I guess to seem less like homos, but in any case that's a bit of trivia for those who didn't know.


As for blitzes, I don't think we can really afford to do it much, especially against Tampa Bay with their short drops and multiple dump off options. Our LBs have to be better for that, and our front four were decent enough.

 

If you struggle to beat the Bucs..your ass is in trouble

 

Maybe pulling out a win against a pretty good D will help?

 

The glutes are also a source of tremendous power. The gluteus maximus is supposed to be one of the largest muscles in the body.

 

That goes for me, too, Collin. I was doing the happy dance after that one clip we all saw of Kemo destroying Bentley, but after you posted those screen shots I was watching him intently during the one pre-season game I saw, and every clip and highlight I can get my hands on. It appears he's doing the same things here he did there, and you called it.

 

Don't bet on it. Ted Washington single-handedly shut down the Panthers rushing attack in the Super Bowl. And unless Hartwig goes to see Dr. Shortt, I don't see anything changing.

 

I don't understand what you mean here....talking officiating?

 

Agreed, and I hate to say that. His rookie contract carries him through 2009, but it almost looks to me like it was set up for an escape clause after this year if necessary (I'm no capologist, but the salary structure just looks strange to me). I could be totally wrong about that, though.

I don't know that I want him gone, but I'm really starting to believe he's not good enough to start for this team in Dan Henning's offense. He's not a mauler like we need at RT, and for some reason he's neither agile enough nor aggressive enough to lock down speed and bull rushing RDEs with any consistencies. In addition, the last two years he's made a lot of mental mistakes -- too many for a 3rd year, 1st round, franchise tackle.

Maybe it's complacency, maybe he's topped out, maybe it's something else. In any case, it's unacceptable for a starter on a team that considers itself a perennial playoff team and Super Bowl contender in our division.

Man, is that good to hear. Funny how bad he looked in preseason, but seems to be working out reasonably well in real games.

Good to hear about Mathis, too. I still think the best hope for this line is to have him starting and developing into something close to the player we all think he can be.

 

They're 26th v. the run.