Close games last year

[Paladin]

Okay, I'm bored. So I looked at the regular season scores for NFC South teams last year and looked for games won or lost by 7 points or less

Atlanta (11-5) won 6 games by 7 or less points, and lost 2 games by 7 or less points.

New Orleans (8-8) won 6 games by 7 or less points, and lost 3 games by 7 or less points.

Carolina (7-9) won 1 game by 7 or less points and lost 5 games by 7 or less points.

Tampa Bay (5-11) won 2 games by 7 or less points and lost 8 games by 7 or less points.


That is, slightly over half the games played involving at least one NFC South team were close games determined by the margin of a TD or less.

 

[Thelt]

Stats like that show just how thin the margin is in the NFL these days. If you look at 2003 we won most of those close games and that is how we won the division. Jake lost his magic, or his best receiver....

 

[The Brain]

Stats like that show just how thin the margin is in the NFL these days. If you look at 2003 we won most of those close games and that is how we won the division. Jake lost his magic, or his best receiver....

Steve Smith didn't cause that alone. Steve Smith and the 13 other guys on IR caused the team to lose close games. Really Smith's loss was less than a lot of other players. Since Moose stepped up so big, the only major hurt the loss of Smith cause was with Special Teams, and you have already said you don't want him there this year. I'm not saying with Smith it wouldn't have been better, just that I'd rather have had a better O-lineman than Willig, Either Foster of Davis, and Kris Jenkins. I think with those three changes, the Panthers woulda been in the playoffs.

 

[Thelt]

Steve Smith didn't cause that alone. Steve Smith and the 13 other guys on IR caused the team to lose close games. Really Smith's loss was less than a lot of other players. Since Moose stepped up so big, the only major hurt the loss of Smith cause was with Special Teams, and you have already said you don't want him there this year. I'm not saying with Smith it wouldn't have been better, just that I'd rather have had a better O-lineman than Willig, Either Foster of Davis, and Kris Jenkins. I think with those three changes, the Panthers woulda been in the playoffs.

That is all true but it still seems like Jake could pull us out of the fire in 2003 but not so much in 2004. Moose stepped up but I do not remember him making as many game winning clutch catches as I do Smith. I think Smith stretches the defense a lot more too. Certainly a better running game with Davis and Foster would have allowed us to protect leads better.

 

[The Brain]

That is all true but it still seems like Jake could pull us out of the fire in 2003 but not so much in 2004. Moose stepped up but I do not remember him making as many game winning clutch catches as I do Smith. I think Smith stretches the defense a lot more too. Certainly a better running game with Davis and Foster would have allowed us to protect leads better.

we'd have been able to protect the lead. We'd be able to better control the clock with a rushing offense. That would also keep the D a little better rested. allowing them to better prevent the opposing offense, and its OBVIOUS what a healthy Jenkins woulda meant for the the D when stopping the run. Jake could only do so much. Jake played a HELL of a season last year. Really it was better than his Super Bowl year by a huge margin, but he is only 1 man.

 

[QC REPRESENT]

I think when Smith went down, the team's intensity went with him. for a little while at least. he sets the tone for a lot of players.

and while Moose played out of his mind last year, dont forget he didnt start doing it until the second half of the year...he inflated his stats while we were playing the crappy teams

 

[Foxman]

O-line played a big part as did the injuries. Combined we lost a lot of close games with lessor talent than that of of A: what we would have had and B: What our opponents had.

 

[Thelt]

I am not knocking Jake. I just think a lot of his late game heroics were related to having Smith on the field. Moose had a great year but he did not scare defenses the way Smith did.

 

[Collin]

Really it was better than his Super Bowl year by a huge margin, but he is only 1 man.

I give Jake all the credit in the world for turning it around and being largely responsible for our late season success, but by the same token, he also has to take a hefty portion of the blame for our 1-7 start considering how awful he was during that stretch.

 

[Foxman]

I give Jake all the credit in the world for turning it around and being largely responsible for our late season success, but by the same token, he also has to take a hefty portion of the blame for our 1-7 start considering how awful he was during that stretch.

Well, as they say the QB gets too much praise and too much blam but a lot of that 1-7 had to do with the o-line and the lack of succesfull adjustments on offense to get the ball to the WR's. I am sure there is plenty to blame Jake for though.