Tag: Dalton

Panther Football

Production counts, passing Disaster, Good Points for Panthers Pt. II

by gshorkeyblt2Leave a Comment on Production counts, passing Disaster, Good Points for Panthers Pt. II

For those experts who thought they saw a glimmer of Hope for (better than 5.5 projected) wins in accumulation of better talent for 2024, Sunday was nearly as good as Charlotte sunshine, with due respect to friends and unfortunates in the disasters of Carolina mountains from Helene. I was early a.m. Friday-late Sat. night without power, *two* trees came down on apartment building next to me, and a third one was taken down because there was ungood lean to it.

Apologies if there’s a hard-fast rule about not (admitting) taking some moral victory from a strong showing in an overall loss, like Little Leaguers who won’t rub where they’ve been hit by a pitch, or ask for time from an umpire while carefully picking themselves out of the dirt from a pickoff attempt.

As an umpire, I’m always looking in case runner gets sloppy, its a legit analogy to say someone’s keeping tags on Panthers game by game process, and most sports fannies will admit, heck yeah! plenty of Good Points to consider about 34-24 loss to Bengals.

Dalton’s grip on offense, O-line Respect is legit

Putting several strong elements up to the rest of NFL light –

  • Offensive line played 100% of snaps together, no sacks this week, two vs. Raiders. Chuba Hubbard went 18/104 yds/TD, exactly the running strength HC Canales has preached since Day 1. Brooks might not be exactly ready after PUP period, two weeks of 100+ by Hubbard is always legit to point out.
  • Generally under-utilized lately, Miles Sanders picked up nine touches for 46 yards, new TE star possibility Ja’Tavian Sanders had two catches for 16, Xavier Legette (lee-gett) took a great zap! TD catch from Dalton, but dropped two others.
  • Panthers went 68 yards with opening drive, didn’t put it in endzone, no points. J’T Sanders on goal line was my thought.
  • Never a bad thing for other teams to worry about you pulling a fake punt, and punter Hekker has made the pass more than a couple times in career, nothing wrong or way strange with the attempt.
  • Bengals Brown falling inside the five, then getting up quicker than a Panther defender, to score with one second left in half.

Two pass interferences at goal line, all of these are difference between win-lose in the NFL. Accept it? Not a whiff of discontent today.

Hence the overall Attitude, team and fan-wise, Panthers collectively missed a half-dozen solid opportunities to do something that might have made a difference. Ja’Marr Chase’s 63 yards of getting bumped but not *tackled* for Bengals, their 130 yards rushing in second half after 11 in first, will be remembered by Ejiro Evero’s Panther defense. Yes, there are going to be standards again.

Canales comment in post-game about Legette’s semi-breakout game, with 6/66 yds. and that TD, was 100% Good Teaching Moment stuff. ‘Secure the catch, then be special,’ could become a credo for WR room. Mingo looked like he *wanted* those extra yards.

You saw it, more than decently better than 2023

At a time when Bryce Young’s name is going to be used at lower levels than in past year, thinking he didn’t learn LOTS even watching would be wrong. One drive at end of pre-season never convinced me there was a leadership passage figured out. Go ahead with that QB Whisperer thing, but changing horses for an offensive mindset based on upgraded receivers and running the ball, yes, this is a better TEAM.

Commentator Moose Johnson noted the size of Panther WRs, Mingo is big for a slot guy, Thielen will be back though.

Appreciating the difference that GM Dan Morgan and team developed in identifying the dawgs they wanted in the trenches, this 1-3 moment honestly feels like a Team Thing. There were empty seats in the stadium, and no judgement on that, lots of bad happening. Watching the giddy galloping of Leggette for his first pro TD, 3rd rounder Wallace getting an upgrade on playing time in the middle after Shaq and Jewell injuries, nothing like experience, though not all of it will be great.

Dropping small passes can kill drives instead of start – Message accepted.

Wrap up and take down, not arm tackles, is a best practices must do.

Ties are like kissing your sister, so Sunday’s 34-24 loss wasn’t like that, and no, Evero’s secondary didn’t stop Burrow’s 22/31, 232 yd/ 2 TD/1 INT day, but he wasn’t carving on them either. Even with a clutch pass interference call on goal line, Jackson’s presence on back line is noted, Horn is close to being what Panthers need every week, a stud cover guy who takes one side of field away. Secondary has given up 9 TDs in 4 games though, that fact has got to change.

FOX Sports says Panthers are #24 in overall defense (353.1 ypg), Dallas is #25 at 355.3, and has given up 8 rushing TDs. The Eagles (204.7) and Cowboys (209.5) are behind #16 Panthers (201.7) in passing D, at 151.3 a game, Panthers rush defense is 29th.

#leadership thought, Panther Football, Sports

So the ballers played, With Harvest Moon & Kinda Muddy is A Blue’s Story – but Panther’s win is Definitely #1

by gshorkeyblt2Leave a Comment on So the ballers played, With Harvest Moon & Kinda Muddy is A Blue’s Story – but Panther’s win is Definitely #1

I was early for a field ump assignment, under the lights at Independence Field Wednesday, and saw the coaches working on it, but 10 hours plus of tropical rain Monday was still around, a tarp didn’t help home plate area enough. Decently hit grounders were seriously slowed by grass/turf. For whomever does the pants this week, that red clay on uniforms is gonna be tough.

With a yellowed full-full moon above, and the artistic coloration of a building beyond right field, we played seven, the full two hours and fifteen allowed. I congratulated Corey, the home plate Blue, around him and 1st base line looked WWII stuff, where ‘slogging’ is operative word.

I’ll get back to the ballers a little later, such a shareable youth sports event. Muddy? Pssshhh. Yes, my outlook on Wednesday, but MONDAY Panthers are #1 story. Hold the awww, Bryce is gone moans. Andy Dalton is the QB who just won Panthers first game in as BIG a way as you could believe, AND defense stoned the Raiders run game with just 54 yds. allowed. Absolute team effort.

And then came Dalton

Diontae Johnson most definitely, 8 catches/122 yds/TD, Leggette 2/42 yds, Tremble 3/29, Hubbard 5 rec/55yds/TD, plus 21/114 yds. lugging it, Thielen 3/40 yds/TD, that means all dawgs got fed. Of course, that brings up the absolute change in norms coming at benching of Bryce Young after 0-2, deer-in-headlights performances that weren’t appreciated. No excess judgement on ultimate decision maker, but Bryce, by any metrics of successful QB play, needed to sit.

Sunday was elemental, empirical – Did using a very good veteran #2 QB satisfy the idea more could be/needed to be done offensively? Yes. Next football decision and hold the Awww, Bryce...

Next action, and Reality at 37, is Dalton isn’t the forever QB, the expectation is Bryce will return to helm, but Panthers were down 30-3 by time I finished polishing my season opening blog and turned on game. Unreal. I think the way Saints mauled Cowboys for 44 in Big D the week after wasting Panthers has to be considered along the way, just sayin’. Carr is throwing it pretty well.

The Panthers defense got gouged regularly by Chargers without Derrick Brown, but somehow the Eagles are giving up worse than 6.7 per rush, so call it a spear set in place vs. Raiders for front seven Panthers.

This Monday morning, I still believe Panthers have significantly better personnel in 2024 than before Morgan, Tilis, Canales started running football ops. I’ve given #MrTeppers$ props for not talking much, but bringing back those Game 1 projections of mine seem a lot more real now, after Dalton has connected long and with Everybody on passes, and hung a genuine W on the board. 2024/09/08/it-wont-be-a-jinx-to-say-panthers-start-2024-with-a-w-in-dome/

There’s no denying its a different game with experienced vet like Dalton, and yes, everyone got healthy with his distribution. Yes, he’s only guy in NFL so far with 300+ yds., 3 TD day. 437 yards sounds like lot of contributors because it was. By the money numbers, Panthers were +5.5 (didn’t interest me), and over/under was 39.5 (-115), nobody was expecting fireworks like 36-22. HC Canales has always maintained that running football would be difference maker, and they would be doing it – Hubbard and O-line produced.

Give it up for 3 sacks and INT, only allowed 3/11 on 3rd down. That’s Evero’s hot buttons for Panthers defense, sacks and getting off on third downs.

Uhhh, no, its not JUST one win. Glad to have the Red Rifle working with live ammo. Stay strong Panthers defense. Not seeing any cred that Canales somehow abused Bryce by pushing belief in his abilities (yada yada). No, that was QB Whisperer Coach.

It says Cincinnati on schedule next, that would seem a legitimate tester. See ya’ Sunday.

The epitome of athletic team effort, well, sort of

About umping a muddy, full moon game, it was 10-11s vs. 12-13s, same org, everybody on same system. Corey was plate ump, handled the truly mucky area, people moved gingerly around the plate all night. To keep their balance, batters weren’t taking full cuts either. Still, no bitching about the conditions, that’s what was working for me. Making a few calls during ball game, fine panorama of the evening down near an active park, with some live music from back of a bar, a short block from back of theater behind home place. Runners and nearby girls soccer, a little wet, yep.

Wednesday evening as symbolic of athletic team effort, meh, but youth baseball works for me. I appreciated how the pitchers pitched, not stressing balls and strike calls, a little heavy, maybe. Hey, *everybody* runs on pass balls. Outfielders didn’t just miss fly balls, they tracked them down and usually found the cutoff man effectively. What’s to complain about? we got a game.

There were people sitting in the stone-ledge amphitheater behind home, someone always went to find balls fouled out of play. A wet field didn’t bother watchers. The coaches wiped off and rotated the balls steadily, telling their pitchers, ‘Take a good one.’ One of younger team, Wyatt, I recognized from last week. Had to chuckle when his Dad, coaching at first, just shook his head, “Ahhh, maybe some day he’ll learn how to hit a curve ball.”

My four games at Saturday assignment at Carmel MS, and three nights next week, started at 8:30 (-3:15), but its barely five miles from my house. I’ve always said-felt umpiring, being a Blue, was my contribution to the American Family Experience. $60 when you’re plate umpire is a legitimate contribution to my microeconomy too. Extra groceries, y’know.

Just maybe, sometimes, I’m a guy who can make a difference with a young pitchers (obvious) flaws. When you start umpiring, they tell you don’t be chatty with people on other side of fence, just takes one call to get them going wrong.

Answer: Sorry, I’m a yakker. Extra talking kind of got me sideways with a commissioner type Saturday, specifically a thrown bat and my calling runner out vs. just warning. All about safety issues Mr. Manager. Maybe a little #Boomerwith Attitude.

If you hear it hit, its no big deal

Clipped by a 15 yr. old fastball-foul tip to bone in forearm. Thanks to coach with ice pack! Mon. after. from wrist to elbow.

Sunday I’ll be back at Sedgefield, where I got foul-tip clipped this Spring. Whether arm was broken (not) was an immediate concern then, ice pack arrived just in time or it would’ve blown up. Supposed to be 13-unders today, little less velocity. The ‘hear it hit aspect,’ crowd always ohhh!s when you take a crack! in chest protector or mask, but its more not hearing it, that means it caught meat (me).

Being Blue is still a physical challenge. I always get a chuckle for saying, “I don’t get out of bed if not going to get hit at least a couple times.” The best thing a Blue can ever do is Out! call, standing over finale to a play at third when tag is high, runners foot got underneath it. Bam! Case closed.

After a stiff one to the grill in Spring, I took off mask and said, “I’m gonna think about that one an extra second,” just for little theater. I haven’t taken a nutter in all my years, fingers crossed. I consider that a ‘best practices.’

Turns out a beef from Sat. caused me to be off Sun. I’m almost glad, lost $120, but when I left after one o’clock, it was 89 degrees, turned out to be a scorcher afternoon, mid 90s, blazing Carolina blue sky. I finally washed my cruddy car instead. I wonder if that clay in Independence Park dried out. Here’s where that staying hydrated focus meant taking care of yourself – Sedgefield is a hike around to back side of school, no services for bottled water.