Tag: Legette

Panther Football

Panthers 0-2 start isn’t fatal, but like Legette production and O-line injuries, far from reassuring

by gshorkeyblt2Leave a Comment on Panthers 0-2 start isn’t fatal, but like Legette production and O-line injuries, far from reassuring

Admitting I turned off the game immediately after the first few disastrous minutes (only a field goal after INT? Whew!) to take a bike ride in optimal weather instead, doesn’t make me a really bad fan. Holding Cardinals to 82 yards rushing is a *major* improvement from Week 1, and Renfrow’s two TD catches is better news overall, so we’ll see how home opener vs. ATL goes…

Guessing that the most often Googled question in Charlotte was, “How many NFL teams recover from 0-2 starts to make the playoffs?” the answer is of 288 teams hitting that mark since 1990, 88% didn’t participate in second season, and only three- ’93 Cowgirls (uhhh, Cowboys), ’01 Patriots, and ’07 NY Giants- won Super Bowls. Fourteen have made the playoffs since 2014- including the LA Rams and Baltimore Ravens, who won their divisions last year- when NFL started 17 game seasons, which added a little extra room for early season non-success.

The Terrible Ten on 0-2 spot in 2025

While the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans are factually in this unhappy place, most oddsmakers give them a much better chance at being like the Rams or Ravens, especially since Ravens still have RB Derrick Henry battering anyone who wants a piece of him, Lamar Jackson’s arms and legs are still attached, and there’s a hard core, #1 rated defense to hold the fort against almost anyone not having Josh Allen (or Mahones) to do battle with.

Of the rest, most are chronic Losers:

  • Saints have tapped this level 24x in 59 seasons. Even in a division with three teams at 5-12 last year, many will count on two Ws when they play the ‘Aints, mostly because of an extremely iffy QB situation.
  • Browns- No surprise here. Brownies have gone 0-2 sixteen times, have *5* QBs in the building if you count the pile of bones that was once DeShaun Watson, a 40+ year old statue named Flacco, and two rookies who get nothing but crap for their relative situations, especially Coach Prime’s kid, Shedeur, who arrived as a 5th round pick (but tortured the Panthers in preseason game).
  • Jets- You really only wondered how often, right? New Head Coach Aaron Glenn has brought Hope, but she and Lady Luck usually leave NY well before the end of each season. No playoffs since 2010, five times at 0-2 mark in last nine years, and with QB Justin Fields in concussion protocol, retread Tyrod Taylor is at the controls. Better off than Panthers? Read any NY paper for sports writers and regular people opinions (NOT!).
  • Titans and Dolphins- They belong in same boat, because there’s no telling what HC Brian Callahan (3-16 in coaching career) or rookie QB Cam Ward can actually produce, and the often-injured (concussions) Tua Tagovailoa, while sometimes steering a productive offense, can’t be relied on to finish a season. Mike McDaniels occupies one of the warmest head coaching spots at this point, no specific improvement- defense is giving up 33 ppg – could end his reign. He gets questions about that for a reason.
  • Dah Bearz- *Nobody* is giving them any slack about blowing an early lead in 27-24 Game 1 loss to Vikings, and the 52 points division rival Detroit thwapped! them with Week 2 is MILES shy of the salvation fannies expected from new Head Coach Ben Johnson, well, immediately.

So where do Bryce, Canales, Carolina Panthers stand?

The ATL pass rush (six sacks) looked strong against Minnesota’s J.J. McCarthy, and Bryce Young was blown away early by the Cardinals blitzing, so the possibility Young’s confidence in the pocket reverts to the early season woes of 2024 must be dealt with by keeping him upright on Sunday.

Starting with Canales admonition that, “Sometimes its better to eat it-take the loss,” any group of Little Leaguers would have known when a play is going badly, DON’T try to save it with a miracle throw. Yes, that fluttery INT by Young was when heading out for a bike ride seemed like a better idea than blowing away an extremely quiet and satisfying couple days with friends out in western NC, by watching a rotten game.

That Bryce slung it all over the lot (35/55, 328 yds./3 TDs/1 INT, 1 fumble) without his arm falling will stand as a basis for judgement the rest of season. Renfrow coming back after not making 53-man roster, and Young finding him in tight spaces is legitimate QB-ing and clearly positive. McMillan hitting 100 yards was affirming as anyone could ask for, yes, Legette’s eight targets and -2 yards isn’t going to be helpful compared to Tremayne’s 3 catches for 48 yds., Sanders 7/54 yds., Hubbard 5 catches/39 yds. and even TE Tremble’s productive 3/20 yds.

Anyone who thinks ‘I’ve talked with (DC Ejiro Evero) about playing our young guys’ is sufficient input from HC Canales, a common thread for fans is HE BETTER!

Giving Panthers credit for having a chance down the stretch is done with knowledge of several games last year where the final result was an L, which only rated some polite golf-applause for 5-12 season. They are neither the powerful group that Ravens or Chiefs are with a similar record, nor the Brownies, who will continue to take considerable crapola for being a franchise that tortures their fans, or Bears, who *might* get it righter in 2025 but are still prime time torturers themselves.

Wide receiver DJ Moore still works exceptionally well in Chicago, producing an outstanding 2024 with 98 catches and 6 TDs, although his yardage (966) was down from 2023, as Ray Odunze got considerable targeting by rookie QB Caleb Williams when he wasn’t constantly on the run, being sacked 68 times.

Dammit! about RG Robert Hunt (torn bicep) and C Austin Corbett- whose unreal series of injuries might extend another season- could be out for extended periods or in Hunt’s case, even the entire year. The Panthers O-line were supposedly safe for once, having brought back essentially two deep personnel from the 2024 offensive line, Canales said Cade Mays and Corbett were a coin flip difference in readiness at center. Christensen is a legitimate piece to flex in at right guard, but losing both means another call for GM Dan Morgan to locate additional quality personnel on whatever taxi squads he can identify.

The ATL pass rush (six sacks) looked strong against Minnesota’s J.J. McCarthy https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/vikings-vs-falcons-live-updates-game-score-sunday-night-football/live/ and Bryce Young was blown away early by the Cardinals blitzing, so the possibility Young’s confidence in the pocket reverts to the early season woes of 2024 must be dealt with by keeping him upright on Sunday.

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.