Saints Neuter Panthers on Thursday Night, 28-10

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Okay Panthers fans....it's Halloween Day and officially time to panic.

The Panthers laid an egg at home last night, losing to the road warrior I mean road kitten Saints, 28-10 on Thursday Night Football.

Offense was at a premium for both teams in the first half as the Saints took a 14-0 lead into halftime. One of the two TDs came on a long, hard-fought, 4-yard drive of two plays thanks to a Newton fumble at his own goal line after a sack by Junior Gilette.

The other was set up by a highly dubious pass interference call on Antoine Cason. 

A third TD, the Saints' first of the second half, came on a 4th and goal QB sneak where Drew Brees tried the "jump-stretch" play that Cam has the size to do but Brees made it close. He still scored, having the ball break the plane of the goal line before he got body slammed back.

It was that kind of game. 

The Panthers got two turnovers 

Mark Ingram had 100 yards on 30 carries, so the defense made him earn it. Considering the manner in which the Saints scored their points, the Carolina defense actually played well overall. The problem is the offense couldn't do much to keep Brees & company off the field.

I do want to set ONE thing straight here and now: the problem is NOT Cam Newton. Cam is trying to do everything because he isn't getting much help aside from Kelvin Benjamin. And Kelvin dropped a TD pass last night.

NFL AM is showing a teaser right this moment "What's WRONG with Cam Newton?" 

You wanna know what's "wrong with Cam?" FINE!

- His offensive line had not one but TWO rookie UFAs starting! STARTING! Not only that, the certainly seemed to make the weak side of the offensive line truly weak. I don't blame the kids in there playing and trying...but you can't expect a couple of inexperienced and undrafted rookies to play like the line they have in Dallas these days. The Cowboys spent multiple high picks on theirs and over multiple seasons to get where they got their O-line to now. Dave Gettleman appears bound by some unholy contract NOT to get offensive linemen in the top two rounds.

Cam's targets are still dropping passes. Cam might get excited and put too much mustard on some passes, sure, but it isn't like his receivers don't see him EVERY DAY or know what he can do. In fact, Cam's first half interception was due to a pass bouncing off Breston Bersin's hands. Cam had the worst QBR (12.1) he's ever had in a half, and it was plays like that which contributed to it.

Certainly, Cam hasn't been perfect. His timing was off last night and he wasn't completely accurate on a lot of throws but a good WR should be able to adjust to a catchable but less-than-perfect ball placement to haul it in. 

Also, Cam pretty correctly feels that he needs to do all he can to help the team win. The running game went largely nowhere as DeAngelo Williams could only put up 20 yards on eight carries. Stewie had 46 on 8 carries for a nice average, but he got stuffed for little to no gain on half his attempts. Cam got the team on the board with a 10 yard diving-to-the-pylon scramble and run on 3rd and goal as the pass rush got after him almost as soon as he received the shotgun snap.

And Cam is the PROBLEM? Folks, open your eyes willya? He's the only one making things HAPPEN on offense! He got decent protection on perhaps a handful of drop-backs; the rest of the time he was running for his life. Last night, his passes were generally on target or "close enough" that the target should have made the catch but didn't.

If you look at any given game where the offensive line isn't protecting the QB well, you're going to see a sub-par game from the QB. Look at the Super Bowl last year. 

With the gifts the Saints' Drew Brees-led offense got last night, I'm surprised they only got 28 points. Both TDs in the first half were gifts, wrapped up in nice paper with a bow and they had to reach into their 4th down "trick or treat" bag for a third TD. Under those circumstances, the defense did as much as could be reasonably asked, I think.

I have been telling the fans (those that will listen) what's wrong with the team all year and the same things continue to be problem areas. Those are the offensive line and the defensive backfield. 

Until those needs are addressed, don't expect the Panthers to play too much better than they did last night.

Follow me on Twitter @Ken_Dye

Carolina Panthers: Fantasy Football Projections Week 9

After eight weeks of playing Bipolar football the Carolina Panthers are still first in the NFC South. They remain in first ahead of the New Orleans Saints because of the tie against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Panthers are going to battle against the Saints this Thursday night and the winner of that game will be the leader in the NFC South for another week. Who on offense will show up for the Carolina Panthers in week nine?

Carolina Panthers: Fantasy Football Projections Week 8

The Carolina Panthers are a hard team to predict this season. You are not sure which team is going to show up from week to week. They have scored 20 points or less four times, and 20 points or more three times. Should you risk starting any Panthers players on your fantasy football team?

Carolina Panthers: Fantasy Football Projections Week 7

The Carolina Panthers have played three away games and they’re away record is still at .500, how is this possible? Well this is possible because they tied the Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday. Mike Nugent decided to give us an early Christmas present and missed that last second field goal.

Injuries Mount as Panthers Prowl Lambeau Field This Week

Come on, fans....admit it. This season has been an insane one for the Carolina Panthers thus far.

Nobody would have thought that it would be the offense carrying a team with a struggling defense?

Carolina Panthers: Fantasy Football Projections Week 6

The Carolina Panthers surprised us fans week five with a comeback victory over the Chicago Bears. The Carolina Panthers offense scored at least 30 points for the first time this season. The question is did the Panthers finally figure out how to score? Will this trend continue? 

What if Andy Dalton was a Carolina Panther?

The 2011 NFL draft was loaded with talent at every position. There were a total of 12 quarterbacks drafted and five of those are currently starting for an NFL team. The list of starting quarterbacks includes: Cam Newton, Andy Dalton, Jake Locker, and Christian Ponder (Starting because Matt Cassel and Teddy Bridgewater are injured), and Colin Kaepernick. Some have had successful careers, some did not work, and there is still hope for others. But, the big three from that draft are: Cam Newton, Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick.

Beautiful or Ugly, Carolina's Victory Over Chicago is Sweet

Yesterday after the game was over and the Carolina Panthers defeated Ron Rivera's old stomping grounds, the Chicago Bears, I had posted to social media something along the lines of "That was about as ugly a win as I've seen, but they all count the same in the end."

Carolina Panthers: Fantasy Football Projections Week 5

The Carolina Panthers had another bad week on offense. The Panthers offense only produced 10 points and only had 315 total yards of offense. The Baltimore Ravens completely shut down the Panthers and made them look like the University of North Carolina Tar Heels.

How are the Carolina Panthers players going to perform in week 5?

Carolina Panthers: Fantasy Football Projections Week 4

I really think that this past week was a fantasy. But not a good fantasy because the Pittsburgh Steelers destroyed the Carolina Panthers. The Steelers came into our house and pushed us around, but they didn’t just push us, they ran over us and threw around us. I just hope that when we go visit Steve Smith we show him some southern hospitality. Sorry I had to do some complaining before moving forward.

Was Cam Newton's Girl Gear a Statement?

So we all saw the tragedy that occurred in Charlotte this past Sunday night--yes, I’m talking Cam Newton’s girl gear.  

Carolina Panthers: C3 Three Up and Three Down

Three Things The Carolina Panthers Did Well

I had the pleasure of going to this game so I got to see firsthand what the Carolina Panthers did very well! It wasn’t exactly easy to see because I was in the nosebleeds, but the new big screens helped! Going into this game I was really worried that it was going to be a shootout. The Detroit Lions offense has a lot of weapons and the best wide receiver in the NFL. I didn’t think that the Panthers could matchup with all of the talented players on the Lions. I predicted the Panthers losing this matchup 28-17 and I was wrong… but it feels great to be wrong! The Panthers defense was able to tame the Lions and shutdown Megatron! This game was a great test and it showed our true colors.

Why the Carolina Panthers Will Repeat as NFC South Champions

Yesterday, I posted a rather long piece of sober reality with a laundry-list of reasons why the Carolina Panthers won't repeat in the NFC South as champions. While the odds are stacked against it, since nobody has ever done so, but as the saying goes, "There's a first time for everything."

Why the Carolina Panthers will not Repeat as NFC South Champs

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Okay folks, it's time to get "real" with a single day between the Carolina Panthers and their opening day game at Tampa Bay.

First of all, of course I'm psyched about the season starting and, as always, I'm very hopeful about the prospects for the Panthers this season. They've had a lot of change in the roster, especially at wide receiver, the offensive line, and in the defensive backfield.

Will Cam be Cam, or will he be a bust in 2014?

Oh the possibilities!  After all, they are what keep us coming back, right?  Thirty one teams get their hearts broken every year, but come back with even more fervor the following season.  I was depressed for a week after losing the 49ers last year in the Playoffs but am chomping at the bit for the 2014 season.  I am, after all, one of the biggest Carolina Panther fans that you’ll ever meet.  In fact, if I were eligible, I would have entered the C3 Fan Spotlight Contest. I would have given the awesome finalists in that contest a run for their money.  Some lucky fan will win dinner for two at Firebirds and two tickets to the Panthers Home Opener.  Read their stories and vote for your favorite fan here:  http://www.carolinacatchronicles.com/p/fan.html.

Oh Godfrey! Cam broke a rib!

Carolina's Loss to Patriots Not Nearly as Bad as it Seems

Yes, we all watched last night's "Fiasco at Foxborough," we all have our opinions on it, and many are worried about the team regressing...even some writers here perhaps.

Well, I'm here to help put many of those fears to rest - I hope - as I see things in a bit of a different light.

1- I think first and foremost, the Panthers' offensive line looked about as clueless as as people who have no idea who Mr. Boddy is. Both tackle Nate Chandler and rookie guard Trai Turner stayed completely out of the game - didn't even dress - so our already thin o-line started the game with quite a handicap. 

When you're trying to "gel" an o-line, it takes time, patience and practice. Getting the o-line to play like the fingers of a hand is always the ultimate goal, but is only achieved by repetitions as a unit. So far, the Panthers haven't had that luxury. Chris Scott was in at RG and Garry Williams, a career castoff, started at RT. I have always liked LT Byron Bell, but I call him "The Turnstile" for a reason. He struggled all night long mainly against Chandler Jones.

The Only Positive of the Panther’s Preseason Game Against the Patriots

Carolina’s first two preseason games reminded me of that inevitable moment in any guy’s life where the  hot girl in class is nice, and he gets courage to ask her for her number.  She is naturally nice, and even entertains his phone call. The third game, however, was the call where she told him she just wanted to be friends.  It stings. The euphoria so quickly dashed by a swift kick to the manhood.  That’s pretty much what happened last night at Gillette Stadium, where lady Brady said to Carolina, “kitty cats, aren’t they cute?”

The offensive line played terrible, the run game was non-existent, Cam looked indecisive at times and failed to connect on some easy open looks, the secondary blew coverages and missed tackles, and New England running backs ran through gaping holes left by a gassed defensive line.  On top of that, Greg Hardy re-aggravated his shoulder, Robert Lester sprained his ankle, Cam took a knee to the back, and everyone else who didn’t get hurt played gimpy anyway.  It was a long game, one that the Panthers never looked the least bit in control.

Panthers May be in for Long Contract Negotiations with Cam Newton

Several quarterbacks have gotten supposedly large contracts in the past few months, and Cam Newton is on record for not liking the deals....at all.

Yes, people like Colin Kaepernick and Andy Dalton get the headlines - 5 years $96 million dollars, or whatever the individual case may be. It sound like a ton of money, but as we all know headlines are simply sound bites to get you to read or listen as "teasers."


Take Dalton's contract for instance. Only $17 million in guaranteed money, which is far less than a guy like, say, Miami's WR Mike Wallace. He got about double that in guarantees, and he's not even a quarterback!

Five Takeaways from Panthers Preseason Victory Over the Chiefs

1) Cam was rusty.

Super Cam’s return didn’t start off so super, completing only 1 of his first 5 passes.  Newton stared down his receivers, had trouble getting through his progressions, threw a ball into triple coverage that miraculously wasn’t intercepted, and missed Kelvin Benjamin deep.  It wasn’t until the second quarter that Newton rebounded after piecing together a drive sparked by Jonathan Stewart’s impressive debut and a sharp pass to new tight end, Ed Dickson. Cam looked unwilling to run, whether by coaches’ orders or personal hesitancy. He evaded a few pass rushes, but to be expected, he never pushed on the gas fully. Cam was clearly a little rusty. The worrisome part, however, is that his ankle looked squeaky also.  Hopefully a few of drops of 3-1 oil will do the trick.  I’m sure Jonathan Stewart has some borrow.