Archives for July 2019

Rush Review: Training Camp Day #6

Camp Wofford

#1. WR Chris Hogan is back after missing Monday’s practice with tightness in his back. NFL referees were here today to make calls during team drills. Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper is here as well speaking to media and to the fans.

#2. LB Luke Kuechly walked off the field after a solid collision during 9 vs. 7 drills.  He spent several minutes on the sidelines speaking with head trainer Ryan Vermillion but he never went in the tent to be examined. Vermillion then went to speak with head coach Ron Rivera and LB coach Steve Russ. Kuechly remained on the sidelines the rest of the practice but seemed just fine.

#3. CB Ross Cockrell got all 1st team reps at safety beside S Eric Reid. S Rashaan Gaulden got all 1st team reps at nickel CB. LB Jermaine Carter Jr. got all 1st team reps at MLB in place of Kuechly. CB Kevon Seymour got most of the 1st team reps at outside CB opposite of CB James Bradberry.

#4. WRs DJ Moore, Jaydon Mickens, Chris Hogan and Terry Godwin were sharing all of the punt return reps.

#5. During 1 on 1 DL vs. OL drills, it was an impressive sight watching DT Gerald McCoy and LB/DE Bruce Irvin going against RG Trai Turner and RT Taylor Moton. So many combinations of moves and countermoves were on full display. If this was a best of five basketball series in the playoffs, then McCoy and Irvin won the reps 3 to 2. I felt like I saw the best of all 4 players during this exchange. Also, LB/DE Marquis Haynes, DE Efe Obada, DT Dontari Poe and DT Vernon Butler Jr. were also winning a majority of reps during these drills as well.

#6. During 1 on 1 WR vs. DB drills, Curtis Samuel, once again, shined the brightest among other bright receivers. He did a “shake & bake” move on CB James Bradberry on a slant route that was just sick and so disrespectful. There was literally nothing Bradberry could do but chase Samuel after the catch. WR Torrey Smith got CB Donte Jackson on what looked like a “SLUGO” route aka Slant N Go and beat him deep for a TD score.  Also, WRs Jarius Wright, Chris Hogan, Aldrick Robinson and Terry Godwin looked nice beating coverage to get open as well.

#7. During 11 on 11 team drills, there were plenty of highlights and “Wow” plays made. Let’s start with CB Bradberry picking off a QB Cam Newton pass to WR Curtis Samuel.  I could hear Newton cursing at himself afterwards for making that throw. TE Greg Olsen made a great diving catch on a pass from QB Newton as he was being tightly covered by CB Jackson. S Rashaan Gaulden picked off a deep pass thrown by QB Kyle Allen intended for WR Smith. But next time up QB Allen threw a TD pass to TE Ian Thomas. WR DJ Moore split the double team by CB Seymour and CB Bradberry for a deep TD catch from QB Newton. CB Seymour almost had an interception while covering WR Wright on a QB Will Grier pass. CB Lorenzo Doss made an amazing pass deflection on an intermediate pass to WR Robinson on a QB Grier pass.  S Gaulden had 5 pass deflections rotating back and forth from nickel and safety. S Eric Reid gave a solid hit on TE Olsen to dislodge the ball as he ended up falling on his back. They shook hands afterwards. One of my favorite moments was some pancake blocks by LG Greg Van Roten on LB Jared Norris that lead to a big run by RB Cameron Artis-Payne. OL Dennis Daley also got himself a huge pancake block on DT Kawann Short that got everyone on offense excited, as it sprung RB Christian McCaffrey free for a nice run on the right side of the line.

#8. My overall assessment is that, based on this practice, this team is looking to make each other better. You saw veteran defensive players giving tips and pointing out things that can help offensive players. I’d say, at least 20 players are putting in work after practice is over. The feeling seems to be that they believe the pieces are in place to build a special team. Team chemistry is always strong but it seems to get stronger. I would give today’s “win” to the defense overall. But the offense is also connecting on playmaking “haymakers” as well, to challenge them back. I enjoyed watching this practice a lot.

 

 

Rush Review: Training Camp Day #5

Camp Wofford

#1. DTs Gerald McCoy and Kyle Love both returned to practice today after being off for Sunday’s practice. WR Chris Hogan did not practice today after leaving early yesterday with having tightness in his back.

#2. In the last two practices, CB Ross Cockrell has been getting work at safety with the 1st team. Head Coach Ron Rivera said that Cockrell’s ability to read a QB’s eyes and track the ball should allow him to be a playmaker with our new, much anticipated pass rush. **This has NOTHING to do with S Rashaan Gaulden not performing well.** Players are given chances in multiple roles, as Rivera is looking for position flexibility. Plus, the Panthers are using a lot of sub-packages on defense using three safeties as well.

#3. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner said that Cam Newton has so many weapons and playmakers at his disposal, that being “Superman” all the time is no longer needed. However, he did say that he will still let “Cam be Cam” when the matchup favors his skill sets.

#4. During 1 on 1 drills for DL vs. OL today, DE/LB Mario Addison showed some power against LT Greg Little and was able to push him back. IMHO Little will be just fine. I have already seen a lot of fans saying that he is a bust or not a good pick. Be open minded that Little may take a while to perform. Same thing happened with Moton as a rookie in 2017. LB/DE Christian Miller showed some success going against RT Taylor Moton using speed and power moves. LG Greg Van Roten actually locked down DT Gerald McCoy a few times. RG Trai Turner and DT Kawann Short basically took turns beating each other up. There was plenty of trashing talking too.

#5. During 1 on 1 drills for LB vs. RB today, LB Luke Kuechly won one and lost one against RB Christian McCaffrey. Even when McCaffrey lost that round, he showed strong effort. I can tell he has worked on being better at pass protecting. LB Shaq Thompson just ran through RB Jordan Scarlett. It was almost comical. Scarlett definitely needs to spend time in the weight room. The loudest pops came from LB Jermaine Carter Jr. going against RB Cameron Artis-Payne. Artis-Payne won battle but the collision by both was very loud.

#6. During 1 on 1 drills for WR vs. DB today, CB James Bradberry made a smooth pass deflection on a ball that was intended for WR Jarius Wright. CB Kevon Seymour showed great recovery speed on a deep ball in the end zone for Torrey Smith that he swatted away at the very last second. WR Curtis Samuel continues to put on a clinic on getting a release downfield to make big catches. It doesn’t seem to matter who covers him, because he will get open and put himself into position to catch the ball. WR Aldrick Robinson is scary quick and fast. His ability to get deep quickly is simply amazing.

#7. During 11 on 11 team drills of offense vs defense, I saw that LB/DE Marquis Haynes, LB Jermaine Carter Jr. DB Luke Cole got several reps with the 1st team defense. Cam Newton looked sharp throwing the ball today. He threw a pretty pass to WR DJ Moore that he caught one handed in the end zone. He also threw two more TD passes to Curtis Samuel as well. RB Christian caught a quick pass out of the backfield and out ran both LBs Kuechly and Thompson who was chasing him hard. A few plays later, McCaffrey broke free down the sidelines and LB/DE Bruce Irvin chased him down, knocked the ball out and recovered it. As expected, everyone went crazy. I also noticed that the defensive line was getting quick, heavy pressure that would have at least 5 sacks and 3 near interceptions. NT Dontari Poe looks like the Pro Bowl version of himself in Kansas City. You can tell he loves being directly over the center. I saw several run plays using FB Alex Armah to lead block for RBs, especially in the red zone.

#8. Since the team will be off tomorrow, I noticed several trends. If I had to gauge the ratio of the number of times the defense uses the 3-4 philosophy vs. 4-3 philosophy, I would say it is 55/45. I think that we will use whichever alignment that matches up the best with the offensive personnel on the field. I noticed that several players are rotating in and out of the front 7. I also noticed that we are using many different offensive formations and different personnel groupings. I saw everything from 2 TE sets to having 5 WR sets. The goal is clearly to create favorable matchups on both sides of the ball. I am looking forward to practice #6 on Wednesday.

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Rush Review: Training Camp Day #4

Camp Wofford

#1. QB Cam Newton was a full go today in all drills. OT Daryl Williams and C Matt Paradis did not do any 1 on 1 drills but did all the team drills. Vet day off for DT Gerald McCoy. DT Kyle Love missed practice with a leg injury suffered in Saturday’s practice.

#2. DB Cole Luke got to start at nickel CB with the 1st team defense. CB Ross Cockrell got heavy reps playing at both safety spots. The punt returners today were RB Christian McCaffrey, WR DJ Moore, WR Rashad Ross and WR Terry Godwin.

** Just a fan friendly reminder about 1 on 1 battles during training camp. On every rep one player gets the W and one player gets the L. The player that gets W’s consistently is not a 1st team All Pro. The player that gets L’s consistently is not a bum. DL vs. OL drills favor the defender. WR vs. DB drills favor the receiver. **

#3. During 1 on 1 DL vs. OL drills LB/DE Marquis Haynes continues to show big improvement. I counted him using 4 different moves against 4 different blockers to get free quickly. LB/DE Bruce Irvin showed that he can win with power or speed or elusiveness. I feel like several Panthers fans are sleeping on his abilities because of his age but he can get almost as low as rookie LB/DE Brian Burns. DTs Kawann Short and Vernon Butler Jr. both were successful in taking on double team blocks and splitting them. DL coach Sam Mills III was very hyped in giving them their praises.

#4. During 1 on 1 WR vs. DB drills WR Curtis Samuel is once again displaying a level of speed and quickness that is hard not to be super excited about. He is blowing past any defender and catching every ball thrown his way. Him and CB Donte Jackson are easily the most entertaining battle at camp. Every time Samuel beats Jackson, Jackson comes right back the next time and makes a play on the ball. So in other words…..”Iron Sharpening Iron”. WR DJ Moore vs. CB James Bradberry has also been very competitive as well. Moore’s route running has gotten noticeably better. Bradberry’s footwork has improved to the point that he is making timely plays on the ball. WR Torrey Smith came back strong by catching several contested passes on both intermediate and deep routes. CB Kevon Seymour is quietly making plays playing both outside CB and nickel CB. His ability to jam receivers at the LOS was heavily praised by DB coach Perry Fewell. In pass protection drills, LB Jared Norris actually blew up RB Christian McCaffrey. That drew several responses by teammates.

#5. During team drills, there were several big plays made by both the offense and the defense. Newton threw a perfect pass down the seam to TE Greg Olsen but S Eric Reid timed it just right and deflected the ball into Donte Jackson’s hands for an interception. Newton hit WR DJ Moore on a slant route that he made a great catch behind his back and took off down field. S Corrion Ballard made a big hard hit on rookie RB Jordan Scarlett that jarred the ball loose as soon as it hit his hands. However Scarlett came back with a pair of deep catches over 20 yards each. WR DJ Moore ran a deep route but another perfectly timed jump by CB Jackson knocked the ball down. Newton threw a nice touch pass to WR Jarius Wright over the leaping DB Cole Luke. CB Lorenzo Doss picked off a pass by QB Taylor Heinicke as well. DE/LB Mario Addison did a sick spin move on OT Daryl Williams that drew “Oooohs and Ahhhhhs” from the crowd.

#6. RB Cameron Artis-Payne and WR Aldrick Robinson got several reps with the 1st team offense. Robinson ability to get open and get down the field quickly is a sight to see honestly. He was drawing double teams for the rest of practice after getting 1 on 1 coverage his first two plays in. Artis-Payne seems to have worked on his agility because his stop & start moves on defenders has broken several ankles of would-be tacklers. It would not surprise me if our RB depth will be McCaffrey, Artis-Payne and Scarlett come Week 1.

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Rush Review: Training Camp Day #3

Camp Wofford

#1. QB Cam Newton was held out of practice today as a part of a preplanned day of rest. Head Coach Ron Rivera said that there are zero issues or setbacks with the right shoulder of Newton.

#2. TE Greg Olsen C Matt Paradis OT Daryl Williams DE/LB Mario Addison and DE/LB Bruce Irvin sat out practice with a “Vet Day Off”.

#3. WR Torrey Smith and LB Jermaine Carter Jr. passed their physicals this morning and were taken off the PUP list. Both practiced for the 1st time today.

#4. DT Kyle Love DT Bijhon Jackson OT Dillon Gordon and LB Sione Teuhema all left practice early today due to heat related issues.

#5. CB Corn Elder switched from #35 back to #29. This was his number in college as a Miami Hurricane. He sees this as a way to get his “swag and mojo back”.

#6. Rookie QB Will Grier got all the reps with the 1st team offense today. QB Taylor Heinicke was 2nd and QB Kyle Allen was 3rd.

#7. During 1 on 1 pass rush drills the most excitement came from rookie LB/DE Brian Burns getting the best of LT Greg Little several times. Burns quickness is ELITE!! Also LB Marquis Haynes was simply abusing RT Taylor Moton. Haynes used a variety of moves to get free quickly.

#8. During 1 on 1 interior pass rush drills both DT Gerald McCoy and DT Vernon Butler Jr. both displayed powerful and violent bull rush and spin moves that was causing frustration throughout the period.

#9. During 1 on 1 WR vs. DB drills no one could keep up with WR Curtis Samuel. He had a beautiful deep ball bomb thrown to him in the end zone over CB Donte Jackson that was good for a TD. But on their next rep against each other Jackson made a very impressive pass deflection over Samuel.

#10. Team Drills Offense: Will Grier looked fairly solid for the most part throwing short, throwing intermediate and throwing deep. But offensive coordinator Norv Turner did let Grier know that he is staring down his receiver too much and that he is making predetermined reads instead of going through his progression. FB Alex Armah made some impressive plays both running and catching the ball. He ran a couple of defenders over. RB Cameron Artis-Payne showed incredible burst and change of direction to make a few runs of 8 yards or more. TEs Ian Thomas and Chris Manhertz showed effectiveness together in multiple 2 TE sets. Both made several catches lined up in a 3 point stance and flexed out standing up. I can see the Panthers using more 3 TE personnel this season.

#11. Team Drills Defense: S Eric Reid was all over the field making plays. You can tell he really is comfortable with the playbook. His communication with other DBs helped others to be in position to make plays as well. CB Javien Elliott made it tough for all slot receivers to break free from his nickel CB position. DB coach Perry Fewell got fired up a few times raving about his play. LBs Shaq Thompson and Andre Smith were the hardest “thumpers” against the run game with various RBs. Both were very salty against runs up the middle. The chemistry between DT Dontari Poe, DT Gerald McCoy and DT Kawann Short is very strong when they are in together.

#12. I was able to count the defense being in a “30 front” 28 times and in a “40 front” 34 times. This hybrid mix can be disruptive when consistently executed. It was fun seeing players lining up differently from play to play. Saw quite a bit of pass rushers dropping into coverage at times. I also noticed some unique defensive personnel being used. I saw some 2 DL 4 LB 5 DB sets. Also some 3 DL 3 LB and 5 DB looks. I even noticed more dime personnel with 4 CBs and 2 Safeties. With Rivera now calling plays it is easy to see that he is ready to finally play “chess” on defense instead of just “checkers”.

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Takeaways From Amazon Prime’s “All or Nothing”

Prime Cuts with Norris

By: 4MR-Norris Thornburg July 26, 2019

By now, everyone has at least heard different talking points about “All or Nothing” and discussed it among friends. If you haven’t watched it, you need to. Yes, there’s gratuitous use of curse words, but that is life in competitive sports. It’s an amazing show that gives fans an in-depth look at the 2018 Panthers.

There are several things I learned while watching the series. Some things I already knew, and some I didn’t. The show is fun, intriguing, surprising, insightful and will have you hyped up and ready fo the season to start. From start to finish, it’s a must-see. Things I learned:

Cam is a Leader

It’s baffling that people still question Cam’s leadership. Cam constantly motivates his teammates to do better, no matter the situation. He leads by the way he plays. He seemingly puts the team on his back when they need him. The way he gets excited when other players make great plays is awesome. The way he plays through pain and doesn’t ever say anything is the sign of a leader. The way he accepted the coaches sitting him for the remainder of the season and getting excited for Heinicke was good to see. It was refreshing to actually see Cam in this light. Hopefully it’ll show fans of other teams, what Panther Nation already knew. Cam is a leader…..and it was well documented in this series.

Cam Loves Helping Others

Cam does so much for the community, but “All or Nothing” showed Cam walking through the streets of Charlotte handing out food to the homeless on Thanksgiving. He’s done that more times than have been reported, but having it on this series will show fans of other teams how Cam makes a difference within the community.

Ron Rivera is One Hell of a Coach

That speech during the Pittsburgh game had fans ready to go hit someone. Rivera is a player’s coach. He’s well respected within the locker room. He knows how to motivate his players. He knows his stuff. Side note: It was fun to see how Rivera called each player “kiddo” and showed how he thinks of these guys as his own. He truly cares about the players, as well as, the game. Seeing how Rivera never lost the locker room during the losing streak, is a testament on how good of a coach he really is. The Panthers are lucky to have him.

There’s a Reason Devin Funchess isn’t Here Anymore

Yes, Funchess was going through a lot with the death of his cousin and yes, everyone grieves differently. However, you never let it break you to the point that you get into an altercation with coaches. He’s a professional. He’s not supposed to let things hinder his playing ability. He showed that he still has some growing up to do. This might not be fair assessment, but it’s how he looked on the small screen. He had a lot of drops in key situations. Panthers thought it was best to let him walk to get a fresh start elsewhere.

Owner David Tepper is Great

Seeing David Tepper excited about the team and walking around shaking the hands of fans, was good to see. Seeing how passionate he is about the Panthers and how competitive he is, should make people pumped about the future of this franchise. Tepper is a fan of football. He yells and cheers for the Panthers like he’s been a fan of the team for 25 years. He knows the business side of the NFL. He realized the issues that faced the team from a business standpoint, and made necessary changes. He had a practice bubble built when he noticed that the Panthers had an unfair disadvantage in regards to practicing outdoors. He voiced his opinion about the team direction and mentioned that the success of the team is hinged on both the offensive and defensive lines. Having Tepper as an owner is an advantage to the Carolina Panthers.

Donte Jackson Has the Tools to Be Great

After watching the series, Jackson tweeted that the show didn’t portray him correctly, and that he wasn’t the only one that was tired of losing. The series didn’t exactly do Jackson wrong, but it showed how tough it is for rookies in the NFL. Jackson has the mental toughness, attitude and skill set to be really good, if not great, in this league. He made a few mistakes last season, but they were rookie mistakes. He was really good in most cases. The guy is going to be special. His pick-two against the Saints last year was one of my favorite plays of the year.

Efe Obada’s Story is Inspirational 

This was one of my favorite parts of the series. Born in Nigeria, Efe and his sister moved to the Netherlands and then were both trafficked to London at the age of 10. Once in London, Efe and his sister were left homeless. He slept on the streets and then went through 10 different foster homes. He eventually found American football in London and worked hard. Efe has said publicly that he used to hang around the wrong crowd, but once he found football, he straightened up. Great story about working hard and getting where you want to be. Bettering yourself through hard work is a story we can all relate to.

There could’ve been a number of takeaways from this series, but these were some of the bigger ones. No matter what you learned, one thing is for certain. This was an amazing look into the team, as you’ve never seen before. It’s just a shame that it was only eight episodes and an even bigger shame that the season didn’t end on a better note. No matter what, we will keep pounding! #4MR #WhatARush

 

Rush Review: Training Camp Day #2

Camp Wofford

#1. QB Cam Newton was cleared to throw with no limitations. Head trainer Ryan Vermillion thoroughly examined the right throwing shoulder after 80 passes on Thursday night between individual and team drills.

#2. WR Torrey Smith was doing some running along the sidelines all practice long. Trainers believe he is almost ready to come off the PUP list. TE Ian Thomas was a full go in practice today after being limited Thursday night.

#3. Head coach Ron Rivera got fed up with the defense continually jumping offsides on numerous times. It was easy to hear him say…..”Get your head out of your asses! This shit is not acceptable!”

#4. The players practiced today again in just helmets and shorts. But tomorrow’s Saturday practice from 9:20 to 11:30 will be full pads.

#5. Cam Newton arm strength appears to be back. He did miss about 3 deep passes of at least 40 yards in the air. Clearly he is shaking off the rust. However he was nearly flawless in throwing intermediate and short passes.

#6. WRs Jarius Wright and Chris Hogan are as pure of route runners and as sure handed as anyone on the team. Both players went high and went low to catch passes without breaking stride.

#7. Everyone is talking about how low and how fast LB/DE Brian Burns is and rightfully so. But the same needs to be said about LB/DE Bruce Irvin. Whether he was standing up or whether he was down in a three-point stance the result was the same. If you are sleeping on his production then he will wake you up in 2019.

#8. S Eric Reid is quickly emerging as the leader of the secondary. He is making excellent calls and checks pre snap. Also he is helping fellow DBs after each play with advice and corrections. DB coach Perry Fewell gave him a few shout outs throughout team drills.

#9. OTs Daryl Williams and Greg Little both split reps at LT with the 1st team. Trainers want to gradually ease Williams back into the flow of things after having two surgeries to the same knee.

#10. Rookie RB Jordan Scarlett has clearly worked on his pass catching abilities since being drafted. He is laying a foundation to build his case to be the RB to substitute for Christian McCaffrey and the offense not skip a beat.

#11. CBs Kevon Seymour made several timely pass deflections today. CB Corn Elder started again at nickel with the 1st team defense and played well. He definitely fits better as an inside CB than outside CB.

#12. S Rashaan Gaulden was flying all over the field today. He made about 4 pass deflections today on deep routes while also coming up very strong in run support.

#13. During the last installation period the offense went over and practiced about 12 different types of screens. My favorite ones was a FB screen to Alex Armah and a read option screen to TE Manhertz. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner’s play design is simply fun to watch unfold.

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