Archives for September 2020

Week 3 Predictions vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Vince's Vindications


By: Vince Holmes

A slow start to the Rhule Era of the Carolina Panthers to start the season. Untimely injuries and inconsistent play among other things have contributed to the Panthers 0-2 start for this season. While it hasn’t been all bad for the Panthers, the players have been able to compete enough to be in position to win both games. I predict more of the same for this young and inexperienced team and coaching staff. Here is why I believe the Panthers will fall short yet again despite putting forth a valiant effort.

Injuries

The 2019 NFL OPOY RB Christian McCaffrey has been put on IR for at least the next 3 weeks and facing a stout defense without your best player is always tough. McCaffrey has been the lifeline of the Panthers offense for the last 2 seasons and adjusting to life without McCaffrey will be tough against this stout Chargers defense. Final score prediction is:  Carolina 20 Los Angeles 24.

Key Matchups

RT Taylor Moton vs. the pass rush edge duo of Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram will be key if the Panthers want to win on Sunday. This matchup also is key for Moton off the field as he seeks his first long term deal. Handling Bosa and Ingram would be a good start to him getting a new deal.

Rookie QB Justin Herbert makes his 2nd NFL start against a struggling Panthers secondary. Herbert will be making his 2nd start but this week will be his first, preparing throughout the week as a starter. I expect Herbert to be confident and well prepared to spread the ball around to his weapons on Sunday and build off an impressive start from last week vs. the defending Super Bowl Kansas City Chiefs.

Players To Watch

Rookie RB Joshua Kelly has been impressive early in this season. A struggling Panthers run defense will have it’s hands full slowing him down and his running mate RB Austin Ekeler. Neutralizing both of these players should be priority #1 for Panthers defensive coordinator Phil Snow and company.

RB Mike Davis is getting the start for the Panthers. For the last two seasons the offense has run through McCaffrey. I’m interested to see how Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady uses Davis on Sunday and how that impacts the overall offense. If Davis can provide a semblance of a running game while contributing in the passing game, it bolds well for Brady and the offense to put up points on Sunday.

Hot Takes w/ Monty: Week 2 Rush Review vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Hot Takes with Monty

So after dramatically crying myself to sleep and after washing the stinch of yesterday’s UGLY

loss off, I am finally back and ready to discuss what happened in the matchup against
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by our Carolina Panthers. Let’s just jump right into it.

Week 2 Hot Takes w/ Monty

● The Tale of Two Weeks from our O-Line & QB 5
Since signing Teddy Bridgewater to the Panthers back in March, I think I’ve been one of the more vocal fans in my support of him and in his ability to play QB. Even now, I still believe that he is
a very solid QB that is talented enough to come in and win games when needed. That being
said, Week 2 of the 2020 season was NOT a good outing for QB #5. Teddy came right out the
gates with 2 costly turnovers that put us in a 14-0 hole early in the first quarter. For most of
the first half, Bridgewater could never establish any type of rhythm with his receivers or tight
ends. Adding insult to injury, Tampa Bay did a great job of bottling up Christian McCaffery and
preventing us from running the ball effectively like we did in Week 1. You match all of that with
absolute terrible play from our offensive line, and you can see why we leave Sunday’s contest
with such a lopsided loss. Now, I will give credit where it’s due. This offense, led by Bridgewater,
never gave in and continued to battle back all the way down to the very last whistle. We in fact fought back from a 21-7 deficit in the 2nd half, and were able to cut the lead down to a TD midway throughthe 4th Quarter. But sometimes when it rains, it pours. A late INT by Bridgewater, costly
penalties in the second half, and just bad execution from our offense as a whole is what
ultimately sealed our fate. Moving forward, I still have faith that Teddy can turn things around for
this offense, and I still stand by my assessment that QB isn’t close to being the biggest need we
have on this roster. Bridgewater must be better and I expect him to be.

● Defense continues to struggle in Week 2
To be honest, this week I am willing to give our defense somewhat of a break. A minor break
but a break nonetheless. I’m sure after looking at the scoreboard and after looking at highlights
of Tom Brady shredding our defense to pieces, it’s easy to say our defense was the biggest reason
for us losing yesterday’s contest. I also think you have to consider how well this unit played
during the start of the 2nd half, especially during the top of the 4th quarter by holding the Buccaneers scoreless. I also believe that if the Panthers offense did not turn the ball over two times in our first two possessions, then we are not down 14-0 in the 1st quarter. We would potentially be talking about a complete different game at that point and potentially a completely different outcome. That’s also as far as my break goes for this defense. Just like in Week 1 there was poor tackling, a lack of a true pass rush and silly mental mistakes that led to penalties which is what ultimately cost us yesterday’s game. Not to mention, Tom Brady and his offense missed out on a couple of opportunities to make this game that much more embarrassing. A dropped TD pass from Shady McCoy in the end zone, and a doink off of a Tampa Bay’s WR helmet is what kept the game closer than it really should have been. Bottom line is that this defense is BAD and doesn’t look to be getting better anytime soon.

I’m keeping this week’s Hot Takes short, sweet and simple. There wasn’t a lot to cheer for yesterday at all and we have A LOT of work to do.

Offensive Player Of The Game: WR Robbie Anderson

Defensive Player Of The Game: EDGE Brian Burns

A Look Ahead: Buccaneers

Game Breakdowns, Prime Cuts with Norris

Panthers 
at
Buccaneers 
1:00

Well, that’s not the way fans wanted to start the Matt Rhule Era. There were some things to like about the team (mainly on offense), but there were also some things to work on. The Carolina defense looked lost at times, but you’ll have that when there is so much inexperience. Tampa, who also went through some changes in the offseason, started off with a loss too. It was an odd week one to say the least, as most stadiums didn’t have fans in the stands to help swing momentum. Here’s a look ahead to the Bucs:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

Head Coach

Bruce Arians

Offensive Coordinator

Byron Leftwich

Defensive Coordinator

Todd Bowles

Key Acquisitions

QB Tom Brady

RB Leonard Fournette

TE Rob Gronkowski

Key Losses

QB Jameis Winston

RB Peyton Barber

WR Breshad Perriman

Key Draft Picks

OT Tristan Wirf

S Antoine Winfield Jr. 

The Bucs’ offense looks a little different this year. They signed Tom Brady and Leonard Fournette and traded for Rob Gronkowski. Tampa didn’t get off to the best start, but neither did Carolina. The Bucs drafted one of the best offensive tackles in the 2020 draft, and one of the best safeties as well. 

Carolina Panthers

Head Coach

Matt Rhule 

Offensive Coordinator

Joe Brady

Defensive Coordinator

Phil Snow

Key Acquisitions

QB Teddy Bridgewater

WR Robby Anderson

LT Russell Okung

G John Miller

G Michael Schofield

LB Tahir Whitehead

CB Rasul Douglas

S Juston Burris

CB Eli Apple

KR Pharaoh Cooper

Key Losses

QB Cam Newton

DT/NT Dontari Poe 

LG Greg Van Roten 

K Graham Gano 

TE Greg Olsen

LB Luke Kuechly

DT Gerald McCoy

CB James Bradberry 

S Eric Reid

G Trai Turner

Key Draft Picks

DT Derrick Brown

DE Yatur Gross-Matos 

S/LB/N Jeremy Chinn

CB Troy Pride Jr. 

There has been more turnover on this team than any other team in the league. From coaches, to scouts, to players….This is an entirely different team. Carolina used all of their 2020 draft picks on defensive players, which is where most of their issues lied. 

Things to Watch

Carolina Panthers

Teddy Bridgewater played well for the Panthers, as he amassed 270 yards and a touchdown, with a quarterback rating of 98.9. Bridgewater will have his hands full on Sunday against the Tampa front seven, who was able to rush Drew Brees some on Sunday. Teddy does a good job of eluding pressure and stepping into the pocket. If he continues that, he should be able to take advantage of the Bucs and their lackluster secondary. Let’s hope the offensive line can hold off the Tampa pass rush. 

Christian McCaffrey started the game off slow on Sunday, but managed to get 134 total yards and 2 touchdowns against the Raiders. There’s no doubt that McCaffrey is still the best running back in the league. Last year, Tampa’s defense held McCaffrey to 110 total yards and 2 touchdowns in two games. That’s amazing when you consider he had a record breaking season. With Tampa’s front seven in-tact, the Bucs could give CMC some fits. Look for Joe Brady to get McCaffrey involved heavily in the passing game. McCaffrey should see some screens, intermediate sideline routes and possibly a deep throw or two so that he can take advantage of Tampa’s secondary. 

The Panthers have one of the fastest wide receiver trios in the league and that was put on display Sunday. Robby Anderson has a 75 yard touchdown from Bridgewater in the fourth quarter to take the lead and then capped it off with a successful two-point conversion. Fans shouldn’t worry about the offense, as they will likely get even better as the season progresses. People don’t realize how much the preseason reps are needed for an offense to sync. Especially in a year where a team has a new coaching staff, new quarterback and three new offensive linemen. Moore, Samuel and Anderson should get ample opportunities to gain separation and get a lot of yards. They must capitalize on a weak Tampa Secondary. Also, look for Carolina to get Ian Thomas involved more, as Tampa had issues shutting down Jared Cook last Sunday. 

Looks like the Carolina defense picked up where they left off from last year…..and that’s not a good thing. Josh Jacobs ran for 93 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Panthers, while Derek Carr added 239 yards and a touchdown through the air. Carolina also had no sacks or hurries on Carr, which is unheard of for a Panthers’ defense. To be fair, this is basically a new defense with a few rookies. Even though the stats aren’t there, Derrick Brown had a good game. Jeremy Chinn flew around the field and had 7 solo tackles in his NFL debut. Troy Pride Jr. played pretty well Sunday, too. He had good coverage skills but he needs to turn his head and look for the ball better. He was in perfect position to intercept that touchdown pass had he just turned his head. Pride definitely outplayed his draft position. 

Not all is bad about the defense, though. Jacobs didn’t break off any big runs and he only averaged 3.7 yards per carry. Teams last year averaged 5.7 yards per carry against Carolina. There was a lot to like about this young defense, but also a lot to work on. Kawann Short struggled against times, but he’s coming off a two game season and shoulder surgery with no preseason to get conditioned. He will get back to his form. Look for Phil Snow to incorporate a few defensive wrinkles to create pressure on Brady. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

Tom Brady struggled throughout the first half against the Saints, but started to get into a rhythm as the game wore on. Brady has some weapons to work with, but his offensive line looks a little shaky. 

Tampa has two very good running backs in Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones. Jones will get the start, but Fournette will likely get a few carries this week now that he’s getting acclimated to the offense. They should have some success against the Panthers’ defense. 

The Bucs have a really good receiving group in Godwin, Evans and Scotty Miller. They also have 3 solid tight ends in Gronkowski, Howard and Brate. Look for Brady to try and expose rookie Troy Pride Jr. and also veteran Tahir Whitehead, who struggled in coverage. 

The Tampa defense has a strong and fast front seven who can stop the run and rush the passer. Their secondary struggled last week at times and will need to get to Bridgewater if they want to have a chance. 

Keys to a Carolina Victory

• Get McCaffrey involved heavily in the pass game. Try and establish the run game with CMC and Mike Davis. Tampa only allowed 82 yards rushing last week, but Carolina still needs to let McCaffrey run. He’s a volume runner. Eventually he will break one or two runs off. 

• Protect Teddy. Bridgewater does well under pressure and steps into the pocket, but the offensive line needs to do their best to keep Teddy clean so he can expose the Tampa secondary. 

• Protect the ball. No turnovers!

• Contain Scotty Miller. Brady loves the small slot receivers and will likely feed the ball to Miller. 

• Maintain gap discipline on defense. Also, set the edge. Can’t let Tampa break off runs on the outside or through holes. 

• Utilize the receivers’ speed. Carolina has three wide outs that can take the top off the defense and gain separation. Go after the Tampa secondary. 

• Win the time of possession battle. The offense needs to sustain long scoring drives to keep the defense fresh and take the pressure off of them. 

• Get pressure and hurry Brady. It should be easier this week against the Tampa offensive line. 

Key Matchups

• McCaffrey VS Buccaneers defensive line

• Bridgewater VS Buccaneers defensive line

• Pride Jr. and Douglas VS Evans and Godwin

• Carolina’s pass rush VS Brady

• Carolina offensive line VS Tampa’s defensive line

Injury Report

Carolina

DT Kawann Short OUT

DE Yetur Gross-Matos OUT

G Dennis Daley OUT

Tampa Bay

WR Chris Godwin DOUBTFUL

TE Anthony Auclair OUT

Prediction

You can never discount Tom Brady, even at 43 years old. Once he gets into rhythm, he’s hard to beat. However, there’s a possibility he may be without his top receiver, as Chris Godwin is in concussion protocol and will need to clear it if he wants to play. Carolina will come out with a solid game plan and pull out a 35-29 victory in Tampa. McCaffrey will get 160 total yards and 2 touchdowns. DJ Moore will have 110 yards and a touchdown. Robby Anderson will also have a touchdown. Carolina’s defense will get their first sack of the year and end the game with 4 sacks. Troy Pride Jr. will get his first career interception. 

Hot Takes w/ Monty: Week 1 Rush Review vs. Las Vegas Raiders

Hot Takes with Monty

The 2020 NFL Season is finally here! Beyond all of the trying times of COVID-19 and the never ending battle against Social Injustice in America, the Carolina Panthers return to football has come back with perfect timing. We have a lot of different things to break down and cover so let’s jump right into it.

Week 1 Hot Takes w/ Monty
• Solid Performance by Teddy “2 Gloves”
It’s been a very long journey for Teddy Bridgewater with him battling back from a near career ending knee injury, back to a starting QB role in the NFL. So after showing flashes from last season in New Orleans, Teddy B has started off the 2020 season in good shape. Today we saw a very efficient, very composed, very poised and very confident QB. Teddy completed nearly 65% of his passes (64.7%), threw for 270 yards with a TD pass. And when needed, he escaped pressure by extending plays with his legs to pick up key first downs throughout the game. Now, by no means was his performance in Week 1 without mistakes. He actually struggled for most of the 3rd quarter with hitting WRs in stride down field, along with looking a little stagnant at times. However, it was also good to see him rebound late in the 2nd half with a 75 Yard TD pass to Robby Anderson to close a double digit defect. Moving forward I believe Teddy is in a perfect situation to thrive and be successful in Joe Brady’s system. I’d like to see a more aggressive QB at times, with him taking a more shots down field, but I also recognize that this all will be work in progress. So Panthers fans…”Buckle up and enjoy the ride!”
• Attack of the C-Mac / WRs struggle
Very simply put, Christian McCaffery is THE best RB in football. Also in other news, water is wet. We may not have turned out a W in today’s contest, but it definitely wasn’t because of “Run CMC” not showing up and showing out. On a Sunday where WRs not named Robby Anderson, were less than spectacular. In classic Carolina Panthers fashion McCaffrey carried this team offensively. On 23 carries, our guy rushed for 96 yards on the ground matched with 2 TD runs. He also tacked on 36 yards receiving on three catches, which ultimately put him over 100 total scrimmage yards for the day. As great as C-Mac was in Week 1, it was disappointing to watch DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel struggle throughout today’s competition. Both had costly 3rd down drops that would have extended drives in key moments of today’s game. To add insult to injury, DJ Moore got hit with a bonehead penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct for taunting, which killed our momentum in the middle of the 3rd Quarter. We absolutely HAVE to see more from guys like DJ and Curtis moving forward.
• Defensive Woes from a Young Core
Coming into the 2020 season most Panthers fans knew that our defense would likely be the “Achilles heel” of our team. We are simply too young, and too inexperienced in way too many different areas. Match that with a first year NFL Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator, we are bound to make plenty of mistakes in 2020. We are still incapable of stopping the run, our LBs look to be a liability in coverage, and our secondary desperately missed Donte Jackson today, who was injured early in the 1st QTR. It seemed like after the very first drive of the game, the Panthers defense had absolutely no answer for the Raiders offense and it’s quick passing game. QB Derek Carr had his way with our defense all game, and RB Josh Jacobs ran the ball down our throats. Rookie CB Troy Pride Jr was baptized by fire today with multiple blown coverage assignments down field which resulted in chunk plays from the Raiders. That being said, Rookie SS Jeremy Chinn was all over the field today and looked very comfortable in Snow’s system. Chinn finished 2nd in tackles for our defense today with 8. Rookie DT Derrick Brown looks like he’s going to be a monster on the interior once his fellow defenders learns to mesh with one another as the season continues. We didn’t see much from 2nd year DE/OLB Brian Burns today, which is a little disappointing and something to keep our eyes on. All an all, we have A LOT of growing to do Defensively but the talent is there to be molded correctly.
– Week 1 Offensive Player of the Game: Christian McCaffery
– Week 1 Defensive Player of the Game: Jeremy Chinn

4 Man Rush Game Predictions: Week 1 – The Rhule Era

Vince's Vindications

A new era begins Sunday afternoon in Charlotte NC and there will be new faces all over Bank of America Stadium. With all the uncertainty and unfamiliarity surrounding the 2020 season, predicting the outcome seems almost impossible. However, I believe not having a preseason works in the Panthers favor on Sunday. The unorthodox off-season offers them an advantage over the visiting Las Vegas Raiders.

NO PRESEASON
Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has been around the NFL for decades now and he’s more than likely seen everything the league has to offer. However, COVID-19 leaves Gruden and his staff in a bind with little to no film of the Panthers and their new look schemes. Gruden has mentioned he’s opted to watch college film of both Matt Rhule and new offensive coordinator Joe Brady in order to be ready for this Sunday’s game. I don’t think it will be enough though due to Carolina jumping out to an early lead and able to hold off a late rally by Las Vegas.

Panthers 23  Raiders 20.

KEY MATCH-UPS
The Raiders boast a very good interior line of center Rodney Hudson, and guards Gabe Jackson and Richie Incognito. A newly revamped defensive front 7 for the Panthers will have their hands full getting to Derrick Carr and stopping running back Josh Jacobs. This is the biggest key to victory, limiting big plays in the pass game and stopping the running game in Week 1.

PLAYERS TO WATCH 
Rookie first round pick Derrick Brown will be key in trying to stop the Raiders run game. Carolina invested the 7th overall pick on Brown hoping he would put an end to the run game woes that plagued the Panthers in 2019. He will have veteran Pro Bowl DT Kawann Short returning from a Week 2 season ending shoulder injury from last season to help shore up the interior of the defense.

Raiders Tight End Darren Waller isn’t a house hold name. However, he’s one of the best players at his position in the league. Waller can line up all over the field causing match up problems for opposing defenses. The Panthers LB corps will look a little different without former All Pro Luke Kuechly in the middle, so limiting the effectiveness of Waller will be paramount in slowing down an explosive offense.

Tepper’s Training Camp Takeaways

Knowledge with Kevin

Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper held a virtual press conference today with the local Charlotte sports media. He spoke on a variety of different topics and answered several questions. Here is a recap of what he said:

  • There has been significant improvement with diversity throughout the franchise on both the management level and the work force.
  • Construction has begun at the site of the new team headquarters in Rock Hill SC which will be ready in the next three years.
  • Has not ruled out returning back to Wofford College in Spartanburg SC as an interim training camp but did not commit either.
  • Having a new open-air stadium has more appeal now than it did a year ago.
  • There has not been any recent conversation with the owners of Charlotte Pipe and Foundry who are relocating which could be the new stadium site.
  • Hopes that fans will be allowed at Bank of America Stadium later on during the season because he loves to interact with the crowds before each game.
  • Is still bothered by the hard decision to furlough/layoff several stadium employees due to changes in the organization and the pandemic effects on the economy.
  • Richardson statue was taken down for safety reasons and will not return to Bank of America Stadium.
  • The decision to release QB Cam Newton was very difficult for him. His wife Nicole was crying alot about it as well.
  • Has not had time to think about GM Marty Hurney contract expiring in June 2021 but will look into it later on.