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Kevin Avery

What is REALLY wrong with the 2019 Carolina Panthers offensive line?

Knowledge with Kevin


One of the biggest question marks heading into the 2019 season for the Carolina Panthers was how well was the offensive line going to perform. On paper, the unit looked very promising and poised to dominate. The retirement of long time team captain and leader, center Ryan Kalil, left a void that was filled in free agency with the signing of former Denver Broncos center, Matt Paradis. Paradis was graded the number two center overall in the NFL in 2018, in spite of missing several games with a broken leg. Four time Pro Bowler, Trai Turner, was coming back at right guard. Third year player, Taylor Moton, maintained his spot at right tackle after having a very solid breakout season the year prior. Coming in on the left side of the ball was left guard, Greg Van Roten, who was the only player on offense to play every single offensive snap in 2018. After not landing a big free agent contract, the Panthers re-signed former 2017 2nd team All Pro, Daryl Williams, to a one year prove-it deal to play at left tackle. Williams missed all of the 2018 season after suffering two serious injuries to the same knee. As far as the depth goes, the Panthers traded up ten spots in the 2019 NFL Draft to get left tackle Greg Little, who was known as one of the top elite pass blockers of this draft class. Later in the draft, the Panthers spent their sixth round pick to draft offensive lineman, Dennis Daley. Finally, center/guard Tyler Larsen comes back for his fourth year with the team to play backup at center and both guard spots. However, after ten games played so far, this unit has been inconsistent and disappointing overall in both the run blocking and the pass blocking execution. Let’s take a deeper look at each player to find out why.


Matt Paradis
: (Pro Football Focus Grade is 48.3, was 79.0 in 2018)

He is ranked dead last as the worst starting center in the NFL. He only has one penalty but has given up three sacks and dozens of QB pressures and QB hits. Why has he fallen from being #2 down to #32? On Nov. 4, 2018, he broke his right leg against the Houston Texans. He was placed on injured reserve and immediately had surgery. When he signed his free agent deal of 3 yrs/ $27M back on March 12, it was thought that he would be able to fully practice with the team by the June mini camp. Yet, it was until the later half of training camp before he was able to fully practice in pads. That means from November 2018 until August 2019, Paradis was unable to do any of the normal offseason gym workouts and conditioning drills that is mandatory to build strength and increase agility. After watching several hours of the All 22 coaches film, it is painfully obvious that his lower body is unable to consistently do what his mind is telling and what his eyes are seeing.  He does a good job of taking the right step and getting proper head placement on the defender most of the time. However, when he is met with a more powerful defensive linemen who has leverage on him, he is unable to maintain the desired position. Typically, it takes a few games to play yourself back into shape, but it is likely going to take a full complete offseason in 2020 for him to regain the strength he needs to place him back as one of the elite centers in the game. It is painful to watch now, but it is the belief that he will get a whole lot better after this season.


Trai Turner
: (PFF Grade is 59.9, was 64.5 in 2018)

Why has he fallen from his Pro Bowl caliber of play? Since missing three games with a high ankle sprain after Week 3 win @ Arizona and returning Week 8 @ San Francisco, he has not been the consistent mauler that we have known him to be. He will show powerful flashes here and there, but last four games he has sputtered more than sparking. Several times he has been easily moved out of the way on run blocks. The assumption is that his high ankle sprain is still bothering him since his play was above average for the first three games this year. It also needs to be said that it is the assumption that Turner is one of the players that tight end, Greg Olsen, was referring to in his post game comments after the loss to the Falcons. He said “Guys in this locker room got to realize playing in the NFL is a lot more than just running around and looking cool. You’ve got to play.”


Taylor Moton
: (PFF Grade is 70.7,was 76.2 in 2018)

Why has he fallen from his stellar level of play from 2018?  Last season, while playing 1054 snaps, he had six penalties and two sacks in 16 games. As of Week 11, he has played 676 snaps and he already has six penalties and has given up four sacks in 10 games. This sophomore slump has more to do with lazy effort moreso than it being a talent issue. The All 22 shows him repeatedly lunging forward towards his defender, which leaves his footwork unbalanced while also giving up the leverage advantage. Frustration comes also because he will play like a top ten guy at his position on several plays. This inconsistent ability to properly execute now starts putting doubt that Moton is our long term answer at right tackle.


Greg Van Roten
: (PFF Grade is 63.6, was 59.8 in 2018)

He has by far been the most consistent and most reliable offensive linemen out of the five starters. In 2018, he had only two penalties and gave up just two sacks. So far in 2019, he has only two penalties and one sack given up. The run blocking aspect of his game has become more nasty with execution and more solid with good technique. He has yielded a few pressures sometimes when faced with superior defensive linemen but he backs down from nobody and stays looking for extra work. His game is not flashy but it is solid and consistent.


Daryl Williams
: (PFF Grade is 58.3, was 77.2 in 2017)

The biggest fall from grace in terms of football play that has happened in a long time.  After suffering two back to back major knee injuries in July and September of 2018, it is depressingly clear that Williams is not anywhere remotely close to being the 2nd team All Pro he was in 2017. During his All Pro year, he had two penalties and had given up four sacks. So far in 2019, he has only one penalty but has given up TEN SACKS!!! As a total unit, the Panthers have given up 25 sacks in 10 games. Williams is responsible for 40% of them by himself. There is very little positive that can honestly be said about his performance. Bad footwork. Bad waist bend. Bad hand placement. Bad leverage. Bad effort. Bad play recognition. He also has given up multiple sacks at all three positions of left tackle, right tackle and right guard this year, as he’s played all three. Truly sad to see him go from 2nd team All Pro to 1st team All Hell No!!!


Dennis Daley
: (PFF Grade is 67.0)

His play at left tackle has exceeded many expectations so far, as there were several question marks about him in the pre-draft process. Daley has two penalties and given up one sack. When the season started, head coach Ron Rivera stated that he felt comfortable with Daley playing at both guard spots, as well as both tackle spots. Once he got his chance Week 5 vs. Jacksonville, he has played very efficient and solid for the most part. He has had a few rookie moments where he was overwhelmed and took some poor steps, but seven out of ten plays he is doing his job and brings some aggression with his blocking as well.


Greg Little
: (PFF Grade is 56.4)

He has spent the vast majority of his rookie season so far, on the NFL concussion protocol. But when he has played it has been mixed results. With only 170 snaps in 3 games, he had two penalties and given up two sacks. His debut came splitting reps at left tackle with Daryl Williams during Week 3 @ Arizona. He played fairly well and held his own against Suggs and Chandler. The following week @ Houston, he played extremely well pass blocking wise by not allowing a single QB pressure or QB hit. Still much work needs to be done in the run game to be more physical at the point of attack. Unfortunately, after the game he had a return of concussion symptoms that originally started in the preseason @ New England back in August. This past Sunday vs. Atlanta, he returned to the starting lineup after Daley was ruled out with an injury. It was a very ugly performance, as he gave up (by himself) two sacks and 14 quarterback pressures. The rust from being out for almost two months clearly was showing. It will be very interesting and crucial to see how Little performs from here on out.


Tyler Larsen
: (PFF Grade is 63.8, was 52.6 in 2018)

He has only gotten 20 snaps at right guard this season when Trai Turner went out with his ankle injury. He has two penalties and has not given up any sacks. Larsen can play center and both guard spots. Some fans have wondered why he has not replaced Paradis yet. If you go back and watch from the preseason, Larsen was getting owned way too often by opposing defensive tackles. Crazy part is, he has been the top performer in the weight room the last two years during the offseason. But all those muscles are wasted if you come out to block with high pads and bad feet. He is serviceable at best and knows the playbook by heart. Thanks for taking the time to read Knowledge with Kevin.

Filed Under: Knowledge with Kevin Tagged With: Dennis Daley, Greg Little, Greg Van Roten, Matt Paradis, Taylor Moton, Trai Turner, Tyler Larsen

Knowledge with Kevin: Week 3 Arizona Cardinals (Part 2)

Knowledge with Kevin

Panthers defense vs. Cardinals offense: 

The biggest threat to expose the defense will be the match-up of the personnel groupings and alignments that Panthers head coach Ron Rivera uses and calls against the high tempo/no huddle “Air Raid” passing attack using 10 and 00 personnel by Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury. The term Air Raid basically means an all out pass heavy attack from all angles. 10 personnel means 1 RB 0 TE 4 WR and 00 personnel means 0 RB 0 TE 5 WR. During the Rivera era our pass defense has largely been the nickel zone heavy sub-package 4-2-5 which is 4 DL 2 LB 5 DB. The 5 DBs are typically 2 outside CBs 1 nickel CB and 2 safeties which match-up perfectly against 11 personnel of 1 RB 1 TE 3 WR. The Cardinals offense leads the NFL in no huddle usage at 54% of their plays. The chess match will be how the Panthers game plan to defend the 4th and 5th WR of the Cardinals during a face pace.

4MR Solution: 

  1. The Panthers defensive front must quickly disrupt the Cardinals offensive line blocking schemes with a combination of stunts and slants that allows quick penetration. Their starting five combined for a 59.7 overall grade this preseason. So whether the Panthers use a “30 front” or a “40 front” the interior defensive linemen must dominate early and often to disrupt the rhythm of rookie QB Kyler Murray.
  2. The Panthers secondary playing more press man-to-man coverage at the line of scrimmage on the Cardinals receivers is a high risk yet high reward approach. This “Air Raid” philosophy is largely timing routes where the ball is thrown before the receiver makes his cut to catch the ball. The WR group consists of future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald in his 16th season, former Panther Damiere Byrd, Christian Kirk, Keesean Johnson, Michael Crabtree and Andy Isabella. The ability to throw these players off their routes by just a couple of seconds can lead to multiple sacks and turnover opportunities. Also the defensive front getting their hands up on those quick 3 step drops to batter down passes will be a key part to slowing this offense down.
  3. The Panthers using more of their “Dime” sub-package of six DBs would allow us to have a CB on those 4th and 5th WRs on the field. As talented as the Panthers LB core is there should not be any situation where they are lining up in the slot to cover.  This season we have seen more of the “30 front” dime package of 3 DL 2 LB and 6 DB. However it would not surprise me to see some “40 front” dime looks with 4 DL 1 LB and 6 DB. The current NFL pattern of various spread offenses is growing and it is important for Rivera to adapt defensively by using more DBs to counter with rather than relying on his LBs.
  4. Speaking of LBs it will be the jobs of Luke Kuechly and Shaq Thompson to contain and tackle effectively QB Murray and RB David Johnson in the running game. Both are capable of making huge gains on the ground when given the chance. The defensive front must maintain run gap discipline and run fit responsibilities at all times.
  5. A veteran loaded defense lead by Rivera must control the tempo and the line of scrimmage against a rookie head coach and a rookie QB playing in their 3rd NFL game. The film shows plenty of opportunity for multiple sacks and numerous turnovers. With a 10 day rest this Panthers defense should be licking their chops to get at this offense. 

Filed Under: Knowledge with Kevin Tagged With: Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, NFL Week 3

Knowledge with Kevin: Week 3 Arizona Cardinals (Part 1)

Knowledge with Kevin

Panthers offense vs. Cardinals defense:
The biggest threat to disrupt the offense’s production will be the match-up of EDGE defenders Chandler Jones and Terrell Suggs vs. TACKLES Daryl Williams and Taylor Moton. Since 2015 Chandler has had 12.5, 11.0, 17.0 and 13.0 sacks with 90 QB hits. Suggs during his last four seasons played has had 12.0, 8.0, 11.0 and 7.0 sacks with 71 QB hits. They are capable of causing major headaches.
4 MR Solution: 
  1. Better consistent fundamental play by Williams and Moton themselves is the first part. Also having help from TEs and/or RB chip blocks on every passing play to slow down and neutralize outside QB pressures. Also a huge redemption performance by C Matt Paradis is equally as vital for success. Expect the Cardinals to try to exploit both A gaps around him with DT stunts and LB blitzes. 
  2. The Cardinals defense ranks 31st in total yards per game with 458.5 and gives up the 4th most rushing yards per game with 149.0. All Pro CB Patrick Peterson is out due to suspension. So there will be plenty of opportunities for WRs Moore, Samuel and Wright to have multiple big plays receptions.
  3. Detroit Lions rookie TE TJ Hockenson (6 catches 131 yards 1 TD) and Baltimore Ravens 2nd year TE Mark Andrews (8 catches 112 yards 1 TD) made huge plays repeatedly facing the Cardinals LBs. If the Panthers feature TEs Greg Olsen, Ian Thomas and Chris Manhertz in the passing game they can take turns having big impact plays. 
  4. Tampa Bay did a large amount of what is called “Green Dog Blitzing”. A green dog blitz is a defensive technique where a defender rushes the quarterback after his man coverage assignment stays in to pass block. A linebacker or safety assigned to a running back or tight end in man coverage will often green dog blitz when he recognizes that offensive player blocking another pass rusher. This helps the defense get pressure on the quarterback even if the offense protects with six or more blockers, by adding a late rusher that the blocking scheme often cannot account for. This was the main way they limited RB Christian McCaffrey. The best way to counter this is to have either FB Alex Armah or RB Jordan Scarlett lined up in the backfield as well so that they can stay in to block which frees him to run routes.
  5. If the Cardinals “copycat” Tampa Bay’s defensive game plan of stacking the line of scrimmage with defenders to stop McCaffrey and leaving our WRs in one on one coverage then expect our passing game to put up big plays and results. This will then allow the reemergence of the Panthers vaunted run game.
 
 
 
 

Filed Under: Knowledge with Kevin Tagged With: Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, NFL Week 3

Rush Review: Who Are These New Guys?

Contract News

When the Carolina Panthers announced their 53-man roster on this past
Saturday by the 4:00 pm EST deadline, many fans were mostly pleased with
the players that made the team.  However, there were some surprise cuts
made 24 hours later; and a trio of mostly unknown players claimed off the
waiver wire were now added to the roster. Needless to say, this lead to some
head-scratching reactions throughout the Panthers Nation. Let’s investigate
what happened and the reasons why general manager Marty Hurney made
these decisions.

Who was released and why: Twitter accounts by Carolina Panthers related
sources flooded the newsfeed with the news that the team had released WR
Torrey Smith, RB Elijah Holyfield and CB Kevon Seymour. Each one of the
players had fans divided in opinions all summer long over if they should be on
the final roster or not.

Smith was looking to bounce back as a reliable deep threat in the Panthers
offense from an injury filled 2018 season. Hurney said the decision to cut
Smith was “…very difficult because he is a classy guy and a proven leader on
the team on and off the field.” He also said that the team wanted players at the
5th and 6th receiver to be able to contribute on all four phases on special
teams. This was not something that Smith could not provide in his 9th season.
His release had zero impact on the salary cap because his 2019 salary of $3M
was not guaranteed.

Holyfield was an undrafted rookie RB from University of Georgia that became
quickly popular with fans as the longshot player to be backup to RB Christian
McCaffrey. When the roster was announced that RBs Jordan Scarlett and
Reggie Bonnafon also made the team, it was puzzling why the position was
four players deep. Despite his 2 TD performance at Chicago and a few nice
plays here and there, it was clear to see his best efforts could justify keeping a
roster spot at a loaded position.

Seymour spent a large part of training camp and preseason missing from a
hamstring injury. He had already missed the entire 2018 season with both
shoulders injured. Despite having a very strong performance in the final

preseason game vs. Pittsburgh it was not strong enough to lock in a place in
the defensive backfield.

Who was signed and why:  When it was announced that the Panthers claimed
DB Natrell Jamerson and WRs Brandon Zylstra and Ray-Ray McCloud off
waivers, it sent a vast majority of Panthers fans scrambling to find out who
they are and what they can do.

Jamerson is a 5-11, 201 lb. defensive back who played for the University of
Wisconsin from 2014 – 2017. After playing as a WR his freshman year, he
switched to playing CB his sophomore and junior season seasons and then
switched to playing safety his senior year. That year, he had 32 tackles (61
career), 3.5 tackles for loss (5.0 career), 1.5 sacks, 2 INTs with 1 returned for a
TD and 10 pass deflections (14 career).  He also showed kickoff return
abilities with 38 returns for 784 yards with a 20.6 yards per return and 1 TD
return.  He was the defensive MVP in the 2018 East-West Shrine Game. During
the 2018 NFL combine he ran a 4.4 time in the 40-yard dash, 25 bench reps,
35.5 inches vertical jump and a 10 foot broad jump. His draft profile stated his
strengths were: speed, football IQ, solid tackler, man coverage skills and
special teams. The weaknesses are covering big receivers and hesitant at
times when tackling downfield. The New Orleans Saints drafted him 5th round
in the 2018 Draft but waived him on the final roster cutdown. He was
immediately picked up off waiver by the Houston Texans and played in 10
games, which yielded seven tackles and one pass deflection. In December
2018, he was waived but was quickly picked up by the Green Bay Packers in
which during his time there only made three tackles. He was waived this past
Saturday.

Zylstra is 6-2 and 220 lb. wide receiver who played at Concordia College in
Moorhead, MN from 2013 – 2016. In 29 games, he had 120 catches for 1932
receiving yards with 16.1 yards per catch along 18 TD catches. He was also
one of the top track and field athletes at the school who broke records. He
went to North Dakota State’s Pro Day in 2016.  He had a 4.6 time in the 40-
yard dash, 1.64 seconds in the 10-yard split, 2.75 seconds in the 20 yard split,
7.19 time in the three cone drill, 34 inches in the vertical jump, 10 ft 8 in broad
jump and 16 bench reps. After going undrafted in the 2016 NFL Draft, he
signed a two-year contract with the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL.  In the
2017 season, he led the league in receiving with 1687 yards. This led to

getting a 3 year rookie contract with the Minnesota Vikings in January 2018.
He played on all 4 special teams’ units in 16 games last season. He was waived
this past Saturday.

McCloud is 5-10 and 190 lb. wide receiver and punt returner who played at
Clemson University from 2015 – 2017. In 39 games, he had 127 catches for
1226 receiving yards with 9.7 yards per catch along with 4 TD catches. He also
had 18 carries for 106 rushing yards with 5.9 yards per carry. He also
returned 25 punts for 303 yards with 1 TD returned.  After his junior season
he declared for the 2018 NFL Draft. At the combine, he ran a 4.53 time in the
40-yard dash, 13 bench reps, 34.5 inches vertical jump and 9 ft 5 in broad
jump. The Buffalo Bills drafted him in the 6th round.

Summary: Hurney said that Jamerson will play both CB and safety on defense
along with all four special teams including gunner on the punt team. Zylstra is
also being brought in to play all the special teams’ units along with being an
option as a possession receiver. McCloud is going to get a legitimate shot to be
the returner on both punts and kickoffs and can be used as a slot wide
receiver as well.

Filed Under: Contract News Tagged With: Brandon Zylstra, Carolina Panthers, Elijah Holyfield, Kevon Seymour, Marty Hurney, Natrell Jamerson, Ray-Ray McCloud, Torrey Smith

Rush Review: Buffalo 27 Carolina 14

Preseason

The Carolina Panthers came out with low energy and poor execution on their first couple series on both sides of the ball to be down by 10 points very early in the first quarter and never recovered in a 27-14 home loss against the Buffalo Bills at Bank of America Stadium on this past Friday night.

It was announced an hour before kickoff that QB Cam Newton, TE Greg Olsen, RB Christian McCaffrey, LB Luke Kuechly and LB Shaq Thompson were sitting out this game to minimize unnecessary risks at this point during the preseason. This opened up opportunities for key rotational players and depth guys to make an impact. However, watching this game over again was bitter and head scratching as numerous fundamental mistakes repeated themselves. The remaining expected starters on offense and defense played the first three series yet could only muster a few good plays here and there as their on performance lacked intensity and effectiveness. This energy just seemed to carry over to the 2nd and 3rd units for the remainder of the game. All three phases of the team took their turns at disappointing the hometown crowd who had been eagerly awaiting a solid showing. The dominating playmaking that the Panthers had in the two joint practices leading up to this preseason game did not transfer over to the actual game.

Here are the typical statistical numbers from the game by ESPN:

Matchup
1st Downs 20 18
Passing 1st downs 12 9
Rushing 1st downs 6 5
1st downs from penalties 2 4
3rd down efficiency 6-13 2-13
4th down efficiency 0-0 1-2
Total Plays 63 66
Total Yards 373 258
Total Drives 11 12
Yards per Play 5.9 3.9
Passing 279 155
Comp-Att 21-31 22-42
Yards per pass 8.7 3.4
Interceptions thrown 1 1
Sacks-Yards Lost 1-1 3-30
Rushing 94 103
Rushing Attempts 31 21
Yards per rush 3.0 4.9
Red Zone (Made-Att) 2-4 1-2
Penalties 11-100 7-62
Turnovers 2 1
Fumbles lost 1 0
Interceptions thrown 1 1
Defensive / Special Teams TDs 1 0
Possession 31:40 28:20
Here are the stats that The 4 Man Rush are tracking on offensive personnel groupings and defensive personnel alignments:
12 personnel (1 RB 2 TE 2 WR) was used on five plays with two runs and three passes. QB was under center four times and in shotgun one time.
11 personnel (1 RB 1 TE 3 WR) was used on 43 plays with seven runs and 36 passes. QB was under center two times and in shotgun 41 times.
21 personnel (2 RB 1 TE 2 WR) was used on eight plays with four runs and four passes. QB was under center seven times and in shotgun one time.
22 personnel (2 RB 2 TE 1 WR) was used on two plays which both was runs. QB was under center on both plays.
3-4 base personnel (3 defensive linemen 4 linebackers 4 defensive backs) was used on 19 defensive snaps.
4-2 nickel personnel (4 defensive linemen 2 linebackers 5 defensive backs) was used on 39 defensive snaps.
#WhatARush #KeepPounding

Filed Under: Preseason Tagged With: Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Preseason

The 4 Man Rush Presents: The 2019 Camp Wofford Awards

Camp Wofford

Offensive MVP

WR Curtis Samuel

Every single practice there was always a deep ball or two thrown and caught for a TD by him. Every CB covering was helpless to stop him from going vertical.

Defensive MVP

CB James Bradberry

Had 6 INTs and 16 pass deflections during team drills by our count. Was very disruptive when playing press man coverage. Social media outlet left this out.

Most Impressive Offensive Free Agent

WR Chris Hogan

His route running and his catching abilities have justified his nickname of “Mr. 7 Eleven”. He has definitely secured the #4 spot at WR.

Most Impressive Defensive Free Agent

CB Javien Elliott

After waiting 3rd in line for 1st team reps at “small nickel” he has performed at a very high level. Had 3 INTs and 7 pass deflections. Solid tackler as well.

Nice Start On Offense Rookie

WR Terry Godwin

Had some nervous energy the first couple of days, but then began to show consistent playmaking abilities. Went to Chicago and put on a punt return clinic.

Nice Start On Defense Rookie

LB/DE Brian Burns 

Everything that he showed in college was as good as advertised and then some. Several “sacks” in practice and 2 sacks in 10 reps @Chicago 1st preseason game.

Most Improved Offensive Role Player

FB Alex Armah

Displayed a much bigger role in the offense so far. Has displayed reliable catching ability. Several successful runs as a FB and even RB some.

Most Improved Defensive Role Player

LB/DE Marquis Haynes

Benefited the most by switching to a 3-4 hybrid scheme. Nearly unblockable in practice. Stayed sacking QBs and tackling RBs in the backfield @Chicago.

All Disappointment Team

DT Vernon Butler Jr., C Tyler Larsen, QB Taylor Heinicke, OL Dennis Daley, RB Elijah Holyfield

Butler Jr. got blown out of the play, Larsen got bullrushed too easily, Heinicke was very disappointing, Daley blocks too high and Holyfield has less than 3.0 ypc.

Filed Under: Camp Wofford Tagged With: Carolina Panthers, Panthers Training Camp, Preseason

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