Kevin Avery

Rush Review: Training Camp Day #15 (Second Joint Practice)

Camp Wofford

#1. Today was the final practice of training camp at Wofford College for the 2019 season. There was plenty of speculation among Carolina Panthers fans about if this was the very last time the city of Spartanburg SC will be the summer home for the team. The current contract expired today and there has not been any statement by Carolina Panthers owner Mr. David Tepper or by anyone in the Wofford administration.

#2. Players who did not practice today: C Matt Paradis (vet day), LB Shaq Thompson (vet day), DT Gerald McCoy (vet day), TE Ian Thomas (rib contusion), CB Kevon Seymour (hamstring), C Tyler Larsen (unknown) and K Graham Gano (sore leg).  LB/DE Brian Burns came out in full pads but after warming up he was told by the medical staff to take the day off and to do work on the sidelines. He has a slight ankle bruise but expects to play in the game Friday night.

#3. Players getting first team reps on defense: S Tre Boston at FS, CB Javien Elliott at nickel CB, LB Jermaine Carter Jr. and DT Vernon Butler Jr. Players getting first team reps on offense: C John Yarbrough and TE Chris Manhertz.

#4. Positive plays made by the Carolina Panthers offense: QB Cam Newton was able to make Bills rookie DT Ed Oliver jump offsides three times in a row. He was then pulled from the field and got a good cussing out from his position coach. RB Christian McCaffrey runs right up the middle of the defense untouched for about 30 yards. On the very next play Newton threw a deep TD pass to WR Curtis Samuel who was covered by Bills CB Tre’Davious White. TE Greg Olsen makes a spectacular one hand catch behind his back from a Newton pass. TE Chris Manhertz makes back to back catches over good coverage by Bills LB Shaq Lawson. QB Kyle Allen connected on a deep ball with WR Torrey Smith for about 40 yards. RB Reggie Bonnafon runs in for a TD on the last play of the day.

#5. Negative plays made by the Carolina Panthers offense: QB Kyle Allen was the second team QB and one of his passes was intercepted by Bills LB Deon Lacey after the ball bounced off the hands of WR Terry Godwin. The offense got a delay of game penalty that caused head coach Ron Rivera to start cussing very loudly. LT Greg Little gave up a quick pressure to Bills LB Jerry Hughes. Newton was picked of by Bills CB Ryan Lewis. Panthers QBs Newton, Allen and Will Grier had about two-thirds of their pass deflected during team drills.

#6. Positive plays made by the Carolina Panthers defense: LB Luke Kuechly got a pass deflection while covering Bills TE Tommy Sweeney. S Colin Jones got a pass deflection while covering Bills WR Ray-Ray McCloud. CB Donte Jackson got a pass deflection while covering Bills WR Robert Foster. CB Josh Thornton got an interception while covering Bills WR Cam Phillips.

#7. Negative plays made by the Carolina Panthers defense: Bills WR Zay Jones had a very acrobatic TD catch from QB Josh Allen. Billls WR John Brown caught a quick slant pass from Allen for a TD. QB Matt Barkley threw a TD to WR Duke Williams. Barkley threw another TD to RB Christian Wade. Barkley threw his final TD pass to WR Isaiah McKenzie.

#8. Positive play made by the Carolina Panthers special teams: During the gunner drills CB Javien Elliott did a juke and swim move to split the two Buffalo Bills blockers and got a free release down the field. This caused a huge uproar from the Panthers sidelines as special team coaches Chase Blackburn and Ben Jacobs raced down to congratulate him along with several teammates.

#9. Negative play made by the Carolina Panthers special teams: During field goal drills K Joey Slye went 5 for 8 on making successful kicks. Those three misses looked bad too. Prior to Elliott’s successful attempt at gunner all of the other Panthers players were stifled by Bills blockers which got their sideline hyped for most of the period.

#10. Panthers G Norman Price was down on the ground for a few moments then helped up by teammates. He was then carted off by trainers. LB/DE Bruce Irvin and Bills rookie OT Cody Ford had to be separated after Irvin took exception to a really low chop block by Ford. WR Chris Hogan also got into a shouting match with Bills DT LT Walton but both players were quickly separated. DL Bryan Cox Jr. was pulled over on I-85 North near Kings Mountain NC which is about 30 miles west of Charlotte NC. State troopers gave him a ticket for speeding from doing 90 m.p.h in a 65 m.p.h zone, possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia. The preseason game between these two teams starts at 7:00 PM EST at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte NC.

#WhatARush #KeepPounding

Rush Review: Training Camp Day #14 (First Joint Practice)

Camp Wofford

#1. Today’s practice began with several reunions between former teammates who now play or work for the other team. Former Panthers/Current Bills players are DT Star Lotulelei, CB Captain Munnerlyn, S Dean Marlowe and S Kurt Coleman. Former Panthers defensive coordinator/current Bills head coach Sean McDermott, former Panthers assistant general manager/current Bills general manager Brandon Beane and former Panthers linebacker/current Bills director of player personnel Dan Morgan.

#2. Player sitting out practice due to injury: TE Ian Thomas (rib contusion), CB Kevon Seymour (hamstring) and C Tyler Larsen (unknown). Player returning to practice from injury: LB Jermaine Carter Jr. (leg issue).

#3. Players getting reps as a punt returner: WRs Terry Godwin, Jaydon Mickens, Rashad Ross and Chris Hogan. Players getting 1st team reps on defense: S Tre Boston at FS, DB Rashaan Gaulden at big nickel and CB Javien Elliott at small nickel.

#4. Players who stood out during joint special teams: DB Ross Cockrell and CB Corn Elder did very well on keeping the “gunners” away from Panthers punt returners. WR Rashad Ross was the “gunner” for the Panthers punt team who was unable to be contained by Bills punt return blockers.

#5. Players who stood out during 1 on 1 drills of Panthers DL vs. Bills OL showed off the speed of LB/DE Brian Burns, the power of DT Kawann Short and the quickness of DT Gerald McCoy. LB/DEs Christian Miller and Marquis Haynes also displayed speed and elusiveness on Bills blockers.  In 1 on 1 drills of Panthers TEs vs. Bills LBs the coverage was very good by the Bills. However TEs Greg Olsen and Chris Manhertz caught every ball thrown their way. TE Jason Vander Lean showed that he has long speed to pull away from his defender downfield. In 1 on 1 of Panthers DBs vs. Bills WRs Safeties Eric Reid, Tre Boston and Rashaan Gaulden had multiple pass deflections. CBs Donte Jackson, James Bradberry and Javien Elliott showed effective press and jam techniques at the line of scrimmage to give Bills WRs difficulty getting off to run their routes.

#6. Players who stood out during team drills of Panthers defense vs. Bills offense: On the 1st play LB Shaq Thompson and Miller forced a fumble on Bills WR Cole Beasley and recovered it. Reid got a nice pass deflection in the end zone on a ball intended for TE Tommy Sweeney. Elder broke up a pass in the end zone while covering a Bills RB. Jackson made a flashy pass deflection while going stride for stride with WR Zay Jones. Bradberry initially got beat deep by WR John Brown but recovered nicely to make a last second break up in the back of the end zone. The Panthers front seven stuffed every run by the Bills offense. Four yards may have been the longest run given up. The Bills offense did make a few plays in the passing game. WR Zay Jones beat Elder for a TD pass. A Bills RB caught a very low ball for a TD over Carter Jr. The Bills best play was when WR Beasley juked the shoestrings out of Tre Boston after he caught a slant pass. If sacks were allowed the Panthers would have had at least eight of them.

#7. Players who stood out during team drills of Panthers offense vs. Bills defense: On the 1st play QB Cam Newton threaded the needle to hit Greg Olsen for about a 20 yard reception. Newton connected with WR Curtis Samuel for a deep 60 TD pass which created the loudest cheer of the practice. WR DJ Moore made some smooth catches that were first downs. WR Torrey Smith made a heck of a one hand catch to beat press coverage by a Bills CB. WR Terry Godwin had a lot of success catching short and intermediate passes. RB Christian McCaffrey made about 3 nice catches out of the backfield as well as breaking off 2 long runs. One was right up the middle and the other was a toss sweep to the right side. The best run of the day belong to FB Alex Armah who ran right off the left side for about 30 yards. Next play Newton hit Olsen in the end zone for a TD. One of the best catches was done by TE Chris Manhertz on a low ball by QB Kyle Allen. The Bills defense did make some plays.  Both Newton and Grier were intercepted. If sacks were allowed the Bills would have had at least three of them.

#8. LB/DE Brian Burns left during the middle of team drills with a right ankle issue. He had ice put on it and came back out but did not practice the rest of the day. There were a few hard hits by both teams but no fights broke out. There was plenty of trash talking going on throughout the entire two hour practice. Rivera’s dog Tahoe was seen running around on the sidelines after practice.

#WhatARush #KeepPounding

Rush Review: Training Camp Day #13

Camp Wofford

#1. Cam Newton was giving practice off as a scheduled rest day. Player missing practice due to injury: TE Ian Thomas (rib contusion) and C Tyler Larsen (unknown). Players returning to practice from injury: DT Kawann Short (shin kicked) and RB Jordan Scarlett (back).

#2. The little league softball team that was coached by TE Greg Olsen was the special guests allowed to be on the sidelines today.  The faces these kids had as they interacted with the players were a joy to watch. There was also several members of the military here as well. They spoke with players like LB Luke Kuechly, RB Christian McCaffrey and LB Shaq Thompson during special teams drills.

#3. The team came out in shells again for practice. It was said on yesterday that today’s practice was going to be full pads. With Tuesday and Wednesday being joint practices with the Buffalo Bills it will be full pads worn for the final two days at Camp Wofford.

#4. Players who got first team reps: QB Kyle Allen, S Tre Boston and CB Javien Elliott (small nickel CB). Players who got 2nd team reps: OL Dennis Daley (LG), OT Greg Little (LT) and DB Ross Cockrell (outside CB). WR Jaydon Hickens, WR Rashad Ross. WR Terry Godwin and WR Chris Hogan did all the punt return work.

#5. These are the highlights from team drills: CB James Bradberry got a pass deflection in the end zone on a pass intended for WR DJ Moore thrown by Allen. Olsen caught a TD pass from Allen during red zone period. WR Curtis Samuel had a huge catch on a deep ball over CB Javien Elliott from a pass by Allen. Moore gets revenge on Bradberry by making an awesome catch on the sideline that included him tip toeing both feet before going out of bounds. WR Aldrick Robinson caught a TD pass from Allen while being covered by CB Josh Thorton. Olsen also caught a TD from Allen while beight tightly guarded by LB Shaq Thompson. McCaffrey caught a screen pass from Allen then took it all the way to the end zone.  Jackson bounced back by making a nice pass deflection will covering Hogan on a pass by QB Will Grier. CB Corn Elder made a perfect break on the ball to knock down a pass to WR Torrey Smith on a Grier pass. DB Cole Luke jumped up high and made a spectacular pass deflection on a QB Taylor Heinicke ball in the end zone meant for Hogan. Hogan made it for it by catching a TD over DB Rashaan Gaulden and S Colin Jones on a Grier deep ball. TE Chris Manhertz catches 2 TDs from Grier passes with one being over Kuechly and the other being over S Eric Reid. Boston got a pretty pass deflection while covering Samuel on a deep pass by Allen. LB Antoine Williams drop into coverage and made a pretty smooth INT on a Grier pass intended TE Jason Vander Lean.

#6. After practice was over Reid told every player in the secondary that they need to get the JUGGS machine out because they dropped several interceptions in practice today. This turned into a 30 minute session. LB Jermaine Carter Jr. left practice early with what seems to be a leg issue. Head coach Ron Rivera made it very clear that he will throw out any player who tries to fight during the joint practices with the Buffalo Bills.

 

#WhatARush #KeepPounding

Rush Review: Training Camp Day #12

Camp Wofford

#1. The team practiced today in just their shells (helmet and shorts). The heat index on the field peaked at 115 degrees. The water breaks were more frequent today.

#2. These players did not practice today: TE Ian Thomas (rib contusion), CB Kevon Seymour (hamstring), RB Jordan Scarlett (back) and C Tyler Larsen (unknown). These players returned to practice from injury: K Graham Gano (sore leg) and LB Luke Kuechly (head precaution). Today was the first practice for newly signed C John Yarbrough who is wearing #64.

#3. The following players got first team reps on defense: CB Corn Elder at small nickel CB, S Ross Cockrell at free safety and DB Rashaan Gaulden at big nickel CB. The following players got reps as returners: RB Cameron Artis-Payne, WR Terry Godwin and WR Jaydon Mickens.

#4. During 1 on 1 individual drills for DL vs. OL a few players stood out. LB/DE Bruce Irvin used his hands in various ways to disengage from his blockers. LB/DE Mario Addison displayed elite quickness with spin moves and push & pull techniques to win his battles. LB/DE Marquis Haynes really showed that his ability to get a really low bend underneath his blocker is something he can do consistently. C Matt Paradis and OT Daryl Williams appear to be getting into full strength as they more than held their own against NT Dontari Poe and DT Kawann Short in consecutive reps. LG Greg Van Roten made it difficult for DT Gerald McCoy to get past him on multiple attempts.

#5. During 11 on 11 team drills the defense mostly dominated all the periods. CB Donte Jackson got a timely pass deflection on a ball intended for WR Torrey Smith from a pass from QB Cam Newton. CB James Bradberry made a great leap to knock the ball away from WR Curtis Samuel on a Newton pass. Cockrell almost had an interception on a deep pass for WR DJ Moore that was thrown by Newton.  CB Lorenzo Doss almost intercepted a ball thrown to Godwin on a pass from QB Will Grier. Elder made a great pass deflection on a ball thrown to TE Olsen from a pass by QB Kyle Allen. The offense made only a couple nice plays. Samuel caught a deep pass from Newton on the right sideline while being covered by Jackson. WR Hogan made three exciting catches on passes from Grier and Allen. RB Christian McCaffrey continues to run quick and fast between the tackles while making several defenders miss. RB Reggie Bonnafon was able to get several reps with the 1st team offense. He broke off two nice runs of at least 10 yards and made about 3 nice catches too.

#6. DT Kawann Short left practice early after getting kicked in his left shin. Head coach Rivera said it was more precaution than anything to be concerned about. S Damian Parms also left early with right leg pain. RG Trai Turner left practice for about 30 minutes but came back and finished up. The team will practice in full pads for the last three practices this week. Monday will be the last day to practice before the Buffalo Bills come for joint practices on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.  Cockrell is making plays at FS throughout the last several practices. S Tre Boston is still working with the second team defense.

#WhatARush #KeepPounding

Rush Review: Carolina 23 Chicago 13

Preseason

The Carolina Panthers put together a fairly solid performance overall in their first preseason game to come away with a 23-13 road win against the Chicago Bears this past Thursday night at historic Soldier Field.  By now you have read numerous articles giving their breakdown and analysis of everything that happened on the field.  Here are the typical statistical numbers from the game by ESPN:

Matchup
1st Downs 18 13
Passing 1st downs 12 9
Rushing 1st downs 5 4
1st downs from penalties 1 0
3rd down efficiency 5-14 4-13
4th down efficiency 1-1 0-0
Total Plays 64 54
Total Yards 269 252
Total Drives 11 12
Yards per Play 4.2 4.7
Passing 173 170
Comp-Att 20-36 19-30
Yards per pass 4.4 4.9
Interceptions thrown 1 0
Sacks-Yards Lost 3-15 5-35
Rushing 96 82
Rushing Attempts 25 19
Yards per rush 3.8 4.3
Red Zone (Made-Att) 2-3 1-2
Penalties 4-31 8-58
Turnovers 2 0
Fumbles lost 1 0
Interceptions thrown 1 0
Defensive / Special Teams TDs 0 0
Possession 31:00 29:00

The 4 Man Rush is motivated to share detailed content that the national media does not put the effort into doing and sharing. With offensive coordinator Norv Turner calling offensive plays and head coach Ron Rivera calling defensive plays we wanted to track the number of different offensive personnel groupings along with the number of different defensive alignments. Here is the breakdown:

12 personnel(1 RB 2 TE 2 WR) was used in 7 runs and 9 passes

21 personnel(2 RB 1 TE 2 WR) was used in 3 runs and 1 pass

11 personnel(1 RB 1TE 3 WR) was used for 11 runs and 27 passes

22 personnel(2 RB 2TE 1 RB) was used for 4 runs

13 personnel(1 RB 3 TE 1 WR) was used for 2 passes

22 snaps under center & 40 snaps in shotgun

3-4 base(3 defensive linemen 4 linebackers 4 defensive backs) was used on 21 defensive snaps.

4-2 nickel(4 defensive linemen 2 linebackers 5 defensive backs) was used on 34 defensive snaps.

On the nickel defensive personnel LBs were used in a 3 point stance as the DEs on the line of scrimmage. Sometimes they would stand up and rush as well. This is the kind of detail we feel football fans should be aware of and have access too. We look forward to bringing you more similar content with every game.

#WhatARush #KeepPounding

Rush Review: Training Camp Day #11

Camp Wofford

#1. Vet day off for the following players: RB Christian McCaffrey, TE Greg Olsen, C Matt Paradis, DT Gerald McCoy, DT Kyle Love and LG Greg Van Roten. Players not practicing due to injury: RB Jordan Scarlett (took a shot to the head during Fan Fest). Players practicing after missing time with injury: LB Luke Kuechly (precaution reasons), LB/DE Brian Burns (left leg cramps) and DB Rashaan Gaulden (lower back tightness). Players returning to practice for personal reasons: LB/DE Marquis Haynes and DE Efe Obada.

#2. The players practiced in their shells (helmet & shorts) again today. This is the last practice before their 1st preseason game at Chicago on Thursday evening. Wednesday will be the team travel day. QB Cam Newton, LB Luke Kuechly, RB Jordan Scarlett and CB Kevon Seymour will not play at all.

#3. The following players got first team reps on offense: RB Cameron Artis-Payne, RB Reggie Bonnafon, TE Ian Thomas, OL Dennis Daley. These are the players that got first team reps on defense: DT Vernon Butler Jr., CB Javien Elliott and DB Rashaan Gaulden.

#4. The individual group periods that normally do the 1 on 1 battles were all about going over technique and preparing for the tendencies of the Chicago Bears. Defensive coordinator Eric Washington was coaching the DTs while Assistant Defensive Line Coach Sam Mills III coached up the DEs. Head coach Ron Rivera made his way around to each group to watch how the players were receiving the detailed instructions and teachings. Offensive Coordinator Norv Turner was speaking with the RBs and the TE groups.

#5. During team drills these were the plays that stood out: RB Artis-Payne made a very nice TD grab in the corner of the end zone from QB Taylor Heinicke pass. TE Thomas also had two TD catches during red zone drills from both QB Kyle Allen and QB Will Grier. WR Rashad Ross caught a deep pass along the sideline from QB Taylor Heinicke. RT Taylor Moton took a hit to his right knee and sat out the rest of the team drills. OT Daryl Williams moved over to play RT and LT Greg Little took over 1st team LT reps. FB Alex Armah broke off a very nice run right up the middle. TE Temarrick Hemingway caught a underthrown pass by Allen. WR DJ Moore made a huge leaping catch on a Newton pass. TE Jason Vander Laan was able to get wide open to catch a TD pass from Allen. TE Chris Manhertz also got a TD grab from Grier. Artis-Payne gets a TD run to go with his TD catch from earlier. The defense was able to make some stand out plays as well. CB Corn Elder intercepted a Newton pass for a Pick 6. S Tre Boston made a nice deflection on a pass meant for WR Terry Godwin that was thrown by Grier. CB Javien Elliott made back to back pass deflections that got Defensive Backs coach Perry Fewell fired up. Gaulden made a huge hit to dislodge the ball from Artis-Payne right at the line of scrimmage. LB/DE Brian Burns got free quickly to blow up a deep playaction pass by Heinicke who would have been sacked.

#6. Today’s practice gave the impression that the team expects to play well at Chicago. What matters the most is seeing consistent execution, all out effort and finish with no serious injuries. In a post practice press conference Rivera said that the hit to the right knee of Moton was no issue at all. He also said that Allen will start at QB on Thursday. His decision to sit out Newton and Kuechly is to see the younger players get plenty of reps. He looks forward to see how the team looks against an opponent.