Kevin Avery

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.
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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.

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.

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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.

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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.

 

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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.

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