Preseason

Predicting the 53 Man Roster

Preseason, Prime Cuts with Norris

Carolina has a lot of tough choices ahead of them. A lot of guys played hard enough to make the team, but the Panthers can’t keep all of them. Here’s who should make the 53-man roster:

QB

Cam Newton

Kyle Allen

Will Grier

Tyler Heinicke

Explanation: While Heinicke made a lot of plays against Pittsburgh, it wasn’t enough to make the 53. Although, he should be on a team. Grier was a third round pick and will make the team. Side note: Cam’s rookie preseason was pretty bad, so don’t worry about Grier.

RB

Christian McCaffrey

Reggie Bonnafon

Jordan Scarlett

Cameron Artis-Payne

Elijah Holyfield

Explanation: Bonnafon showed enough in the preseason to earn a roster spot. Scarlett made the most of his opportunities.

FB

Alex Armah

WR

Curtis Samuel

DJ Moore

Jarius Wright

Torrey Smith

Chris Hogan

Terry Godwin

Aldrick Robinson

Jaydon Mickens

DeAndrew White

Andy Levrone

Rashad Ross

Damion Jeanpiere

Explanation: Picking the top 6 guys here. The only one on the bubble was Godwin, who made a case to stay in the preseason. It was between Godwin and Robinson, but Godwin played into a spot.

TE

Greg Olsen

Ian Thomas

Chris Manhertz

Cole Hunt

Jason Vander Laan

Temarrick Hemingway

Marcus Baugh

Explanation: This is an easy one. Keeping Manhertz as the third tight end, mirrors what they’ve done every year. Keeping Manhertz as a blocker will have a ton of benefits for the offense. We know he can catch passes from McCaffrey too. Thomas should be a big part of the offense this year, too. He was having a good camp until he got banged up.

OT

Taylor Moton

Greg Little

Daryl Williams

Explanation: All three (or four if you count Dennis Daley) tackles will make the team. Hopefully Little progresses enough to start and they can put Williams at guard. Having the best offensive line on the field is the goal.

G

Trai Turner

Greg Van Roten

Taylor Hearn

Dennis Daley

Kitt O’Brien

Brandon Greene

Rishard Cook

Tyler Catalina

Kofi Amichia

Explanation: Daley’s position flexibility gives him a roster spot. He showed a lot of promise this preseason at both guard and tackle. Carolina could also pick up another tackle after cuts, but Daley still makes the team. Taylor Hearn, on the other hand….And to be honest, Brandon Greene outplayed Hearn, so look for that too.

C

Matt Paradis

Tyler Larsen

John Yarbrough

Parker Collins

Expanation: Picking the top two players here. Larsen can also play guard in a pinch, since it’s his natural position.

DE

Mario Addison

Bruce Irvin

Brian Burns

Marquis Haynes

Christian Miller

Efe Obada

Brian Cox

Explanation: Picked the top six guys. Haynes played very well the preseason and fits in the 3-4 scheme very well. Obada played well in limited time. He bulked up this offseason, so he could have some looks inside. Miller is a first round talent. Once he gets more opportunities, he should showcase his ability.

DT

Gerald McCoy

Kawann Short

Dontari Poe

Kyle Love

Vernon Butler

Woodrow Hamilton

Bijhon Jackson

Explanation: McCoy, Short, Poe and Love were locks going into training camp, but Butler was on the bubble. Butler has slimmed down, looks stronger and faster and seems to be primed for a breakout season. With him playing some defensive end in the 3-4 scheme, he could play his way into another contract with Carolina.

LB

Luke Kuechly

Shaq Thompson

Jermaine Carter

Andre Smith

Jared Norris

Jordan Kunaszyk

Sione Teuhema

Antwoine Williams

Brandon Bell

Explanation: Even though Luke Kuechly is in danger of losing his roster spot, he should make the team. Joking aside, these were the top five linebackers in the preseason. Kunaszyk played well and had an interception last night, but it wasn’t enough to make the roster. Norris didn’t play well on defense, but he’s a valuable asset on special teams.

CB

James Bradberry

Donte Jackson

Javien Elliott

Ross Cockrell

Corn Elder

Kevon Seymour

Lorenzo Doss

Josh Thornton

Ryan Pulley

Explanation: Only keeping four corners because Carolina has to keep two kickers due to Gano’s injury. Seymour or Elder will likely be picked back up after Gano is played on IR.

S

Eric Reid

Tre Boston

Rashaan Gaulden

Colin Jones

Quin Blanding

Corrion Ballard

Damian Parms 

Explanation: Keeping the best four safeties on the roster. Carolina picking up Boston spelled the end for Blanding making the roster as my dark horse candidate.

ST

Michael Palardy

Graham Gano

JJ Jansen

Joey Slye

Explanation: Slye performed extremely well in the preseason. With Gano possibly going to IR for eight weeks, Slye makes the team. Gano has to start the season on the roster in order to be placed on IR. Jansen as a long snapper is as solid as they come.

Some of this could change if players get signed after final cuts, but this is how I see it shaking out.

Cam Newton Injury Makes Case to Keep Starters Out of Preseason

Preseason, Prime Cuts with Norris

So…..Here we are again. Another preseason game, another injury. Cam Newton has a left ankle injury that he sustained late in the first quarter. Cam got hurt on a coverage sack while scrambling to try and keep the play alive. When Cam got up limping, you could almost hear every Panther fan’s heart sink. It begs the question, should franchise players play in the preseason?

For the most part, all players get an opportunity to play in these preseason games, including starters. The starters generally play no more than a half in any preseason game. It seems like more and more starting caliber players get hurt each year in preseason action. Yes, it’s good for starters to play and become a cohesive unit. However, it isn’t necessary to put your franchise players in harm’s way.

Yes, injuries happen. Especially in a gladiator sport such as football. If a player is going to get hurt, it should be in a game that means something. The risk far outweighs the reward.

Cam Newton and Greg Olsen are coming off of injuries that required surgery. These two players have worked hard to get healthy enough to play for the Panthers and shouldn’t be in a meaningless game such as this. These players are professionals and will be ready for the regular season no matter what. The preseason should be designated for rookies and players trying to make the team. The franchise players for NFL teams shouldn’t be playing in games that mean nothing.

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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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.

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