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.

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

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.

Preparing for War With the Buffalo Panthers (Bills)

Logical With Larry

Familiar Faces

  • General Manager Brandon Beane: Mr. Beane began as an intern with the Carolina Panthers in 1998. In 2008, he was promoted to Director of Football Operations after holding various roles within the organization in previous years. He held that role for six years before transitioning to Assistant General Manager from 2015 to 2016. That experience led to a job opportunity as the General Manger of the Buffalo Bills.
  • Head Coach Sean McDermott: With most organizations, the General Manager selects the Head Coach. To no surprise, Mr. Beane selected another familiar face in Sean McDermott to be the new Head Coach of the Buffalo Bills. He was the Defensive Coordinator for the Panthers from 2011 to 2016. After boasting a top 10 defense for several years during his tenure with the team, it was a no brainer that he ended up at the top of Mr. Beane’s list.

 A Glance at the Roster

Because of the front office and staff connections with the Panthers, fans will notice some familiar faces when we kick off on Friday night. The Bills have signed several former Panthers, but some players currently with Bills are Star Lotulelei, Kurt Coleman, Dean Marlowe and Captain Munnerlyn. It should also be noted that the Bills scout similarly to the Panthers. They have drafted several players that the Panthers either met with or showed heavy interest in. Some players that The 4 Man Rush had on its most recent draft board were former Oklahoma Offensive Tackle Cody Ford,  former Houston Defensive Tackle Ed Oliver and former Buffalo University Quarterback Tyree Jackson.

What to Expect

In only his second season, Bills quarterback Josh Allen already has a reputation for having one of the biggest arms in all of football. With his top targets Zay Jones, Andre Roberts, and Cole Beasley having sub 4.4 40 speed, we should expect Allen to take some shots downfield. Curtis Samuel has made a lot of explosive plays in camp thus far, so it will be interesting see how capable the Panthers secondary is at keeping plays in front of them. The Panthers offensive line had a very underwhelming performance last week. Buffalo presents a very formidable front seven with a rare combination of size and speed at both levels. Star Lotulelei, Shaq Lawson, Jerry Hughes, and Oliver head the defensive line. The linebacker unit is headed by Tremaine Edmunds, former first round pick, who has elite speed and football instincts. This is a good test to see if the offensive line can open some running lanes and neutralize a pretty good pass rush.

Key Matchups:

  • Curtis Samuel and DJ Moore vs Tre’Davious White
  • Panthers interior offensive line vs Ed Oliver and Star Lotulelei
  • Daryl Williams, Taylor Moton and Greg Little vs Jerry Hughes and Shaq Lawson

Game Preview: Preseason Game #1 @ Chicago Bears

Logical With Larry

New faces on defense: 

  • Defensive Coordinator: Chuck Pagano replaced Vic Fangio
  • Safety: Ha-Ha Clinton Dix replaced Adrian Amos
  • The defense is returning 10 out of 11 starters still featured in their 3-4 philosophy.

New coach, same scheme. The Carolina Panthers have seen plenty looks of this defense in practice. Seeing it executed from different players will be a great challenge for the Norv Turner designed Panthers offense. The Bears featured the league’s number one defense in 2018, so we should have a series or two to get a proper gauge as to where the Panthers are offensively.

Key Players on defense: Although edge rusher Khalil Mack is the best player on defense, the emotional leader is veteran inside linebacker Danny Trevathan. He heads an impressive inside linebacker core with 2018 1st round draft pick Roquan Smith playing alongside him. Featured behind them are a plethora of playmaking studs: Two first team All Pros and 1 second team All Pro defensive backs, safety Eddie Jackson (1st team), corner Kyle Fuller (1st team), and safety Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix (2nd team).

Other key contributors are productive veterans in defensive tackle Akeem Hicks (1 Pro Bowl), defensive tackle Bilal Nichols, edge rusher Leonard Floyd and corner Prince Amukamara.

The Return of The Monsters of the Midway: This unit has established playmakers on all three levels and continuity with 10 starters returning. It’s very easy to see why this was the league’s top unit last season.

New coordinator Chuck Pagano put an emphasis on forcing turnovers and its been said that the unit has 10+ interceptions and an astronomical amount of fumbles forced in camp thus far. This will be the biggest test for the Panthers offense not just this pre-season, but possibly all year. For the Panthers to have success this season offensively, this is a great way to start the test.

-4MR Larry