My thoughts live from Carolina

Originally posted by Willisfn4life:
Good post NY. What's really disappointing about Bradberry playing so well is that Carolina wasn't mustering much of a pass rush so that was all him. Going in, I thought that was a match up we could exploit.

Gabbert is going to have to get this fixed soon. Even when he has time, he seems to throw the ball low. He and Torrey seem disconnected through two games and when we try to get the ball to McDonald, he is making plays. I'm not sure why he isn't getting targeted more. We got some work to do. Much like we thought, we will live and die by our running game.

yup against a team like the Panthers got to get the passing game going to open up the running game. I didn't get to watch the whole game but, I'm guessing those LBs played Vance pretty well.

Just no play makers and our QB is a backup plain and simple...he will have a 15 yr career in this league as a quality backup.

Originally posted by NYniner85:

Originally posted by Willisfn4life:

Good post NY. What's really disappointing about Bradberry playing so well is that Carolina wasn't mustering much of a pass rush so that was all him. Going in, I thought that was a match up we could exploit.

Gabbert is going to have to get this fixed soon. Even when he has time, he seems to throw the ball low. He and Torrey seem disconnected through two games and when we try to get the ball to McDonald, he is making plays. I'm not sure why he isn't getting targeted more. We got some work to do. Much like we thought, we will live and die by our running game.

yup against a team like the Panthers got to get the passing game going to open up the running game. I didn't get to watch the whole game but, I'm guessing those LBs played Vance pretty well.

Just no play makers and our QB is a backup plain and simple...he will have a 15 yr career in this league as a quality backup.

Watching the game, Celek and McDonald were splitting reps pretty evenly and we keep targeting Celek early in the game. Celek is a solid blocker and can be a red zone target but he's not really a threat in the open field. McDonald looks better with the ball in his hands at this point than our receivers do. They need to start targeting him earlier. Right now he seems to be the only playmaker in the passing game.

Certainly not going for the moral victory award but there are some positives to this game.

- O-line is so much improved especially against 2 quality fronts in St. Louis & Carolina. I thought we managed the pocket very well. Hard to believe Hyde couldn't find any running room but I'll be watching the game again. I suspect Hyde saw a lot of 8-man fronts. Didn't see the patience that I saw last week.
- Thought the d-line played well but just seemed a bit unprepared for a change of pace back in Whitaker. We missed some tackles here and there that could have prevented long gains. I thought Quinton Dial stood out in the run game. He's definitely the best DL against the run.
- Vance McDonald had the nice TD catch and probably should have had another. The problem is, we have to find a way to give him more opportunities. 2 doesn't cut it. The guy has speed and can get open. Not to mention, he's a strong blocker. Hopefully we can shore up those hands with more opportunities. Chip has to be creative to get him the ball.
- I thought Jimmie Ward played well.. even though some thought he was rough. Have to give it to Benjamin on the one-handed catch. That stuff just happens, especially for a receiver in his mold. What a security blank for Cam!

Negatives
- Blaine Gabbert has to work on his accuracy. There were a few catches that we should had... Torrey Smith dropped one, McDonald. The mechanics just have to be cleaned up. I don't remember that being as much of an issue last year? Maybe it was.
- Chip has to be more creative with the running game. Seemed like the same inside zone read running play was run over and over and over again. Need some more "Greg-Roman" like creative running plays to open up holes. I liked the fake handoff to Hyde for the Gabbert TD. Have to be more creative like that.

Lastly, even though we didn't move the ball as well as I would have liked. I still have nowhere near the feeling I had last year after the loss to Pittsburgh in Week 2. We got absolutely smashed in that game from beginning to end. I thought we showed some fight for a young team. Do we need more pieces? Absolutely. Are we a playoff team? Maybe at 8-8 but not likely. However, we're competing and fighting. We made it a game at the end and if our defense could have gotten off the field a few more times towards the end... and McDonald catches that pass (after his 1st td). We may have a different ball game. Overall, feeling much better this time around after week 2 as opposed to 2015.

SIMPLY OUT-COACHED !!!!

Originally posted by 9moon:

SIMPLY OUT-COACHED !!!!

Agreed. Much more creative and way less predictable.

Who thought after playing monday night this young team was just going to walk into the home of one of the best teams in the NFL and come out with a win? Chip's 2nd game, as well. But that is no reason to give up. The fact is, with everything against them the team stayed in the game until near the end. And that was more than I expected at this stage.

Way to go.

Originally posted by English:
Who thought after playing monday night this young team was just going to walk into the home of one of the best teams in the NFL and come out with a win? Chip's 2nd game, as well. But that is no reason to give up. The fact is, with everything against them the team stayed in the game until near the end. And that was more than I expected at this stage.

Way to go.

Thank you. Agreed.

We are nowhere near the caliber of the Panthers. Some fans just want us to be Super Bowl contenders over night and that just doesn't happen.

Originally posted by amosmac28:

Originally posted by English:
Who thought after playing monday night this young team was just going to walk into the home of one of the best teams in the NFL and come out with a win? Chip's 2nd game, as well. But that is no reason to give up. The fact is, with everything against them the team stayed in the game until near the end. And that was more than I expected at this stage.

Way to go.

Thank you. Agreed.

We are nowhere near the caliber of the Panthers. Some fans just want us to be Super Bowl contenders over night and that just doesn't happen.

I really do think the short week bit us in the ass. The wheels didn't totally come off until the third quarter. With all the things working against us, I think the team did well keeping it competitive. Week 5 we get Lynch back, that will be a huge addition as Eli/Tank are just not filling his shoes. On the plus side Our lines look legit playoff caliber and that's the hardest part of the team to build. Coaching is NFL quality as well. We looked like a better coached team than the panthers in a lot of respects.