Carolina Panthers 2013

[moonpie23]

taking the Fam down to BOA Litter Box tonight to begin the pre-season. It's located in the State of the Sinking Feeling...

I'll update later....

[moonpie23]

here we go

[matt1]

Should we change this thread to a general 2013 NFL Season thread, so that we do not have 32 different threads popping up?

[moonpie23]

no...the state of the sinking feeling deserves it own thread.....

[brevity]

Should we change this thread to a general 2013 NFL Season thread, so that we do not have 32 different threads popping up?

Sorry, I count 35. You forgot "Tebow Watch '13," "Rex Ryan's Guide to Ladies' Feet" and "Inside Belichick's Hoodie." Well, 34, because no one's starting a Jaguars thread.

[DevilFalcon]

I think this is going to be another building and maturing year for the Panthers. No playoffs this year with 3 better teams in the division. Cam has got to mature and lead the team or there is no chance.

[moonpie23]

just fyi...the entire city of charlotte seemed to be wired to make OUR football experience as much fun as possible....hotel staff, transportation, stadium, cops, everyone......


this was just a pre-season game and the city was on IT's game.....i was impressed...


good thing the team won....


my daughter made it on the jumbo torn with her face paint...

[davekay1971]

just fyi...the entire city of charlotte seemed to be wired to make OUR football experience as much fun as possible....hotel staff, transportation, stadium, cops, everyone......


this was just a pre-season game and the city was on IT's game.....i was impressed...


good thing the team won....


my daughter made it on the jumbo torn with her face paint...

Don't look now, but the Panthers have won 4 in a row and are sitting one game out of the division lead at the halfway point. And, while the four wins aren't against world beaters, the Panthers are also sporting one of the best ppg differentials and one of the best ppg allowed in the league. The defense is very very good, and the offense has enough weapons to get the job done.

In short...the Panthers are a legitimately good team.

[moonpie23]

they are starting to believe in cam……..and the defense is VERY good….

[Highlander]

Don't look now, but the Panthers have won 4 in a row and are sitting one game out of the division lead at the halfway point. And, while the four wins aren't against world beaters, the Panthers are also sporting one of the best ppg differentials and one of the best ppg allowed in the league. The defense is very very good, and the offense has enough weapons to get the job done.

In short...the Panthers are a legitimately good team.

And the scary thing is that this team is one costly turnover and a 4th and 1 away from being 7-1. Lafell's fumble Sunday felt eerily like Deangelo's vs. Seattle, and that one ended up costing us the game when we were driving. Luckily this time we got a good bounce, scored a TD, and then had a pick 6 to put the game out of reach. Lose that fumble in the red zone and it could have been a very different outcome.

I like what this team is doing on offense lately, which is mixing it up and staying balanced. Defense is solid and is going to keep them in games, but it is nice to see them putting games away rather than having to sweat it out. I'm not sure there is a hotter team in the NFC right now than Carolina (with the exception of the Niners). With Seattle banged up and the Saints showing signs of weakness, the NFC South is now up for grabs.

Next week @ San Francisco will be a huge test. The Panthers need to be competitive against the league's elite. If they pull out a win it will turn heads, but a loss on the road to a top 2 team in the NFC is not the end of the world. Our defense is better than the Colts, and they ran all over SF, so this went from being a sure fire loss to a tossup in my mind.

[Highlander]

Next week @ San Francisco will be a huge test. The Panthers need to be competitive against the league's elite. If they pull out a win it will turn heads, but a loss on the road to a top 2 team in the NFC is not the end of the world. Our defense is better than the Colts, and they ran all over SF, so this went from being a sure fire loss to a tossup in my mind.

Anyone who had the Panthers at 7-3 following their 1-3 start, feel free to gloat now. Anyone? Anyone at all.

This has to be one of the most incredible regular season turnarounds ever. Going from 1-3 and left for dead to 7-3 with wins over the 49'ers and the Pats, the latter on MNF, is amazing. Now they are in great position for a Wild Card berth and the division is not out of reach.

The defense didn't play well last night, and I think they were exposed a bit. Brady showed the way to beat them is to dink and dunk all night long, and it very nearly worked if not for the third down heroics of Cam Newton. Man, that guy can scramble! The Patriots offense looked efficient and precise, like a well oiled machine. I was surprised that they got 6 ypc rushing the ball all night long, with most of those coming right up the middle. The only thing that tripped them up was a costly turnover in the red zone. Well, that and a PI call that was waived off.

As for that play, I think it would have definitely been PI on Kuechley if the ball had gotten there, and I can respect the argument that Gronk would have gotten there had Luke not interfered. It was pretty much the exact same scenario as the Buffalo game earlier this year, and Kuechley was flagged in that one. It was a dumb play to wrap him up like that, and he was incredibly lucky that the ball was underthrown. Personally I hate it when a penalty away from the ball impacts the game, and I think that there was no way Gronk would have caught the ball even if Luke had not gotten in the way.

I read a funny tweet where one fan wondered if Brady had been leg whipped whether it would have been deemed a no call.

Ultimately it doesn't matter. Panthers win, and are 7-3 and only a game behind New Orleans with two head to heads still to go. Dolphins are up next weekend, followed by the improving TB.

[moonpie23]

i was at the game last night…..the entire city was electrified….

[Highlander]

i was at the game last night…..the entire city was electrified….

Lucky guy. I tried to get tickets but the cheapest I could find was row 30 upper deck for around $150. Do you know what they were going for outside?

[tommy]

As for that play, I think it would have definitely been PI on Kuechley if the ball had gotten there, and I can respect the argument that Gronk would have gotten there had Luke not interfered. It was pretty much the exact same scenario as the Buffalo game earlier this year, and Kuechley was flagged in that one. It was a dumb play to wrap him up like that, and he was incredibly lucky that the ball was underthrown. Personally I hate it when a penalty away from the ball impacts the game, and I think that there was no way Gronk would have caught the ball even if Luke had not gotten in the way.

As opposed to pass interference, the catchability of the ball is irrelevant to the issue of Defensive Holding, which should have been the call, and would have been an obviously correct call under the rules.

Ultimately it doesn't matter. Panthers win, and are 7-3 and only a game behind New Orleans with two head to heads still to go. Dolphins are up next weekend

Coming off back to back huge wins, I forsee the young Panthers getting a little too full of themselves and looking past mediocre-but-in-the-hunt-anyway Miami. I say the Dolphins hang one on the Panthers.

[fuse]

i was at the game last night…..the entire city was electrified….

I've only been to one other NFL before last night. The game was incredible- I was lucky enough to be in the section behind the end zone uprights where the last play of the game happened. Was a great game!

[Highlander]

As opposed to pass interference, the catchability of the ball is irrelevant to the issue of Defensive Holding, which should have been the call, and would have been an obviously correct call under the rules.

My understanding is that once the ball is in the air, the choices are Pass Interference or no call. Defensive holding can only be called prior to the pass being released. So defensive holding wasn't an option as Kuechly's interference started after the pass was in the air.

The best explanation I heard of the "catchability" was that it has to be catchable in order to be interference. If it isn't catchable, you can do whatever you want because the contact is irrelevant. As to whether Gronk could have caught it had Kuechly not interfered, that's a referee's judgement call. As evidenced against that, 1) the ball was thrown at Gronk's feet, and 2) for him to catch it, he would have had to get through Kuechly and in front of the second back who picked off the pass. Even if Kuechly wasn't draped over him, he still had 2 guys and 5 yards between him and the ball. Brady's pass was well underthrown, and as a result Kuechly's interference did not materially impact the play based on the referee's view. It is a judgement call for sure, but if Brady hits Kuechly in the back with his pass then we're not having this discussion.

This reminds me a bit of the "tuck rule" debate which, ironically, went in NE's favor that time.

[tommy]

My understanding is that once the ball is in the air, the choices are Pass Interference or no call. Defensive holding can only be called prior to the pass being released. So defensive holding wasn't an option as Kuechly's interference started after the pass was in the air.

The best explanation I heard of the "catchability" was that it has to be catchable in order to be interference. If it isn't catchable, you can do whatever you want because the contact is irrelevant. As to whether Gronk could have caught it had Kuechly not interfered, that's a referee's judgement call. As evidenced against that, 1) the ball was thrown at Gronk's feet, and 2) for him to catch it, he would have had to get through Kuechly and in front of the second back who picked off the pass. Even if Kuechly wasn't draped over him, he still had 2 guys and 5 yards between him and the ball. Brady's pass was well underthrown, and as a result Kuechly's interference did not materially impact the play based on the referee's view. It is a judgement call for sure, but if Brady hits Kuechly in the back with his pass then we're not having this discussion.

This reminds me a bit of the "tuck rule" debate which, ironically, went in NE's favor that time.

Quoting what I found in the rulebook, it says this:

A defensive player may not tackle or hold an oppponent other than a runner. Otherwise, he may use his hands, arms, or body only:

a) To defend or protect himeslf against an obstucting opponent.
Exception: An eligible receiver is considered to be an obstructing opponent ONLY to a point five yards beyond the line of scrimmage unless the player who receives the snap clarly demonstrates no further intention to pass the ball. Within this five yard zone, a defensive player may chuck an eleigble player in front of him. A defensive player is allowed to maintain continuous and unbroken contact within the five-yard zone until a point when the receiver is even with the defender. The defensive player cannot use his hands or arms to push from behind, hang onto, or encircle an eligible receiver in a manner that restricts movement as the play develops. Beyond this five yard limitation, a defender may use his hands or arms ONLY to defend or protect himself against impending contact caused by a receiver.

The last two sentences of the above are most relevant to the Patriots-Panthers situation. I don't see any reference to your contention that this rule is inapplicable once the ball is in the air.

[moonpie23]

there are so many "what if's" being played out here, let's go with one more…


say Luke DIDN'T impede Gronk……let's say Luke was off to the side, or actually backed up to NOT impede Gronk…. let's say Gronk slowed down, turned around and actually STARTED to make a play to come BACK to the ball…..


lester still intercepts…….

[Highlander]

Quoting what I found in the rulebook, it says this:

A defensive player may not tackle or hold an oppponent other than a runner. Otherwise, he may use his hands, arms, or body only:

a) To defend or protect himeslf against an obstucting opponent.
Exception: An eligible receiver is considered to be an obstructing opponent ONLY to a point five yards beyond the line of scrimmage unless the player who receives the snap clarly demonstrates no further intention to pass the ball. Within this five yard zone, a defensive player may chuck an eleigble player in front of him. A defensive player is allowed to maintain continuous and unbroken contact within the five-yard zone until a point when the receiver is even with the defender. The defensive player cannot use his hands or arms to push from behind, hang onto, or encircle an eligible receiver in a manner that restricts movement as the play develops. Beyond this five yard limitation, a defender may use his hands or arms ONLY to defend or protect himself against impending contact caused by a receiver.

The last two sentences of the above are most relevant to the Patriots-Panthers situation. I don't see any reference to your contention that this rule is inapplicable once the ball is in the air.

This is the quote I was thinking of from the VP of NFL officiating, Dean Blandino.

According to NFL V.P. of officiating Dean Blandino, penalties other than interference no longer are available once the ball is thrown.

“Illegal contact or holding are fouls that can only occur before the pass is thrown,” Blandino told PFT. “Once the ball is in the air it is pass interference or nothing.”

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...ce-or-nothing/

[davekay1971]

Well, apparently the Panthers are shocked and amazed that the Dolphins actually showed up.

Meanwhile the Tarcheats are hanging with Louisville into the 2nd half. It's early, but so far not a fun sports day!