5 Observations From Carolina Panthers Preseason Game #2
Aug 22, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback
Cam Newton(1) passes the ball during the first quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Well this will be a short and sweet review of the second preseason game for the Carolina Panthers. It was awful. Okay I have to go into depth but it can be summed up by saying that. Without further ado I will bring you a few observations of what I saw in the game.
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The first thing I saw was one of the few bright spots and that was the offensive line. They went up against a very good Miami Dolphins’ defensive line and held their own. They gave up no sacks while the starters were out there. I have been impressed with that unit so far this preseason.
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Another bright spot I saw was the rookie Shaq Thompson had a good showing as a rookie. Shaq made a good stop on one play and he had another incredible pass swatting stop to stop what looked like a sure touchdown. The rookie can play and I liked seeing him running around out there. Hopefully he can stay healthy and help us this season.
The last bright spot I saw was Cameron Artis-Payne he ran the ball like a guy who wants more playing time. He made great cuts and turned up some good yardage. If he continues to show off like he did tonight he will sure up the back up running back spot. He will have to work on catching passes out of the backfield to turn up more yardage but for now he is impressing.
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Now on to the terrible news and there is a lot to talk about. First we will start by taking a look at Cameron Newton and how he did tonight. My first summary of his play tonight was terrible with a side of horrible. He over thrown easy open passes, he threw an interception, and he only managed 42 yards in a quarter and some change. The Panthers scored no points with Newton at quarterback. I think you can blame Mike Shula here some too for bad play calling.
Next horrible part of the night was the wide receivers with the exception of Jarrett Boykin (he had a great night and surprised me). Corey Brown dropped a nice pass that he should of caught. Corey Brown did not solidify his self as a starter in my opinion. The other part about why the wide receivers did horrible is they were unable to get open. I seen many plays where the quarterback was only targeting one guy because he was the only guy getting open. Where is the wide receivers at and why are they not open.
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The defensive line outside of Kony Ealy and Wes Horton were horrible. There was no push up front to get to the quarterback and instead they were the ones getting pushed around by the Miami Dolphins offensive line. The Miami Dolphins’ quarterbacks had plenty of time to make the right passes and that cannot happen in the regular season. It scares me that the depth guys at the defensive line spots are playing so poorly (starters are hurt all over the defensive line).
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The last thing I seen was the amount of penalties that the Panthers picked up early in the game. Kony Ealy had a bad defensive offsides penalty that hurt the Panthers. There were so many others and there were plenty in the first preseason game too. The Panthers have got to clear that up and they need to do it fast.
So, in a quick rundown of what needs to change. Mike Shula needs to go as offensive coordinator (not going to happen but should of happened already), Kelvin Benjamin needs to come back, and Newton needs to get his head in the game. Two of those things (the first two) cannot be changed this season and the other can if Newton decides to do so. Here is to hoping that the offense looks more fluid. Go Panthers!