When the Panthers thought
about the midway point of 2007, they did not expect to be in the situation
that they are in right now. A team that is .500 for the second straight
year. With the addition of David Carr to stabilize the Quarterback position
in case of injury to Jake Delhomme, rookie Wide Receiver Dwayne Jarrett to
replace Keyshawn Johnson and a healthy offensive line after a season of
injuries. Head Coach John Fox could not have planned a worse fate brought on
his hands halfway through the season.
What is
wrong in Carolina?
Offensively, 2007 was supposed to be the year that Carolina was going to
open up the playbook and stop playing the conservative way that fans have
complained about for years when Dan Henning was the Offensive Coordinator.
The man known as “Show me the Chicken” Jake Delhomme was widely blamed by
fans for his up and down play over the last three years. But with his season
ending injury, fans can not wait for him to take the center next season. No
one is waiting more than Steve Smith. Smith known around the league as one
of the best Wide Receivers in the NFL can't seem to get the ball in any type
of way. He has caught 5 passes over the last 2 games and it just seems that
David Carr can't or won't give him the ball. The Question is asked if Smith
isn't getting the ball then who Is? Well over the last couple of games,
rookie Tight End Jeff King has been a safety outlet for Carr. Not exactly
Antonio Gates or Tony Gonzalez, but King has surprised many with his pass
catching skills. Not a big target at Virginia Tech, but he has been real
effective as a safety option for Carr. As a far Jarrett goes, he has been in
Fox’s doghouse all season, not adjusting to the offensive in the way that
they had hoped since they released Johnson right after his drafting in
April. Now Keyshawn must be laughing in Bristol as you read. The quarterback
situation has been a mess since Jake went down early in week 4. David Carr
has come in and has spent most of his snaps either running from the opposing
defensive or making questionable decisions. Rookie Matt Moore has only
played in mop-up duty and as of now is considered the back-up quarterback
and possible starter on Sunday against Atlanta if Carr can't go. Don't
forget the ageless Vinny Testerverde, who was starting to move the team down
the field, until an Achilles injury two weeks ago against Indy has taken him
out of the action. Coach Fox is down to his last resort when it comes to
Quarterbacks, there is talk of them bringing in another QB this week just in
case Vinny or David can't go on Sunday against Atlanta. The running game is
been pretty consistent. Deshawn Foster has proven if given the carries he
can put up the numbers to keep defensives honest. Foster is putting up 4
yards a carry and DeAngelo Williams is averaging over 5 yards as a back-up
to Foster. So at least we have one bright spot on offense. The offensive
line at time is been real offensive to watch. At times over the last 4
weeks, I haven't been able to tell if its bad pass blocking from the line or
David Carr just running having Texan flashbacks all over again. Jordan Gross
has been the most consistent member of the line and Trevelle Whorton has
been coming on real strong of late. The interior has been a problem, if you
did not watch Sunday’s Titan game, just look at Big Albert Haynesworth’s
numbers. From watching the game tape he spent most of Sunday in the Panther
backfield causing havoc every where.
How to fix
the problem?
Fixing
Carolina’s offensive problems start at square one. You have to get the ball
in the hands of Steve Smith. It sounds real simple, but after watching every
game this season it looks harder and harder each week. Now Smitty has
dropped a pass or two but we all know he is a big play waiting to happen and
he is frustrated with losing and not getting the ball. Constant double-teams
and some time even triple-teams has caused a concern for getting him the
ball, but you can't blame him either. The Panthers got rid of Keyshawn
Johnson because of his me first attitude. But Johnson gave defensives
something to think about because of his receiving talent. Looking at the
Panthers roster, Kerry Colbert (drops issues), Drew Carter (constancy
issues), and Dwayne Jarrett (concentration problems) haven't been much help
to the deep passing game. Speaking of the receivers, they can't get the ball
if the Quarterbacks can't get them the ball. Carr has been a waste of money
to this point because he can't get the ball to the best player or even to an
open man. Don't let the numbers fool anybody, Carr has spent a lot of time
running for his life or trying to make plays with his feet. In this writer’s
opinion, please Vinny get healthy we need you. The one full game with Vinny
in the saddle, Smitty caught 10 passes for 150 yards and he made the big
plays that we come to expect from Steve. If we can't get Vinny to go at QB,
please just give Matt Moore a chance to play. It can't get any worse. Using
both Foster and Williams is a good thing because of Foster’s past injury
issues. Foster should reach the 1,000 yard mark and Williams will make at
least 500 so that means a running game that can be considered a threat at
any point in time. For the line, just prey that the interior lineman, Mike
Wahle, Evan Mathis, rookie Ryan Khail and Justin Hartwig can get it
together down the stretch of the season.
Any questions or comments
please feel free to email me at
QCBigcat21@aol.com and all emails will be
returned and could be used in future columns.
