Ryan Kalil is famous for 2 things:  #1 being a great center in the NFL.  #2 for taking out a full page ad in the Charlotte Observer just before training camp which got everyone in a tizzy because it might be the slowest sports time of the year and also because he claimed the Panthers would win the Super Bowl.  If the ad had said “We’re going to be good this year, with your support we could be really good,” it wouldn’t have been a major issue.  But the man said “2013 Super Bowl Champions:  Carolina Panthers,” so everyone really got all excited, in that sports talk sort of way.

He meant for it to resound with fans and his teammates who might be coming to camp more lackadaisical than the situation called for.  It got a ton of attention and now, with the Panthers 1-4, it seems like a distant, sad, useless memory.

I believe the last 2-3 color commentators of Panthers games have said “For my money, there’s no better center in the NFL than Ryan Kalil.”  Or something to that effect.  He’s good, if people who say players like that are good, I believe he’s good.  I won’t pretend to be able to decern what’s a great center, a good center or a bad center, but I know for sure he’s not bad.

Now, that said, I couldn’t name the backup center if he was my cousin.  He might be my cousin, I haven’t talked to a couple of them in years.  It’s going to be a hit.  Foot injuries tend to linger too, so I’m glad it’s been decided he’s on the IR and won’t be back until training camp next year.  I’d wonder if he’d be available for the playoffs but I doubt that’ll be an issue.  Kalil is likely Cam Newton’s safety blanket and I wonder how deeply he will be affected.

I wonder though, if Kalil is that good, Jordan Gross a Pro-Bowler and the rest of the line is acceptable, why aren’t the Panthers running the ball better?  I don’t know, but it’ll probably get worse now with Kalil out and the Panthers can scarce afford to get worse at anything.

These two. Hey, what’s the deal?

Is it Cam Newton?  Is it the coaching?  How about the officials?  No, we took care of that last week.  What could it be that’s got the Panthers stumped on how to win a football game?

First of all, I don’t know.  I watch and I get confused and I think about it and it gets worse.  It’s really one of the more baffling things that I’ve seen in sports.  I honestly thought 8-8 would be an awesome record this season.   The defense would be back on track with Beason and Thomas Davis back.  Put Luke Kuechly in the mix, an improved secondary and hopefully better play against the run, with Cam Newton?  Whoooo.  I thought it’d be easy to get to 8-8 and the only reason it wouldn’t have been better is they’d lose some close ones.

That’s not the case, early in this season.  You notice I didn’t call out the offense like I did the defense in that previous little dream sequence.  The reason I only mentioned Cam is that he’s the key to the whole system.  It’s crazy how much spins off of his orbit.  Obviously he handles the ball on 99.99% of all plays on offense, like any quarterback, he’s the center of that universe.  We all get that, but it’s bothersome and confounding in a way that he is the single cog that makes the offense go and it’s not working out for him.

I thought the Panthers did well with mid-level quarterbacks.  The Kerry Collins, Jake Delhomme types played very well for the Panthers.  The defense and run game were what defined those very successful teams.  Now, it’s a transformitive quarterback at the center of everything, and he’s pouty and tempermental and his play isn’t living up to what he showed and shocked everyone with as a rookie.

So now the questions of talk radio and monday morning quarterbacks at the watercooler are:  is Cam Newton just not that good?  What the hell is wrong with them?  I thought Ryan Kalil promised a Super Bowl?!  All the answers are yes and no at the same time.

Cam is as good as he wants to be.  He isn’t reading defenses and picking them apart like you’ll see the elite qb’s do on a regular basis.  He’s not relying on scrambling and running like Michael Vick or Dante’ Culpepper or just throwing it up to an elite receiver, as Culpepper did with Randy Moss.  It’s not that he’s bad, it’s that he’s sort of figuring out what he wants to be when he grows up in this league, and he’s doing it with a lot on his shoulders.  It’d be like a kid out of college becoming CEO of a company.  He’ not Mark Zuckerburg, but he’s not Joe Blow trying to figure it out and bumbling everything.  He’s middling, with a tremendous amount of upside.  He had a bad game yesterday, the worst of his career, and you know what?  The Panthers still had a shot late in the game.

In my very humble opinion (Ron Jaworski, the analyst, I am not), the Panthers as a team aren’t playing cohesive football.  They’re inconsistent.  The coverage on pass plays will be there, then it won’t.  They’ll give up a few runs, then Kuechly will bust one up in the backfield or some lineman will keep a good run to a 2-3 yard gainer.  It’s better than last year’s defense, but by no means is it all together.  They don’t have any one phase of it together in my mind.  Did they even register a sack against a rookie, small, quarterback yesterday?  The offense cannot get in a rhythm.  There aren’t piles of turnovers or they can’t get first downs, it’s that they can’t finish drives and when they need a score or a big play or both, there are none to be found.

The expectations and promise of having a winning season might be far flung.  Playoffs are possible still, it’s very early.  It’s not likely though, that this Panthers team will make a deep run and somehow win a Super Bowl this year.  That’s not Kalil was saying.  He was saying if the fans show up and rally behind the team, they will perform much better.  Possibly better than what they’re capable of.  That’s a major issue.  Fans are very quick to throw their hands up and get negative about the team and Cam Newton.  Some of it is warranted, a lot of it is not.  There are people that make their lives about their team.  There’s a guy who comes into where I work about twice a week and each time he’s decked out in Steelers gear.  Panthers fans aren’t like that, it’s still too soon.  The people who do identify themselves as Panthers fans, love to play the loveable losers on Mondays at work.  It’s just the way things are today.  There’s no passion among the fanbase in my estimation, just trying to seem like there is.

I am solidly convince that there are nice parts and pieces, but so many draft picks going bad (Edwards, Clausen, Jarrett, etc) and losing seasons where people leave the team have put things in perspective.  It’s not going to be innaugural season, NFC Championship, down years, Super Bowl, down, NFC Championship, down and down and suddenly back on that mountain top.  It’s not a cycle in the NFL.  Teams have to work at it an the Panthers, right now are a work in progress.  Fans need to be patient but passionate.  Use intelligence instead of incredulity.  Understand how it is to be a fan of a team that has parts but doesn’t know how to use them, because that is where the Carolina Panthers are right now.

Looking at the last four games is like the proverbial roller coaster.  Moments of stellar play have us smiling and then they just hit the downward slope causing us to pull our hair out in frustration.  The Panthers are playing decent football, but just can’t seem to play consistently for all four quarters.   Take away the Giants game where they were simply outclassed, and Ron Rivera’s team is one possession away from a win in each of the games.  Still, they are exactly what the record shows at 1-3.  A young team looking for some confidence from their leaders.

The upcoming game against the Seahawks is the perfect chance and will tell you how the season will go.  Against a rookie QB and a passing offense ranked 32nd, the Panthers need to man up and get a win.  I believe Cam Newton and Ron Rivera need to start acting like the talented men they are.  After the sad puppy attitude he showed after the Giants loss and the apologetic attitude this week, Cam needs to start taking each loss with more anger and less sadness.  Take off your Clark Kent glasses and show us SUPERMAN!  Coach Ron Rivera needs to start taking some chances and get this team some confidence.  Next time you have fourth and one in a close game, trust your #1 draft pick and go for it.

Is there a chance they can right the ship?  Are playoff’s a possibility?  Yes, but it will take the collective action of every player and coach rising up to crawl out of the deep hole they are in.  They just need to do it one game at a time.  A win at home next week before the bye week will be critical.  As Chris Berman would say, “TIME TO CIRCLE THE WAGONS!”

A good sign is that Cam Newton is completing 68% of his passes, they are ranked 11th in rushing, and the defense has shown glimpses of greatness.   They just need to play the entire 60 minutes at the level they are capable of.  If they do, we will see them at 2-3 and the fans can start to smile again.

Whether you’re a newbie to tailgating or a seasoned pro, you can benefit from our guide to proper tailgating. We’ll help you to make the most of the next big game:

Choose a Good Game

While you’re likely to see people tailgating at just about any football game there is, it’s best to wait for the big ones. This is when excitement is in the air and when you’re most likely going to be able to get together a good size group. Plus, it’s no fun when you’re the only group that’s tailgating.

In fact, the whole spirit of tailgating is about meeting other fans and enjoying a sense of community. So, don’t go all out until there’s a major game being played by your favorite high school, college, or pro team.

Food Matters

Tailgating is about going big and pulling out all the stops, and this certainly extends to the food. While it’s perfectly fine to eat healthy, every true tailgater knows that normal food rules don’t apply on tailgating nights! So, bring out the greasy goodies—fried chicken wings, chips, sweet treats, beers, and sodas are the norm at these events, so don’t hold back.

Enjoy yourself to the fullest. If you truly want to make tailgating a major event, bring a portable grill (where allowed) along and fire it up for burgers, hot dogs, and other treats – throw some beers into the mix, load up a few hip flasks and you’ll be good to go, just remember it’s illegal to take them into the game itself, bud.

Show Your Team Spirit

Remember that, aside from the food and fun, the main reason you’re tailgating is to get fired up for your team and cheer them to victory.

There’s no better way to show your support than to bust out your favorite team memorabilia. Bring flags with your team’s mascot or logo, put on those foam fingers, paint your face, wear team colors, and really go all out!

Trucks Aren’t a Must

A lot of people think they can’t tailgate without a truck bed to sit in. This certainly isn’t the case however. If you don’t have a truck, there’s no reason to feel left out. Find a friend who does, or just use your car. Even if you don’t have a car, you can still get into the tailgating spirit! Bust out the lawn chairs and comfy outdoor seats for a good time.

Plan Ahead

While it’s true that tailgating is all about cutting loose and having fun, you still have to plan ahead if your tailgating event is going to be a success. Always make sure that you know how many people are coming and plan accordingly. In fact, it’s best if you plan for a few more people than just those who RSVP.

Usually, a few extra guests and stragglers end up joining in on the fun at the last minute, and you’ll want to have enough cheer and goodies for everyone. Also, consider whether you’re the home team or visiting team. You might want to scale back a bit if you’re visiting, as this can sometimes lead to fights in the parking lot and other unpleasantries, which is not what tailgating is about!

This is the best… Gif courtesy of SBNation. Please click the link, give them some hits!

The end of the Green Bay Seattle game was an absolute joke.  Twitter exploded, I listened to the Nick and Artie show on a podcast today and they were on live as it happened and couldn’t get over it.  I still can’t get over it.  I close my eyes now and see two refs running in and both looking down, looking at each other, lifting their hands simultaneously, one to signify timeout and likely touchback, the other to signify touchdown.  It was incredible, confusing, confounding and completely showed the issues inherently involved in officiating an NFL game.

I didn’t say the issues with replacement referees.  I didn’t say it was the issue that you’re just going to see with these sub-standard, replacement referees; guys who haven’t done a tv game, let alone a game that had a single player on the field that was drafted into the NFL, let alone a field full of the greatest football players on the planet.  I didn’t say that it was the fault of replacement referees because, I don’t think a regular referee would have gotten the play exactly right either.

Then again, with the original referees, the game wouldn’t have come down to a hail mary.  I don’t think that drives would have continued on many of the penalties that we saw last night.  Lots of the things you see are obviously bad, and obviously wrong.  Many, many calls are wrong, but many more are passed up, that’s where the issues come up that legitimize so many of these idiot’s arguments.  

“The NFL isn’t going to get serious about bringing back real refs until it costs somebody a game!”  ”These replacement refs are going to get somebody killed!”  ”Give them the money!  The replacements are making the game unwatchable!”  Yet, as every know-it-all retweeter will tell you and everyone else, you won’t stop watching.  The games are bad and everyone knows it.  The chippy behavior that’s been a standard rather than an exception through the first 3 weeks stems from the lack of control that comes from using replacement referees.

My problem lies in the coverage.  We now have NFL Network, all Time Warner Cable subscribers have it now, 2 days after the only Panthers game available on their network, but hey better late than never.  The NFL Network pre-game show was curiously devoid of any sort of criticism of officials.  ESPN, on the other hand, is beating that drum almost constantly.  They were covering it last week when they thought the Broncos/Falcons game got out of hand.  That game resulted in about $75,000 worth of fines John Fox and Jack Del Rio, and it really was out of hand.  The coaches were all over the referees and it got a little ugly.  Lets just say, if you could read lips, Johnny Fox was saying a good bit more than “It is what it is.”

So, if you listen to ESPN Radio, watch Sportscenter, keep up with their website, you are getting beaten over the head with coverage on how bad that one call was, how it’s the end of a long line of bad calls, how finally, someone got hurt and how it did finally cost someone a game.  Now as if to legitimize the ESPN standpoint, the league and the referees are coming to an agreement.

It’s not that it isn’t outstanding ineptitude in the singular form of a horrible, game defining call, it completely is all that and then some.  The NFL draws that kind of attention.  The players lockout last year drew more attention than the NBA lockout and the NFL didn’t lose but one game, not a week, not a slate, but just the Hall of Fame Game, while the NBA lockout lost 8 weeks of games.  So, the attention is due, the transgressions are valid, but somehow I still have an issue with the coverage?  Why?

It’s something we all know to be fact yet we have no control and we should have some control.  It’s almost like the government.  You get pissed at the way things are run but seriously, what are you going to do?  Move to Canada?  For the NFL, what are you going to do?  Watch baseball?  College?  Much like unending election coverage, beating the dead horse of this play is as useless as signing a petition against higher taxes.

ESPN is a partner of the NFL.  Certainly their participation isn’t as tied to it as Fox or CBS, and they do have to fill 24 hours a day with coverage, but let’s get real here.  It’s officiating.  It’s not some moral dilemma for us as a nation.  The NFL and protecting the shield and all that, they’re important.  The integrity of the game, that’s important.  Taking care of the people who have been around, that’s important.  But holding this up as a great example of how losing focus or not paying somebody exactly how and what they want to be paid is not what we need.

Beating all of us over the head with the constant “Oh isn’t this horrible!?” isn’t just annoying, it’s condescending.  Fans have earned more than that.  We should get better coverage from the media outlets we turn to when we know what’s happened but don’t know how to deal with it.

That’s the rub with the League as well.  The league came out with a statement yesterday upholding the play, the game, the win for Seattle but at the same time saying “Yeah but he did push off and they should have called that, but they didn’t and we gotta hold up the win.”  Simultaneously saying everything we all expected but giving us none of the answers we deserve.  They condescend to us as well.

So, without sounding to heavyhearted, I’m concerned about the state of the entire sports world.  The labor disputes have me worried.  The coverage has me disgusted and the attention we all give to all of it is honestly a little disturbing.  Fan, as Colin Cowherd reminds us often, is short for fanatic and while we’re fanatical about sports, we need not be obsessed.  Sorry, I’ll step off my soapbox now.

The loss on Thursday saw a few things like:

• The Panthers defense allowing the Giants to score the first 20 points of the game
• Cam Newton throw three interceptions and have a 40.6 QB rating
• The Panthers defense give up 400+ yards of offense
• Carolina only managing a time of possession of 23 minutes

Looking ahead to Atlanta next weekend the Panthers have their hands very full. Matt Ryan, Julio Jone, Roddy White and the rest of the Falcon offense has been clicking on all cylinders this season. If the Panthers are unable pressure Ryan and if they give him the time that he needs to find any of those dangerous receivers then Sunday night against the falcons will be even uglier than week 3 against the Giants. Taking a look at the betting odds for the Panthers against the Falcons, the Panthers are a two and a half point underdog. To be honest after last week’s lackadaisical performance I’m very surprised that it isn’t more than that.

So what do you think, Do Cam Newton and the Panthers have a chance to turn ut around against the Falcons and get back into the win column?

Both the Giants and Panthers are coming off of huge week two wins in which both teams scored at least 35 points and won their game. By doing so, both teams avoided starting 2012 in an 0-2 hole. While that probably felt great for a week, now one of these two teams is destined to drop down to 1-2.

With the Eagles and Falcons both leading the NFC East and NFC South at 2-0, respectively, neither team can afford to drop further behind in the standings. This will surely be a heated battle that will likely go down to the final minutes. Let’s take a closer look at five things to watch for in this contest:

1. Carolina’s Rushing Attack

The first two weeks have been very different for the Panthers, and the common ingredient, or lack thereof, has to be the running game. When it was nowhere to be found in week one, the entire offense struggled and the Panthers fell to the divisional rival Buccaneers. When they made a concerted effort to get their rushing attack back on track in week two, they disposed of the Saints. It’s not a coincidence. If the Panthers stick to the ground game and run the ball like we all know they can, they’re very touch to beat. They have several bodies that can get the job done, including Cam Newton, who rushed for a career high 71 yards last week. Jonathan Stewart is a bit iffy for this one, and fans should be at least somewhat concerned that Carolina could slip back into being a bit one-dimensional if they’re without him like they were in week one.

2. No Hakeem Nicks or Ahmad Bradshaw for Giants

This is obviously great news for Carolina, as it just got a heck of a lot easier to defend a very tough Giants offense. It will be interesting to see how Eli Manning adjusts without one of his most reliable and explosive targets. After all, Nicks did rack up 11 catches and 199 yards just last week. However, his absence could simply clear the way for tight end Martellus Bennett to be used more than ever in week three. He’s already showed good play-making ability and should continue to get more comfortable in New York’s system. Rueben Randle and Ramses Barden will rotate in with Nicks out, but neither can fully be relied upon.

As for Bradshaw, a neck sprain will keep him out for at least this contest, and possibly longer. That means Andre Brown, who looked good in spot duty last week, will draw the start. Depending on how much success he finds early, the Giants could rotate in explosive rookie David Wilson, as well. Wilson coughed up a fumble in week one and the Giants have been visibly afraid to use him ever since, but there’s no denying his talent. If he plays with confidence and gets a chance, Panthers’ fans could wish Bradshaw were healthy pretty quickly.

3. Carolina’s Pass Defense

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been pretty impressed with the Carolina secondary this year. Their run defense and pass-rush hasn’t been elite so far, but the pass defense has held up pretty well. They limited Josh Freeman in week one as they should have, but making Drew Brees into a pedestrian quarterback for much of week two couldn’t have been an easy task. This unit continues to perform, and they’ll have to raise their level to keep Eli and co. out of the end-zone. They get a bit of a break with Nicks out this week, but they still have their work cut out for them.

4. Greg Olsen Alert

Olsen had six catches in week one, but just one last week with Newton passing just 20 times. I think this is a shootout this week, which means 30+ passes for Newton and a stat line for Olsen that looks a lot more like week one. He hasn’t really blown up yet this year, despite being the top guy and no Jeremy Shockey in town. This is the perfect game for him to blow up. I expect at least one touchdown and 60+ receiving yards.

5. Eli vs. Cam

This is what it’s really all about, right? The Giants and Panthers both have fairly soft defenses with limited strengths. New York can get after the quarterback, but they can be run on and they give up a lot through the air. That probably means a huge game by the numbers for Newton, who has a cannon arm and can evade pressure and take off running with the best of them. He’s a matchup nightmare for the Giants, regardless of how talented and deep their defensive line is.

Carolina can be very stingy against the pass, but they can’t stop the run and they’re still giving up yardage overall. Manning might turn the ball over a couple times, as he is one to do, but ultimately he’ll figure this defense out enough to make this a competitive battle. This is an offensive showdown that should come down to Manning and Newton – especially if Jonathan Stewart joins Giants’ starting running back Ahmad Bradshaw on the sidelines for the night.

It should be a great night of football action, and hopefully for the sake of a long line of weak Thursday Night Football matchups, this one doesn’t disappoint.

The Giants hung 41 points on the Buccaneers and Carolina could only produce 10.  Then again, defense is the one steady thing going for the team so far.   Yes, Drew Brees had 325 yards and a touchdown on Sunday, but the Panthers still won due to the defense getting two key interceptions.  As long as the defense continues to improve they have a chance all season.

What does this tell us about the Panthers?  It says the coaching staff and players have talent, but still haven’t found the kind of rhythm and crisp play that creates consistency.  In the other more veteran clubs you see a subtle strength and balance between what the coaches want and how the players make it happen.  Just imagine if they went against a stout defense like the Ravens or the 49ers.

Our dreams say they are a Super Bowl contender, but our expectations should be not be as lofty right now.   Let’s take it one game at a time.  The talent exists without question, but the execution is just not happening on a regular basis.  I still think they are a wild card team, but have HOPE they can do better.  That starts Thursday against the quality defense of the Giants who can boast players like Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, and Jason Pierre-Paul.

The hope I am speaking of for Thursday night is that the coaching staff runs the offence sort of like like Denver did for Tebow.  I hate to say that or even put them in the same context, but stay with me a moment.  Newton is obviously much better at throwing the ball and that’s the point.  You have to call more run option plays for Cam instead of more traditional run plays,and use the deep routes when the defense keys on him.  A very impressive stat for Cam from Sunday was his 12.7 yard per pass average compared to 8.8 last week.

Its great Cam Newton threw for 4000 plus yards last year, but he’s not going to win against the Giants in a shoot out.  However they do it, the key is to play possession football.  Playing keep away against a QB like Eli Manning is the way to go.  If Cam Newton has the same kind of numbers on Thursday that he did against the Saints, they got a chance.  Lets hope Superman follows his great game with another balanced performance.  If he does they will end up 2-1.

That feeling is at least partially responsible for the Panthers’ awesome 35-27 win over the Saints on Sunday, as Cam Newton and co. emerged from their week one slumber to dismantle New Orleans at every end to escape the dreaded 0-2 hole. The Saints wouldn’t be so lucky, and now the NFC South is suddenly wide open for the taking.

But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s backtrack and see what we can come away with from this explosive showdown:

1. Cam Newton is Back

Newton forced the issue a bit too much in week one and the Panthers abandoned the ground game early. In week two, they stuck with it and it really paid off. Newton bounced back in a huge way, as he completed 14-of-20 passes for 253 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. He did lose a fumble, but his 71 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown arguably made up for it. His full stat line is impressive, no doubt, but the most impressive aspect has to be his gaudy 12.7 yards per attempt. It’s also one thing to get Newton back on a high level in week two, but for it to happen versus the Saints with the team’s back against the wall; that just shows his character and talent shining through.

2. So is the Panthers’ Rushing Attack

After a horrendous week one, the Carolina Panthers got their groove back in week two and piled on the rushing yards. Obviously Newton went to work with a career high 71 yards on the ground, but the best part was how DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert all got in the mix. All three running backs found their way into the end-zone one way or another, while D-Will and J-Stew both averaged over 4.6 yards per carry. It was nice to have the ground game back on track.

3. Too Little, Too Late Again For Brees and Saints

Brees and the Saints gave the Panthers a run for their money late in the game, just as they did against the Redskins a week ago. Unfortunately for them, it was once again not enough, as they lost by eight points for the second game in a row. The Saints clearly have issues, as they are simply inefficient on offense and really just can’t get much-needed stops when they count on defense. It’s beyond clear that they miss head coach Sean Payton, and I’d be somewhat surprised if they finish above .500 in 2012.

4. Charles Godfrey Shines

Carolina’s star safety was a force in this contest from the very beginning, as he picked off a Drew Brees pass and took it nine yards to the house for an early 7-0 lead, and went on to record a pass deflection, along with 11 tackles. His 11 tackles led all defensive players in the game, and his early pick set the tone for the game.

5. Return of Darren Sproles

On the bright side for the Saints, they did find a way to get a lot out of speedy running back Darren Sproles this week, as he racked up a crazy 13 catches for 128 receiving yards, while also recording another 82 yards off of kick and punt returns. I still find it fairly alarming that Sproles still doesn’t have a single carry through two games, however.

In that same breath, it was hard to watch the Panthers’ run defense get absolutely gashed by the Saints at times. They gave up 110 yards on the ground to Pierre Thomas, although they held Mark Ingram to only 53 yards off of 16 carries. Still, if New Orleans would have committed to the run a little more, it may have helped them in the end. They ended up throwing the ball a whopping 49 times (29 more times than Carolina).

As far as Panthers fans go, the Saints problems are the Panthers gains.  Then again, it could just be the Panthers had a much better game than the Saints.  Whatever you think, the confluence of events led to the Panthers first win, which it needed badly to keep the trajectory of the season on course.

All the players you would want to have a good game, had one.  Cam Newton had his best day rushing the ball so far, no interceptions, 70% completion rate.  Deangello Williams and Jonathan Stewart combined for 120 yards rushing.  Newton, Williams, Stewart and Tolbert all had touchdowns.  The defense played well, picking off Drew Brees on two occasions, both being large parts of the game, one a score for Charles Godfrey and the other ending the game when Jon Beason intercepted one of his final desperation shots down the field.

If you’re a fan, you want stars and rookies to play well.  Joe Adams played well in the return game.  Silatau had a good day on the offensive line.  Kuechley is showing he’s human but didn’t have a bad day.  Josh Norman is proving to be a steal playing in the defensive backfield, with some nice broken up passes and finishing second on the team in tackles behind Godfrey.  Now, you wouldn’t normally want your defensive backfield to lead the team in tackles but they did well enough to hold the Saints under 30.  Frank Alexander was part of the defensive front that bothered Brees all day.

That was the defining factor for me.  The constant struggle for Brees to stay within passing lanes and upright within the pocket was key to the Carolina victory.  He was never comfortable, never able to set and fire with that legendary accuracy.  He did gouge the Panthers for 325 passing yards, many in undernieth passes to Darren Sproles or mid-range passes to his superstar tightend Jimmy Graham but he never was able to get in a real rhythm and they only worked for one touchdown to Graham.   While there were no sacks, it was definitely the pass rush that set up the Panthers for success.

The offense was clicking with big plays to Steve Smith and Brandon LaFell, who ended up with 6 catches for 90 yards.  Smith gave us all a bit of a scare leaving the game on a cart but it turns out it was just cramps and he returned to the game.

It was a good all around victory, but you can’t leave out the facts that the Saints are down some important pieces.  One being their head coach, Sean Payton and their second option at head coach Joe Vitt.  The other, although he was on the sideline, is their defensive captain Johnathan Vilma.  The Saints are a bit out of sorts at the moment.  Despite their two losses, they’re still a very good team.  They just can’t quite get it all together on the field.  The Observer even poked a little fun with their headline:  ”Panthers right ship, claim bounty: A win vs. Saints”

Regardless of the reasons, the Panthers got the win and got their business together.  They weren’t perfect but they were better than the competition.  With the youth and inexperience (coaching especially), that’s all you can really hope for right now.