Jimmy Clausen was the second-round pick of Carolina Panthers in the NFL draft this year. He looked confident, comfortable in the match and moved around better than he earlier had in his junior year. Moreover, he looked stronger and bigger even.

Jimmy went 7-for-13 in the second quarter and led the team on a drive that ended with a field goal. He finished it 8-for-15 with an interception.

Jimmy Clausen came for relieving the projected starting QB Matt Moore.

Last yera, Matt Moore became a starter when Jake Delhomme had a finger injury. He played outstanding and had led the Panthers to four wins in 5 games, including the win over Super Bowl Champion of last year, New Orleans Saints.

“I was anxious to get out there for the first time, but I felt comfortable… He went on to say “It’s a different atmosphere than college, but it’s still football,” said Clausen.

This was a season that started for the Panthers with 3 consecutive losses and then a meltdown by quarterback Jake Delhomme. There was also inconsistent play and many injuries in the team.

And of course the same formula worked to produce the ending victory against the Saints.

Matt Moore didn’t throw an interception. He was the player who started the last 5 games at QB in place of the injured Delhomme and gone 4-1. He completed 14 of 23 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown.

Jonathan Stewart had rushed for 125 yards on 16 carries. He came off a franchise record 206 rushing yards against the New York Giants. Stewart’s 67-yard touchdown scamper on the second play of the game gave Carolina Panthers a 7-0 lead.

Even if the fans have a firm believe that their widespread complaints about a franchise’s decision-making can at last have an effect, they in fact know that no one with power cares of this.

Truly speaking, the decision-makers of Panthers can care less what their fans think they should be doing.

Starting on Monday morning after the Carolina’s meltdown against Arizona, the local talk show hosts fielded angry fan after the angry fan complaining that their ire for Jake Delhomme was correct, and the Carolina Panthers should fire him post-haste.

As you all may remember when Julius Peppers declared through his agent that he wanted to move on from the Panthers’ 4-3 scheme, then the fans of the Panthers vilified the man that had given them more spectacular feats of human physical achievement than they could have ever deserved

Coming into the fourth quarter having completely dominated New Orleans for the majority of the game, it appeared that the Panthers were going to have no trouble securing the division title.  But of course, it can never be that easy with the Cardiac Cats.  After failing to move the ball in the fourth quarter the Panthers suddenly found themselves down one to the Saints after three quick Drew Brees touchdowns.  With the ball on the 18 and 3:11 seconds left on the clock the Panthers needed yet another rally from Jake Delhomme, and as he has done all season he delivered, hitting Steve Smith in double coverage down the field for 39 yards, setting up the 42 yard John Kasay field goal which would give the Panthers the win.

Say what you will about how clutch Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are in the fourth quarter, I’m not sure there is any other quarterback I’d want with the ball in his hands to win the game than Jake Delhomme.  Three times this season Delhomme has marched his team down the field late in the fourth quarter to rally, beating San Diego, Green Bay, and now New Orleans.  Of course that doesn’t include the game last week where Delhomme got them in position to win but the unpredictable winds up in the Meadowlands pushed John Kasay’s kick left.  That ball Jake threw up to Smitty reminded me of the 2003 season where Delhomme threw those same type of balls up for grabs.  I wrote an article at the beginning of the season about how the magic is back, and that drive Sunday was a prime example of that magic.  Let’s hope it carries into January.

Key Stats

478/417- Yards forced/Yards allowed by Panthers: Well it’s official, the offense is better than the defense, at least at this point in the season.  Twice now in back to back weeks the defense has blown fourth quarter leads.  I can understand losing focus with a 20 point lead in the fourth quarter, but the overall trend by the Panthers defense over the last few games isn’t encouraging and the defense needs to work out whatever miscues they’ve been having over the bye week.  It’s kind of funny the past few years John Fox had a defense but not a running game, now Fox has the running game but not the defense.

3- Number of times the Panthers should have picked off Drew Brees- All season the Panthers haven’t had much luck in intercepting tipped balls, but multiple times in the game Sunday the Panthers had an opportunity to intercept the ball and dropped it.  I don’t know if it means working with the wide recievers coach for a little bit, but the secondary needs to start making those plays because they may end up being game changers.

7.6- Average yards per offensive play: With DeAngelo Willimas and Jonathan Stewart running full steam the Panthers offense is hitting it’s stride, and may end up carrying the team.  Any team gaining an average of 7.6 yards per offensive play is a team to be recond with.

1,515- DeAngelo Williams total rushing yards this season: DeAngelo Williams broke the franchise record for yards rushed in a season set by Stephen Davis in 2003.  With the performance Williams has put on in the last nine games there is absolutely no reason why he shouldn’t be considered for MVP.  I know Peyton Manning will most likely end up with the award, but Williams at least deserves some consideration.

With a week off the Panthers can now rest up their depleated lines, giving Damione Lewis and Maake Kemoeatu time to heal, as well as Jeff Otah who tweaked his ankle Sunday.  For now though, the Panthers can sit back and enjoy their week off and wait to see who will be coming to Charlotte in two weeks.

December 23, 2008

Okay, so the Panthers didn’t beat the Giants to claim homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, no big deal.  Here’s some of my justifications for why it was a good thing that the Panthers lost to the Giants Sunday night:

1. Only one number one seed from both conferees have won the Super Bowl since 2000- Everyone talks about how important homefield advantage is in the playoffs, yet the Patriots of 2003 have been the only number one seed to win the Super Bowl in the last eight years.  In fact seven number one seeded teams have lost the Super Bowl, including last year’s Patriots.  The thing is while getting homefield advantage in the playoffs helps with winning at least one playoff game, but it in no way secures a Super Bowl win.  Just look at the Super Bowl winners the last three years: Giants No. 5,  Colts No. 3, and Steelers No.6.

2. Panthers will continue to fly under the radar- The Panthers played an excelent game Sunday, but they will continue to be overlooked because they lost to the Giants, something that suits this team very well.  Remember how the team seemed to crumble under the expectations they had back in 2006.  The Panthers are in no means out of it, and will secure the number two seed Sunday with a win.

3. Odds of Beating the Same team twice- I know this seems kind of stupid, but what are the odds that the Giants are going to be able to beat the Panthers twice in four weeks?  First off they may get a little over confident after their win Sunday, but let’s not forget that the Panthers were missing a key, key, element of their run defense, Maake Kemoeatu.  A lot of those big runs the Giants had could possibly have been stopped had the Panthers not been missing Kemo’s 345 pounds of bulk on the interior of their line.  In one of the few times all season, the Panthers defense lost a game for them, but don’t expect that to happen if these two teams meet again.

4. The Panthers have something to play for Sunday- If Carolin had beaten the Giants, they would have no reason to play their starters against the Saints on Sunday, effectively giving them a two week bye.  With the way in which the Panthers came out of their midseason bye week, it’s not all that unreasonable to worry about some coming out rusty after two weeks off.  Also seeing as the Panthers have never had a first round bye, this will be a new experience for them.

I must admit I was incredibly disappointed after that loss, but it was only a regular season game.  The Panthers still are going to make the playoffs, where Jake Delhomme and John Fox have an impressive 5-3 record.  We all know how Jake steps up his game in January, save for that game against the Seahawks were the Panthers were without a running back, and I expect him to do the same this January.  Honestly I thought the Panthers had the upper hand in the passing game Sunday, an area that may give them the edge the next time the Panthers and Giants meet.

One other note, I don’t know if you saw the Titans distastefully rubbing a terrible towel into the dirt after their win over the Steelers, but I bet you the Steelers are going to use that as a serious motivator and take it to the Titans in the AFC Championship.  Because of that I’d be willing to bet we’re going to see a Panthers Steelers Super Bowl.

With the game tied at 10 halfway through the 3rd quarter, it looked as if both of Jake Delhomme’s turnovers were going to come back and bite the Panthers.  But as they say, in order to be a good quarterback in this league you have to have a short memory.  Delhomme had just thrown a costly interception that gave the Bucs great field positions and an easy touchdown, but much like he’s done all season, Delhomme found the big play, hitting Steve Smith for a 38 yard touchdown to give the Panthers a seven point lead.  The Bucs would storm back however, and tie the game up with a Carnell Williams touchdown.

After the Panthers had again scored a touchdown, the defense was faced with a key 3rd and eight on the Tampa Bay 45.  Julius Peppers delivered, coming up with a huge sack that forced the Bucs to punt and give the ball back to the Panthers.  With 90 yards to go to essentially put away the game, the Panthers turned to their rushing attack, which came up with the most impressive dirve of the season.  Four plays, 90 yards, one touchdown, all on the ground; 41 yards from D. Wills, 30 from J. Stew, then a 16 yard touchdown dash from Williams .  So, in a game that saw only four punts, the Panthers were able to claim sole possession of first in the NFC South, and are in control of their own destiny as far as home field advantage goes.

Key Stats

8/10: Third Down Conversions- Third downs have really been the achillies heel for this Carolina team, but is was one of the main reasons they were able to top the Bucs on Monday.  As much as Steve Young want’s to complain about the lack of timing and artistry in the passing game, I thought Jake Delhomme played very well, converting a number of third downs, something he hasn’t done in recent weeks.  If Delhomme and company can have the same success into January the Panthers will be a tough team to beat.

75%: Red Zone efficiency-One of the huge differences between this team and the teams of the last couple of years is the incredible efficiency by the offense in the red zone.  Both DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart are strong power backs, and that really comes through when the team gets into the red zone, grinding out yardage and punching the ball into the end zone, getting sevens instead of threes.  The Panthers red zone offense won them the game last week in Green Bay and it won the game Monday night at home against Tampa.  For the Panthers to score three rushing touchdowns on the Bucs in the red zone, who had only allowed one rushing touchdown all season, was huge.

4: Number of Sacks by the Panthers- With Julius Peppers back to form with 12.5 sacks on the year, it is safe to say the Panthers pass rush is back.  After finishing 31st in the league in sacks last year the Panthers are now 9th in the league with 29 sacks, and that was was a big part in stopping Jeff Garcia last night.

8.1: Average gain per rush- The Panthers were so good rushing the ball Monday you might have thought their rushing numbers were actually passing numbers.  When you can get your running game to bust out 8.1 a pop, you are never going to be beat, of course I’m not saying the Panthers are going to do that though.

All in all this was a huge win for the Panthers, but by no means does it secure the division.  The Panthers will most likely be fighting tooth and nail their next three games to try and lock up the division.  And, this win by Carolina has their matchup against the Giants in two weeks looming large. Oh, and I guess they did something right because the matchup has already been moved to prime time on Sunday night.

After blowing a 21-10 lead and giving up 18 unanswered points, it looked like the Panthers were on their way to yet another disappointing road loss.  Down seven points with under twelve minutes to play, Jake Delhomme and the offense were faced with a crucial 3rd and 10.  The Panthers never blinked.

After quickly glancing down field Delhomme stepped up and lobbed a perfect pass to Steve Smith for 36 yards to put the ball on the one yard line.  Following a Williams touchdown and Rhys Lloyd kickoff the Packers again got the ball and started to move down the field in a drive that ate 9:13 seconds off play clock.  But the defense held when it needed to, stopping the Packers twice on the one yard line to force a field goal and give the offense a chance to get the ball back.  The Panthers had 1:57 seconds on the play clock but only needed 27. A huge 45 yard return my Mark Jones gave the Panthers fantastic field position on their own 45.  Then on the first play of the drive Delhomme dropped backed, and threw a bomb 52 yards down the field to Steve Smith, who made one of the best catches of his career in between two defenders, setting up the game winning punch in on 1st and goal from the one.

The win proved pivotal as it kept Carolina tied for first place and in perfect position for the monstrous Monday night game next week when Tampa comes to Charlotte.  So let’s get down to the nitty gritty and take a look at some key stats from the game.

Game Ball- As much as I want to give this to Travelle Wharton, who had a great game with numerous good blocks and a down field fumble recovery, Mark Jones absolutely deserves the game ball, coming up with two crucial kickoff returns of 50 and 45 yards, both of which led to Steve Smith catches and DeAngelo Williams touchdowns.

5-5: Panther’s red zone efficiency- Nothing says power rushing like five one yard touchdown runs, four from DeAngelo Williams and one from Jake Delhomme.  It was the Panthers perfect redzone possessions that gave them the edge against Green Bay, who settled for two field goals after getting stopped by the Panthers in the redzone.  The redzone is where the running game really becomes important, pounding out valuable yardage, and Williams delivered.

4/10: Panther’s 3rd down conversions- Over the course of the season it has become apparent that 3rd downs have proven to be an achilles heel for this team.  In each of the team’s three losses the Panthers averaged a dismal 29% on third down conversions.  One of the key’s to success for this team will be converting third downs, which they did last Sunday.

4.8: Average yards per rush- It is so refreshing to finally see the Panthers have legitamite success with the running game, which ranks 7th in the NFL.  I think DeAngelo Williams really shocked a lot of people with the type of season he’s been having, and has had a huge hand in the Panthers getting to 9-3.  What’s more is that Williams is getting most of these yards going right at the defense and literally running over guys on defense, certainly not the style people expected out of the 5-9, 217 pound running back.

Defensively there may be concern, with multiple miscues in the secondary, one in particular leading to a Packers touchdown.  Whatever the problem is though, I’m sure it will be worked out this week, besides, the important thing you have to look at is that the defense did it’s job when it needed too- bend but not break; not all that different from the defense that took the Panthers to the Super Bowl in 2003.

You could make the case that Carolina’s performance on offense wasn’t entirely due to the play of Jake Delhomme, there were some dropped balls, poor protection at times, and bad penalties, but overall Jake just stunk.  Delhomme was 7 for 27 on pass attempts, with one touchdown and four interceptions.  Delhomme just flat out couldn’t hit anybody.  But before people get to talking about how bad Delhomme played, let’s not forget how the team played without Delhomme last season.  Yeah Delhomme is going to have some bad games, but he is one of the main reasons why they are sitting at 7-2 right now.

Outside of Delhomme’s play there really isn’t much to complain about.  DeAngelo Williams had another great game, racking up 140 yards and a touchdown, 69 of those yards coming on an incredible run in which Williams refused to go down, helping give Carolina a 14-0 lead going into the half.  For me, Williams completely lost his image of a slash back who can’t really run in between the tackles.  Williams showed incredible strength and elusiveness, breaking tackles and avoiding defenders, reminiscent of the DeSean Foster of 2003.

Though Williams had a phenomenal game, Julius Peppers deserves the game ball.  This was probably one of Peppers’ best games in two seasons, racking up three sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and a handful of hurries.  Peppers was all over the field,  dominating Raiders linemen, dropping into coverage, and making plays all over the field.  The pressure applied by Peppers, and the rest of the defensive line is what kept Andrew Walker from getting comfortable and moving the ball.  With the kind of defense that Carolina has, the Panthers can afford to have a sub-par game from the offense, because the defense will always keep them in the game.

Special teams wise the Panthers were solid as well, Mark Jones in particular.  Jones had a number of big returns, one setting up the John Kasay field goal that would ice the game.  For the first time since Rod Smart the Panthers have a legitimate return man, and the field position game has greatly benefited from this.

So the win wasn’t very convincing.  It was sloppy, but it’s the kind of game you have to win, and the Panthers did.  Besides, this was not the same Oakland team that got embarassed by Atlanta last week.  They were clearly playing with a lot more motivation, drive, and desire than they did the week before. You have to be happy with this win.

The Panthers have started off the season very well.  Offensively DeAngelo Williams, who is on pace to become the Panther’s first 1,000 yard rusher since Stephen Davis, has really begun to shine.  Jake Delhomme is back and better than ever, showing how much this team really depends on not only his presence on the field, but his leadership off it as well.  The Panthers were able to get past an early bump in the road with Steve Smith’s suspension, going 2-0 without him, which proved pivotal.  The resigning of Moose in the offseason has also done wonders to help improve a previously inconsistent offense.

On the other side of the ball, you can’t ask for much more.  Jon Beason is playing like a Pro Bowler, Julius Peppers seems back to form, and rookie Charles Godfrey has solidified the safety position.  Statistically they may not look great, but they have been playing extremely well as a unit, coming up with important stops, timely takeaways, and doing a pretty good job of keeping opponents out of the endzone.

Special teams has been solid too. The ageless John Kasay has been a perfect 16-16 on all of his field goal attempts, while Rhys Lloyd has proved invaluable on kickoffs, greatly effecting field position during the game.

All of that said there still are some areas that need improving

Apply more pressure: So far this season the Panthers have a total of 13 sacks, tied for 25th in the NFL.  We’ve seen flashes of the Julius Peppers of old, but the fact is that he has no one on the other side of the line to help draw some double teams off of him.  Charles Johnson had a big game last week against Arizona, with two sacks and a forced fumble, but he is going to have to keep up that kind of play if the Panthers expect to get consistent pressure with their front four.  As well as the secondary has been playing, Kurt Warner showed last week how opposing quarterbacks can dissect a defense if given enough time in the pocket.

Improve on the Road: Besides the incredible victory out in San Diego on opening day, the Panthers have not played very well on the road, getting blown out 47-13 against Tampa Bay and Minnesota combined.  It will be imperative that the Panthers come out and play well against Oakland next week, as it will be the last road game they play against an opponent with a losing record.  Again we go back to dividing the season, and if the Panthers can win the rest of their home games (vs Detroit, Tampa Bay, and Denver) and split their final four road games, they are looking at a 12-4 record and possibly a first round bye.

Open up the Offense: So far this season the Panthers offense has been pretty good, but Jeff Davidson needs to start opening up the play book a little more, something he was unable to do last year with Delhomme out.   With Jeff Otah and Ryan Kalil expected back next week, Davidson has a chance to start pulling out some of the stops and fully implementing his offense.  This means get the tight ends more involved, using the “wildcat” formation, and of course getting the ball to Smitty as much as possible.

As Jake Delhomme wisely put it, the only thing that being 6-2 assures you is that you are going to be at least 6-10 at the end of the season.  That type of one-game-at-a-time mentality is fundamental in maintaning your momentum and finishing the season strong.  With the Panthers facing Oakland and Detroit the next two weeks they have to focus on thier opponents one at a time and not get cocky.  If they can win these next two games, they have a great shot at getting to the playoffs and winning, just like they did the last two times they were 6-2 at the half, both years ending up in the Conference Championship game, and in 2003, the Super Bowl.

Looking back at the game, the one thing that clearly stands out is Cardinal’s lack of balance on offense.  Kurt Warner had a whopping 381 yards in the air, but the Cardinals basically abandoned the run in the second half, which really hurt them.  Because the Panthers were able to run the ball effectively, they were able to control the line of scrimmage, eventually winning the game for the Panthers on that final drive, keeping the ball for over five minutes, denying Kurt Warner the opportunity to get the ball back.  By the way, Dwayne Jarrett came up with the catch of the day on that drive, going up and grabbing a ball, in traffic, then getting clocked, but keeping control of the football for a first down.  That first down was huge, and Jarrett definitely eared some respect after that catch.

Key Stats

2: Number of turnovers forced by the Panthers- The key difference maker in that game was the two turnovers by the Cardinals.  The fumble forced by Charles Johnson- who had a great game with two sacks- and the interception by Jon Beason, gave the Panthers 10 2nd half points.  That interception by Beason also came on the Panthers own 10 yard line, robbing the Cardinals of a chance to take the lead.

7/12: Panthers 3rd down conversions- The Panthers converted 58% of their 3rd downs, two of which came on the final drive of the game to help keep the ball away from the Cardinals.  The offense did struggle a little bit in the first half, but they really got it going in the second, picking up positive yards on first and second down, making their 3rd downs a lot more manageable.

391: Passing yards by the Cardinals- The Cardinals showed that they are one of the most potent offenses in the league, but they did it not with the big, down field plays, but with short, 5-10 yard pass plays, eating up yardage in small chunks.  One of the reasons was the front four didn’t really get enough pressure.  I know they did have two sacks, but they gave Kurt Warner way to much time to throw the ball, and he ate that secondary up.  That’s what happens to your pass defense when your front four doesn’t get pressure consistently.

3: Number of Penalties Committed by the Panthers- It seems the Panthers have managed to fix the penalty problems that plagued them earlier in the season.  You just can’t go out and expect to win on a consistent basis while commiting 8, 9, 10 penalties a game.

With this win the Panthers head into their by 6-2, sitting alone atop the NFC South.  This gives the Panthers a chance to get Ryan Kalil and Jeff Otah healthy, as well as all the other guys with some nagging injuries.

I’ve also got to give some credit to the fans who were at the game.  There were a lot of empty seats, but the crowd was no less noisy, even starting an upper and lower deck waves, though with only a one point lead they were a little ridiculous.