Carolina Panthers 2015 Season Thread

[Thanatos 2,847]

31

24

 

Jesus Christ on a pogo stick.

 

This team is determined to give me more heart attacks than ever before.

 

Four games this year we have had 2-3 score leads going into the fourth quarter. All four ended within 8 points.

 

It was really funny, I played this game on Madden against a friend of mine who is a Seahawks fan. The Panthers were up at halftime 31-0. (Of course, in that game, he didn't score at all, and the final score was 31-0.)

 

He told me afterwards there was no way the Panthers would even break 20 against the best defense in the NFL.

 

The first half felt like I was dreaming. We nearly scored on the first play of the game. Then we nearly fumbled on the second play, and when it bounced right to Tolbert, I thought: This is it. It's Carolina's day.

 

Then Lynch was stuffed for a three yard loss. Defense was pumped. Wilson made a terrible awful decision to throw while being tackled, something Cam has finally stopped doing, and Luke returns it for six, and before I could really even begin to process what was happening, it was 14-0.

 

Panthers followed that up with a 15 play 86 yard drive that took the rest of the first quarter and on the second play in the second quarter, Stewart punches it in. 21-0. Wilson throws a pick- while being tackled, again- on the next possession. We only get 3. 24-0. Olsen makes an incredible catch on an incredible throw from Cam on 3rd and 14. 31-0.

 

The Hawks get it back. They choose to NOT take the 36 yard FG attempt. They go for it on 4th down. Roman Harper- ROMAN HARPER of all people- completely stops Baldwin in his tracks with a fantastic tackle one yard shy of the first.

 

The Hawks get one last shot in the first half and freaking run the ball. They barely get in FG range, but Haush pulls it wide right and its 31-0 at half time.

 

I'm pinching myself to make sure I'm not dreaming. Our nemesis, (after yesterday, it is officially a rivalry), is getting blown the fuck out? Seattle, who hasn't lost a game by more than 10 points since Wilson came in, and has never trailed by more than 14 at any point in any game since Wilson arrived, is down 31-0? I would have laughed myself out of the room if I had predicted that.

 

And then... and then... complete and utter stupidity.

 

The coaching philosophy in the second half was "We don't think you can score 31 points in 2 quarters with us just trying to run the clock. We dare you to try."

 

And then they almost did. From the second half kickoff, to Wilson's miracle throw over the fingertips of Josh Norman, everything was breaking right for Seattle to make the comeback.

 

And then one of my favorite players of all time said "No more. Not this time, not this way." Three ACL surgeries on the same knee in back-to-back-to-back years would have ended a lesser player's career. Not Thomas Davis. He knew he still had it in him, and this year he finally got the recognition he has deserved for awhile now- voted first team All-Pro and voted to his first Pro Bowl.

 

And just like that, it was over, and Carolina was moving on to the NFC Championship Game.

 

GO PANTHERS!

 

Edited January 18, 2016 by Thanatos19

[ATL_Predator+ 1,196]

 

Just for shits and giggles

[Thanatos 2,847]

Eh, everyone misses big every now and then. Though Skip Bayless is just a complete troll and says things for attention.

Edited January 20, 2016 by Thanatos19

[CampinWithaMissingPerson 2,025]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3qC9NKDt0c

 

Thana dropped the hottest song of 2016 already, kudos sir.

[Thanatos 2,847]

Oh my god lol. That is amazing.

[Thanatos 2,847]

49

15

 

Oh my god.

 

We are going to the SUPERBOWL!!!

 

I am incapable of posting actual game thoughts at the moment.

 

GO PANTHERS KEEP POUNDING!!!

[Thanatos 2,847]

Okay, so actual game thoughts.

 

Jared Allen is going to want to start in the Superbowl, and I don't have a problem with that, but Kony Ealy earned himself some major snaps.

 

Kurt Coleman is one of the best pickups in free agency.

 

Ted Ginn needs to pretend like the Broncos cut him last year too. Perhaps the most important play of the game? Him chasing down Patrick Peterson from behind on the interception, when he started ten yards behind PP and his momentum was carrying him the other way. Dude is freaking fast.

 

Cam Newton is the NFL MVP for a reason. Minus that one throw to Patrick Peterson, that was a nearly flawless performance.

 

Carolina's rushing attack is great to watch in its complexity, though we didn't really need it tonight. It would really help against Denver if we could get J-Stew going.

 

TD had better get to play in the Super Bowl or there is no god. For him to go through what he's been through, and then make it to the SB and get injured the game beforehand? Fate is so cruel sometimes. He was playing out of his mind, too.

 

Carson Palmer looked like absolute trash. The Cardinals need to seriously think about looking for his replacement if someone falls to them. He's old, and I'm frankly not sure he can do what is necessary in the playoffs to bring the Lombardi to Arizona.

 

David Johnson looked like the only Cardinals player to want to win last night. They may have someone special there.

 

Bring on the Broncos defense! Panthers offense looks basically unstoppable at the moment.

 

The Broncos offense is going to have one hell of a hard time moving the ball against our D with Peyton Manning back there. I like the guy, but I sure hope he doesn't get to ride off into the sunset with a trophy.

 

are Champions! This year has been something else. But its not over yet.

 

One more game.

 

Go get the Lombardi!

Edited January 25, 2016 by Thanatos19

[FartWaffles 1,857]

I'm convinced the Panthers will win the Super Bowl.

 

Wade Phillips' defenses have historically been bad against mobile QBs. Cam is going to give them fits.

[Thanatos 2,847]

Madden playoff predictions that I've done, (purely for fun, just set up Madden 08 with the mods for right rosters and everything):

 

31

0

 

Well, it got the first half score right...

 

43

21

 

Pretty damn close.

 

40

10

 

After the first quarter it was 10-10. Both teams had a long strike for a TD. Then it was all Panthers as Peyton imploded, throwing four picks.

Edited January 25, 2016 by Thanatos19

[Tarkenton 0]

If the front 4 for the Panther D can get any pressure at all, then I think the Panthers will win walking away.

 

Panthers 27

Broncos 13

 

I look for for the back 7 for the Panthers to pick up 2-3 interceptions, all from passes under 20 yds

 

Also, you might see Peyton exit the game in 4th if they are down by more than 14 pts because of his inability to throw the long ball accurately

[Thanatos 2,847]

There's no way they take out Peyton during his last game ever unless he gets injured.

 

Also this is a great SB trailer for Carolina:

 

[Thanatos 2,847]

Final Thoughts:

 

I've looked into the matchups of this game probably more than any other game I've ever done. Denver has a ferocious front, with Jackson and Wolfe in the middle and Ware and Miller on the outside, but Carolina's interior O-line is their strongest point.

Everyone keeps saying that the Panthers WRs won't be able to get separation against Talib and Harris, but I really think they're (again) underestimating the offensive schemes we run. It's not about individual talent, it's about scheme and route-running.

 

The Panthers are going to run for over 100 yards again. The run-game is just too complex to fully stop, especially given Cam will get 20-30 yards on an average day.

 

Carolina's defense is an awful matchup for Denver's offense. Denver's greatest weak spot on offense is their interior offensive line. Carolina's greatest strength on defense is their interior defensive line and their LBs. Unless Manning has found the fountain of youth and can throw it long, Denver's offense is going to be in for a long night.

 

This will either be the greatest victory I've ever been apart of as a fan of anything, or the most devastating loss. Carolina is the better team all around, so it will hurt all the more if they blow this chance to bring the Lombardi to Charlotte. I've been nervous all week, but work has been distracting me, now that there is no more work between me and the Superbowl I had to physically calm myself down earlier.

 

If we have to lose, I hope its in blowout fashion. I simply cannot take another close Superbowl loss.

 

AND GANO DO NOT KICK THE BALL OUT OF BOUNDS PLEASE!

 

One more win, guys. Let's go Panthers!

[Thanatos 2,847]

Siiiiiggghhhh.

 

10

24

 

Where to start.

 

This team is better than that. It's infuriating that they played as poorly as they did in the Super Bowl.

 

Our offensive philosophy was clearly to run the ball, but we apparently had no backup plan if Denver was able to stop it. Yeah, we still got over 100 yards on the ground, but Newton got the majority of that on scrambles. Stewart was an appalling 12 for 29 on the ground.

 

Panthers got away with bargain bin tackles and wideouts the whole year and couldn't do so against the best defense in the league. That said, the amount of flat out drops and overthrows that weren't forced made the game a foregone conclusion by the beginning of the 4th quarter. Carolina could have ground out a tough win if they had executed and made adjustments, but they simply did not do either.

 

The coaching in this game was just awful. Completely erased the good will a 15-1 season had built with me.

 

Let's go through it.

 

1. Rivera uses the Panthers second and final challenge to gain 7 yards in the early second quarter. Keep your head in the game, man. Know the position your team is in. This was not worth it. It turned a 2nd and 10 into a 2nd and 17. Yes, the refs should have seen it, but its not worth your last challenge. The fact that it didn't come back to bite us is irrelevant. It was still the wrong decision and could have been huge.

 

2. Shula cannot or will not adjust. Carolina started so many possessions with a first and 10 run up the gut that netted 3 or less yards, immediately putting us in 2nd and long. Where was the creative run-game? Where was the read option? The screens? There are ways to burn a defense as aggressive as Denver's was playing, and we simply never even tried them.

 

3. Kony Ealy was the best player on the field, arguably for both teams, certainly for Carolina. He had 3 sacks, 3 tackles, a FF, a FR, and a one-handed INT. On 23 fucking snaps. Why is someone who is playing as out of his mind as Ealy was on a snap count, you ask? Because Rivera and Co. constantly refuse to play younger, better, players over veterans. It happened last year when the Panthers opened 3-8-1. Thinking their season was over, they plugged in some young guys to the lineup three weeks after Gettleman said we needed more speed on the field. That sparked a 4 game win-streak that let us win the sorriest division in football that year. If those young guys are in earlier, we run away with the South in 2014.

 

Alright, so coaching was awful.

 

Players- we had some great performances.

 

Luke was amazing, as usual, in captaining the defense. He did let CJ Anderson power through him for the game clinching touchdown, but game was over unless McManus misses a chip shot FG anyway.

 

Kony Ealy would easily have been MVP- on TWENTY THREE SNAPS- if Carolina had won. Just a great performance, hopefully he can build on that for 2016.

 

Josh Norman completely shut down DT, (although everyone was shutting down DT these playoffs lol). I wish he could have come up with one or both of the interceptions he nearly had though. Would have been fantastic catches, but I've seen him pull one in that was about the same level of difficulty before.

 

Cam got rattled early with nerves, but settled in and made some nice throws- unfortunately four to six of them were dropped. I loved the announcer, I think it was Nantz, immediately blaming Cam on the interception when it hit Ted Ginn in the hands. "He threw it too hard!" Just lmao. Never change, Nantz. Him not falling on that fumble was inexcusable, however.

 

Remmers cannot start for us next year. He just can't.

 

I could go on and on, but I think it'd be best to share the rest of my thoughts whenever I get around to making the 2016 season thread as most of them are relevant there.

 

We have a bright future in a division that we are clearly the best team in. We finally got the Seahawks monkey off our back and we are one of the top four teams in the conference going into 2016. The team as a whole needs to take this defeat, remember how painful it feels, and use that to motivate them going forward.

 

No losing Superbowl team has returned to win the next Superbowl for a long time.

 

The Panthers have also never had back-to-back winning seasons.

 

But then, they said no one had won the NFC South twice in a row either.

 

Streaks are made to be broken.

 

GO PANTHERS!

Edited February 13, 2016 by Thanatos

[RazorStar 4,025]

So how do you feel about the Broncos defense breaking Cam psychologically when a car crash couldn't do the trick?

[Thanatos 2,847]

We are about feel good things in this topic, sir.

[RazorStar 4,025]

So it made you feel good?

[BJORN 679]

Norman was not good in the SB. Dropped two picks and the blatant hold at the end basically ended the game.

[Cherry 1,302]

Norman was not good in the SB. Dropped two picks and the blatant hold at the end basically ended the game.

Didn't he blank DT?

[Thanatos 2,847]

Norman was not good in the SB. Dropped two picks and the blatant hold at the end basically ended the game.

 

Blatant hold lol. That was one of the more bogus bad calls in the game. Refs were letting both teams get away with far worse.

 

The game was already over unless McManus misses a chip shot FG, because 19-10 is still two scores.

 

Both the INTs he "dropped" were off of amazing pass breakups where he extended out full for the ball. They both would have been amazing catches.

 

And yeah, he blanked DT. Norman was great in the Super Bowl, you, sir, are dead wrong.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Didn't he blank DT?

 

To be fair.. It's more like DT blanked Norman. Because DT does a good job blanking himself.

[BJORN 679]

 

Blatant hold lol. That was one of the more bogus bad calls in the game. Refs were letting both teams get away with far worse.

 

The game was already over unless McManus misses a chip shot FG, because 19-10 is still two scores.

 

Both the INTs he "dropped" were off of amazing pass breakups where he extended out full for the ball. They both would have been amazing catches.

 

And yeah, he blanked DT. Norman was great in the Super Bowl, you, sir, are dead wrong.

Lmao are you blind? DT had him beat and he grabbed him. Clear as day. Refs were fine in that game.

 

Amazing pass breaks ups lol....horrible passes by Manning. One of which hit Norman square in the hands and he dropped it. End of.

[Thanatos 2,847]

Lmao are you blind? DT had him beat and he grabbed him. Clear as day. Refs were fine in that game.

 

Amazing pass breaks ups lol....horrible passes by Manning. One of which hit Norman square in the hands and he dropped it. End of.

 

I'm not saying its not a penalty by the rules. I'm saying the refs were letting that go all night long and then decided at the very end to call it. Bradley Roby committed a far worse penalty against Ted Ginn while the outcome of the game was still in doubt and it was not called- and no way they missed it, a ref was standing right behind the two of them. Roby literally had one of Ginn's arms pinned behind his back. If you're not going to call DPI all night when it has been occurring a lot- as will happen when two physical defenses are on the field- then you have to be consistent and continue not to call it. They picked up a holding flag on Denver when the guy grabs Cotchery's jersey and changes his direction. Refs were terrible in that game. They didn't decide the game and are in no way to blame for the Panthers losing, but it doesn't change the fact that they were pretty bad, especially given that they were supposed to be an all-star crew.

 

Also that ball was completely un-catchable.

 

"Square in the hands" lol. Yes, as he was full-length extending outwards. Just saying, there's a reason he's a CB and not a WR. They both would have been great catches. Norman would probably agree with you, for what its worth. He's not satisfied unless he is perfect, and he was not perfect. But he was pretty damn close. To say Norman played horrible is a frankly laughable overstatement.

[BJORN 679]

How would they not call it? It was in the end zone. A clear scoring opportunity. Saying he played great is a laughable overstatement. He was basically responsible for a TD (the dagger) and would've been burned if not for: the hold & the duck throw by Peyton.

[Thanatos 2,847]

The dagger was Cam Newton's fumble, idk why you're going on about the TD being the dagger. I guess you just like being wrong, lol. A FG still makes it a 9 point game. They recovered the fumble at the 4 yard line.

 

The previous non-DPI call was at the 10 yard line, a clear scoring opportunity, why would they not call it? Because they were letting it go all game long. I think that was the only defensive holding or DPI call the whole game. They called illegal contact I think.

 

You're about the only person I know who thinks Norman had a bad game. I guess you just don't like Norman or something. He had yet another game showing why he's going to be in such high demand. Sorry you disagree, but you're simply wrong.

 

He played great, them's just the facts, bro.

Edited February 14, 2016 by Thanatos

[BJORN 679]

The dagger was Cam Newton's fumble, idk why you're going on about the TD being the dagger. I guess you just like being wrong, lol. A FG still makes it a 9 point game. They recovered the fumble at the 4 yard line.

 

The previous non-DPI call was at the 10 yard line, a clear scoring opportunity, why would they not call it? Because they were letting it go all game long. I think that was the only defensive holding or DPI call the whole game. They called illegal contact I think.

 

You're about the only person I know who thinks Norman had a bad game. I guess you just don't like Norman or something. He had yet another game showing why he's going to be in such high demand. Sorry you disagree, but you're simply wrong.

 

He played great, them's just the facts, bro.

I have no opinion on Norman. He was a top corner this year.

 

I felt that there was still hope being down by 9 or if he missed it or blocked it. Even your boy Cam feinted like that penalty sealed the deal. It was literally the worst possible scenario there. It reset the downs and ultimately ended in a TD. Norman is responsible for that. It was a blatant penalty in the end zone. The refs missed a call on Roby, does not change the fact that Norman got beat and had to take an obvious one. Every ref makes that call especially in the end zone. The Broncos ones you're complaining about were not nearly as bad and a PI on the 10 yard line (which I don't remember so it could not have been that bad) does not necessarily equate to a TD.

 

You can continue to prop Norman up but by those standards you expect a top CB to make those plays and unfortunately for you he did not.

 

Cherry, DT had 50 yards in the playoffs up until the SB and was pretty shocking in general. Oh and Peyton was awful in the SB, couldn't make any throws. So shutting down a poor DT in those circumstances...really isn't that big of a feat IMO.

 

In conclusion, Norman did not have a great game. Especially by his standards. Maybe he wasn't horrible but he certainly was not great.