This blog is what you might call maddeningly inconsistent, which is of course a reflection of me and my updating skills. I just forget about the blog sometimes. From now on though, I plan to be much more committed. I plan to update it every few days. That could mean every three to five days.
With the football season approaching fast, the theme of the blog will be mainly sports, specifically about my Carolina Panthers. With that in mind, this entry is all about the Panthers' opening preseason encounter against the Baltimore Ravens.
What To Watch - Panthers Offense:
To say that the Carolina offense has changed in the offseason would be a huge understatement. Gone are familiar faces like Muhsin Muhammad, Brad Hoover and perhaps the most familiar face of all - for all the wrong reasons in 2009, I might add - Jake Delhomme. Yes, the Cajun has left the building. All of these players contributions to the team were valuable over the years, but I think it is safe to say that to expect any further contribution of any significant quality from them would be naive.
With change comes opportunity for new players to make their mark in the National Football League. The player that the media is firmly focusing their attention on is (no big surprise here!) Matt Moore, the fourth year quarterback out of Oregon State. In every analysis of the Panthers 2010 hopes from every writer/expert, all I hear are the same questions.
"Can Moore do it?"
"Has he got the experience?"
"It's an open competition between Moore and Clausen. Clausen will win the job!"
So let me answer those three in turn.
Yes, yes and no competition exists.
Trust me on that last one. Matt Moore is the unquestioned starter for this team. He has approached training camp in Spartanburg with the kind of confidence and veteran calm that you would expect from a player who has seen many more camps than him. I'm fully behind Moore this season.
Tomorrow night on ESPN, be sure to watch Moore play. He'll be facing a very tough defense that will challenge his pre-snap reads, his mentality and his toughness. If he comes through the game having scored a TD or at least led a good drive or two, I'll be pleased. One step at a time.
What else should we be watching out for on offense?
- The tailback situation - Stewart is on the PUP temporarily, so D-Will and Sutton will get most of the carries with the first team. I'm interested in how Sutton performs.
- The WR situation - LaFell, Moore and Jarrett battle. Who will perform when it's live?
- Gary Barnidge at TE - show me you deserve to be the starter
- RG - who wants it?
Defensively, the loss of WLB Thomas Davis will hurt this team. Of that I have no doubt. Moving Beason to the WLB position is not ideal. Dan Connor has taken the MLB position, and although I'm sure he'll do a decent job, he will not be Jon Beason. Darin Gantt of the Rock Hill Herald doesn't trust Connor in coverage, which the Mike in the Cover 2 has to do a lot. The jury's out on Connor in the middle. This game will show us a lot.
The unrest at DT is pretty obvious with no starters set. I'm looking to see a couple of guys distance themselves. My bet right now is on Louis Leonard and Tank Tyler, but after spending a 3rd round pick on Corvey Irvin, I'd like to see some life out of him.
Everette Brown - can he hold up against the run?
After forcing as many turnovers as they did towards the end of last season, can this defense continue that pace? Can Meeks turn this unit into an opportunistic, fast to the ball, playmaking defense?
One thing is certain - we'll have more answers after tomorrow night's game. I'll be reviewing and watching every minute of the game on Friday, at which point I'll post a blog update with my thoughts.
Finally, go Panthers!
