Schedule released

[TheKingofSting]

http://www.panthers.com/schedule/index.html

I see at least 10 wins.

MNF @ Eagles.

[penquin11]

Wow rough schedule next year.... God damn they don't let you win easily now do they?

01 Sep. 09 at Buccaneers : (W) We should win this game, a new coach usually means a rough year, and the Bucs don't have the offense to out-pace us.

02 Sep. 16 Saints: (W) Early season I predict that they will be a mess, their interim coach won't be able to coach the first 4 games of the season (or is it 6) and they will still be adjusting to the player suspensions as well.

03 Sep. 20 Giants: (W) The Giants have an Elite D-Line, a solid offense, but they also have the most overrated Safety in all of football and aside from him questionable secondary coverage, Cam should be able to use his athletism to negate the ability of the Giants D-Line and I could see Tolbert killing the overly aggressive Giants with some screens.

04 Sep. 30 at Falcons (L) The Falcons picked up DC Mike Nolan; his previous 2 stops? the 49ers(last year) and the Packers(the super bowl packers), not to mention they have 2 elite WR's, an elite TE, a good QB, and a consistent RB.

05 Oct. 07 Seahawks (W or L) I call this one a toss up because the Seahawks are one of the less predictable teams in the league, however having lost their starting MLB and having questionable depth on their D as a whole we should win this one- and by alot.

07 Oct. 21 Cowboys (W) Cam Newton scorched 3-4D teams last year, and the Cowboys are no different. Not to mention they have a really bad O-Line and under preforming players at almost every position.

08 Oct. 28 at Bears (L) The Bears are going to be running the ball alot next year- and they have solid depth everywhere excluding at LOLB, they could be a tough team to beat next year.

09 Nov. 04 at Redskins (W) Unless RGIII pulls a rabit out of his ass and defeats our entire team by himself this should be a win, might be a shootout, but still a win.

10 Nov. 11 Broncos (L) Peyton Manning is one of the greatest QB's of all time, and the Broncos will still have a solid D next year (probably even better actually), this could be a close game, and it is winnable.

11 Nov. 18 Buccaneers (W) they are the Bucs.

12 Nov. 26 at Eagles (W) Tough one, but the Eagles probably won't be able to handle the 4 headed tyrant that is our running game (Newton, Williams, Tolbert, Stewart) and Vick can't read a blitz worth sh*t. All in all we just match up well against them.

13 Dec. 02 at Chiefs (W or L) God this all depends on how sucessful their 2 headed RB squad is- which Im guessing is going to be pretty good. I think they edge us out even though they are a 3-4D team.

14 Dec. 09 Falcons (L): We actually could win this game, it wouldn't surprise me, but statistically speaking I just don't see it happening. the 49ers and the Falcons are my NFC championship picks pre-draft this year.

15 Dec. 16 at Chargers (W): Shoot out, but I think we grab the W here because the Chargers are great at late season collapses and because I value Newton over Rivers, not to mention they are a 3-4 team that can't blitz and that doesn't have elite Coverage...

16 Dec. 23 Raiders (W): The Raiders should be terrible this year, like 5-11 bad, chalk up a W.

17 Dec. 30 at Saints (W or L): I could be wrong- but I don't think Newton was happy to hear that the Saints tried to injure him. The Saints lost Tracey porter- one of the few CB's in the NFL who could cover Smith in man to man coverage, furthermore the Saints player suspensions could still be holding them back. However we could lose this game as well.

Best case senario: 12-4
Worst Case Senario: 8-8 (yes I know that there are only 7 L or W or L games but a couple of those could be pretty tight).

Playoff Prediction: Maybe?

Superbowl chance: With Cam anything is possible.
My top 4 NFC rankings:
1. 49ers* moderate schedule for an elite team
2. Falcons
3. Bears* Their schedule is easy.
4. Packers* They have one hell of a schedule!
5. Panthers* They won a ton of games in the 2nd half of the season last year without a D, should be even better this year with additional practice.

[ohara]

I think 10 wins and 6 losses is a good guess. Think we stand a reasonable chance to win the Division, but a real good chance of at least a Wild Card. What we do with our first 2 draft picks will be huge. We need a couple of players who can contribute in a meaningful way,

[penquin11]

I think 10 wins and 6 losses is a good guess. Think we stand a reasonable chance to win the Division, but a real good chance of at least a Wild Card. What we do with our first 2 draft picks will be huge. We need a couple of players who can contribute in a meaningful way,

If we by some god give way are able to grab either Michael Floyd or Morris Claiborne then our projected sucess skyrockets. Claiborne would give us one of the more solid CB depths in the league- and to make matters even better he would fit perfectly into our scheme, I dont give a damn if he has an IQ of 3 and is dumber than my toaster, he is a good player who knows how to play football. Floyd would provide a great endzone target for Newton that was lacking last year- Floyd also displayed good speed at both the combine and pro-day that if he utilized on the field would make him a deep threat.

But our D-Line/LB core/ Safety squad also need some additions.

[ohara]

If we were able to get Claiborne, you are absolutely correct. Would be a game changer for our defense. And I would dearly love to get one of the Top 5 WR's on the Board with our 2nd pick. (Hill or Sanu perhaps) Add to the defense and get Cam another big receiver would make my off season.

Do you see a possibility of us, assuming we go Defense with our 1st, perhaps looking at a TE at #2? Since no TE will likely go in the 1st, the best of them may be available at our 2nd pick. We have Olsen, but let Shockey walk. Not sure if any other ones on the team are worth anything. So if Olsen goes down to injury, we would be in a bind. Just something to think about.

Edit: Man, my post just got into stuff that belongs in the Draft Thread, not the Schedule one. My bad,

[penquin11]

If we were able to get Claiborne, you are absolutely correct. Would be a game changer for our defense. And I would dearly love to get one of the Top 5 WR's on the Board with our 2nd pick. Add to the defense and get Cam another big receiver would make my off season.

Do you see a possibility of us, assuming we go Defense with our 1st, perhaps looking at a TE at #2? Since no TE will likely go in the 1st, the best of them may be available at our 2nd pick. We have Olsen, but let Shockey walk. Not sure if any other ones on the team are worth anything. So if Olsen goes down to injury, we would be in a bind. Just something to think about.

We picked up Tolbert for a reason bro- also look for Stewart/Williams to be more active in the passing game. Not to mention David Gettis is coming back.

[ohara]

I was totally thinking of Tolbert in the traditional FB role. I know he can catch passes out of the backfield, but I dont see him going 10-15 yards downfield as a TE might. I think living with Olsen as our only reliable TE might be kinda dangerous. Tolbert does give us a good run/pass option for being a FB tho.

I forgot about Gettis also. Hopefully he works off the rust and is ready to be productive.

[penquin11]

I was totally thinking of Tolbert in the traditional FB role. I know he can catch passes out of the backfield, but I dont see him going 10-15 yards downfield as a TE might. I think living with Olsen as our only reliable TE might be kinda dangerous. Tolbert does give us a good run/pass option for being a FB tho.

I forgot about Gettis also. Hopefully he works off the rust and is ready to be productive.

screens murder blitzes the same way that tight ends to- thats why TE's are so effective now- as if you are bringing an OLB on the blitz it forces the Safety to play up against the TE- safeties usually arent tall enough to cover TE's , or even worse the lack of a safety causes a WR to be found deep. Screens can be even more punishing- especially if its not made too obvious to the D (ie: send the FB out instead of the RB) as the Blitzing OLB cannot reach the receiver in time- allowing him to move down field- if the Tight end can sell the play enough to draw the safety in and block him then the receiver will have even MORE space to maneuver up-field- essentially its a guaranteed 7 yard minimum play if the D blitzes- and that's when the screen is hidden well. Also most TE's dont recieve the ball 15 yards at a time- nor do most WR's.... Nor did Jeremy Shockey.
The FB role is underutilized in the NFL today- Tolbert is being brought in the because of how good he is in short yardage situations and how well he can catch the ball.

[TheKingofSting]

I don't see Claiborne falling past TB but if he does we better jump at the opportunity.

[Jaruff]

I think the "OMFG How Did We Do This?" ceiling is 12. The actual ceiling is probably 10 but if we don't improve the defense in the draft, I can see struggling for 8-8.

[penquin11]

I think the "OMFG How Did We Do This?" ceiling is 12. The actual ceiling is probably 10 but if we don't improve the defense in the draft, I can see struggling for 8-8.

penquin11 approves this message.