Story by Guest Columnist | August 31, 2010 | Tags: carolina panthers, football, Sports
Story by Juan Santiago.
Cary, NC – Diehard Panthers fan that I am, I must confess I was worried with the departure of Julius Peppers at the end of last season. Now after watching the Panthers this pre-season, I find myself asking, “Julius Who?”
Don‘t get me wrong, Peppers was a big part of the Panthers defense for many years but the new defensive squad is quickly making me forget about him. And quick is the perfect way to describe this bunch.
Young Under the Gun All Night
During last night’s game against the Tennessee Titans, the defense was all over Titans QB Vince Young. I was wishing the Panthers could get points for sacks and big defensive plays. Both CB Chris Gamble and DE Charles Johnson looked very strong and Carolina held the Titans scoreless in the first half.
Offense Struggling
The bad news…the Panthers offense did not look much better than their opponents which led to a first half with no points on the board. It was like watching soccer! Matt Moore looked out of synch during the first half and I found myself wondering why Jimmy Clausen was not starting the second half. I know this is pre-season and Moore needs to get his groove going before it starts counting, but a win would really help the morale of the team and the fans alike. Moore is working with a short-handed offense, as injured WRs Steve Smith and Jonathan Stewart are not yet playing, but Carolina will need the other WRs to step up if we can expect to have a decent offense.
Overall the Panthers looked much better in the second half with special teams starting to get the hang of it. The rookies also looked comfortable with a notable performance by DE Greg Hardy. Back-up QB Jimmy Clausen finally came into the game late in the fourth quarter and got the team down the field quickly.
In the end, the Panthers were able to squeeze a win out of a “not so pretty” game, which in my opinion is very important. I have a feeling that this team will play many low scoring games this season and needs to get used to winning ugly.
All in all I like what I see. I believe that Julius Peppers’ absence may actually help the Panthers in the long run forcing the defense to “step up”.
What Do You Think?
What’s your take on the 2010 Panthers?
