Panther’s Beat – Sunday is the Show

September 8, 2010 | Story by: Community Contributor | Categories: Featured, Football

by Juan Santiago

Cary, NC - Rehearsal is over.  But if you watched last Thursday’s preseason game against the Steelers, you are probably wondering what this season will be like for our beloved Panthers…another four quarters went by without a touchdown.  The offense continued to struggle and the defense was not as solid as in the previous three games.  

Don’t despair.  The last game of pre-season is clearly one where the team management, coaching staff and fans alike get an opportunity to see what sort of talent the younger folks can bring to the team.  It also provides the players their last opportunity to create an impression in the coaching staff in an attempt to make the team.  After the game, the roster had to be cut down from 77 to 53 players.

The Last Tune-up

As expected, most of the Panthers regulars spent the game watching from the sidelines.  Quarterbacks Matt Moore and Jimmy Clausen have established themselves as number 1 & 2 with one more QB position up for grabs.  The first half was Hunter Cantwell’s time to show the coaches why he was the man for the job.  Cantwell spent last season as part of the Panthers practice squad and was a good candidate for the third QB slot in this year’s team.  Although Cantwell showed a good strong arm and some flashes of brilliance, at the end of the first half, the Panthers had failed to put any points on the board.

The second half was rookie Tony Pike’s chance to take over the job.  Pike’s arm is clearly as strong as Cantwell’s and playing with the same set of back up receivers, Pike had to do something to show the team that he was the man for the job.  Pike did just that.  His mobility in the pocket and ability to avoid sacks and turnovers might have been what ultimately earned him the job even when the Panthers failed to score a touchdown under his leadership.

Youth Movement

DE Greg Hardy, WR/QB Armanti Edwards, and WR David Gettis were impressive.  Hardy’s play has been outstanding during the preseason and there is no reason to believe it is going to be any different next Sunday.  Edwards provides the Panthers with a variety of options that should keep opposing teams on their toes.  Edwards is a capable receiver with great speed that can help the Panthers in punt returns, an area where they struggled during this preseason. He also brings quarterbacking abilities to the table.  If you watched Thursday’s game, you saw Edwards play quarterback for a handful of plays and even complete a few passes.  He has a precise arm and he is a threat to run the ball in ”the Mountaineer play”.  Finally, Gettis has good speed and great hands while playing WR and returning punts.  He seemed very confident of his ability and at 6’3” he will provide the Panthers’ QB with a big target.

Outlook

The Panthers struggled during this preseason to get points on the board.  Although this worries me some, I don’t expect that to be the case during the regular season.  Once WR Steve Smith joins the team and RB’s Jonathan Stewart, DeAngelo Williams, and Mike Goodson are all playing like we know they can, the Panthers should have no trouble scoring.  I expect Steve Smith to continue to be the go-to guy in the passing game, but new additions WR Brandon LaFell, David Gettis and Armanti Edwards should keep opposing teams guessing where the balls is going.  Add to this TE Dante Rosario and Jeff King and the passing game for the Panthers should complement the running game quite nicely.

I think they are being understimated as 7-point underdogs to the N.Y. Giants this Sunday.Now it’s time to get your favorite cold beverage and game day snack ready and enjoy what I think will be a surprising season – the Panthers in the playoffs!