FanNation - The Republic of Sport

I'll admit that he has not had much time but that is not his problem. He just won't throw the ball. I'm sure some of you have read Albert Haynesworth's comments after the game. He pretty much gave the credit to the Titan's seven sack game on Carr's inability to get rid of the football. That was the classic knock against him in Houston. I was one of those guys shooting that down and saying the main reason was the awful offensive line he had to play with while with the Texans. Well, that bad line did lead to him getting killed during his 5 years in Houston. This in turn has led to his constant fear of any kind of pocket pressure which has led to his tunnel vision on WR reads and inability to go through his progressions. He plays scared and if you play scared in the NFL you are D-O-N-E. Now he appears to have suffered a concussion and old man Vinny's achilles is not healed enough. That leaves us with one Matt Moore. Ugh.

When your favorite NFL team suffers injuries to its top three QBs it is time to face the truth as I have. It is time to start thinking about the draft. Besides the quarterback issue there is a real problem with Carolina in pretty much every other aspect of the team.

Their special teams are atrocious. Long kick-off and punt returns are enjoyed by every team the Panthers play against. When you constantly give the opposition the ball at their 35 yd line, it's gonna be a long day. On the flip side Carolina cannot return kick-offs or punts for any significant yardage. I understand that Ryne Robinson is a rookie but he was brought in specifically to give the Panthers a boost in that department. So far he has done horrifically. Against Indy after the Panthers drove down the field, scored, and then forced Indy to punt on their next offensive series Robinson fumbled the punt and set up Indy inside the Panthers 30. Thus began the unraveling of that game. You have to hold onto the ball in those types of situations. That is how momentum and games are changed.

Then there is the vastly underperforming defense, particularly Julius Peppers. I don't know what has happened to him this year but he has been completely silent and it isn't because of constant double teaming. He has not been dominant in any way, shape, or form. Against the Titans he was completely manhandled. The over-the-top Panther fan has been saying the D played great with four turnovers. While those were nice and the offense did nothing with them, when the Titans needed to score they did. Period. One play that keeps playing through my mind was Peppers going one-on-one with a full head of steam and he got knocked on his arse. Completely blown up. Pretty pathetic for a player that is considered elite. I'm torn about Pep. He is a free agent after next year and I am starting to get concerned about whether a Dwight Freeney type contract is worth it. He needs to show me something.

But he is not the only defensive player lacking. Kemo was a bust of a signing. The Ravens made the right call letting him walk. I thought he was going to be a great run stuffer that would free up the Panther linebackers to make plays, specifically Dan Morgan. Well not only has Kemo failed at that but Morgan has never really played this year and is now on the IR. I'm not completely sure if there are any cap implications for next year but Morgan needs to be released. He just can't stay healthy anymore and it has hurt this franchise. Why Will Witherspoon was let go and Morgan retained is one of the biggest questions we Panther fans will never be able to answer. What a horrible, horrible decision by the Panther front office. Jon Beason is looking good but having Witherspoon instead of Morgan would make the linebacking corps pretty formidable.

One other thing that has hurt this team is a lack of a true #2 receiver to take the constant double (and sometimes triple) teams off Steve Smith. His talent is being wasted. That brings us to the Dwayne Jarrett situation. This player cannot get on the field as a second round pick. Unacceptable. Keyshawn Johnson was released and Dwayne was penciled in to be the big, chain moving target the Panthers need. How he cannot be given a chance to prove himself is beyond me. Rumors have it that he cannot pick up the playbook and he is not getting off the line of scrimmage due to a lack of physicality. My question is this, how much worse can he be that Keary Colbert or Drew Carter? Carter's speed aside these two should not even be on the roster. Jarrett should be in these games so he can be evaluated by the staff. Practice is just that, practice. He needs live game action. Somehow I think he can at least perform as well as Carter and Colbert.

Finally, John Fox and Marty Hurney need to be taken to task. Hurney and his garbage drafts are starting to be exposed. He is not fooling anyone. His lack of draft savvy is shockingly evident. His free agent signings have been horrible. In short, he is not worthy of his position. A change may be in order. The problem is that it appears Jerry Richardson is in love with him. When the owner is in your corner you can survive for well too long at times. This looks like one of those times.

As for Fox? Well let's just say that John Fox is far to conservative as a head coach. His draw plays up the middle on 3^rd and long have worn thin. They are also completely predictable now by opposing defenses and they just result in better field position for those teams when all is said and done. His lack of imagination along with his boring demeanor makes Fox a marked man. He shows no passion. He talks like a robot. He is not getting through to his players. Can you say: "Bill Cowher on line 1 Mr. Richardson." I know I can.  Time to wake up Carolina and make some bold moves after this train wreck of a season draws to a merciful ending. The sad part is that mediocrity is accepted by ownership which means the same ole, same ole awaits.