Big play offense. Ball hawking defense. Carolina Panthers football is back!
After the 1st preseason game against the Ravens, the Panthers looked unimpressive at best. But the thing to keep in mind is that the 1st team offense and defense only played for 2 drives. So we did not get a look at what the Panthers would bring to the table as a regular season team. But against the Titans, we did.
QB Cam Newton only played for 1 and a half quarters but did some damage in 20 minutes and showed his progression as an NFL quarterback. On the team's 1st drive, Newton connected with speedy WR Ted Ginn Jr. for a 61 yd. touchdown putting the Panthers up 7-0 early. Throughout his 20 minutes of play, Newton did not look to run (which we will see more of in the regular season, I’m sure) but instead held himself in the pocket as long as possible while looking for open receivers downfield. Basically, he took advantage of what the preseason is for: a warm-up.
Then, the defenses’ 1st drive let the Titans' 1st team offense drive to the Carolina 30yd line only to have a pass intercepted by 2nd year CB Bene Benwikere. Thomas Davis Sr. & Luke Kuechly looked impressive as always, but the young cornerbacks looked especially sharp as did the defensive line. In the last two minutes of the 2nd quarter, rookie CB Zack Sanchez intercepted a pass as well showing the potential of a young secondary that the Panthers are relying on to be dependable this season. The defense finished the game with 3 turnovers (2 interceptions, 1 fumble) leading to 10 points.
What really stood out to me was Cam. At one point, showing his 5th year maturity and MVP status, QB Cam Newton went for a 3rd down scramble that came up short due to a rough tackle. 3rd year, Pro-Bowl G Tre Turner wanted to go after the tackler to protect his QB during a preseason game that ultimately didn't matter. But Cam knew better. He pulled his G away from the tackler and said to Turner “Come on, man". Now that’s a leader.
The things to take away are this: Our starters are impressive to say the least. Both the offense & defense made big plays on their 1st drives, respectively, and showed the Carolina Panthers fans what to look forward to this year. Another thing to take away from the game is this young secondary led by veteran safety Kurt Coleman is aggressive, motivated & only getting better. The last thing is that our back-up players seem to have a high IQ. They learned from the 1st game which should add depth in case of injury later this season.
The Panthers ultimately won the team’s 2nd preseason game 26-16 with the starters only playing for about a third of the game. But when the starters were playing, the Panthers jumped to an early 10-0 lead and never looked back. Looking good and looking to complete a mission they came up short on last season: Winning the Super Bowl. BLACK & BLUE!!!
QB Cam Newton only played for 1 and a half quarters but did some damage in 20 minutes and showed his progression as an NFL quarterback. On the team's 1st drive, Newton connected with speedy WR Ted Ginn Jr. for a 61 yd. touchdown putting the Panthers up 7-0 early. Throughout his 20 minutes of play, Newton did not look to run (which we will see more of in the regular season, I’m sure) but instead held himself in the pocket as long as possible while looking for open receivers downfield. Basically, he took advantage of what the preseason is for: a warm-up.
Then, the defenses’ 1st drive let the Titans' 1st team offense drive to the Carolina 30yd line only to have a pass intercepted by 2nd year CB Bene Benwikere. Thomas Davis Sr. & Luke Kuechly looked impressive as always, but the young cornerbacks looked especially sharp as did the defensive line. In the last two minutes of the 2nd quarter, rookie CB Zack Sanchez intercepted a pass as well showing the potential of a young secondary that the Panthers are relying on to be dependable this season. The defense finished the game with 3 turnovers (2 interceptions, 1 fumble) leading to 10 points.
What really stood out to me was Cam. At one point, showing his 5th year maturity and MVP status, QB Cam Newton went for a 3rd down scramble that came up short due to a rough tackle. 3rd year, Pro-Bowl G Tre Turner wanted to go after the tackler to protect his QB during a preseason game that ultimately didn't matter. But Cam knew better. He pulled his G away from the tackler and said to Turner “Come on, man". Now that’s a leader.
The things to take away are this: Our starters are impressive to say the least. Both the offense & defense made big plays on their 1st drives, respectively, and showed the Carolina Panthers fans what to look forward to this year. Another thing to take away from the game is this young secondary led by veteran safety Kurt Coleman is aggressive, motivated & only getting better. The last thing is that our back-up players seem to have a high IQ. They learned from the 1st game which should add depth in case of injury later this season.
The Panthers ultimately won the team’s 2nd preseason game 26-16 with the starters only playing for about a third of the game. But when the starters were playing, the Panthers jumped to an early 10-0 lead and never looked back. Looking good and looking to complete a mission they came up short on last season: Winning the Super Bowl. BLACK & BLUE!!!
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