Sinking The Stinking Panthers
July 1st, 2016
Can Cam and Carolina be brought down?
Until or unless someone takes down the Stinking Panthers, the NFC South is Carolina’s turf.
Now Joe doesn’t expect, barring something terribly unforeseen, the Stinking Panthers crashing down to earth soon, certainly not this year.
A question was posed to all NFC South beat writers by the four-letter and Bucs reporter Jenna Laine offered her take as to what team could bring Carolina down.
Good question. The division has been Carolina’s the past three years while the Bucs have struggled with finding the right coach and rebuilding, the Falcons got a new head coach, and the Saints parted ways with a lot of high-priced contracts and had a historically-bad defense. The Falcons got off to a red-hot 5-0 start last year, fizzled and then went on to beat the Panthers. Granted, that 5-0 start was against a weak group of opponents, but they finished a respectable 8-8 under a brand new head coach who could do wonders for that defense.
I think Atlanta may have a slight edge over the Bucs and Saints because it has the least amount of holes, but I can see Carolina winning the division again. The Bucs have some growing to do under a new head coach, a second-year quarterback and a new defense. The Saints need to find their old identity on defense and develop some stars with that young offense.
Laine makes fair points. However, Joe believes the Bucs are better than the Dixie Chicks. Holes? You could argue the Bucs had as many or more holes than the Dixie Chicks on defense, but Joe believes that had more to do with rotten coaching than talent.
Atlanta has lots of holes on defense, but they have the offense to be in any game. Remember: The Bucs went 3-1 last year against the Dixie Chicks and sad Saints. Should have been 4-0. That home loss to the Saints was awful.
But toppling Carolina? Like Laine, Joe doesn’t think the Bucs are there yet.
July 1st, 2016 at 8:02 am
Remember when our division had the worst place team, go to first a few years in a row? It could still happen. No matter how we’re playing before our first meeting, Carolina at home they feel like they own us. They won’t be taking us seriously when they come to take our lunch money. What they’ll get is a swift punch in the nose. They won’t be expecting a fight, but that’s what we’ll give them. Break their nose, and they won’t be able to pose!
July 1st, 2016 at 9:30 am
Shut them Stinking Panther fans up, let them think the Bucs are no match for them, steady improvement until POW right off the top of the ladder. I like the crying Cam, want to hear more bellyaching.
July 1st, 2016 at 9:31 am
The Kitties know that the Donks showed how to beat them: jam receivers, get after Newton with a variety of pressure packages and spread the ball around.
The Kitties also lost their swagger. They went into the SB as self-perceived bad-asses, and left broken men. And their RB’s aren’t getting any younger.
They are good but no longer invincible, and losing Norman won’t help. 2016 will NOT be a stroll in the park for the Kitties like 2015 was.
IMO, the Bucs are putting a team together than can compete with them. That said, getting Benjamin back is big.
July 1st, 2016 at 9:52 am
Joe Sacbuc$ appreciates you very much. There just is not enough coverage of our team. BSPN, NFL Network, NFL.com, Buccaneers.com, 620 Wdae, Pewter Report and the Tampa Tribune but I don’t feel like I got my fix until I get to your site. I’ve been here for a while you know I have so keep up the good work. Ive been watching you asked those tough questions during the off-season really getting up in there. The Donovan Smith question was Classic. Lol
I have a friendly request show me a picture of Rachel. I told you about Molly and she took over First Take. Jamie got moved of the Fantasy show with Fabs. Casey is Hot too so tell her Sacbuc said wow when you see her at One Buc.
July 1st, 2016 at 9:55 am
Uhm I don’t know about you but our DB aren’t great at jamming receivers – let along big strong WRs like Benjamin and Julio- can we beat them, sure, any given Sunday. Will we? I don’t know- they con to strengthen the Dline, which I think that’s what we should’ve done with Rankins instead of Hargreaves but whatever- what’s done is done and Hargreaves is doing good so far.
July 1st, 2016 at 10:15 am
I find it hard to believe Jenna is =saying the Falcons are stronger than the Bucs.
If that be the case….we are not a very good team. The Falcons STINK ON ICE!! Show me one position….JUST ONE, other than Center where they have an advantage over us. Their O-line grades out much higher than ours….yet Winston was the 5th least sacked QB in the league while they have to block for that human statue and interception machine Matt Ryan.
No, if we finish behind the Falcons or even let them win that first game September 11th, this Bucs team isn’t NEARLY as good as we’ve been led to believe.
July 1st, 2016 at 10:30 am
Don’t kid yourselves for one minute fellow Buc fans, The Panthers are a formidable opponent. They still have the core of their winning team intact. And even more importantly, unlike us, they don’t change coaching staff every 2 yrs. So there is nice continuity to their program. Panthers ain’t going nowhere. Question is..Are we? We shall see in about 3 months. All of this talk about how good we will be. It will be time to put up or shut up. One thing I love about football..There is no faking the final score. The best team WINS.
GO BUCS!
July 1st, 2016 at 10:52 am
Nike Johnson Says:
,blockquote>Don’t kid yourselves for one minute fellow Buc fans, The Panthers are a formidable opponent. They still have the core of their winning team intact.You could be right, but there is more evidence showing the losing SB team back-sliding the following year.
The ’03 Bucs returned intact with the same coaching staff, and they laid an egg.
I don’t think anyone is discounting the Kitties, but NFL really means Not For Long.
And one thing for sure: the DB’s won’t be giving a 10yd. cushion to WR’s this season.
July 1st, 2016 at 11:51 am
Panthers are the team to beat in our division. I would be happy to split the games with them…very happy.
The Falcons better? Well, going by last year, yes. This year is a whole new ball game, and I think we can beat them. It’s currently a 50-50 shot with them for us.
I think we can beat the Saints both games though, so if we at least split with the birds and Panthers, we COULD be looking good.
Panthers are currently a juggernaut. If the defense had a year under its belt? We would have a better chance against them. Still, I’m hoping for the best.
July 1st, 2016 at 11:55 am
Topple Carolina for the Division?. You have to CRAWL before you WALK. We need to get out of the BASEMENT first, before we’re able to reach the TOP floor. After 5 STRAIGHT seasons in the basement, I would think that ( getting to the 3rd floor would be a positive step) reaching the 2nd floor would be like taking an gigantic step. Reaching the top floor, would be AMAZING. It can be done, and we can do it, but it would be difficult ( easy said than done).
July 1st, 2016 at 12:15 pm
The Panthers will be beatable this year, and here’s WHY –
1) Regression – you can’t predict turnovers and CAR was near the top in turnovers forced. This is very likely to regress meaning less shorter fields for the Panthers offense to work with. In Game one vs. the Buccaneers the Panthers forced FIVE turnovers, FIVE. The Buccaneers forced ONE. Plus four difference..in a game that much closer than the score indicated. Carolina forced another three in the finale at their home turf. To greatly illustrate to you that turnovers aren’t predictable…just take a look at the one play the Panthers scored on in which 8 or 9 times out of ten we force a fumble with that many guys around the ball if it hits the ground, yet it pops right back up into the hands of Ed Dickson who happened to be Johnny on the spot and takes it the other way for a score.
2) Loss of Norman, inexperienced in the secondary, and older vets at key positions – while having experience helps (the Buccaneers have picked-up older vets this year as well) with leadership, learning curve, and stability; players near thirty tend to see decline in skill set as well get hurt easier and take longer to heal. Panthers have vets in several key positions. Center with Khalil, Blind side with Oher, Stewart at RB, Olson at TE, Tolbert at fullback, Ted Ginn Jr. at WR, Johnson at DE, Davis at LB. The Panthers are one of the oldest teams despite a purge of aging vets in the offseason (Tlilman, Finnegan, etc.) Norman was one of their best players on defense and overall, and did a terrific job shutting down our receivers in years past. He brought an immeasurable swagger and attitude to that defense, and while not impossible it will be likely be hard to duplicate and replace despite what Panthers fans may claim….and no matter how many CB’s the Panthers try and draft and bring-in off the wire.
3) Career years – the Panthers had lots of them. It’s hard to repeat team success let alone individual success. Will we see the likes of Ginn Jr., Stewart, Davis, Olsen, etc. having career years again especially at their age.
4) Cam’s the key – for the record, Cam finally broke the string of losses with a comeback victory in Seattle when his team was trailing by three or more entering the fourth quarter last year. In his career, Cam was a league worst (zero wins) when trailing by three or more points. See Warren’s Sharp article for commentary on Cam Newton going into this season. http://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/blog/2015/cam-newton-earned-his-new-deal-but-must-improve-to-make-it-worth-the-panthers-money. Cam lead the league in overthrows in 2014, and we saw the accuracy issues crop-up again in the Super Bowl. When the defense can’t bail out the Panthers and they must rely on the offense, the Panthers struggle mightily. Even as bad as the Buccaneers have been, they had quadruple the amount of 4th quarters comeback wins as the panthers. This was a team that gave-up many points in the fourth quarter last season and a number of deep passes, all the while having a great defense. Their defense won’t be the same caliber this season and I expect Carolina to be trailing in more games into the fourth quarter given the strength of schedule is theoretically tougher and the inexperience in their secondary yielding more points. Cam didn’t have an MVP season until the second half of the year. If you look at his stats weeks 1-9 they are mediocre. A lot of it numbers put up in the second half came on short fields and against the weakest of pass defenses in the league (Buccs, Saints, Falcons, Giants, etc.). All this is assuming Cam will stay healthy as well. Ankle surgery, car accident in 2014…he has a running back mentality in a running offense, and as a result, Cam has taken the most shots of any QB in the league. As we know, RB’s have a short shelf life. How many more years of those will he able to sustain and still maintain that high level of play? Cam is 27 yet he is aging faster than many of his piers based on those hits.
5 – Tougher schedule – yes, in hindsight, we won’t truly know how tough the schedule will be until the full season is played. However, based on last season, it is much tougher. The NFC East/AFC South whom the division played last season is much easier compared to upcoming opponents from the NFC West/ AFC West, and I think most agree with me on this assessment. With the tougher schedule and gap closing in talent between the two teams, the division may very well be up grabs. Sans Benjamin (Ginn took his spot and had a career year) the Panthers stayed relatively healthy last year until the end of the year/playoffs with Davis breaking his arm with no one missing significant playing time. The Buccs were without their starting TE, Slot Receiver, and 2nd starting receiver for much of the year, and that’s not even commenting on the defense. It takes health and lucky breaks to a teams way in addition to just being good to win. The Panthers are not invincible, nor are they likely to repeat the easy season a year ago that concluded with a trip to the Super Bowl. Games are likely to be tightly contested, especially in the division as teams know each other’s tendencies and play calls the best, with teams giving their very best shot to try and using the Panthers as a measuring stick.
Go Buccs….let’s get the mentality that we can take this division back and beat Carolina in which I know we can. The new mindset starts on 9/11. Time to set a new tone, Tampa Bay!
July 1st, 2016 at 12:23 pm
feelthepewterpower Says:
July 1st, 2016 at 12:15 pm
The Panthers will be beatable this year, and here’s WHY –
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DUDE!! Way too long to read. I contracted adult A.D.D. just looking at that post!
July 1st, 2016 at 12:53 pm
jb Says:
July 1st, 2016 at 12:23 pm
feelthepewterpower Says:
July 1st, 2016 at 12:15 pm
The Panthers will be beatable this year, and here’s WHY –
______________________________________________________________
DUDE!! Way too long to read. I contracted adult A.D.D. just looking at that post!
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Dude, reading is fundaMENTAL in life.
July 1st, 2016 at 12:58 pm
Are we that mentally weak as a fanbase to not take the time read another fan’s assessment on why there may be good reasons to not have a defeatist attitude towards the panthers and winning our division? I would hope that other fans would want to read a positive spin for a change on why we the Panthers aren’t invincible and can be beaten, no?
Our team needs to shed the losing mindset as well…..like I said, the new mindset begins on 9/11.
July 1st, 2016 at 1:40 pm
Still remember all the hype about the falcons with Michael Vick at the helm. Then the Simeon Rice sack took out Vicks throwing arm and made them one dimensional. Aww the glory days, Sapp and Rice leveling quarterbacks, Alstott Dunn Pittman running wild.
July 1st, 2016 at 1:43 pm
The first thing we need to do is ( FINISH THE SEASON). We were 4-2 in 2011 and in the playoff hunt( had beaten the Saints and Falcons) then we lost 10 straight to finish the season. We were 6-4 in 2012 and in the playoff hunt, then we lost 5 straight, before beating the Falcons in a meaningless final game. In 2013, we lost our first 8 games before rebounding to win 4 of 5, then we lost our final 3. In 2014 we lost our final 6 games of the season. In 2015 we were 6-6 and in the Wildcard hunt, before we lost our final 4 games of the season. That’s why Head Coaches get fired in Tampa, we NEVER finish the season on a winning note ( always a losing streak). And that’s why FANS are never OPTIMISTIC about the UPCOMING season ( because of how the previous season ended ). If you want to WIN the NFC South, you CANNOT have these losing streaks that we are accustomed to in Tampa.
July 1st, 2016 at 2:09 pm
I don’t know. No predictions here because this Buc team could be really really good. In a game often decided by inches, they may be able to beat anyone on a given day including Carolina. Not throwing on the towel yet over here. I need to see a game or two first.
July 1st, 2016 at 2:20 pm
“One thing I love about football…There is no faking the final score. The best team WINS.”
The team with the highest score wins. Sometimes the best team doesn’t win.
July 1st, 2016 at 2:35 pm
Still remember all the hype about the falcons with Michael Vick at the helm. Then the Simeon Rice sack took out Vicks throwing arm and made them one dimensional. Aww the glory days, Sapp and Rice leveling quarterbacks, Alstott Dunn Pittman running wild.
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Vick had a throwing arm was not known for his accuracy (much like Cam). The Buccs made Vick one dimensional with their sustained and tremendous pressure with their front four. Recall Vick saying “I don’t even have time to set-up and throw.” We also kept a spy (Brooks) on him to keep him mostly confined to the backfield. Cam is EXCELLENT vs. the blitz in man to man coverage…the blueprint is the same, get pressure on him with your front four. Hit him, pressure him, sack him, etc……and the ball will start to be overthrown/underthrown etc. We have the sheer speed (one of the fastest LB cores in the league) to spy and keep his running to a minimum. We saw in the Super Bowl, and as evident by the article I posted above…that Cam and the offense struggles mightily when you force them to have to comeback. They are a run first team, and when asked to be put in known passing situations in which defenses can tee…they have struggled. 0-20 something coming into 2015…finally winning one in seattle this past year when down three.
July 1st, 2016 at 6:02 pm
I’m where BigMac’s at.
July 2nd, 2016 at 12:01 pm
@feel the power
Good posts,also Denver defense laid the wood to both Brady
and Newton.It s recipe for success and we now have personnel
to lmplement it