Panthers Struggling to get the ball to Smith
ESPN.com’s Len Pasquarelli has written a very interesting article this week. In it, he details the Panthers’ inability to utilize Steve Smith to his full potential now that Jake Delhomme is out for the season. Len did all his homework and put all the numbers in his article, so I won’t go stealing his thunder and throwing them all at you here, but suffice to say that the guy who traded for Steve Smith about a month ago in my fantasy football league is very upset right now. For those of you who don’t habla the fantasy football, I’m basically trying to say that Smith’s numbers are way down. This is a huge problem.
Steve Smith is THE guy on that team. You have to put the ball in his hands. You can’t throw to him less than five times a half. You can’t not take shots down the field when you have Steve Smith on your team. David Carr is going to be the starter from now on. Testaverde’s injury has seen to that. Pasquarelli writes that while Smith did not talk to reporters after last week’s game, he did have a long talk with Carr. One can only speculate what went on in that conversation, but i have to believe the words “get me the ball” were used more than once. Here’s hoping Carr can comply.
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Panthers Drop in Power Rankings
ESPN.com has released their weekly Power Rankings, and the news is not good for fans in Carolina. The Panthers had the biggest drop of the week, falling six spots from number 12 to 18. Apparently lacking any fully healthy quarterback is grounds for dropping six spots after a home loss. Granted, it was was Carolina’s fourth home loss this season (they’ve yet to win at home this year), but six spots still seems excessive, especially given the team to whom they lost. Since when does not being able to defeat the defending Super Bowl Champions mean sliding six spots in the Power Rankings. Obviously, the analysts at ESPN.com believe something is amiss in Carolina.
Apparently, according to reports now, VinnyT is out with an ankle injury, which contradicts the report i read yesterday, but honestly it could be both. He’s an older guy and unfortunately, as great as that first game was, this may become a recurring theme in Carolina. David Carr is still a bit banged up, and he’s going to have to bust his tail to get out on the field and get better as a QB in the next few weeks. The Panthers absolutely must find a way to reintegrate Steve Smith as the focal point of their offense. He is one of the elite receivers in the game, and quite frankly the Panthers just aren’t using him to his full potential. Though it’s not panic time in Carolina, the Panthers need to win a home game immediately if they want to be taken truly seriously as playoff contenders.
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Panthers Fall to Indy
In case you missed the game, here is the ESPN.com recap of the Panthers/Colts game. Vinny Testaverde was unable to recapture the magic from his first start as a Panther, while Peyton Manning worked a little magic of his own, eclipsing Unitas as the all time leader in touchdown passes in a Colts uniform. Old Man Football showed his age, leaving the game early with tendinitis in his his throwing elbow, but not before throwing a costly goal-line interception. David Carr came in and performed decently, but he was unable to find the end zone as well, and the Panthers missed Jake Delhomme very much.
The Panthers, while in first place in their division to start the day, are now a team that must once again lean very heavily on David Carr for the rest of the season. While Vinny’s comeback was a great story, and even I was drawn in by the drama, the fact remains that he is simply looking as though Vinny is a bit too old to be your go-to guy all season long. This means the David Carr is going to need to see the Wizard of Oz, because the dude suffers from a big time lack of heart. Carr needs to step up large if Carolina is going to succeed in their quest for the playoffs.
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Panthers v Colts Preview
The Charlotte Observer has posted their week 8 preview of the Carolina Panthers match-up with the Indianapolis Colts. Tony Moss writes that the Colts face a potential trap game vs. 4-2 Carolina this weekend. While it may be hard to make the case that a 4-2 NFC team with a backup quarterback could pose a threat to the mighty Super Bowl Champions, the Colts do have a huge game against the New England Patriots in week 9. However, I just don’t see Tony Dungy’s team getting caught looking ahead. They’re just too professional from week to week. I haven’t seen any part of the Colts team fail to show up yet this season. I don’t think they’ll start now.
Moss also cites the Monday Night Football hangover syndrome as another edge the Panthers might have. I find this laughable. Again, the Colts are just far too professional a team to let a short week slow them down. If the Panthers want to win this game, they don’t need to focus on the slight possibility that Indy won’t bring their a-game. They need to make sure they’re ready to play their best football of the season, because it’s going to take a perfect game from any team right now to knock off the reigning champs. Only time will tell if the Panthers are up to the challenge.
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Carr to Start Sunday… If He Can
According to this article from the Charlotte Observer, the Carolina Panthers will allow David Carr to start, if he is healthy enough to do so. Coach John Fox has given Carr the go-ahead, but with the caveat that Carr’s starting spot is directly contingent upon his recovery from the injury that kept him out of last week’s game. If Carr is not deemed healthy enough to get the nod, the Vinny Testaverde will be sent back out onto the field to lead the Panthers against the Indianapolis Colts. Testaverder, of course, led the Panthers to victory rather famously after less than a week of preparation two Sundays ago.
If Carr is deemed to still be hampered by injury, then Vinny will get himself a big start against the undefeated Indianapolis Colts. Would Carr even have a chance of returning once he gets healthy if Old Man Football helped the Panthers to become the first team to defeat the defending Super Bowl Champions in 2007? It’s not like John Fox can bench VinnyT after that. Luckily for Carr, the odds that any quarterback could lead the Panthers against rumbling juggernaut that is the Colts at the moment are slim to none. However, if Old Man Football does have another miracle up his sleeve, the calls to keep VinnyT as the starter will only get louder.
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Panthers Continue to Move Up
It’s Wednesday, and I’m still catching news about these raging wildfires, so we’re going to go straight to the ESPN.com NFL Power Rankings for our daily dose of Panthers news. Vinny Testaverde’s storybook start helped nudge the Panthers just a but closer to the top 10 this week, up one spot to #12 in the rankings. While VinnyT may not be the starter in the next game, he certainly did his part to guide the team to victory before the bye week, and now they occupy a higher spot in the Power Rankings after doing nothing at all. Not bad for an old man.
Old Man Football was drafted in 1987. I was four years old in 1987. This guy is an absolute freak of nature. For him to even be able to get off of his couch and be able to endure an NFL practice would be a feat in and of itself. But for Vinny to come back, put on the pads, learn enough of the play book to play, and then guide a team to a come-from-behind victory? That’s literally insane. The story has been overshadowed by the Patriots’ legendary season, but if Vinny continues to get the ball and perform, this story will get the exposure it deserves.
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Vinny Votes for Carr
First of all, allow me to offer my apologies for now having a blog up and running yesterday for you. The San Diego County fires were a bit of a set-back, and I found myself glued to the television set awaiting word as to whether I should evacuate or not. However, right now it appears that I am safe, so I wanted to get this blog to you while I had a window. I will try to continue to supply daily blogs for the rest of the week, but I am certainly at the whim of the Santa Anna winds right now.
Having gotten that unpleasantness out of the way, here now is a link to a story in which Vinny Testaverde gives the starting nod to David Carr, if he is healthy. Though the final vote is not Testaverde’s, it is classy of him to give Carr his vote of confidence. Certainly this is exactly the type of thing we have come to expect of the longtime veteran and consummate professional Testaverde. Though I still think VinnyT gives the Panthers the best chance to win, apparently Vinny thinks otherwise (at least publicly).
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Local Columnist Calls for Vinny to Start
Straight from the “I told you so” department, we have Charlotte Observer columnist Tom Sorenson calling for Vinny Testaverde to start in Carolina’s week 8 match-up with the Indianapolis Colts. VinnyT rather famously came to the aid of the Panthers in their last game before the bye week, leading Carolina to a come-from-behind victory over the Arizona Cardinals less than a week after being hired by the team. But will he get the start this Sunday?
Head coach John Fox won’t yet say, which must be unsettling for supposed second-stringer David Carr. Carr’s injury may have only sidelined him for one game, but it may end up keeping him out of action for more than just a week. If John Fox does decide to go with Old Man Football, will Carr play the happy backup to the 44-year-old? If Fox goes with Carr, does he run the risk of losing some of the older, veteran players, who seem more comfortable with a veteran QB? Both players are risky. But which QB gives the Panthers the best chance to win?
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Carolina quarterbacks not concerned with QB controversy
According to this article in the Gaston Gazette, neither Carolina quarterback is concerned with the supposed QB controversy surrounding the Panthers. After Jake Delhomme’s elbow surgery, the Panthers picked up Old Man Football, who proved he’s still got it by leading the Panthers to a win with only four days to prep. While that was impressive and all, and it had many fans (and some writers, myself included) calling for Vinny to start over Carr, that is not likely to be the case if Carr is good to go next Sunday. While Vinny’s win was impressive, there are still big question marks around him, especially in terms of durability over an entire season.
So Carr is likely to get the start. While Coach John Fox has yet to name his starter for the week 8 game versus the defending champion Indianapolis Colts, all signs point to Carr getting the start. This is just some simple posturing and strategy leading up to the game. If Carr is healthy, one must assume that the younger second-stringer would get the start over 44-year-old VinnyT. While I don’t agree with the decision, I do understand the logic behind it. The Panthers paid to have Carr as their back up, so it would make very little sense for them to not use him. However, if Carr struggles, don’t be surprised if John Fox sends in Old Man Football to bail the Panthers out.
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Testaverde Can’t Stay Away
Matt Mosley put together a great blog post/article on Vinny Testaverde, and it’s definitely a must read for any fan of Old Man Football, or just for any Carolina Panthers fan looking to learn a bit more about the guy who just led your team to victory at the tender young age of 43. VinnyT has been throwing the foosball in the NFL since 1987, and after last week’s performance, I still think the now-44-year-old quarterback gives the Panthers the best chance of winning every week. For those of you out there who are David Carr fans, I’m really sorry, but I’m just not on that bandwagon.
The article has a lot of interesting information about VinnyT - some things you might already know, but a lot you might not. For example, did you know that Old Man Football got in on the ground level of the Outback Steakhouse restaurant chain? Isn’t that wild? I had no clue. This would make VinnyT absurdly rich even by starting NFL QB standards. The man continues to earn my respect day in and day out. I mean seriously, who do you want throwing the pigskin for you on Sundays? The young man who can’t seem to make a simple read fast enough to avoid being sacked, or the old man who can still chuck it who makes multi-million dollar business decisions? The man is ice. Give him the football.
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