Panthers Season Slipping Away?

If you’re a Carolina Panthers fan, perhaps you are more aware of this than I, but apparently some members of the media have begun to turn on John Fox.  Charlotte Observer contributor Scott Fowler has printed up a striking indictment of John Fox and his anemic offense after the Panthers’ loss to the Atlanta Falcons this past Sunday.  Fowler points out that this was a team the Panthers definitely should have beaten.  He also points out that the Falcons will be one of the last of these types of teams the Panthers will face all year.

The Panthers are 4-5, and Fowler claims they could finish the season 5-11 if they’re not careful.  While I’m not ready to proclaim the Panthers to be on the verge of 1-6 finish to their season, I must agree that wholesale changes need to occur within the offensive schemes for the Panthers to make the playoffs.  I understand that VinnyT is not young anymore and Carr isn’t Joe Montana, but you have to take shots down the field.  Non one is respecting the Panthers right now.  Until they demand more respect, this is their lot in 2007.

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Panthers Drop Four Spots in Power Rankings

ESPN.com has released their weekly Power Rankings, and the Carolina Panthers have dropped no less than four spots following last Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons.  Losing to a team in disarray will do a lot to hurt your standing in the Power Rankings.  To their credit, the Falcons are only two games out of first place in their division, meaning that the Panthers did lose to a possible playoff team.

In the “nobody’s ever really out of it” NFC, the Falcons are still in the running for a playoff spot.  They have three wins, but the Panthers only have four, so don’t get too upset over losing to the lowly Falcons, Panthers fans.  Carolina has not played like an elite team since Delhomme fell to injury, and their other two options are a 44-year-old or a young, unproven QB.  The Panthers need to change things up immediately and start taking some big chances if they want to save their season.

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Panthers Lose to Falcons

The Carolina Panthers have now lost three games in a row.  This week, the Panthers lost to the Atlanta Falcons 20-13.  The Falcons won this ugly game on a touchdown pass from Joey Harrington to tight end Alge Crumpler in the final minute of the fourth quarter on Sunday to give the Falcons their first back-to-back wins on the season.  The Panthers fell to 4-5 in the weak NFC South.

Vinny Testaverde was obviously not 100% on the day.  VinnyT hobbled around in the pocket, going 13-of-28 for 153 yards through the air and no touchdowns.  With second string backup David Carr out with a concussion, Old Man Football did all he could to will the Panthers to a win, but with very little ground attack from DeShaun Foster, he didn’t have much help.  Though the Panthers still have every chance to win the wide-open NFC South, they’re going to need someone to step up at the QB position to restore some stability to their franchise.

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Panthers Search for Stability at Quarterback

Not that it’s exactly news at this point, but Stan Olson of the Charlotte Observer has written article about the fact that the Carolina Panthers have gone through some serious unrest at the QB position this season.  He’s certainly correct, as the Panthers have managed to play no less than four different QBs so far this year, and that’s not even including the one they lost in the preseason.  With five quarterbacks afflicted with various injuries - ranging from nagging to season-ending - Carolina’s offense has had some real trouble getting into any sort of rhythm this season, and it’s beginning to show in the wins and losses columns.

This team needs Vinny Testaverde to stay healthy.  That’s basically the only thing that can keep the Panthers from continuing to slide out of playoff contention.  David Carr is awful, and it’s not like they Panthers have anyone else who they’d trust to be a true starter the rest of the way.  If you’re a Carolina fan, my advice is that you pray daily that VinnyT’s old body holds up, because he is the only QB you have with the leadership and experience to right this ship.  David Carr has proven himself to be basically worthless.  Now you just have to hope Old Man Football has one more run left in him.

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Testaverde Practices, Likely Week 10 Starter

According to the good people over at ESPN.com, Vinny Testaverde returned to practice for the Carolina Panthers on Wednesday.  With David Carr likely out at least for this week with a concussion, the nearly 44-year-old VinnyT will likely be the man for the Panthers this weekend.  Being that the Panthers’ other two options are two undrafted rookies, I’d say you’d be making a safe bet if you put your money on Old Man Football to make another start.  Though Testaverde’s Achilles’ tendon problems are not fully healed up, he’s likely to make the start on Sunday through the pain.

The greatest part of this article is toward the bottom, when the writer points out that even if Carr passes his baseline test and is cleared to play on Sunday, the Panthers might still go with VinnyT.  The writer doesn’t even pretend this would be a preventative measure to keep Carr from becoming further injured, but rather states clearly that Carr just has not been getting the job done as the starting QB.  He’s been taking too long to make his reads, holding onto the ball too long, and taking too many sacks.  Sound familiar to anyone else?  Looks like the Panthers might have taken a chance on the wrong guy.

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Panthers Drop Once More in Power Rankings

It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for your weekly update of your team’s place in ESPN.com’s Power Rankings.  With things in the AFC starting to settle down for the moment, the good folks at ESPN.com have decided to shift their focus to the NFC, which will feature tons of great match-ups in the coming weeks.  And with Super Bowl 41.5 behind us, it’s about time the NFC got some love.

The Panthers have dropped one spot in the rankings after their defeat at the hands of the Titans.  David Carr’s woes against Tennessee continued, as he not only led the Panthers to an embarrassing loss, but also suffered a concussion.  No word yet on who the Panthers will start this Sunday, but the fact that they only dropped one spot (to number 19 this week) bodes well for them I suppose.  It means that the pundits at ESPN.com aren’t ready to proclaim a full tailspin just yet.

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Carr has a Concussion

ESPN.com is reporting that Carolina Panthers QB David Carr has a concussion, and is being further evaluated to determine his status for this Sunday and beyond.  This should really come as a surprise to no one in Carolina, as you have already seen what kind of player David Carr truly is.  He will continue to pick up injury after injury, missing game after game and forcing you to go back to Vinny Testaverde even if he’s not 100%.  Say what you will about the old man you have at third string, but at least the man plays with heart and intensity.  You’re probably better off with VinnyT at 80% than you are with Carr at 150%.  David Carr is that terrible.

I’m not advocating that anyone ever play with a concussion.  Head injuries are very serious and should be treated as such and given the proper amount of time to fully heal. More than that, I’m simply fed up with David Carr.  I watched the guy play like a shell of a man in Houston, and now he’s back to his old tricks in Carolina.  I don’t know what’s wrong with the guy, but it’s about time he face the fact that he is just not NFL QB material.  He can’t stay healthy to save his life, and even when he is healthy, he just looks like he doesn’t care out there.  It’s unfortunate that the Panthers gave him a second chance, and he’s repaid them like this, but this is the reality of things.  Here’s hoping VinnyT is ready to suit up on Sunday.

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Panthers Suffer First Road Loss of 07

The Carolina Panthers lost to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, 20-7, in a game that was ugly from start to finish.  The Panthers struggled mightily with David Carr at the helm, as the bigger, stronger Titans had their way for the better portion of the afternoon.  The Titans won the game in the trenches, with LenDale White hitting the century mark on the ground yet again and adding a touchdown for good measure.  Vince Young posted anemic numbers, but somehow still managed to will his team to yet another victory, in spite of his 110 yard/2 INT performance through the air.  The Panthers simply never got anything moving on offense.

This may very well become a huge problem for the Carolina Panthers as we dive head first into the back stretch of the season.  On Sunday, we all saw what David Carr can do as a starter, and the results were absolutely atrocious.  Not only has David Carr not turned out to the the extremely viable second option in the event of a Delhomme injury that the Panthers hired him to be in the offseason, but he managed to do something no defense has been able to do for years in the NFL - David Carr has made Steve Smith a nonfactor.  Carr needs to figure this out quickly, or VinnyT needs to heal faster, because this ship could capsize quickly if something doesn’t change soon for these newly hapless Panthers.

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Testaverde Misses Practice

In an abrupt end to what was only a week ago an amazing fairy tale story, Vinny Testaverde sat out practice again on Sunday.  After coming back and leading the Panthers to victory, Old Man Football has shown his age, beginning to break down after only 1.5 games back in the NFL.  Most likely, this will be Vinny’s last stint in the NFL, as his durability will be a major red flag for anyone else who may be in dire need of a QB in the future.  However, Testaverde did his job, getting one win for the Panthers when they really needed it.  Now his role will shift as the Panthers lean on David Carr for their offensive support.

Testaverde’s job now is to be the mentor to Carr.  Delhomme might not have relished such a position, knowing that Carr may have been brought in to eventually replace him, but VinnyT has no such worries.  Testaverde is the ultimate in class and dignity, and he will do his best to help impart all the wisdom he has accumulated throughout the years to Carr in an effort to help him lead this Panthers team to victory.  After watching Carr for years in Houston, one can only hope that perhaps Testaverde can get through to him and help him get to that next level that has been so elusive so far in his career.

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Carr Projected as Starter

In the revolving door of Carolina Panthers quarterbacks, it appears that David Carr will get the start this Sunday.  ESPN.com has reported that with VinnyT is still banged up with whatever it is that’s wrong with his leg or arm or wherever he’s hurt (I’ve read so many conflicting reports as to what is wrong with Mr. Testaverde, I’ve stopped actually reporting on it in specifics.  Suffice to say, the man is old and it’s showing after only a couple of NFL starts), and so Carr will be the man this weekend at Tennessee.  Carr may or may not be at 100% himself, but right now the Panthers need a QB, and it looks like Carr is their best option.

If it feels like the same song, different verse in Carolina, that’s because it sort of is.  The Panthers spent all year last year attempting to overcome all their injury woes and issues of aging players and just bad luck in general.  This year, it looks like it might be more of the same.  The main difference this  year is that the Panthers are succeeding so far in overcoming said  issues, positioning themselves in first place in the NFC South at the halfway point of the season.  The other difference is David Carr.  Carr was brought in to be the extremely capable backup they were lacking last year.  His performance from now until the end of the season will determine how far the Panthers can go in 2007.

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