Panther Potential

          The Panthers have all the potential in the world. A stable of 3 running backs that would start on damn near every team in the league. An all star wide receiver that is as explosive as any player in the league. An athletic big body tight end that presents a matchup nightmare for linebackers and defensive backs. A defense that has budding stars at the linebacker position and on the defensive line. And it's undeniable that Cam Newton is a star, and will only get better with every passing week. But potential has never won a Super Bowl.
          Cam Newton fumbled a ball today on a run that would have all but sealed victory for the Panthers against a Falcons team that many would agree is one of the best in the NFL. Instead, the Falcons got the ball back (after a punt) and Matt Ryan shot a gaping hole in our very weak secondary with a bomb to Roddy White. The Falcons would eventually score the game-winning field goal and sink the Panthers to 1-3. They have damn near every piece of the puzzle now, it's just like they can't quite figure out how to put them together all at once. It's incredibly frustrating. They did it for the Saints game. They were a well-oiled machine that was pretty much unstoppable. Whenever they manage to put all of those pieces together for an extended period of time, they will be a force to be reckoned with. Hopefully it's sooner rather than later.

Replacement Referees and everything else that happened in week 3

         
          Welcome to the latest episode of "Jackasses dressed as Zebras." The picture above says it all. This is the last straw. The last argument that anyone had, that the replacements hadn't cost anyone a game, is gone. They blew the final call in the Green Bay vs. Seattle game. Yes, a simultaneous catch goes to the offense, BUT THERE WAS NO SIMULTANEOUS CATCH! The only thing Golden Tate caught was the defender! I am appalled by the atrocity that we have been forced to witness. As Rick Reilly said, this game is the Mona Lisa and the replacement officials are painting a mustache on it. The fact is that the replacement officials last night, one of whom was a high school referee in California, changed the outcome of the game last night. I think that Goodell and whoever else is involved in these negotiations should have got up this morning, put on their fancy Italian suits and shoes, hopped in their BMWs and gone to work on negotiating a deal that the referees obviously deserve. I read somewhere that the sides were only separated by as much as $60,000 on some issues. $60,000? After the fines that the NFL will likely levy after this weekends debacle They'll have more than 60 grand in the bank to spend on the referees. This league is the greatest in the world, but there's only so many times you can drive a Ferrari through the mud.

Just in case you didn't get it the first time

         
          OK now that I've gotten that off of my chest, I can move on to what else happened this weekend. The Panthers got demolished, so we're going to try and forget about that as soon as possible. the final three unbeaten teams are the Texans, the Falcons and the Cardinals. Wait, did I just say the Cardinals? That's right, the Cardinals, who have won 11 out of their last 13 regular season games, are now 3-0. Are they the best team in the NFL right now? Hell no, but they're pretty tough to beat in close games. The Patriots are below .500 in week three for the first time in what seems like an eternity thanks to an incredible performance by Torrey Smith less than 24 hours after losing his 19-year-old brother in a motorcycle accident. I said this before, but if that kind of performance doesn't give you some sort of goosebumps then you should check your pulse. The Saints go marching in at a shocking 0-3. The Saints are sharing the basement with the Cleveland Browns, the only other team without a win this season, some pretty bad company.
          The other two undefeated teams deserve every bit of credit they're getting. The Falcons are a serious contender. Their defense is potent, and this could be the year that Matt Ryan elevates his status to be considered a top tier quarterback. Then there are the Texans. Picked by many last season as a Super Bowl favorite out of the AFC, with a star quarterback in Schaub, a great running game with Arian Foster, a freak of nature Andre Johnson at wide receiver and a solid defense, they should be a favorite again this year. Had they not lost Matt Schaub at the end of last season they may have made a deeper run in the playoffs, so if he stays healthy they should be in the picture when the playoffs roll around.
          Barring a player strike against the debacle that the replacement refs have created, I'll be back next week with more insight on the unfolding NFL season.

NFL Week 2: The Panthers and 5 things to know from around the league

          Week two of this NFL season is (almost) in the books, and I have to say that I'm rather impressed with a lot of things. I also have to say that I'm pretty unimpressed by other things, and we'll get to those as well. From this point forward, I'd like to do game analyses for the Panthers while also commenting on five other things from around the league on a weekly basis. Without further ado, welcome to week two.
          Let's begin with the Panthers, who have been both atrocious and outstanding so far this year. Week one couldn't have been more disappointing. Losing to the Buccaneers while amassing only 10 rushing yards was downright embarrassing. Granted, the Buccaneers have proven to be a good team, taking the Giants to the wire yesterday. But come on, 10 rushing yards for a team that has four very capable ball carriers? Pitiful.
           But week two brought redemption for the Cardiac Cats. They beat the Saints 35-27 in a thrilling game where the Panthers steamrolled the defense for more than 200 rushing yards and Williams, Stewart, Tolbert AND Cam all scored TDs. It wasn't just the running game that thrived, as Cam had 253 yards through the air as well, including 104 to the always explosive Steve Smith. With such a perfectly balanced offense, the Panthers present an incredibly difficult matchup for any team. Another key stat, SuperCam had zero interceptions. Last year, the Panthers were undefeated when Cam didn't turn the ball over. I've said repeatedly that he doesn't have to make more hero highlight plays this year for the Panthers to go far, he just needs to make fewer bad decisions and the Panthers will be in the playoff hunt. The offense gets an A-

Cam Newton takes badass pictures

          Despite giving up 27 points, the defense actually played pretty decent. Godfrey made a great play on the pick six (though it was mostly a gift from Brees) and our defense was able to put pressure on Brees for most of the game. The Saints may be without Head Coach Sean Payton, but that offense is damn dangerous, and being able to force Brees into two interceptions and holding him to only 63% completion percentage and one TD is still quite a feat. Bravo defense, B-

"Hey! Don't let those guys hit me again!"

5 Things around the league that caught my eye:

1. Rookie QBs: 5 rookie quarterbacks have been handed the starting position this year, a record, and it has everyone talking. In week one only RGIII was able to come up with a win, and they had more turnovers as a group than total TDs. That was a bit discouraging, but week two provided a different result. 10 total TDs to only one turnover and a combined 3-2 record. It's still way too early to speculate on how the rest of the season will play out, but this is a good sign that it won't be a complete disaster.

2. Has anybody seen Chris Johnson? Titans RB? Mr. 2,000 yard season a couple of years ago? He may as well be on the back of a milk carton, because he is completely absent from the football field. 19 carries for a whopping total of 21 yards. That's twenty-one. He has less yards than his starting QB Jake Locker. He also has less yards than Browns QB Brandon Weeden, Tim Tebow, and the 90-year-old lady in the retirement home down the road. Johnson is on pace to hit the 100 yard mark in week 10. 

"Wait... So I'm supposed to carry the ball forward?"

3. Replacement Referees suck. We want the real ones back. Pay up Goodell, seriously.

4. Eli Manning won yet another game in dramatic come-from-behind fashion. I never thought I would consider him elite, I was too big of a fan of Peyton to admit Eli was elite. But it's true. Eli Manning, despite missing a few chromosomes here and there, is an elite quarterback. Two impressive Super Bowl winning drives and a near 5,000 yard season last year prove it. His 510 yard performance in a win against the Bucs, which also included a game-winning drive, is just further proof. He is undoubtedly the best 4th quarter QB in the game right now.

5. Time for three disappointments. Joe Flacco looked more like Joe Flaccid yesterday when the game was on the line. He has to start winning games in crunch time if he wants people to call him elite. Gostkowski AKA Shankopotamus blew it for the Pats while Vinatieri is still kicking 50 yard game-winners in Indy like it's child's play. And finally the Eagles opponents, who forced them into 9 turnovers in the first two weeks and allowed them to escape with wins both times. I expect Cleveland to blow games like that, but the Ravens? Come on man.

          Lastly I'd like to give a game from next week to look forward to. All of them. If football is on TV it's worth watching. So grab the remote, grab a beer, plop your lazy butt on the couch in front of the biggest TV in your house and enjoy!