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The Panthers offense reminds me of a nursery rhyme. “There was an offense with a little curl right in the middle of their forehead. When they were good, they were very, very good, and when they were bad, they were horrible.”
Let’s blame the coaches and callers, but wait, didn’t they dial up a fourth down pass that went a mile and a touchdown twice? OK, let’s blame the quarterback, but wait, isn’t he the one who threw those two passes and won the closest games since coming into the league? OK, let’s blame the linemen. Well, they had so many injuries. But wait, they didn’t play very well even though we had so many different players at every position. OK, let’s blame the running backs, but wait a minute, don’t we have a 1,000 yard rusher and another who was injured and came back too soon? Once he got better, he was a big contributor. That leaves the receivers, wait. Don’t we have a rookie who is in the conversation for Rookie of the Year. All receivers made major contributions blocking and receiving and the entire offense did what was needed. So what does it take to make this attack consistent? It looks like they have the right parts. — Marc, Indian Land, South Carolina
Marc, I bow to your Buddha nature. You have transcended. You have gone beyond information and knowledge and achieved wisdom. So, becoming Friend Of The Mailbag is a small indicator of your status.
The Panthers are not a finished product. There is a lot of work to be done by everyone involved. And if you’ve been reading this space, you know I’m going to answer that question with one of my favorite answers: time and people.
At some point, they’re going to have to become more consistent, doing things the same way week after week, and not swinging wildly from wins to losses, from 300 yards to 150 passes, or whatever.
But it is a challenge that awaits them and a subject on which they will have to work in the years to come.
In fact, next year’s offense should look familiar, personnel-wise. Four of the five starting offensive linemen are under contract. The same goes for the quarterback, the tight end room and most wide receivers. Having that kind of continuity can only help.
