Game Thread: Carolina Panthers @ Seattle Seahawks

[Anointed One]

Anointed - Okung is getting paid $8M, that's still being 'paid'. but yes, he's one of the very few who the team can cut bait with. no reason to re-sign him anyway, he's been flat out garbage.

the team will need to trade and/or cut some of these other big contracts this offseason. it's completely unsustainable the way things are working right now personnel wise.

Oh, I was thinking of the guys that were resigned... My bad... I agree, we'll have to cut bait w/ a few guys next season in order for us to stay under the cap and get some help on the OL... I wonder if Michael Bennett will be one of the cap casualties... Kam could be as well, who knows... I haven't really looked at their contract to see how much of a cap hit that would be...

 

[Guywithtoaster]

The Ciara curse is real.

 

[Anointed One]

I still trying to figure out why our FO, coaching staff felt we could win on the offensive ball with that OL they assembled...

 

[bksballer89]

Wish you guys could have helped us out today

 

[HaroldSeattle]

I still trying to figure out why our FO, coaching staff felt we could win on the offensive ball with that OL they assembled...

That's a head scratcher. To much faith in the OL coach perhaps? To much faith in turning low draft picks into gems? I was hoping a younger OL that they could trot out every week would be a plus, but truthfully the OL just lacks talent. There is no magic to make a sub par player good. No matter how much you coach them up.

 

[geezer]

Wish you guys could have helped us out today

Sorry, Seattle can't beat anybody right now.

 

[bksballer89]

Sorry, Seattle can't beat anybody right now.

You guys are pretty lucky Zona has pissed the bed 2 times. No reason why they shouldn't be 5-1/6-0. Seattle is still in the division race.

SF doesn't look like a walkover. TNF will be interesting

 

[geezer]

You guys are pretty lucky Zona has pissed the bed 2 times. No reason why they shouldn't be 5-1/6-0. Seattle is still in the division race.

SF doesn't look like a walkover. TNF will be interesting

I already predict a loss to SF. There is something wrong that is not apparent to those of us outside the locker room.

 

[The Oldtimer]

I still trying to figure out why our FO, coaching staff felt we could win on the offensive ball with that OL they assembled...

Yeah it would have been great to get a first down or two with 2/3 minutes left, but the last two Hawks losses were on the defense!!!

 

[Cave_Johnson]

I already predict a loss to SF. There is something wrong that is not apparent to those of us outside the locker room.

Short week road trip after two straight fourth quarter collapses sounds like a recipe for a loss to me. Hope you're wrong though.

 

[geezer]

So do I.

 

[SonnyCID]

You guys are pretty lucky Zona has pissed the bed 2 times. No reason why they shouldn't be 5-1/6-0. Seattle is still in the division race.

SF doesn't look like a walkover. TNF will be interesting

It could also be argued that Arizona is lucky that Seattle keeps pissing away leads. They could also 5-1/6-0, if they could fucking close.

 

[Anointed One]

That's a head scratcher. To much faith in the OL coach perhaps? To much faith in turning low draft picks into gems? I was hoping a younger OL that they could trot out every week would be a plus, but truthfully the OL just lacks talent. There is no magic to make a sub par player good. No matter how much you coach them up.

Yeah, please we don't really have a leader among that bunch... I'd take Unger back in a heartbeat for Graham... I'd also throw a 3rd rounder w/ Graham to get Unger back...

 

[The Oldtimer]

It could also be argued that Arizona is lucky that Seattle keeps pissing away leads. They could also 5-1/6-0, if they could fucking close.

It's strange that the Rams are ahead of the Hawks in the NFC West standings and have beaten both the Hawks and Zona once already this year.

 

[Itsmytime]

It's strange that the Rams are ahead of the Hawks in the NFC West standings and have beaten both the Hawks and Zona once already this year.

Speaking of train wrecks how about them Trojans?

 

[bksballer89]

It could also be argued that Arizona is lucky that Seattle keeps pissing away leads. They could also 5-1/6-0, if they could fucking close.

I agree.

 

[HaroldSeattle]

Yeah, please we don't really have a leader among that bunch... I'd take Unger back in a heartbeat for Graham... I'd also throw a 3rd rounder w/ Graham to get Unger back...

Mmmm think it was time to move on from Unger myself. He was expensive and health wise not dependable. The thing is if your going to rebuild the OL you got to invest in a more sure product. Hoping to to turn non descript players into gems is a long shot.

 

[MrS]

the offense needs a total rebuild, coaching and OL. bevell has proven he cannot call a complete game, cannot get first downs when it matters, and definitely CANNOT SCORE TDs. either he sucks or he has hauschka on his fantasy team.

tom cable has proven that he cannot build an OL, 6 years in and nothing to show for it. its actually gotten WORSE year over year. time to move on and bring someone in that has a true vision and can build a team around the pieces that we have.

the patriots have done it, dont see why we cant.

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

I'm starting to wonder about this new D coordinator, it just seem's like i'm seeing a lack of discipline on this defense every time games are on the line... I"m not used to seeing that...

 

[Dolemite censored]

Possitives:

Marshawn Lynch: Lynch is supposed to be back this week, and though Rawls has been a nice replacement the last 3 weeks, Lynch has been the pin in this offense for years. He'll bring the hard fought extra yards that Rawls tried to get but couldn't always provide. And if Lynch has lost a step instead of just being hurt earlier, it's nice to know there's someone who can get the job done on the bench.

Carolina's Schedule: I cannot think of an undefeated team whose schedule I am less impressed with than Carolina's. They have beaten some very weak opponents and have struggled on both offense and defense even more than the Seahawks have. So, what I'm really saying is, the difference between 4-0 Carolina's record and 2-3 Seattle's record is the schedules they've played.

Russell Wilson: Despite some talk this week (some by me), Russell is having a career year, which is impressive considering the career he's already had. If he can play at his high level, limit turnovers and get his TDs higher (1.2 per game needs to go up) then this team will be hard to deal with.

Negatives:

Bye: Most teams have a slight advantage coming out of 2 weeks of preparations, and Carolina has had that amount of time since they struggled against Tampa Bay. Will they come out prepared or just rusty?

Greg Olson: Olson had a career year last year, and with Benjamin out he appears to be on pace to have another great season this year. Seattle has had difficulty with TEs in the past, and last week was just epicly horrible. Somehow, the Seahawks will need to find a way to not repeat that performance, cause Newton doesn't have many weapons outside Olson.

Turnovers: Getting turnovers hasn't been a given for Seattle with only 7 in 5 games (1 INT) while Carolina's main defensive saving grace has been getting the ball (11 TOs in 4 games). Carolina has also been really good at protecting the ball with only 3 turnovers and Seattle has committed 7.

Matchups:

Cam Newton vs. Bruce Irvin: Irvin's move to LB was a rough one at first, and last year was really good, but he's been pretty good again this year. We all know he can speed rush a QB, but that ability actually makes him a pretty good spy on Newton. I expect Wright to do some as well as Wagner, but I expect Irvin to be called upon for this role quite a bit.

Tedd Ginn vs. Cary Williams: Williams was burned pretty bad last week, but Carolina doesn't have the WRs that Cincinnati has. Other than Olson, Ginn is the only other player on the offense with at least 75 yards receiving. Newton is going to have to find someone else that can catch the ball - but until he does it's Ginn and Olson.

Tyler Lockett vs. Bene Benwikere: Lockett is starting to see the field more as a WR, and he is showing himself to be a great weapon. His speed and agility will put anyone in the Nickel to the test and look to see him get the ball once or twice with some space to make something happen.

Overview:

This game is a case of the better team doesn't have the better record. Carolina has a solid defense, which could make this a close game, but they just don't have the weapons on offense to do what the Bengals did last week. If they make Cam Newton beat them with his arm, then this game will not be pretty for Carolina - but to do that, they need to get a lead early and play defense all 60 minutes. Despite having played Seattle close the last few in Carolina, I think this game goes more along the lines of last year's divisional game with Seattle putting up 30 points and winning by at least 2 touchdowns. But, we all know I've been wrong before.

Seahawks D cannot cover the TE on a post route up the seam.

Kam Chancellor is showing that pre-season reps matter.