Category: Latest Panthers News

Perry Fewell: Panthers will start Kyle Allen at QB vs. Seahawks

Old habits die hard, though and NFL players and coaches are paid to win games.

The Panthers have been eliminated from the playoff picture for the 2019 season. That inevitability has been obvious for several weeks, but now it’s official thanks to Minnesota’s win over Detroit on Sunday.

Now that they’re totally out for this season, Carolina should turn its attention to the future. Old habits die hard, though and NFL players and coaches are paid to win games. That’s why they’ll continue to roll with Kyle Allen starting at quarterback this week against the Seahawks, per interim head coach Perry Fewell.

While it’s probably true Allen gives Carolina (and Fewell) the best chance to win games, it’s not necessarily the best thing for the team.

Allen has established himself as a solid if not spectacular backup since Cam Newton went on injured reserve. He hasn’t remotely made a case he should be the franchise quarterback of the future. Like most backups, Allen is inconsistent and too prone to committing turnovers.

Allen’s pass protection has been atrocious over the last month and he’s taken 21 sacks during that time. Still, he hasn’t shown enough improvement to move the needle on the QB1 question. In fact, in some ways he’s gotten worse as the season has progressed.

It’s true the rookie Will Grier might not be any better. In fact, he could be even worse based on what we saw during the preseason. However, he deserves a chance to show he can improve at some point this year. Otherwise, the team just completely wasted a third-round draft pick.

This issue might not be settled yet, though. Fewell also told reporters that the QB situation will be evaluated on a week-to-week basis. Perhaps if Allen bombs against Seattle Grier will finally get a shot.

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NFC playoff picture: The Panthers are officially eliminated

There are still three weeks left to go in the regular season, but the Panthers have officially been eliminated from playoff contention.

There are still three weeks left to go in the regular season, but the Panthers have officially been eliminated from playoff contention. Their own embarrassing loss to the Falcons was bad enough. It was the Vikings’ victory over the Lions that made it official, though.

Here’s where things stand in the NFC playoff picture heading into Monday night’s game between the Eagles and Giants.

Playoff teams

1. San Francisco 49ers (11-2)
2. Green Bay Packers (10-3)
3. New Orleans Saints (10-3)
4. Dallas Cowboys (6-7)
5. Seattle Seahawks (10-3)
6. Minnesota Vikings (9-4)

Still in the race

7. Los Angeles Rams (8-5)
8. Chicago Bears (7-6)
9. Philadelphia Eagles (5-7)

The Eagles can still catch Dallas for that No. 4 seed but they are running out of time. A win tonight against an awful New York team with Eli Manning starting again is an absolute must.

Seattle’s loss to the Rams on Sunday night kept LA in the race for the No. 6 spot. Jared Goff has turned things around after a brutal stretch and put some pressure on Kirk Cousins and Minnesota to maintain that seed. The Vikings close out the regular season against the Chargers (away), Packers (home) and Bears (home). The Rams will face the Cowboys (away), 49ers (away) and Cardinals (home).

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Panthers coach Perry Fewell ‘disappointed’ by Donte Jackson’s comments

Today, Fewell told reporters he was “disappointed” with Jackson’s comments and that it will be handled internally, per the Athletic.

The Panthers have seen their fair share of ups and downs since their trip to Super Bowl 50 ended in disappointing fashion. Through it all, they never came apart at the seams or began the infighting that so often defines NFL teams who get used to mediocrity. It was a credit to the culture that former coach Ron Rivera had created.

Losing strains everything, though – and we may finally be seeing some cracks form in that long-standing unity. On Sunday afternoon, second-year cornerback Donte Jackson publicly derided interim head coach Perry Fewell’s play-calling. Speaking about two touchdowns for the Falcons (both of which Jackson was beat on), he called Fewell’s decisions “horrible calls.”

Today, Fewell told reporters he was “disappointed” with Jackson’s comments and that it will be handled internally, per the Athletic.

Jackson can be right about Fewell’s poor play-calling and wrong about doing it via the media. Especially considering how much Jackson has struggled this season against the Falcons, his criticism comes off as tone-deaf and hypocritical.

Succeeding at cornerback in the NFL doesn’t require you to be respectful, but Jackson isn’t playing the position well enough to get away with calling out his coach. Not by a long shot.

Meanwhile, Ross Cockrell has performed relatively well this year and hasn’t caused any headaches off the field. Perhaps some more playing time for him as opposed to Jackson will send a message and reward the kind of behavior that winning organizations want.

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Panthers CB Donte Jackson questions defensive play-calling: ‘Horrible calls’

Jackson has a fair point about the zero blitz call.

It’s difficult to imagine a Panthers defender publicly questioning former head coach Ron Rivera’s play-calling, even following a humiliating loss like this one. Second-year cornerback Donte Jackson wasn’t shy about calling out interim head coach Perry Fewell’s decisions, though.

According to Scott Fowler at the Charlotte Observer, after the game Jackson called two of the defensive coaching staff’s calls horrible, especially on a 93-yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan to Olamide Zaccheaus on a zero blitz call that backfired in the worst possible way.

Jackson has a fair point about the zero blitz call. It’s worth mentioning that Jackson got beat on the play though. He also made a bad mistake earlier in the game by abandoning his assignment which led to an easy touchdown for Calvin Ridley.

This is not a good look and not the first time for Jackson.

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Report: Panthers owner David Tepper interested in 2 Steelers executives

According to a report by Adam Schefter at ESPN, team owner David Tepper has his eye on two Steelers executives.

The Carolina Panthers have a division game to play in about an hour. Today’s big stories are all about the future of the franchise, though. This morning, Ian Rapoport at NFL Network reported the team is expected to trade Cam Newton this offseason, provided they can get a large enough return in the deal. Now, we have reporting on who may be joining the new-look front office in 2020.

According to Adam Schefter at ESPN, team owner David Tepper has his eye on two Steelers executives.

“There are those around the league who believe that Tepper is eyeing Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert, whose contract is up after this season, and/or vice president of football and business administration Omar Khan, according to league sources.”

Tepper has a lot of connections to Pittsburgh as he’s a minority owner there. He will have to sell that stake as part of buying the Panthers, though. Nevertheless, at some point Tepper was going to lean on his experience with the Steelers. This could be the first real step in that direction.

If the idea is to follow Pittsburgh’s blueprint, then Tepper has the right idea. One thing the Panthers organization needs is consistency. They have never compiled two winning seasons in a row. Meanwhile, the Steelers are a model of continuity: they have only employed three head coaches since 1969 and haven’t had a losing record since 2003.

This season, they’re in the middle of a wild card race despite a series of disasters at the quarterback position, punctuated by Ben Roethlisberger’s season ending injury. Pittsburgh’s decision to trade a first-round draft pick to the Dolphins for Minkah Fitzpatrick has paid off in a huge way. That’s the kind of bold move that can keep teams competitive despite being limited by serious injuries – and it’s an element that’s been missing in Charlotte for too long.

The question is if qualified candidates like Colbert and Khan will be willing to take a position that is subordinate to Carolina’s current general manager Marty Hurney. Based on Tepper’s public comments over the last few days, Hurney’s job sounds completely safe.

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5 Panthers who need to step up vs. Falcons Week 14

Here are five guys who need to step it up in today’s game.

The Carolina Panthers embark on a new era in today’s game against the Atlanta Falcons. For the first time in almost nine years, someone other than Ron Rivera will be coaching the team. That means opportunities for new coaches and players to prove themselves.

Here are five guys who need to step it up in today’s game.

OC Scott Turner

The Panthers are mixing things up on both sides of the ball in the wake of Rivera’s exit. Norv Turner is now a special assistant to the coach, opening up room for his son Scott (QBs coach) to take over offensive play-calling duties. Turner was reported to be Kyle Allen’s biggest cheerleader last year, so it will be interesting to see what he can get out of him.

TE Ian Thomas

Another key change will take place at tight end. Greg Olsen has been ruled out with a concussion, so we’ll finally get to see more of the other tight ends on the roster like 2018 fourth-round pick Ian Thomas. Last season, Thomas showed flashes as well as some rough edges. If he can prove himself, the Panthers can feel much better about their future at this position.

LB Shaq Thompson

Thompson just signed a four-year contract extension that makes him one of the top-five off-ball linebackers in the league in terms of annual salary. Thompson has done everything he’s been asked so far, but now Carolina is paying for elite production at this spot. Thompson has to earn it.

CB Donte Jackson

Last time these two teams played, Jackson was handily beaten in his one-on-one matchups with Calvin Ridley. He caught all eight of his targets, totaling a season high 143 receiving yards and a touchdown. Jackson may have been battling an injury last time. Either way, he has to do better this time around.

HC Perry Fewell

Nobody will be under the spotlight more than interim head coach Perry Fewell, who will become the first black head coach in franchise history. Fewell’s background is as a defensive backs expert and he’s part of the reason that unit has exceeded expectations this year. If nothing else, Fewell should have this team as motivated as they’ve ever been in recent years.

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Report: Panthers open to trading Cam Newton at right price

According to a report by Ian Rapoport at NFL.com, the Panthers are expected to trade Cam Newton this offseason provided they can get a large haul.

According to a report by Ian Rapoport at NFL.com, the Panthers are expected to trade Cam Newton this offseason provided they can get a large haul.

“Newton is due just $18.6 million for 2019, a cheap asset that Carolina hasn’t ruled out holding onto if he can show he can be himself again. In today’s game, nearly $19 million for a starting QB is not expensive. However, the expectation is that the Panthers will attempt to trade Newton this offseason provided they can get a large deal to make it worth their while.”

Consider us skeptical about this report. We’re cynical but fans should always take game-day trade reports and rumors with a grain of salt. It also goes against what we have heard from the organization.

Owner David Tepper has said that no decision will be made about Cam Newton’s future until he’s 100%. He’s having surgery to repair his injured foot this week. How long it takes for Newton to recover depends, but until it happens it would come as a shock to see Newton get traded.

If Rapoport is right, then the Panthers are likely on the verge of a major rebuild. Whether they trade Cam or not, the roster is going to look dramatically different in 2020 given all the pending free agents they have. The team will also be starting over with a new head coach, so in some ways it makes sense to clean the slate and let them pick their own QB.

That said, talented franchise quarterbacks like Newton don’t come along very often. If they do the deal, this front office group might be looking for his successor for a long time.

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Panthers WR DeAndrew White fined by NFL for penalty vs. Washington

A couple of fines were just reported stemming from last week’s game between the Panthers and the Redskins.

Friday news dumps are now Saturday news dumps, at least as far as the NFL is concerned. A couple of fines were just reported stemming from last week’s game between the Panthers and the Redskins.

First up, wide receiver/kick returner DeAndrew White has been fined $28,075 for his unnecessary roughness penalty that knocked Washington return specialist Trey Quinn out of the game.

Here’s a look at the hit in question.

Clearly a case of assault.

In related news, Redskins linebacker Ryan Anderson was fined the exact same amount for the head shot he gave to tight end Greg Olsen that knocked him unconscious and out of the game.

Olsen is still in the concussion protocol and has been ruled out for tomorrow’s game against the Falcons.

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Did the Panthers overpay for Shaq Thompson’s new deal?

Linebacker Shaq Thompson has agreed to a four-year contract extension worth up to $57 million, according to Adam Schefter at ESPN.

With the 2019 season officially written off, the Panthers began turning their attention to 2020 and beyond this week. First, they fired coach Ron Rivera after nearly nine years at the helm and named Perry Fewell the interim head coach. Today, Carolina followed that move by securing one of the cornerstones of its defense.

Linebacker Shaq Thompson has agreed to a four-year contract extension worth up to $57 million, according to Adam Schefter at ESPN. While paying Thompson was never a question, the sum is significant enough to raise concerns. Some Panthers fans on Twitter are openly wondering if the team overpaid.

Let’s open this up to a vote. Do you think Thompson got more than market value, or was it a fair deal?

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Thompson’s new contract ranks him among the top-five best paid off-ball linebackers in the NFL.

The timing is a bit strange and he’s coming off a rough game against Washington. Thompson also hasn’t made the impact we expected from him in a contract year. Then again, Thompson (along with the rest of the defense) may be suffering in part due to Rivera’s shift to 3-4 looks, which have often put the linebackers out of position to make the stops they normally would.

We expect Thompson to bounce back over these last four weeks and start next season strong. If he doesn’t, we may hear familiar tones about GM Marty Hurney being too generous once again.

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Panthers announce 4-year extension for LB Shaq Thompson

The Carolina Panthers have agreed to a four-year contract extension with linebacker Shaq Thompson, per the team website.

The Carolina Panthers have agreed to a four-year contract extension with linebacker Shaq Thompson, per the team website.

According to Adam Schefter at ESPN, Thompson’s new deal is worth up to $57 million that includes $28 million in guaranteed money plus a $16 million signing bonus.

Thompson is one of the most integral parts of Carolina’s defense and signing him to an extension was always going to be a no-brainer.

Since they picked him in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft, Thompson has played in 68 regular season games for the Panthers, totaling 9.5 sacks, 331 combined tackles (27 for a loss) and 19 QB hits.

With Thompson locked up, the next guy in line for an extension should be cornerback James Bradberry. He’s playing in the last year of his rookie contract and has earned a significant pay-raise.

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