Tag: Phil Snow

Four Verts: Ben Roethlisberger needs to hang it up and the Bears had a total meltdown

The Panthers might be able to sack the Bears and Steelers without playing them.

With three weeks of action in the books, the actual talent level of teams across the NFL is starting to become more apparent.

For a few teams, things look good so far. Upstart defenses are playing great football and putting their teams in positions to make playoff runs in the future. A few teams like the Rams and Cardinals look to have juggernaut offenses capable of scoring in multiple ways.

But for some teams, what they’ve put on tape through three weeks is enough to hit the panic button, whether it’s a quarterback on his last legs or a team attempting to break in their new quarterback by breaking him.

Here are some cool and alarming trends that Week 3 showed the NFL world.

4 takeaways from the Panthers’ 26-7 upset over Saints

A dominant performance over the Saints in Week 2 showed us that Phil Snow and the Panthers have something special cooking up on defense.

The Carolina Panthers didn’t care what the New Orleans Saints have done or who they brought with them to Bank of America Stadium in Week 2. They only cared about the 60 minutes and 22 men on the field today.

That showed, as the Panthers pulled an impressive 26-7 upset on Sunday. Here are the four biggest takeaways from the victory.

Carolina Panthers 53-man roster projection: Training camp edition

Some players are showing out for the Carolina Panthers in training camp, making the team’s decision on their final 53-man roster increasingly tough.

The Carolina Panthers have released their first unofficial depth chart of the 2021 season. And you know what that means . . . Yes! More speculation!

So, off the heels of our previous 53-man projection back at OTAs, here is our latest forecast in the midst of the team’s training camp activities.

Panthers 2021 training camp: 4 players with the most buzz after 4 practices

After four practices at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C., here are the four players who are causing the most buzz for the black and blue.

With training camp for the 2021 season now officially under way, the Carolina Panthers have given their fans a little taste of what’s to come. But who has given us the tastiest samples so far?

After four practices at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C., here are the four players who are causing the most buzz for the black and blue.

 

Panthers S Jeremy Chinn talks about his flexible mindset as a rookie

Chinn says he came into the league with the mindset of being open to line up anywhere as long as he’s being used.

Learning to play any position in the NFL can be brutal for rookies. Imagine how difficult it must be for the new breed of positionless defensive players, who come in and fill multiple roles right away.

For example, Jeremy Chinn of the Panthers was listed as a linebacker in 2020, but over the course of the season he wound up playing all over the field. Chinn says he came into the league with the mindset of being open to line up anywhere as long as he’s being used.

Looking ahead, defensive coordinator Phil Snow is moving Chinn to safety. He says he’s comfortable with the move.

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Carolina Panthers: 4 questions for their defense going into 2021

Here are four questions we have about the defense going into 2021.

The Carolina Panthers begin their mandatory minicamp today, the final portion of their offseason schedule before the summer break. On paper, they look better than last season. However, this team is still a work in progress.

Here are four questions we have about the defense going into 2021.

Panthers tell veteran CB A.J. Bouye he’s needed at nickel back

Bouye has 100+ games of experience in the NFL, most of which has been at outside corner.

A.J. Bouye will be wearing 24 for the Panthers, taking over a storied jersey number previously donned by Rasul Douglas, James Bradberry and Josh Norman. Bouye could wind up playing a different position, though. According to Joe Person at the Athletic, defensive coordinator Phil Snow told Bouye he’s needed at nickel back.

Bouye has 100+ games of experience in the NFL, most of which has been at outside corner. However, he has previously played nickel in college. Bouye’s shared some thoughts on the transition, per Person.

“When you’re on the inside, you know where your help is at. You can play certain routes easier, especially when you know concepts and know the game. . . That’s why it’s been kind of good for me, just learning that kind of early and getting a good feel for it.”

With Bouye projected to take over in the slot, we can go ahead and write in Donte Jackson and first-round pick Jaycee Horn as Carolina’s two starting outside cornerbacks.

What the pecking order aside from Bouye, Jackson and Horn will be remains to be seen. Carolina added another veteran in free agency with Rashaan Melvin plus another rookie with Keith Taylor, so there are a lot of new moving parts.

Whatever the arrangement is, Panthers fans should expect to see more man defense after being one of the most zone-heavy teams in the league last season. Their front-seven looks great, so if this 2021 corner class steps up to that challenge Carolina might just have a better-than-average defense.

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Panthers LB Shaq Thompson put on 10 pounds this offseason

Shaq Thompson is entering his seventh NFL season, making him the elder statesman for the Panthers linebackers.

Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson is entering his seventh year in the NFL.

Every year brings unique challenges, so to stay on stop professional athletes have to evolve their game and their bodies as-needed. One change for Thompson this coming season will be carrying a bit more weight. Defensive coordinator Phil Snow told reporters today that Thompson added about 10 pounds this offseason, bringing him up to the 235-237 range.

It’s a safe bet that extra weight is more muscle than Bojangles.

Either way, in the absence of future Hall of Famer Luke Kuechly Thompson has become Carolina’s most consistent defender.

While Jeremy Chinn led the team in tackles last season, Thompson was close behind and only missed eight attempts (6.6%). His coverage is still solid as well, as he allowed one touchdown and a 90.7 passer rating. Thompson didn’t record any sacks and only posted two QB hits all year though, despite 55 blitz attempts.

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4 keys to a Panthers win over the Saints in the last game of the season

Here are four keys to the game that can help Carolina get there.

The Carolina Panthers aren’t supposed to beat these New Orleans Saints. Even with all of their running backs ruled out, the NFC South champs are still favored by six points heading into today’s game. Call it overconfidence, but we’re feeling an upset brewing.

Here are four keys to the game that can help Carolina get there.

Offense: Embrace Curtis Samuel, Stop Trey Hendrickson

At this time of year every team is banged up and these Panthers are no exception. With Christian McCaffrey and Mike Davis both out, they need other playmakers to step up. Last week, wide receiver Curtis Samuel answered the call and led this team both as a rusher and a receiver. Every game is different, so it’s unlikely that will happen again, here. That said, offensive coordinator Joe Brady should continue putting Samuel to work in different ways because No. 10 is on fire and has only had one quiet game in the second half of the season.

As for their opponents, New Orleans has a lot of disruptive athletes in their front seven. In 2020, the worst of them has been defensive end Trey Hendrickson. He leads his team with 12.5 sacks this season and also has 24 quarterback hits. Meanwhile, the Panthers will be down to playing their sixth left tackle if we see Matt Kaskey replace Michael Schofield. Not great. Whoever is on the blindside, they’ll need some extra blocks to help out otherwise Hendrickson could wreck the whole game-plan.

Defense: Contain Taysom Hill, keep Drew Brees off-balance

The Saints are equally short-handed on offense. Alvin Kamara is on their COVID-19 list and every other RB is a close contact, so they’re all sidelined. Michael Thomas is also still on IR, leaving the cupboard pretty bare. That means we’ll probably see an expanded role for Sean Payton’s favorite gadget weapon, QB/TE Taysom Hill. While he’s not a great passer Hill has proven to be a capable rusher this season, averaging 5.2 yards per carry and scoring seven touchdowns. Carolina’s tackling needs to be on-point or else Hill will run wild on them.

Finally, the most important factor in deciding this game will likely be how well defensive coordinator Phil Snow can throw Drew Brees off. He did an excellent job of flustering Aaron Rodgers marrying multiple fronts with aggressive coverage. The pass defense was also stifling in last week’s win over Washington. It will be more difficult without Brian Burns, but if Snow can keep the trend going and knock Brees off-balance it might just be enough to finish the season with a victory.

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Panthers DC Phil Snow: Brian Burns ‘isn’t playing’ Week 16 vs. Washington

Panthers defensive coordinator Phil Snow told reporters today that Burns isn’t playing.

It’s not official, but Brian Burns won’t be in the lineup for this weekend’s game against Washington. Panthers defensive coordinator Phil Snow told reporters today that Burns isn’t playing. After putting in a stupendous two-sack performance, Burns suffered a knee injury in last Saturday night’s loss to the Packers. He said it was no big deal afterwards but had to undergo an MRI.

On the bright side, coach Matt Rhule told the media yesterday that Burns’ injury won’t require surgery and he hasn’t been ruled out for the Week 17 matchup with the Saints.

If last week’s devastating win for the Jets doesn’t convince casual fans that NFL teams simply do not tank, nothing will. That said, it’s worth repeating. The Panthers are going to try to win every game left on their schedule because that’s what the staff and the players are paid to do.

So, while it makes sense to sit guys like Burns, Christian McCaffrey, Jeremy Chinn, D.J. Moore and everyone else who’s important to the future of this franchise in Weeks 16-17, this team is going to keep putting as many playmakers out there as they can.

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