Carolina Panthers Super Bowl Preview

Carolina on offense

Let’s take a look at Carolina’s offense versus Denver’s defense via the run. The strength of this team on offense is their rushing game. They ran the ball more than any other team in the league this season with 526 attempts, finished with the second most yards, racking up almost 143 per game, and they scored 18 touchdowns on the ground, which was tied for second. Jonathon Stewart has shown burst at times this season and has had two nice games inCam Newton 350 the post season. However, Cam Newton‘s size and fearlessness when he decides to run the ball is what makes this offense go; he converted a whopping 56 of his runs for a first down and 10 for touchdowns. Newton’s ability to run is the main reason this team hasn’t been held to under 100 yards in ANY game this season.

So basically, if they just continue to do what they’ve been doing all season, they’ll win the game right? Well it’s not that simple because they’re facing an opponent that was third best against the run this year. Denver gave up less than 84 yards rushing per game. Middle linebackers Danny Trevathan and Brandon Marshall are two of the fastest on the second level that Carolina will have seen all season long; they read the run well and flow quickly to the ball to snuff out running attempts. Safety T.J. Ward is loves to mix it up with inside and lay the hat down.

The slight edge here goes to Carolina. Many times when teams struggle running the ball early against Denver, they tend to abandon it, which plays right into their defense’s game plan. But not Carolina, they will keep pounding it. Denver is facing an offense that is similar to the Seattle team that destroyed them in the Super Bowl two years ago, but the main difference is the physicality that Newton brings to the field.

Now let’s look at Carolina’s offense versus Denver’s defense via passing game. The Carolina wide receivers aren’t much to write about (read what I wrote about them before you continue) but make plays when they need to. Cam Newton finished with modest passing yardage with just over 3500 but he threw 35 touchdown passes to only 10 interceptions. The truth is, he didn’t need to throw it that much because of how well the team ran the ball this year.

If you go by the raw numbers, you’ll say that Denver has the clear advantage here because they were the best defense in the league, especially against the pass where they allowed less than 200 yards per game. Starting cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Chris Harris were both voted to the Pro Bowl; they both rsz_120714-nfl-von-miller-ln-pivresize1200675high41do an excellent job in coverage. The coverage versus wide receivers allows outside linebackers Demarcus Ware and Von Miller time to terrorize quarterbacks. They both are tremendous pass rushers – both selected for the Pro Bowl – who makes it difficult for quarterbacks to go through their progressions.

Denver having a slight advantage. However what I didn’t mention in the previous paragraph is the tight end play. Tight end Greg Olsen is Cam Newton’s main weapon. If there is a weakness in Denver’s passing defense, it is guarding the tight end. Rob Gronkowski had a field day both times he played against Denver; Olsen is just as good as Gronk is.

Carolina on defense

Carolina finished in the top four of the league against the run. Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short clogged things up in the middle to make life easier for theStar-Panthers linebackers. Lotulelei commands a double team every time, if you don’t double him, the entire ground game will be shut down. Everybody knows about the All Pro linebackers Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis because of the freedom to roam that the defensive line pressure affords them.

It always starts with the run in a Gary Kubiak offense. Unfortunately for Denver this offensive line never got up to the desired speed necessary to make things click on offense for them. CJ Anderson and Ronnie Hillman seemed to get on track down the stretch, though. They will really need to force the issue here and continue that momentum to give them the best chance at winning. This offense was only 17th ranked in this department.

The advantage here goes to the Panthers.

Let’s see how the game might look when Denver is throwing it. Peyton Manning has had the worst year of his career. Manning has thrown almost twice as many interceptions as touchdowns and never seemed to look comfortable in this scheme. However, he hasn’t thrown an interception in the post season. Demaryius Thomas has been the main guy for Manning’s run in Denver; he has been quiet in the post season and will need to step up to loosen up the Carolina defense.

The Panthers play fundamentally sound defense. Safety Kurt Coleman’s job is simple because of the sound play by the rest of this group; Coleman led this team with seven interceptions. The aforementioned All Pros at linebacker are also great pass defenders at the intermediate level. Cornerback Josh Norman had a breakout season and he rightfully garnered a lot of attention because of the plays he has made. Norman will likely lock down one of Denver’s receiving options. However, it all starts up front with the defensive linemen, they pressure the QB so well that Carolina rarely blitzes the pass. Kawann Short led them in sacks; a feat not usually accomplished by a defensive tackle.

The advantage here goes to Carolina. This defense isn’t called “Thieves Avenue” for nothing. I won’t rule out either of Denver’s wideouts having a big game. Where they might have success is when they go to three-wide sets and move Emmanuel Sanders to the slot to assure he doesn’t get defended by Norman. Other teams have had a measure of success by targeting the wide receivers that Norman doesn’t cover.

The deciding factor

The team that wins the turnover battle usually wins the football game. Carolina led the league with a +20 turnover ratio; they forced 39 turnovers. Carolina led the league in scoring points after turnovers. This category is crucial to their success. Denver’s ratio was -4. Denver has reached this game because of their defense putting this offense in a position to succeed or by scoring it themselves; offenses have a very difficult time moving the ball against them. It’s almost safe to say that if Denver doesn’t turn the ball over they will be holding the Lombardi trophy when it’s all said and done.

Prediction: Carolina 23 – Denver 20

Thomas Davis Set to Play in Super Bowl

All-Pro linebacker Thomas Davis will be good to go as far playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday. It’s very rare in this league that a player appears as a full participant on the injury report but doesn’t play in the game.

This is pretty much what we’ve being hearing from Davis all week and ever since he got injured.  Davis broke his right forearm in the NFC Championship victory over Arizona and had surgery to put a plate and 12 screws in his right arm the day after.

Below is an Instagram photo shared by Albert Breer of the NFL Network.

Showed this on NFL HQ this AM -- The plate/screws inside Panthers LB Thomas Davis' forearm.

A post shared by Albert Breer (@albert_breer) on Feb 2, 2016 at 8:07am PST

In a Carolina Panthers Pool Report by Jarret Bell released earlier Wednesday, he also thinks Davis will be playing in the Super Bowl:

Davis is due for another exam on Friday, but his practice load clearly indicated that the 11th-year veteran is on track to play against the Denver Broncos on Sunday

What this means is that the NFC champs will be injury free. Jarred Allen is a situational player who should be healthy enough to play on passing downs.

Panthers Defense is Sound, Says Coleman

The Carolina Panthers defense likes to have fun but they are still all about business. Safety Kurt Coleman was on hand to discuss how the team is approaching Super Bowl 50.

“I think we’ve (done) a great job of just being able to enjoy the moment. I don’t think we’re putting much pressure on ourselves,” said Coleman. “Obviously, the lights and the glamour get bigger, but to us, it’s about executing the X’s and O’s, really just playing fundamental football and having fun while we’re doing it.”

“That has been our pedigree all season, and the one (time) that I didn’t feel like we were ourselves, per se, was the one game that we lost,” Coleman added. “So, I think all we have to do is be ourselves throughout this whole process and enjoy this game.”

In regards to enjoying the Super Bowl experience, Coleman shared the message that radio broadcast analyst Eugene Robinson  spoke to the team about before they arrived in the Bay area.  Robinson was arrested the night before his team played in the Super Bowl when he was with the Atlanta Falcons.

“He [Robinson] did say, ‘enjoy this moment,’” said Coleman. “This is something that you have to enjoy. Enjoy this process, but while you’re here, understand that it is a business trip, and it’s only good if you win… So, his message was have fun, enjoy this moment, but understand why you’re here. You’re not here to go to the beach. You’re not here to go to the parties. You’re here to win a football game and do everything you can to win it.”

Coleman said that his familiarity with defensive coordinator Sean McDermott’s system – that he played in during his rookie season in Philadelphia – made his transition to this team seamless.

“I felt like I was familiar with what Sean wanted to do before I came here, obviously, and that gave me the familiarity to know what he could trust me [to do] in his system,” said Coleman. “But also, I felt like the guys that I would be playing with… I had a lot of trust in their leadership, that I could come into and feel very comfortable really just being myself.”

The sixth-year free safety elaborates on how the Panthers defensive unit has been so successful.

“This defense is very technically and fundamentally sound, said Coleman. “We’re not asked to do anything other than what our job states. If I’m in the deep post, I’m not going to go and try and snag something across the middle. I’m going to stay in the deep post, because I know my corners are trusting that I’m going to be in the deep post. So, if anything comes across deep, I’m going to be there to help make a play for the ball.”

(Coleman emphasizes the trust going both ways) “Vice versa on the front four: If Jared Allen is in a five technique, a six technique, if he has a gap that he has to control, he’s going to control that gap, because he knows that I’m – or the linebacker is – going to be filling the other gaps. So, if he tries to get out of his gap, that puts us at a liability. So, I think it’s just a trust that we have amongst each other, with the coaches and the players all alike, that we’re going to do our job and nothing more than that.”

This defense has had a propensity for creating turnovers, a goal that Coleman said secondary set before the season started. They were tabbed with the nickname “Thieves Avenue” after they started forcing turnovers at a high rate early in the year.

“Every game, we’ve figured out ways to, ‘how do we get more picks?’” said Coleman. “How do we get more forced fumbles? How do we just create more opportunities for our offense to have the football?’ And then one week, [Panthers defensive line coach] Eric Washington kind of called us thieves, and it stuck.”

The entire defense shares the same mindset.

“It’s who we are as a group, as a collective unit, but it doesn’t just start in the back end,” said Coleman. “It’s because of our front seven that have been getting tremendous pressure all year.”

Ginns Giving Hope to Cleveland's Youth

When Ted Ginn Jr. lines up at wide receiver this Sunday for the Carolina Panthers during Super Bowl 50 at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California. He won’t only be playing to win a championship, but trying to save a life – like his father does.

Ginn Jr. grew up in eastern Cleveland, Ohio where he witnessed his father, Ted Ginn Sr., take troubled boys  from an underserved neighborhood under his wings and help turn them into upstanding young men. Junior says senior is the sole reason for where he is today.

“He’s been my coach my whole life,” said Ginn Jr. “Without him, there’s no me.”

Ginn Sr. has been helping his community through coaching football for about 30 years and, often times, have taken boys into his home when they had nowhere else to go to be safe.

In 2007 Ginn Sr. founded what is the only all-boys high school in Ohio.

“My father has been living with kids his whole life,” said Ginn Jr. “We have our own school back home.”

Ginn Jr. and others mentored or coached by his father, including Cleveland Browns safety Donte Whitner, who have received college scholarships, whether for athletics or academics, and have found success are examples for the youth back in their hometown.

“We have like little things that really make us go,” said Ginn Jr. “We’re just trying to save a life and that’s what it’s all about. Getting up every day playing this game is saving a life in Cleveland, Ohio.”

Ginn Jr., now in his 9th NFL season, had the best season of his career  as he led the Panthers with 10 receiving touchdowns. Throughout his career, he had been relegated to playing as a situational receiver and a returner, leading him to bounce between four teams – including Carolina two seasons ago – before he re-signed with them again last offseason.

Circumstances have led him to being a major offensive weapon for this team’s Super Bowl run.

“The coaching staff and organization really gave me a chance,” said Ginn Jr. “And with that chance, I put my best foot forward and it came out great for me.”

The chance given to him was an opportunity to become a full-time wide receiver for the first time in his career.

“They put a plate in front of me and I ate,” Ginn Jr. added.

For Ginn Jr., the environment that the Carolina franchise has created is very familiar.

“This organization is similar to my pops,” Ginn Jr. said. “I was given a chance to save a life. That’s what it did. For everybody here, they did. Somebody said that they won’t [succeed]. And as people say, we’re a bunch of misfits who are in the Super Bowl.”

Carolina Receivers Key to Super Bowl 50 Success

San Jose, Calif. -- The Carolina Panthers wide receivers played a vital role in the team having the best record in the NFL and are on the verge of winning a championship. A feat that will be accomplished only if they are the TEAM that plays the best when they face the Broncos in Santa Clara on Sunday.

But when it was the Panthers turn to field questions from the media on Monday at SAP Center for Super Bowl Opening Night, most of the eyes and ears in the arena were geared toward Cam Newton and the standout members of its defense, few on the receivers.

“That’s how it goes in the NFL if you’re not one of the big guys, one of the headline guys” said Tight End Ed Dickson, who won a Super Bowl ring with the Baltimore Ravens.

The headline guy – Newton – will likely receive the league’s MVP Trophy after having an outstanding season, in which he threw 35 touchdowns and added 10 more via rushing attempts. However, he couldn’t have achieved those statistics without the lesser-known guys who were on the receiving end of throws.

“We have a lot of unselfish guys who have continued to make plays all season,” said Dickson. “The way the wide receiving core has stepped up, we went into this as a family.

They were calling for eight wins this season once [Kelvin] Benjamin went out.”

Benjamin was the star player from Carolina’s wide receiver group last year in his rookie season. But he spent this entire season cheering on from the sidelines after tearing an ACL last August. And for the most part, the other pass catchers not named Greg Olsen were written off.

“I think they are the most overlooked group on the team,” said Benjamin. “Without them, none of this would be possible. Cam was able to balance it out where no one could key onto one receiver. I think by having that balance, they are hard to stop.”

Four times during Carolina’s 15-1 regular season, teams thought they had the Panthers caged while leading in the fourth quarter. Only to end the game with a loss after Carolina wide receivers rewarded Newton’s confidence in them.

Ted Ginn, who led this team with 10 receiving touchdowns, thinks the Panthers have one of the best wide receiving cores in the game.

“Every time it was time for us to make a play, we made one,” said Ginn. “No matter if it was me, Philly, Funchess… whoever you want to name… You know, whoever had to come in and step up at that time, they did it. It’s a collective bunch of guys that love to play football.”

Devin Funchess was selected in the 2015 draft by Carolina with hopes he and Benjamin would form a physical tandem on the outside. Instead, due to his teammate’s injury, he entered the season with the added pressure of pundits saying he had to fill Benjamin’s shoes. But to him, it doesn’t matter if his position group is receiving accolades or not.

“It doesn’t really phase me because where I grew up, nobody gave you respect, you had to go out and take it,” said Funchess. “I go out there and try to earn respect each week. That’s how I approach this game.”

If the Panthers end up with a Super Bowl 50 victory, that respect will be earned by a pass-catching group who was matched up against the top passing defense in the NFL this season. The Broncos gave up less than 200 yards per game through the air in 2015.

Paper Pigskin Point Potential 2014 - Carolina Panthers

This is a series on my 2014 outlook of players you would want to have on your Paper Pigskin team (fantasy football).  What you'll find here are my views based on years of playing experience and countless hours of geeking out researching stats, trends, and watching video.  I'll advise where to reach and whose hype not to believe.

CAROLINA PANTHERS - Passing 190 ypg     Rushing 127 ypg

Carolina's success last season can be attributed to three things; their mistake free and solid tackling defense, the steady improvement of Greg Olsen, and the maturity of Cam Newton. Those three areas were also the only relevant fantasy football elements of this team. Panthers fans should be worried about the turnover in the offensive line as it will affect the time Newton has to make his reads and likely will have to run more often than he did last season. Newton has progressed in such a way that I feel the coaching staff trusts him enough to make passing plays more than the 49% than they called last season.

NFL Week 17 Power Rankings

One week left in the season, let's see how they stack up.

1.  Seattle  No longer invincible at home but still belongs on top. They're going to need to figure out how to loosen up defenses for their run game.

2.  Denver  There shouldn't be a question about who the best regular season quarterback of All-Time is. The defense is hurting for certain, with no signs of improvement.

NFL Week 16 Power Rankings

Just one new team sneaks in this week. We're heading for an exciting close to the NFL season as teams fight for playoff seeding but in these power rankings, Seattle is back at the top.

1.  Seattle  All we talk about is Seattle's defense but Russell Wilson is a special player. He has yet to lose while playing on his home field. I expect to see him at Met Life Stadium in February.

2.  Denver  No problem scoring points but this defense is just flat out horrible. The winterization of their offense will take away the biggest advantage they have over opponents.

NFL Week 15 Power Rankings

1.  Denver  400 yards and 4 touchdowns versus one of the better pass defenses in the league answered questions about Peyton's play in the cold.

2.  Seattle  Played a gritty game; this is what they do. Barely finished on the wrong side.

NFL Brain Dump - Sleeping In Seattle

No! I don't mean "sleeping on Seattle", although I'll be the first to admit I had my doubts about the offense being able to produce points on a consistent basis. I actually mean that any NFC team with Super Bowl aspirations will have to sleep in Seattle, Washington in order to accomplish that. After beating up the New Orleans Saints in front of the entire school, The Hawks are now 2 games clear of the closest challenger for the best record in their conference.  Carolina and New Orleans (both 9-3) face each other twice in the final four games. Seattle is brash and they love to talk trash . . . boy are they fun to watch?

NFL Week 13 Power Rankings

1.  Seattle  The league’s most consistent team up until this point. We’ll see what they’re made of this upcoming week against a team that has an explosive offense as well as good D.

2.  New Orleans  Extremely shaky win at Atlanta, now Drew Brees faces the best secondary in the league.  They’ve had trouble stopping the run all season long. Seattle will give them a heavy dose.

3.  New England  The hard part of their schedule is now out of the way.  Look for them to run the rest of the regular season table. Road to the Super Bowl might have to pass through Foxboro.

NFL Brain Dump - Lights, Cam, Action!

The Carolina Panthers are now seen by many as legit Super Bowl contenders. If you've been reading this column regularly, you know that I was high on them when they were a 1-3 team; they just caught some really bad breaks early in the season. Pat on my back out of the way, most of America just witnessed last Monday night why I was so high on them.

NFL Week 12 Power Rankings

1.  Denver  Reclaimed top dog status in the AFC with huge win over division rivals. Peyton Manning is probably the best at salting games away with a lead.

2.  Seattle  They’ve just ran through competition without a real challenge since the Indy game. They get one after the bye.

3.  New Orleans  Came up big under pressure. They really need to find a run game or else defenses will just tee off on Brees. That balance is needed.

NFL Week 11 Power Rankings

1.  Kansas City With a week to prepare for the Broncos, they have a chance to silence the doubters.

2.  Denver They treated the Chargers like the practice squad and shut it down late in the game.

3.  Seattle They control their own destiny, now Harvin adds some explosiveness to the offense.

NFL Week 10 Power Rankings

A few teams caught some unexpected losses last week but much of the top 10 remains the same. The Colts continue to impress while Seattle and Kansas City are barely escaping.

1.  Kansas City- They get a well deserved week off before a showdown with Denver. They'd be wise to figure out O-line protection so that Alex Smith can exploit a shaky Bronco secondary.

2.  Denver- Let’s see if they’ve fixed the defensive woes during the bye week.  The Chargers will surely test them.

NFL Week 9 Power Rankings

Not much has changed from last week.  Although, the Chiefs, Broncos, Patriots, and Seahawks looked shaky in their wins, none of the previous top 10 lost.

1.  Kansas City   They continue to not lose to the teams on their schedule. It's crazy to see the lack of respect this team as a whole gets because nobody believes in their shoddy quarterback.

NFL Week 8 Power Rankings

My friends over at the The OpinioNation blog releases a weekly "The Strength Of Ten" article which is basically a top 10 version of NFL power rankings. I'm on the panel that comes up with the list, I figured I should share my personal choices that factor into it.  Check there rankings and see how it compares to mine.

Paper Pigskin Point Potential NFC South

This is a series on my 2013 outlook of players you would want to have on your Paper Pigskin team (fantasy football).  I'll be organizing them by division.  What you'll find here are my views based on years of playing experience and countless hours of geeking out researching stats, trends, and articles.  I'll advise where to reach and whose hype not to believe.

New Orleans Saints  312 passing ypg  99 rushing ypg  (updated September 1, 2013)

QB:  Drew Brees is capable of stat lines that will win many Paper Pigskin matchups by himself.  The Saints' defense gets shredded regularly, which forces the offense to try to win shootouts.  Brees doesn't take many bad hits and is a sure bet to finish in the top five overall.