Falcons and Panthers Rating Discussion

[s38s38s]

Quote: Originally Posted by angels eclipse7

Really every DT you have is a good rotational guy, and you don't have any ideal starting DEs. I don't see any of those guys getting better than they are with the exception of Brown who I think will step up some this year. As far as linebackers go, i've always been a Connor lover. Really surprised he fell as much as he did during the draft. Reminds me of Laurinaitas. But his lack of playing time since he has been in the league has made me question my scouting ability. Norwood was also a great draft choice who will probably pan out well. Williams... if you say so. Again another guy with potential. No matter who the other 2 starting linebackers are, they are going to need time to grow and that is unfortunate considering your front four. Personally, I think teams are going to run all over you. The good news is that you guys can basically run all over every team in the league to even things out.

Defense-

A few things to consider, we were 9th in the NFL in PPG Allowed at 19.2, we also finished 4th in passing yards APG at 191...but the biggest fact to remember is we lost Ma'ake Keemoeatu (out in TC), Louis Leonard (out after 1st or 2nd game after trade), and Cory Irvin (out in TC) to season ending injuries, THomas Davis (out ACL), Na'il Diggs (season ending), Dan Connor (IR after TC). I just named 4 of our front seven starters and even with all that we still finished 22nd at 124.8 YPG allowed rushing. I think thats quite impressive considering we were missing all those guys.

If anything we should be better barring injury. Beason at Will which is what we drafted him to played but moved to Mike afte Dan Morgan went down will be a wash. I feel like Connor will be a nice surprise at Mike, and Anderson is much quicker and athletic than Nai'l Diggs at Sam. Brown led our defense in hurries the last half of the season with 12, Charles Johnson and Brayton contributed 4 and 5 sacks respectively in a rotation at D-Line. I think Johnson is poised to hit atleast 7-8 with more consistent playing time, Brayton should exceed 5, and I look for a break-out year for Brown. Hardy's the wildcard as he's in the mold of a Julius Peppers and is easily the most physically gifted DE we have, so time will tell with him, but I think things look quite promising in the box for Carolina.

With our secondary returning in tact and faster with Godfrey replacing Harris who I loved vs the run but was a little suspect in coverage, and Martin playing full time at FS along with Marshall, and Gamble on the outsides, and Munnerlyn at the nickel I think we may see an increase in coverage sacks. Our defense is much faster than it has been in previous years.

Offense-

Steve Smith-92 overall (5 point drop), so because Delhomme stunk it up and couldn't get him the ball causing his numbers to drop, as well as missing his last 3-4 games with a broken arm; but still finishing with 982 yards and 7 TD's is a reason? Insert Matt Moore and we actually have a passing attack I'm sorry I don't agree with this one.

Dwayne Jarret-78 speed...why do they do this to him, the 4.62 40 time (I sort of agree can I get 81 )? There have been others who ran this slow but have "game speed" hopefully no longer being behind Moose will allow him to showcase his deep threat ability that he flashed while Smith/Muhammad were out. (crosses fingers)

Jeff King-66 speed...ouch, just ouch.

DeAngelo Williams-92...why? He still finished with 1,117 yards 5.2 ypc, and 7 TD's on just 216 carries, and he missed 3 games not to mention he splits carries with J-Stew. (MJD-96 overall, 1,391 4.5 ypc, 312 carries, 16 games as the premiere back). Am I missing something, or is D Moore sleeping on this one?

Other than those I'm pretty pleased with the rest of the offense as we have a lot of young un-proven players. Hopefully Edwards, Gettis, and Lafell hit the ground running literally.

[angels eclipse7]

Quote: Originally Posted by s38s38s

Defense- A few things to consider, we were 9th in the NFL in PPG Allowed at 19.2, we also finished 4th in passing yards APG at 191...but the biggest fact to remember is we lost Ma'ake Keemoeatu (out in TC), Louis Leonard (out after 1st or 2nd game after trade), and Cory Irvin (out in TC) to season ending injuries, THomas Davis (out ACL), Na'il Diggs (season ending), Dan Connor (IR after TC). I just named 4 of our front seven starters and even with all that we still finished 22nd at 124.8 YPG allowed rushing. I think thats quite impressive considering we were missing all those guys. If anything we should be better barring injury. Beason at Will which is what we drafted him to played but moved to Mike afte Dan Morgan went down will be a wash. I feel like Connor will be a nice surprise at Mike, and Anderson is much quicker and athletic than Nai'l Diggs at Sam. Brown led our defense in hurries the last half of the season with 12, Charles Johnson and Brayton contributed 4 and 5 sacks respectively in a rotation at D-Line. I think Johnson is poised to hit atleast 7-8 with more consistent playing time, Brayton should exceed 5, and I look for a break-out year for Brown. Hardy's the wildcard as he's in the mold of a Julius Peppers and is easily the most physically gifted DE we have, so time will tell with him, but I think things look quite promising in the box for Carolina. With our secondary returning in tact and faster with Godfrey replacing Harris who I loved vs the run but was a little suspect in coverage, and Martin playing full time at FS along with Marshall, and Gamble on the outsides, and Munnerlyn at the nickel I think we may see an increase in coverage sacks. Our defense is much faster than it has been in previous years. Offense- Steve Smith-92 overall (5 point drop), so because Delhomme stunk it up and couldn't get him the ball causing his numbers to drop, as well as missing his last 3-4 games with a broken arm; but still finishing with 982 yards and 7 TD's is a reason? Insert Matt Moore and we actually have a passing attack I'm sorry I don't agree with this one. Dwayne Jarret-78 speed...why do they do this to him, the 4.62 40 time (I sort of agree can I get 81 )? There have been others who ran this slow but have "game speed" hopefully no longer being behind Moose will allow him to showcase his deep threat ability that he flashed while Smith/Muhammad were out. (crosses fingers) Jeff King-66 speed...ouch, just ouch. DeAngelo Williams-92...why? He still finished with 1,117 yards 5.2 ypc, and 7 TD's on just 216 carries, and he missed 3 games not to mention he splits carries with J-Stew. (MJD-96 overall, 1,391 4.5 ypc, 312 carries, 16 games as the premiere back). Am I missing something, or is D Moore sleeping on this one? Other than those I'm pretty pleased with the rest of the offense as we have a lot of young un-proven players. Hopefully Edwards, Gettis, and Lafell hit the ground running literally.

But Ma'ake is still gone. Davis is probably out for the year. Diggs is gone but I always thought he sucked. I would take almost every one of your linebackers over him.

I think you guys are very good at corner, but I don't see much good coming from your safeties. I'm not sold on martin and Godfrey is less than average in my opinion.

You're going to hate me after I say this but I think Moore is not near as good as people think. Clausen is the future of that franchise. With Moore there, I don't really see Smith going up in production and really I would only rate him about 89 in madden.

I've always been a Jarrett guy but he hasn't really shown he can compete at a high level in the NFL. Lafell is okay but he needs more time to grow and unfortunately, he will probably be thrown into the fire. So as good as Smith is, he is really Moore's only good target. AKA people will be double teaming him like crazy.

The biggest bright spot (and chance the panthers have at winning games) is that monster running back duo. D. Williams is SO under rated. I have him as my #5 HB in the league. And when you switch him up with Stewart, it is a monstrous combo.

[Carolina Panthers]

The only thing the panthers have to worry about in winning games is their young recievers taking pressure off steve smith. If they can do that the Panthers will have one of the best offenses in the league and should be feared. If the D-Line has a good season, You Better watch out. We have great linebackers, good corners and some good young safeties. So this season is all about how the young recievers perform and the d lines performance.

[s38s38s]

Quote: Originally Posted by angels eclipse7

You're going to hate me after I say this but I think Moore is not near as good as people think. Clausen is the future of that franchise. With Moore there, I don't really see Smith going up in production and really I would only rate him about 89 in madden. So as good as Smith is, he is really Moore's only good target. AKA people will be double teaming him like crazy.

Okay, did you not watch his performance go up after Delhomme was benched with Matt Moore in at QB? Umm, what makes you think Smith wasn't being doubled ALL of last season...he was the ONLY receiving threat and still nearly put up 1000+ yards again, while leading the team in receiveing TD's with defenses keying on him with brackett coverage in a shortened season due to injury. You tell me with that in mind why he doesn't deserve higher than the 92 when he still puts up big numbers when defenses key on him as the only receiving threat week in and week out.

As far as the running game, both Smith's presence and the talents of Williams and Stewart make each other go as teams cannot consistently stack, or keep seven in the box because either Smith or the runningbacks will get off.

[PantherPerk]

Quote: Originally Posted by Maelstrom-XIII

Truth be told, we're stacked at linebacker. We've got some great talent there...of course, like most of the other positions on the Panthers, we're young and inexperienced. Does that mean we won't be good? No...but I think the ratings portray that it's a "wait and see" kinda thing...maybe some people bust out, maybe not. As far as linebacker, we've got: Beason, James Anderson (started last year when Davis went down, and played well), Dan Connor (looks to fill in at the Mike if Beason moves to Will), Jamar Williams (who Bears fans said looked like a starter unlucky to get stuck behind Urlacher and Briggs), Eric Norwood (pass rush specialist, rookie), Quentin Culberson and Jordan Senn...we've got depth. They may not be quite as talented as Thomas Davis, but we're not lacking for linebackers to fill in by committee...and I have no doubt that Donny will be doing some boosting here throughout the season. Now for DT...even I'll admit we're a bit weak here. There's Nick Hayden who has a little starting experience but was placed as the DT1 which he's not suited for...he's more of a DT2, but he's not going to start, in my opinion. There's Tank Tyler and Louis Leonard (presumed starters), both over 300 lbs, but quick enough to fit into the Ron Meeks scheme...and there's Corvey Irvin, a smaller, quicker DT...there's also some camp bodies but I won't mention them... DE, we've got a LOT of young, great talent to replace the "Maybe I'll play hard, Maybe I won't" Peppers...DE Everette Brown has bulked up to be more effective against the run, and did a pretty good job in limited time in the pass rush last year...Tyler Brayton is a great run-stopper who put up pretty good numbers last year too...Charles Johnson put up quite a few sacks last year in rotation, so he figures to start unless Brown blows him away in preseason...then there's Greg Hardy, the steal of the draft. A potential 1st rounder last year before some injuries. In conditioning drills, outran the entire defensive line by 20+ yards, and then ran with the rest of the team, and finished near the front...keep in mind this team has a lot of speed...and then there's Hilee Taylor. So while I don't like seeing my Panthers rated low, it is necessary. They have got a lot to prove, but Donny will be boosting those ratings.

Beautiful post.

[PantherPerk]

Quote: Originally Posted by angels eclipse7

Really every DT you have is a good rotational guy, and you don't have any ideal starting DEs. I don't see any of those guys getting better than they are with the exception of Brown who I think will step up some this year. As far as linebackers go, i've always been a Connor lover. Really surprised he fell as much as he did during the draft. Reminds me of Laurinaitas. But his lack of playing time since he has been in the league has made me question my scouting ability. Norwood was also a great draft choice who will probably pan out well. Williams... if you say so. Again another guy with potential. No matter who the other 2 starting linebackers are, they are going to need time to grow and that is unfortunate considering your front four. Personally, I think teams are going to run all over you. The good news is that you guys can basically run all over every team in the league to even things out.

Meek's system doesn't require the best talent at each position to be successful, just fast guys-which we have a lot of.
The moving of Beason from Mike to Will is a brilliant move, as Meek's system is designed to funnel the action to that side of the field-partly the reason why Thomas Davis was on fire before the injury last year.
I'm not worried about our front 7.
I am a little concerned, but with Beason commandeering a group of young, talented players, and a good Secondary backing them up, I'm not overly concerned. Concerned, yes, but not OVERLY concerned.
They may start out a little rough, but I think they'll do quite fine.
Oh, one last thing, don't underestimate Tyler Brayton.
He may be a no-name to most but the guy can play some ball.

[angels eclipse7]

Quote: Originally Posted by s38s38s

Okay, did you not watch his performance go up after Delhomme was benched with Matt Moore in at QB? Umm, what makes you think Smith wasn't being doubled ALL of last season...he was the ONLY receiving threat and still nearly put up 1000+ yards again, while leading the team in receiveing TD's with defenses keying on him with brackett coverage in a shortened season due to injury. You tell me with that in mind why he doesn't deserve higher than the 92 when he still puts up big numbers when defenses key on him as the only receiving threat week in and week out. As far as the running game, both Smith's presence and the talents of Williams and Stewart make each other go as teams cannot consistently stack, or keep seven in the box because either Smith or the runningbacks will get off.

You had Muhammad. Now you get Smith + Lafell + Jarrett + King? Only guy on that list that really is even a starting talent is Smith

As for big numbers, 65 catches, 982 yards, and 7 TDs isn't really big numbers. It is good but not great. I will give credit that he still had over 15 yards a catch. Teams should be able to put 7 in the box because they won't fear your passing game.

Matt Moore played great last year, but I don't think he will be as good this year.

Basically, I think Smith is your only real receiving threat and people are going to stack the box to try to keep your running game under control.

You can defend your front 7 as much as you want, but until they prove themselves, I still see them as average DEs, bad DTs, one phenomenal linebacker and 2 linebackers who should be backups (although I might take that back with Anderson. He is okay).

2 good corners, and 2 weak safeties.

That is just my opinion.

I don't think the Panthers are a bad team, but I don't think this is their year. They still have some holes to fix if they want to make the playoffs.

[PantherPerk]

Quote: Originally Posted by angels eclipse7

You had Muhammad. Now you get Smith + Lafell + Jarrett + King? Only guy on that list that really is even a starting talent is Smith As for big numbers, 65 catches, 982 yards, and 7 TDs isn't really big numbers. It is good but not great. I will give credit that he still had over 15 yards a catch. Teams should be able to put 7 in the box because they won't fear your passing game. Matt Moore played great last year, but I don't think he will be as good this year. Basically, I think Smith is your only real receiving threat and people are going to stack the box to try to keep your running game under control. You can defend your front 7 as much as you want, but until they prove themselves, I still see them as average DEs, bad DTs, one phenomenal linebacker and 2 linebackers who should be backups (although I might take that back with Anderson. He is okay). 2 good corners, and 2 weak safeties. That is just my opinion. I don't think the Panthers are a bad team, but I don't think this is their year. They still have some holes to fix if they want to make the playoffs.

We'll see.
I disagree with a lot in your post.
Especially the part about Smith.
Of course his numbers were lower, in addition to the fact that he missed time, we also ran a LOT last year, not to mention Jake at QB..his numbers are going to drop...
It would be a mistake for teams to NOT give attention to Smith and devote their attention completely to the running game.
As for the Secondary..we'll their numbers can speak for themselves.
Statistically one of the best pass defenses in the league last year behind a similar front 7.