Quick Recap and Tidbits from Panthers Preseason Game #1

Football season has arrived and it seems to be a complete 180 from last August for Carolina Panthers fans.  After the first preseason game last year, confidence in Panther nation was imploding after they were dismantled by the New York Giants.  Usually fans do not put much in stock in preseason affairs, but for the 2009 Panthers the loss was just a hint of what was to come during the regular season.  The Panthers lost all four games in the 2009 preseason and sleepwalked through a 0-3 start in the regular season (though Jake Delhomme was mainly to blame) that effectively killed their chances for a playoff berth.

Last night the Panthers opened the 2010 preseason with a tilt against the Baltimore Ravens.  The Ravens are a trendy Super Bowl pick this season and proved to be a solid test for the young and inexperienced Panthers.  Sure enough, the Panthers made a few mistakes and lost 17-12, but there are plenty of positives from preseason game number one.  ESPN, which broadcasted the game, marketed this matchup as the debut of Panthers rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen.  Contrary to the belief of the “worldwide leader,” Clausen will not even be the starting quarterback of the team.  That would be Matt Moore.  Overall the team looked good but as should be expected, there were numerous bright spots and a few disappointments. 

Pluses:

Quarterback Play: Both Moore and Clausen looked effective in their short time on the field.  Even though the two combined to lead the team to only three points, three other potential scoring drives were thwarted by penalties, a fumble by running back Tyrell Sutton and a bad snap ona field goal attempt before the end of the first half.  Their stats may not look impressive, but a couple nice completions by Moore were negated by penalties on offensive linemen (namely Jordan Gross) and Clausen’s lone interception happened during a monsoon in the second half when his receiver (Dexter Jackson) slipped on the wet turf.  The offense was also missing star receiver Steve Smith and running back Jonathan Stewart.  It will be interesting to see the two quarterbacks with their full arsenal of weapons.

Defensive Line: The line produced six sacks on the night led by Tyler Brayton and rookie Greg Hardy with two each.  Baltimore had limited success on the ground as well.  The line was a huge question mark coming into training camp with the loss of starters Damione Lewis and Julius Peppers.  But at least for one game, Brian Baker and the D-line surpassed many fans’ expectations.

Minuses:

Offensive Line: The O-line struggled with penalties and constant pressure from the Ravens pass rush.  Panthers fans should not be too concerned though, the O-line is going to be the strength of the team and starting right tackle Jeff Otah did not suit up Thursday night.

Special Teams: The missed extra point and the bad snap on the field goal attempt probably can be attributed to the poor weather.  The coverage units are another story.  Many fans thought former special teams coach Danny Crossman was the reason for poor special teams.  Guess not.