Comments (0) |

Scott Says: Nothing special about Panthers

I wouldn't want to be Panther special-teams coach Danny Crossman today. Three blocked punts in six games?! Maybe in high school. Maybe in college. In the NFL, that's downright embarrassing and completely unacceptable. Have there ever been worse losses in John Fox's tenure here? Absolutely. The Panthers lost 41-0 and 30-0 to Atlanta in 2002. They lost 37-6 to Jacksonville just last December. Don't read too much into any one loss or win in the NFL. Games sometimes steamroll out of control. There are nine seconds left before halftime. You're down 17-3 already. You're looking for a spark. You have a timeout to burn and are at your own 41. C'mon, Coach Fox. Let Jake Delhomme throw a 25-yard pass and try John Kasay on a long field goal. Don't make Delhomme kneel and let the clock run out (which is what Fox did). There were no sacks Sunday by either team. Weird. When Steve Smith got open by 10 yards behind Tampa's defense in the second quarter, lost the football in the sun and ended up catching it but not scoring, you just knew it wasn't going to be the Panthers' day. The Panthers ran the ball 20 times for 40 yards Sunday, with a long of seven. Tampa Bay stacked the line and dared Carolina to beat them through the air, and the Panthers simply couldn't do it. This was one of Jake Delhomme's worst games as a Panther. Think anyone might mention this rout when it comes time for the rematch? In case you're wondering, it's Dec.8 on “Monday Night Football” in Charlotte.

Disclaimer