Training camp starts tomorrow and there’s a lot of excitement surrounding the Carolina Panthers. Fans have just watched the team on Amazon Prime’s “All or Nothing” and got an in-depth look inside the 2018 Panthers. There seems to be a lot of buzz about this team, even from national news outlets. Hopefully, everything will click with the team and they’ll get back to being in contention for a Super Bowl. Here are five reasons that the Panthers will make the playoffs.
1. Ron Rivera
Rivera has always been described as a players coach. He seems to be the type of coach that players can relate to and come to with their problems. He also knows how to get the best out of his players. After watching Amazon Prime’s “All or Nothing”, it should’ve convinced fans that Rivera is a really good coach. It showed that, even though he stays even keel on the sidelines, he gets fired up and emotional in the locker room. Having Rivera as a head coach is definitely a benefit and will help Carolina get to the playoffs.
2. Healthy Cam Newton
Cam seems to be the healthiest he has been in awhile, according to him. The success of the Panthers ultimately hinges on Cam Newton. Cam has been training hard this offseason and is determined to win. If the Panthers want to make the playoffs, Cam will need to continue what he started in the first half of 2018. Even though Cam had been hurt for a few weeks, he was very efficient through the first eleven games. Through the first eleven games he threw for 2,699 yards (245 ypg, his best since 2011), 22 touchdowns, 4 interceptions and a QB Rating of 104 while completing 69.9% of his passes. By comparison, in the first eleven games of Cam’s MVP season in 2015, Cam had 2,466 yards (224 ypg), 20 touchdowns, 9 interceptions and a QB Rating of 89.5 while completing only 53% of his passes. Not saying Cam would’ve won MVP last year, but he was looking better last year than he did in 2015. Had Cam stayed healthy last season, there’s a good chance that the Panthers could’ve made the playoffs and done some damage. With a healthy Cam in Norv’s offense, this should be a fun season.
3. Core Leadership
Yes, Carolina let veteran linebacker, Thomas Davis, walk in the offseason. They also lost Julius Peppers and Ryan Kalil to retirement. However, they still have Luke Kuechly, Cam Newton, Kawann Short, Eric Reid, Greg Olsen and newly signed Gerald McCoy in the locker room. That’s plenty of leadership on both sides of the ball. One could argue that Christian McCaffrey has become a leader as well, even coming into his third year. This group of leaders not only do it on the field with their play, but off the field as well. This seems like a very talented and well rounded group of players and leaders.
4. Winning the Turnover Differential
If Carolina wants to get back into the playoffs for a shot at a Super Bowl, they need to create a lot of takeaways and limit turnovers. Last season, Carolina’s turnover differential was +1, as they had 22 turnovers and 23 takeaways. That ranked 16th among the NFL. By comparison, in 2015, Carolina ranked 1st in the NFL at +20, as they had 39 takeaways and 19 turnovers. Getting back to that kind of domination will be crucial in being successful in 2019. The defensive scheme tweak and the additions via draft and free agency will help.
5. Schedule
The first two games are at home, five of the last nine games are at home, and they have a week seven bye. If the Panthers can start fast by winning the first two games, against the Rams and Bucs, respectively, then they should gain momentum. A week seven bye gives the Panthers a chance to rest during a week that is almost in the middle of the season. That’s key for the players to get healthy and rested. In November and December, when the Panthers have been historically better, they have five home games out of nine. It will be nice to have home field advantage in those games. The Rams in the opener aren’t going to be easy, but the Panthers can win. Week one is always a toss up.
If all goes according to plan, Carolina should be back in the playoffs this season. Here’s to hoping that nothing keeps them from achieving their dream of a Lombardi Trophy.
#KeepPounding #4MR #
By: Norris Thornburg July 24, 2019
