Three Intriguing Questions
Can the Panthers Run The Ball?
Good news: The Panthers rushed for two touchdowns against the Bills last week. Bad news: They rushed for 53 yards on 26 carries and never looked particularly coherent as an offense aside from a single nice run by Christian McCaffrey on the team’s second drive. If the Panthers want to have a ground-and-pound attack to go with Norv Turner’s vertical game, they’re going to need to do better than two yards per carry – that should go up with a few extra drives of the first-team offense, but that’s not a guarantee either.
Which Rookie Will Shine?
Can Ian Thomas take his smooth route running and sticky hands from training camp to the stadium? Last week, Jermaine Carter and DJ Moore showed that they deserve to get more reps – but who will be the one to step up this week? A sack from Marquis Haynes or a big hit on special teams from Andre Smith – if he is ready after a hamstring injury – can make an impression on the coaches that will last for the next three weeks. A good performance can’t come in Week 4 – that’s not enough time to show consistency to the coaches; they need to show it now and then back it up for the next two weeks.
Is Any Tight End Going To Outplay an Injured Chris Manhertz?
Look. We know Ian Thomas is making the team, but can Evan Baylis, Jason Vander Laan or Cam Serigne do enough to look better than the known quantity that is Manhertz? It’s going to take some strong play from one of those three – and Vander Laan may not even play after missing practice on Wednesday with an unknown malady – none of them have looked even close to the level that Manhertz was playing at last year. If Thomas takes the TE2 slot, that’s fine, but there is a third tight end slot on this team that is earmarked for Manhertz – unless someone can come and take it.
Two Fun Facts
One Video To Get You Hyped Up
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