It’s all about timing.
And sometimes, the timing doesn’t come right away.
It comes with time.
“It’s all about the timing of the blocking up front,” said Ron Rivera when asked about how his team managed 230 yards on the ground, including the fourth-highest total for a running back in team history in Christian McCaffrey’s 184 yards on 28 carries. “If the blocking is on time and where it needs to be you can get those creases and then they open – it’s trusting that they are going to be there.”
“For the ball to pop, that means second-level guys are making their blocks, tight ends and wide receivers are doing a heck of a job blocking for us.”
“I swear, when things like that happen, you take pride in it and it almost makes you feel like you ran the ball when you see someone like Christian excel in the run game. Just knowing that we did our job individually and when you see all 11 guys doing their job, it’s hard to stop.”
-Tight End Chris Manhertz
After only 18 carries for 121 yards a week ago in Atlanta, the Panthers piled it on the Bengals with 41 carries over the course of the game, including 24 in the second half as they dominated the time of possession with almost 34 minutes with the ball – something Luke Kuechly and the rest of the defense appreciates.
“It gives us a nice break, we can sit over there and relax,” said Kuechly, who again led the team in tackles with eight against the Bengals – the linebacker has 29 through three games. “They ran the ball really well today and when the offense is chewing clock like that, it makes our job really easy because we don’t have to be out there.”
After tying a franchise record with 14 receptions and setting a career high for total yardage last week, McCaffrey became the first Panther in team history to record 100 yards receiving and rushing in consecutive games – it was also the first time a Panthers rusher went over 180 yards since 2012 – the ability to change from receiving to rushing it what makes him so dangerous.
Norv Turner, who Rivera complimented on his playcalling and offensive scheme after the game, continues to take what the defense is giving them; last week, the Falcons had given up more receptions to running backs than any other teams, so they dumped it off to McCaffrey. This week, they felt as if there was room between the tackles to run, utilizing certain formations and playcalls to take star defensive tackle Geno Atkins out of the game.
Get you a back that can do both, as they say.
“He can do both,” said Kuechly. “He can run the ball and catch the ball out of the backfield and when you have guys like that, there’s just more to worry about vs. more of a guy who’s just a downhill runner; Christian’s good on the edges, he’s good on the perimeter – he’s good inside and he’s good catching the ball, so he’s somebody that if you’re gameplanning, you’ve got to make sure you know where he is and that opens stuff up for other guys.”
It was compliment city for McCaffrey after the game.
“He did a great job setting up the linebackers for us to come off last second, ” added center Ryan Kalil, “He’s just got incredible vision and he does a really good job being patient and he hits the hole when he needs to – he’s a great back and we love having him back there. He can run inside the tackles, he can run outside, he’s got great hands and he can catch the ball – he’s got great breakaway speed and he’s tough to catch in space.”
“That’s a fun guy to play with.”
We’ve been using a lot of terminology to describe the Panthers’ offensive line group thus far in the 2018 season – Makeshift. Patchwork. Decimated by injury. But a line with two tackles on injured reserve and a starter that was signed only 11 days ago came into the game averaging 5.36 yards per rush – that was tops in the NFL when the week began – and added to that number against the Bengals with 5.6 yards per rushing play today against a defense that came in allowing the third-fewest yards in the NFL.
Call them whatever you like, but the group that has started over the last two weeks is starting to gel – they were excited to see McCaffrey have a big day.
“Being able to attack them before they attack us was the mission today,” said Chris Clark, who is slowly working into the system after signing last Wednesday. While he’s adapting quickly, Ryan Kalil said after the game there was still miscommunication along the line that will slowly evaporate the more they play together. “That’s our claim to fame as an [offensive] line, seeing our rusher get a hundred and something yards.
“Him in the paper is us in the paper.”
McCaffrey wasn’t just successful on the ground; he was involved as a decoy on all four of the Panthers touchdowns, whether it was a fake handoff/zone read that led to a Cam Newton rushing touchdown or drew the linebackers in for a quick throw to Devin Funchess – or it was the “21 Ponies” personnel grouping that featured two running backs, one tight end and two wide receivers; that was the group on the field for the CJ Anderson screen pass that went 24 yards for a score.
Watch how many defenders in orange and black are watching McCaffrey on this play:
C.J. Anderson with his first #Panthers TD! #KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/BSjR5DSLCq
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 23, 2018
“It was a perfectly designed play the way they’ve been playing,” said McCaffrey. “I took a couple guys with me on the swing play to the right and we ran a screen back to him on the left – he just made it happen. I think you saw Ryan Kalil blocking all the way to the end zone; that’s the kind of stuff [that you need], it takes every single guy doing their job to make good things happen. It was really fun to watch.”
“Those guys did an absolute unbelievable job all day getting after their guys and they continued to do it all game long; when we can get in a rhythm running the ball, it opens everything up.”
