This much is clear – the Panthers know that they can excel when they run the no huddle offense.
Greg Olsen knows it – he said the Panthers are really good when they don’t huddle. Cam Newton said the same thing after Sunday’s game in which the Panthers yardage went through the roof as the tempo rose – “I just feel like our edge at some particular times is being in a hurry up.” Their “edge” resulted in 201 yards on 16-for-22 passing and three scores – two through the air – as the Panthers came back to beat the Eagles in heart-pounding fashion over the course of a wild fourth quarter.
But just because it worked on Sunday in the final frame, don’t expect the Panthers to come out firing without a huddle out of the gates this Sunday against Baltimore – although it’s nice to have in their back pocket.
“Circumstances dictate a lot of things that happen more so than anything else,” Ron Rivera said on Monday, careful to couch the enthusiasm of a successful strategy with an eye towards the future. “Because there have been situations where we come out and started a game in no-huddle and (went) three-and-out.”
“If you go three-and-out, three-and-out, three-and-out, next thing you know is your defense is constantly out there – it can wear your defense out. Do we need to look at it? Most certainly. But I don’t think that’s going to drive who we are as an offense.”
The point of the no-huddle offense is not only to try and get your offense into a rhythm – case in point: Cam Newton completed all six of his attempts for 79 yards on their second touchdown drive – but it’s also to wear the opponent’s defense out by not allowing them to substitute as often – Mario Addison said it’s something you can train for as a defense, but it’s about conditioning and discipline to keep up with an offense that is clicking and moving quickly.
“If you’re out of shape, they’re going to kill you,” said Addison. “They go fast to try to slow the defense down.”
But the echoes after the game and on Monday were the same – just because the no-huddle works doesn’t mean the Panthers want to use it to have to scramble back into a game after putting themselves in a deep hole; Torrey Smith said the no-huddle is both effective and fun when you can use it when you’re not forced to – a luxury the Panthers didn’t have when they entered the fourth quarter down 17.
“Our no huddle stuff – there’s definitely a different sense of urgency, but it’s mostly because we’re behind and we’re trying to catch up,” said Ryan Kalil. “As exciting as it is and as impressive as it is to come back against that team on the road, we’ve got to figure out how to put together a complete game, because there’s no reason we should put ourselves in that situation.”
“I think that’s part of our DNA, but I don’t think we should go to a no-huddle offense – I don’t think that’s the answer either.”
The no-huddle is also a lot less effective when you don’t have the right player to run it.
Since he came into the league in 2011, Cam Newton has been credited with 17 game-winning drives – that’s more than Aaron Rodgers and the same amount as Tom Brady in that span – but he doesn’t get the reputation as a comeback general, perhaps unfairly.
“He gets overlooked because of his style of play. It’s not a prolific style,” said Rivera about his quarterback. “He runs the ball extremely well. He’s not a pure, pure pocket passer, although there are elements of his game where he plays very well from the pocket. He’s good on the move. But again, I think the success he has in the fourth quarter with the comebacks is a lot about his desire wanting to win.”
“He’ll come up and say, ‘Coach, put it in my hands, Coach. Trust me. It goes back to a little something I learned from Michael Jordan when we were in Chicago. Michael used to say, ‘Certain guys want the ball when it’s crunch-time.'”
Cam certainly wants the ball, whether they’re huddling or not.
What is a little frustrating for me is the fact that coaches keep bringing up the defensive time on the field and conditioning when talking about the no huddle offense. No huddle does not mean you have to snap the ball within the first 10-15 seconds of the play clock. It is about getting into a rhythm and letting Cam dictate whats happening. Coaches seem far more concerned with balance instead of playing with rhythm which seems to be where Cam thrives.
I would love to see than Panthers come out in some sets with McCaffrey, Moore, and Samuel and run no huddle. All three guys can be used in the passing a running game which makes it hard for defenses to know whats coming and they can’t adjust personnel for run vs. pass.