WEEK 7 THOUGHTS -- BEFORE & AFTER THE GAME

Who’s got the dumpster fire gif ready?

Who’s got the dumpster fire gif ready?

Wow, anybody got a gif of something blowing up in they’re face?

Despite Tampa's struggles, I don't see us winning this week.  But it would be ironic to be able to claim we're still undefeated in the division.

I don't think anyone would have believed you, but...... YOU CALLED IT..!!

Welp. There you have it. When you not only stop putting all your eggs into one basket, but you take the basket completely away, you have to look for more baskets. And they actually found a few. Even DJ Moore had some passes thrown his way.

How screwy to be this far in the season and yet be one game away from division lead AND one game away from the top draft spot.

How screwy to be this far in the season and yet be one game away from division lead AND one game away from the top draft spot.

No doubt.  Just to show I ain't a complete Nay-Sayer (nobody is "complete" lol), if we win out, we can go 12-5 lol

 
Everything about this year is screwy..... I've been "with" the Panthers from the very beginning. I went to the very first game ever played in BOA stadium. I followed the Panthers closely (more or less..) every year..... And I've never seen a season like this one.

I NEVER guessed that we would win this last game against the BUCS. Totally made no sense.  Yes, our Defense has been playing good ball..... Only 'good' though, NOT "great."  Holding the Bucs ... no TDs only 1 FG.... Tom Brady -- ineffective.??  Really..??  Something in the stars just aligned for this result. Cannot explain it..... No-one can.

PJ Walker actually played like a professional. I give credit where it's due. I don't believe he is anything more than a backup, but in this game he came to play.  And this time, at least, it was enough.  Glad to see Foreman running like a power back for a change.  Even Hubbard wasn't too shabby. Moore made some plays. Tommy Tremble contributed too.

Looking at the "stat line", this game was a "toss-up". The Panthers were beaten soundly in Passing Attempts and Passing Yds. While the Panthers WON the Rushing game easily. Time of Possession was just about dead even +/- a few seconds.  3rd down conversion rates were terrible for both teams although the Panthers were slightly better (Bucs 2-12; Car 4-12..). The Bucs won the 'Return' game easily. Bucs had 92 return yds; Panthers had "0"  The Bucs also won the 1st Down battle  17-13  (The Panthers also got one 1st down by penalty..). And the Bucs had more Offensive plays (66-50..)

So, by all reasonable metrics, this was a VERY close game with a slight advantage going to the Bucs (Offensively..).  Except for one thing.... The Panthers scored 3 TDs and the Bucs scored "0".  So the game turned on "big plays". Nothing else accounts for it.

I don't expect the Panthers to continue to have this kind of "luck" moving forward.  The odds are going to catch up, and the stats will prevail over the run of games, UNLESS, the Panthers get their sh*t together and start winning the T.O.P., 3rd Down Success, and Passing efficiency.

Yeah, if this turns out to be a springboard for the team, it won't be because of the stats. It'll be the "Hey! We can do this!" mentality. Of course, if you know the wrong words to "Day-O" you know that mentality can be a good thing.

Just going along with the "screwy times" idea (and no, I don't think this'll happen but)...

According to this article (https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/3486...-questions), CMC to SF could likely be over at season's end due to their cap situation and his price vs. his market value. How "screwy" would it be if we ended up pulling another Moose/Peppers type situation and got him back here next year cheaper than if he'd stayed AND with a haul of extra draft picks?