Draft picks, first-teamers will get maximum time vs. Patriots

There are many storylines in Friday’s Carolina Panthers game.

There are going to be times tonight that make Panther fans question whether the offensive line can protect Cam Newton all year, so that all the pieces of production that rely on his delivering accurate passes become reality. Going against a quality standard like the Patriots- whom they beat 33-30 in Foxboro last year during regular season- will provide an excellent measurement of how close to form the line can be for home opener against Dallas on Sept. 9^th.

Certainly that Panther O-line situation is going to be closely watched by Rivera and Panther faithful, because those sacks by the Dolphins Robert Quinn looked like a problem. Adrian Clayborn of New England (from ATL) would probably like to renew acquaintances with Newton, and Pats are known as a blitzing bunch. Their defensive line has handled first two opponents easily, and while that’s not uncommon in preseason, third games is usually a dress rehearsal. Norv Turner’s offense has emphasized Newton getting balls out quickly to receivers/targets, which should help reduce sack opportunities from Cam holding the ball too long.

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Expectations from the Patriot offense are the usual, because Brady always spreads it around, although thus far, newer receivers names like Dorsett, Hollister, Allen, Patterson haven’t been called much. Gronkowski is a given in many cases, and Panthers have linebackers with size and foot-speed to stick with him. Edelman is a favored Brady target, but like Carolina LB Thomas Davis, he won’t be available for first four games of season. Shaq Thompson of Panthers will be getting starters reps, and this has been a great training camp for him, almost every practice has included an INT. Both he and potential JOKER role player Marquis Haynes (a rookie) have exceptional speed for coverage ability and pass rush.

THIS should be a time for Newton to throw some ‘up’ balls to Funchess and Moore. Pats corners ranked 30^th last year, giving up 251.2 yds./game. Moore has been impressive since Day One, and Funchess should be ready to become the #1 (X in Panther parlance) receiver for Newton. Greg Olsen could probably get loose against Ghengis Kahn’s hordes, so put him in for the usual catches, yards, and maybe a TD. It really was a thrill to see Ian Thomas do a drag underneath and take a pass 27 yards last game. As a second tight end, he’s very willing to block anybody he should, and that has been a quiet expectation throughout camp.

Yes, there is a quantity of love in Newton’s distribution now, something Panther fans should appreciate after wondering why not? last year. Putting air under long balls for his people to run under is still a skill that hasn’t been exhibited, those 15 yd. rifled throws Samuel will be catching are the norm. All the running backs have catch and run abilities- Elijah Hood had a beauty vs. Buffalo- and he might put himself in a great position with another TD of any kind in the preseason. CJ Anderson is going to get some numbers too, he is a great addition to backfield.

While Bill Belichick said Patriots won’t be game planning for anyone during a preseason game, don’t be surprised if someone is a shadow for CMC (Christian McCaffrey)—might as well practice stopping such a player now as any other time would be a legitimate coaching thought.

THIS should be a time for Newton to throw some ‘up’ balls to Funchess and Moore. Pats corners ranked 30^th last year, giving up 251.2 yds./game.

Trying to temper the expectations of the Panther faithful about how high UP could be for McCaffrey is going to be a challenge. The 71-yard run was exactly what was hoped for alllll last year. Think more about those 80 passes AND that ability to break a tackle a few extra pounds might make, then recognize he’s going to be a marked man. The beauty of a multi-faceted offense with many threats, that’s what we should see tonight  and whether that’s 20 touches or not, working the whole arsenal against Patriots should be revealing.