3 things we learned from the Panthers’ loss at the Bucs
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers coaching staff still learning the ropes
It is clear that the Carolina Panthers coaching staff is still trying to find their feet in a professional environment. They came into the NFL having built tremendous reputations in college. But the next level is a completely different ball game.
This is something they are finding out to their cost during the early stages of the campaign. Some of the decisions being made in the first half were bemusing, to say the least.
The offense just didn’t put their playmakers in the right spots early on to succeed. This resulted in hesitancy from Teddy Bridgewater and a real sense of frustration from the likes of Curtis Samuel and D.J. Moore.
What defensive scheme the Panthers were utilising in the first period was so hard to figure out. Phil Snow alternated between a 4-3 and 3-4 base, with eight men dropping back in coverage for the most part. Being too cute backfield considerably and the Bucs were more than ready for it.
Credit to them for making the necessary adjustments that enabled Carolina to give it a real go in the second half. Starting off in this manner is not going to win you many games in the NFL, even if Matt Rhule and others might have gotten away with things like this at the college level.
This is a crash course in NFL coaching for the new regime. Having no preseason games has contributed to their lack of ability to hit the ground running and things must improve in a hurry.