4 moves the Carolina Panthers should have made sooner
By Dean Jones
Which recent moves should the Carolina Panthers have made sooner?
Things now seem to be looking up again for the Carolina Panthers after a dominant display at home to the Detroit Lions. This proved just how much fight is still left on this roster despite a concerning run of recent form. And for them to turn things around despite missing some key personnel was a testament to how well prepared they were by the coaching staffing in addition to their level of commitment to one another in times of trouble.
Whether the Carolina Panthers can build on this during a tricky looking trip to the Minnesota Vikings is another matter. Coming up against running back Dalvin Cook and quarterback Kirk Cousins is never easy at the best of times, but the Dallas Cowboys showed in Week 11 that Mike Zimmer’s men can be beaten at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Some significant adjustments and tough decisions were made by the Panthers prior to the contest, which brought around an instant turnaround in their fortunes. However, it did leave some questions as to what took them so long to make the necessary moves needed to get them all pulling in the same direction.
Let’s take a look at four moves the Panthers should have made sooner.
Move No. 1
Less three-man rushes
One of the main reasons why the Panthers achieved so much success against the Lions was defensive coordinator Phil Snow moving away from the three-man rushes. This has been a cause of substantial frustration over the first 10 games and the penny seems to have finally dropped in terms of this method simply not working with the talent at Carolina’s disposal.
This proved to be the making of their defensive front, who were led superbly by Brian Burns once again. The second-year-pro is really making his presence felt in the latter stages of the campaign and it not only enables the player to put up big numbers, but it’s also making everyone around him that little bit better.
If Snow had any sense whatsoever, he should continue this trend and buck the three-man rushing schemes during their remaining five contests.