5 big talking points from the Panthers’ pitiful loss at the NY Giants
By Luke Gray
Carolina Panthers QB Sam Darnold is not the answer
Boy have I done a full 180.
I made the bold claim that Sam Darnold was a potential franchise quarterback for the Carolina Panthers after the loss to the Dallas Cowboys if the team was willing to go all-in on him. Three games later and it’s abundantly clear that this isn’t the case.
The narrative that Adam Gase and the New York Jets were totally at fault for Darnold’s failings in East Rutherford is false.
Simply put, Darnold is not up to standard.
During half-time of the Dallas game, Fox Sports analyst Terry Bradshaw made the audacious claim that Carolina had hit on “the greatest quarterback in their franchise’s history”.
Not only is this downright disrespectful to former MVP Cam Newton, who behind an average offensive line and a wide receiver core containing the likes of Corey Brown and Jerricho Cotchery took Carolina to a Super Bowl, it’s also just plain wrong.
Before Darnold was eventually put out of his misery at the conclusion of the third quarter and replaced by P.J. Walker, he put up a horrific stat line of 16 of 25 passes completed for 111 yards and an interception with a quarterback rating of 57.3.
Early in the season a lot of Darnold’s failings were put down to the struggles of the Panthers’ offensive line. But on Sunday they didn’t perform poorly, for the most part.
The left side pairing of rookie Brady Christensen and Michael Jordan held up well all things considered. Darnold just doesn’t have the mental quickness to process the field and get the ball out.
Postgame trade talk intensified around Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson with some national sources stating the Panthers would offer a trade they would be willing to accept. Ultimately it comes down to the player who has made it clear he would only sign off on a trade to the Miami Dolphins.
It’s also very important to not brush off the 22 sexual misconduct allegations currently leveled against Watson. Another possibility for the Panthers could be Watson making the move to South Florida and general manager Scott Fitterer making a move for former Alabama star and current Dolphins starter Tua Tagovailoa.
Rhule made it clear post Giants that Darnold was the starter moving forward despite Walker coming in to replace him. But after just seven games in the Queen City, his position is under scrutiny.