5 things the Carolina Panthers must learn from Week 1 drubbing at Falcons
By Ricky Raines
Carolina Panthers coaching fell flat
You'll see all kinds of hot takes after a Week 1 loss - they’re like spaghetti and meatballs - I do my best to keep my distance from most. Hot takes, that is... I definitely do not avoid a good pasta dish.
While this isn’t a hot take, per se, I do think it’s a quick(ish) trigger reaction, for me personally. But I feel strongly about this one.
The team didn’t operate as cleanly as I anticipated with this cast of coaches. The Carolina Panthers were flagged for nine penalties. Aside from blunders, the team also just didn’t look like they were firing on all cylinders.
Carolina's coaching staff isn’t doing Bryce Young and this offense any favors by keeping the training wheels on. If they’re in fact doing so that is. As I alluded to earlier when discussing the quarterback's performance, the play-calling was conservative.
That timid approach doesn’t totally align with the sentiments that have been expressed about having the utmost confidence in the quarterback and in the weapons that the front office deliberately brought in to work together in this specific system. It almost reads as if this staff is slow-rolling out the entirety of the scheme – but, for whose protection?
We know the wide receiver room is less than stellar at creating separation from the defenders on their own. That was there for all to see on Sunday.
The message that was being delivered - despite the perceived physical decline in route technician Adam Thielen and the limited route tree of D.J. Chark and Laviska Shenault Jr. - was one of this staff possessing the savviness to scheme this hand-picked group into production. That fell flat in its introduction to the world.
The lack of overall team speed was apparent in Week 1. However, I anticipated more concepts designed to get playmakers into open spaces and create opportunities for them that their physical profiles don’t naturally afford.
I did like what Frank Reich and Thomas Brown did with Giovanni Ricci on a handful of plays – where they’d bring him in motion pre-snap or via pull action post-snap, allowing the full-back/tight end to build momentum for outside runs and pass concepts for the players out of the backfield.
I would like to see Tommy Tremble used in a similar capacity. This could offer a bit more on the multiple side of things.
I’m not jumping on the bandwagon for Reich to relinquish play-calling duties in favor of Brown just yet. But I do believe there’s a benefit to a more collaborative approach after the initial scripted plays and after halftime.
When you have a direct coaching descendent from the Sean McVay offensive tree, you should seriously consider what they bring to the table on game day.