5 things the Carolina Panthers must learn from Week 2 loss vs. Saints

Carolina Panthers must implement more motions and shifts on offense

It’s a copycat league. That’s an adage that fits the NFL like a glove. Being first on a new trend is an incredible advantage.

Maybe even more important than being first, however, is not being last or too late to the party. The most creative and productive offenses in the NFL right now are operating with pre-snap motions and shifts at a high percentage.

The idea of motioning players to alternate alignments from where they initially lined up, or shifting multiple players into different formations, is designed to overload a defense with possibilities and/or to counter the look they’ve given.

Pre-snap motions can also create a momentum advantage for the offensive player - specifically the newest trend being used by teams like the Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, and Green Bay Packers - the quick, full-speed motions. If you’ve seen any of the Arena Football League, where players can run full sprint up to the line of scrimmage just before the quarterback snaps the ball, the idea is as close to that as the NFL allows.

The Rams have used a shift or motion on 67 percent of snaps through two games. The Dolphins sit at 82%, and the Packers come in at 72%.

I point to these three teams because they’re innovative, offensive-minded head coaches. That’s what I am hoping for here with the Carolina Panthers.

Although, in the two first games, the Panthers have run a motion/shift 47 percent of the snaps on offense – good for 23rd least of all NFL teams.

With the offense struggling to generate explosiveness and the playmakers having a hard time gaining separation - it might be time to put our party pants on and join the fun before the last call.