Panthers News: Derrick Brown, Thomas Brown, Chris Tabor and Tee Higgins
By Dean Jones
Which Carolina Panthers news stories are hitting the headlines as practice preparations get underway for Week 15 against the Atlanta Falcons?
There are four games left of what's been a season resembling a high-speed car crash for the Carolina Panthers. Very few bright spots have emerged over the opening 13 games. And when the campaign concludes, yet another head coaching search will begin as a result.
Players return to practice later today with the Atlanta Falcons on the immediate horizon this weekend. Until then, the stories accumulating column inches include Derrick Brown's mindset, Chris Tabor on being aggressive, Thomas Brown's falling stock, and the Panthers potentially going after wide receiver Tee Higgins in free agency.
Let's delve into each topic in more detail.
Carolina Panthers aggressiveness
Bryce Young made a concerted effort to get the football downfield quickly in Week 14. This aggressiveness hasn't been seen all that much from the Carolina Panthers this season, but mistimed throws and suspect drops meant their hopes of seizing control went out of the window.
When discussing increased urgency in the passing game, Chris Tabor acknowledged the need for improvements based on comments via Sports Illustrated. Especially when it comes to crucial situations that are normally the difference between success and failure.
"I think you're always looking to take shots when you can. That's another area we need to improve upon. Unfortunately we didn't convert enough on some of those third and fourth downs and there's a lot of things that go into that. We've got to improve in those areas."
- Chris Tabor via Sports Illustrated
Heading down the gunslinging route at this late stage of the campaign isn't going to magically cure everything. Besides, it's not like the offensive line can protect Young for long enough to take consistent shots on deep routes in any case.