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Even though it was a preseason game, the Panthers didn’t expect to get overwhelmed by the Jets like they did last Saturday losing 27-0. Frank Reich admitted that Carolina didn’t do much scheming going into the game and as a result. his offense was shut out, and he had a hard time getting past midfield. The biggest reason that Carolina failed to put any points on the board, was in large part due to their inability to win at the line of scrimmage, as the Jets’ second unit dominated from the start. This theme carried over from the joint practice session. An abysmal performance across the board from Carolina’s unit, led to a meeting after the game, with a fired-up James Campen, one of the more respected offensive line coaches in the NFL.
While Reich, Campen, and even the players have expressed their not overly concerned with their struggles last Saturday, there needs to be a sense of urgency this week against the Giants, as we get closer to the start of roster cuts. Reich told the media earlier today, that even though they don’t know what the reps will look like on Friday, there will be less rotation than what we saw last week, where Carolina played three different players at the right guard position, which was by design.
When looking ahead to Friday’s preseason contest, Wes & Walker were both identifying three players that need to bounce back after last week. It’s no accident that they naturally went to the offensive line, identifying Ickey Ekwonu as a player that needs to perform better this time out. Ekwonu was beaten multiple times at his left tackle position, and while there aren’t overbearing concerns about him, you’d like to see him respond to the challenge, as the Giants boast one of the best defensive lines in football. Furthermore, Brady Christensen also experienced his fair share of struggles on Saturday and will look to rebound from a subpar effort himself. Lastly, if Micael Jordan gets more run on Friday, he needs to be much better, because last week, Panther Nation was ready to see his days in Carolina come to an end, as he’s endured a head coaching change, after being brought in previously by Matt Rhule.
The Panthers might not be putting a lot of flavor into their offensive game plans during the preseason, but that doesn’t excuse the lack of execution that took place last week. Thankfully the game didn’t count, and now they’ll look to put together a more complete effort this week in the Meadowlands.
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Three Players That Need to Show Up Against the GiantsĀ was originally published on wfnz.com
