Observations from the Carolina preseason game

[KingBoots8]

I just got back to the 607 area - finally got to take my dad out to his first professional football game (even if it was preseason). We had a good time, and we were on the 50 yard line (13 rows back behind the benches). I tried to make some observations on the team and the game as a whole.

 

1. Peterman and McCaron seemed to be in good communication on the sidelines before and during the first half. Josh was involved sometimes but looked to be spending lots of the first half with his receivers and o-line on the third string. Could see all 3 working together during the 2nd half (mostly McCaron talking with Allen from what I saw)

 

2. Peterman looked pretty confident both on the field and sideline. Came out and played well. I think training camp has really helped him compared to last year. The pick wasn’t on him- the ball may not have been a perfect throw but it was certainly catchable.

 

3: McCoy was hard to find a bit tonight. Obviously he didn’t take any snaps but I think he stayed tucked away most of the game.

 

4. Murphy earned his spot I believe. He played all over the place and seemed to be involved quite a bit. Excellent running and a few good catches too. I think he’s our RB3 for sure at this point- especially if he has one or two more preseason games like this.

 

5. Edmunds and KB are giants. They’re about the same height and frame (although Edmunds seems to have a little bit more mass on him). Edmunds played well for a rookie I thought. A few missteps but not a bad debut for him.

 

6. Harrison Phillips is going to be a star- he’s absolutely the Next Kyle Williams for this team and I hope he soaks in as much advise as Kyle throws at him. Seemed to be pretty close before the game going over a few things. Great showing for him.

 

7. McCaron can absolutely manage the offense. I definitely want to see him with the 1s but she showed some resilience bouncing back from the early sack. I don’t think he and Peterman have all that much space between them, and the coaches have put them both in a position to control their own destiny at this point. That being said, I hope after the next game they have the starter pinned down so they can get the most reps with the 1s.

 

8. The crowd was PUMPED for Allen to take the field, and the first play/pass going as deep as he did got people on their feet. He has an absolute canon for an arm, and his release is really quick. The TD pass was like lightning- I couldn’t even tell he made that catch right away. His physical gifts are great, and we have a lot to be excited for when his time comes. He also seemed to stay poised and sensed pressure fairly well in the pocket. It wasn’t always pretty, but not bad for the first game.

 

9. That being said, Allen made some rookie mistakes. People may look back at the 4th down and wonder what he was thinking. I’m not too worried- let him attempt these kinds of plays now when we don’t have anything on the line. Same with the 2-pt conversion. Was bummed we didn’t get either play, but glad to see the coaches let him roll with it.

 

10. I also think Allen needs time with the 2s. He seemed to need to make a lot of his own magic happen, and only had a little help from McCloud (who played admirably well on 3rd string- I think he may have a spot if he plays at least 1 more good game). I’m not sure if his first pass would have been different with the 2s, but the bomb to Foster which would have been a TD likely would have. I just want to see more people around him who can hold onto his passes. 

 

11.Foster had a rough game. Seemed like he had some miscommunications and definitely gave up on a play or two. I hope he has a better game next week, but tonight was not a good night.

 

12. I can’t remember his name, but #51 also he a rough night it seemed. I believe he blew his coverage on one touchdown, and had one or two bad decisions. The helmet penalty I believe was in him, and he committed a holding penalty on 3rd and long early in the 2nd half that would have killed a TD drive for Carolina. Definitely a rough night for him too. He also easily has some of the biggest arms I have seen on anyone. From the 13th row it was obvious he was a freaking monster. Definitely looked the part at least- maybe he turns it around next week.

 

13. Seemed like a good preseason crowd. Bit more calm than I’m used to, but good size considering. Lots of people there to see Allen for sure. Didnt see any blantant stupidity either, so a big plus on that lol.

 

 

All in all, a great time. Sucks we didn’t win but there’s lots to take away and to look forward to. Hope my writing wasn’t too boring to scroll through.

[ProcessYaDigg]

Great post!  Thanks for the info.  Nice breakdown of the individuals we wanna see and how well they did as a team.  Being in Okinawa, these are the things I look for when it's difficult to see the game for myself.  This is my last football season overseas, then I can finally come back to a normal football schedule. 

[Dadonkadonk]

Ivory will be lucky to be on the roster by Monday

[Rocky Landing]

That pick was behind Ivory. I put that on Nate.

Allen's arm is a cannon, though! 

I think all three QBs played pretty well, but they also each showed their weaknesses, IMO.

1 minute ago, Dadonkadonk said:

Ivory will be lucky to be on the roster by Monday

Disagree.

 

[Kelly the Dog]

4 minutes ago, Dadonkadonk said:

Ivory will be lucky to be on the roster by Monday

Ivory is extremely good. Not a chance he is cut. He's the perfect compliment to Shady and has been one of the top 2-3 hardest runners in the entire league. The only question mark is whether his legs are shot and one play in TC and even one tonight, which was terrific, showed it's not. He's going to be a valuable player this year. 

 

[nucci]

2 hours ago, Dadonkadonk said:

Ivory will be lucky to be on the roster by Monday

Barring injury, I'll bet you he's on the roster and in the lineup opening day

[todd]

2 hours ago, Dadonkadonk said:

Ivory will be lucky to be on the roster by Monday

??? Makes no sense.

[Seanbillsfan2206]

4 hours ago, Dadonkadonk said:

Ivory will be lucky to be on the roster by Monday

You’ll be lucky if you find one person who agrees with you 

[GETTOTHE50]

10 minutes ago, Seanbillsfan2206 said:

You’ll be lucky if you find one person who agrees with you 

 

We would ALL be lucky if he never posted again. 

[eball]

4 hours ago, Kelly the Dog said:

Ivory is extremely good. Not a chance he is cut. He's the perfect compliment to Shady and has been one of the top 2-3 hardest runners in the entire league. The only question mark is whether his legs are shot and one play in TC and even one tonight, which was terrific, showed it's not. He's going to be a valuable player this year. 

 

 

Agreed, but I hope Murphy makes the team.  He's good.

[Not at the table Karlos]

4 hours ago, KingBoots8 said:

 

 

3: McCoy was hard to find a bit tonight. Obviously he didn’t take any snaps but I think he stayed tucked away most of the game.

Mccoy was right on the sideline for a lot of the game had jersey on and red sleeves. He stopped and talked to a bunch of fans on the way into tunnel for half time. 

[26CornerBlitz]

4 hours ago, Dadonkadonk said:

Ivory will be lucky to be on the roster by Monday

 

Terrible assessment.  He's the #2 RB. 

[richNjoisy]

I was at the game and I am really surprised no one is mentioning how horrible Vontae Davis  played. IMO. and I was watching him after he blew a tackle on, I think, the

third play of the game, he stunk it up. After that, he made one good tackle but his guys were beating him regularly. So, other than not being able to cover his man and not  being able to tackle, he "played great". Ugh.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

5 hours ago, Dadonkadonk said:

Ivory will be lucky to be on the roster by Monday

 

Srsly?  Seriously - bad take.

 

[KingBoots8]

5 hours ago, Dadonkadonk said:

Ivory will be lucky to be on the roster by Monday

 

Murphy played great, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Ivory has plenty to offer, and last night was a showcase of QB play for most of the first half. Let’s get through preseason before we get too excited for him.

22 minutes ago, richNjoisy said:

I was at the game and I am really surprised no one is mentioning how horrible Vontae Davis  played. IMO. and I was watching him after he blew a tackle on, I think, the

third play of the game, he stunk it up. After that, he made one good tackle but his guys were beating him regularly. So, other than not being able to cover his man and not  being able to tackle, he "played great". Ugh.

 

I meant to notate that- Davis has looked great in camp and had one great play early on, but had a few whiffs last night that were just ugly. I think he will be fine but it was definitely an off night.

[CLTbills]

5 hours ago, Rocky Landing said:

That pick was behind Ivory. I put that on Nate.

Allen's arm is a cannon, though! 

I think all three QBs played pretty well, but they also each showed their weaknesses, IMO.

 

It was slightly behind. But that's a catch you have to make at the NFL level. Not every single pass is going to be dead on the money. That pick is absolutely on Ivory. And I am 100% NOT a Peterman fan. But No way can I blame that on him.

Edited August 10, 2018 by CLTbills

[richNjoisy]

4 minutes ago, CLTbills said:

It was slightly behind. But that's a catch you have to make at the NFL level. Not every single pass is going to be dead on the money. That pick is absolutely on Ivory. And I am 100% NOT a Peterman fan. But No way can I blame that on him.

 

I, too, thought the pass was very catchable.

[CLTbills]

6 minutes ago, richNjoisy said:

 

I, too, thought the pass was very catchable.

It definitely wasn't a Cam Newton-style, 3 feet over his head, uncatchable ball, that's for sure.

[JMF2006]

5 hours ago, Dadonkadonk said:

Ivory will be lucky to be on the roster by Monday

 

Considering the fact that no cuts need to be made until Sept 1st and based on 4 or 5 snaps its not happening.

8 minutes ago, richNjoisy said:

 

I, too, thought the pass was very catchable.

 

I thought it was thrown way too far behind him,he had to turn and it went off his back shoulder.

 

That pass should have lead the RB not make him twist to touch or attempt to catch it.

 

Other than that NP had a good showing.

[KingBoots8]

I also meant to highlight the blown 4th down near the goal line for the 3rd string: From what I recall the second the ball was snapped Allen was under pressure (I think the left tackle missed an assignment or just didn’t anticipate the blitz). He tried to stay on his feet and make something happen, but he had someone at his heels the entire play. He tried for the heroics but ultimately should have thrown the ball away. I’ll chalk it up mostly to his rookie status and the line not expecting the blitz. He will learn as he continues to grow, and it could have ended a lot worse than that.

[BmarvB]

6 hours ago, Dadonkadonk said:

Ivory will be lucky to be on the roster by Monday

He'll definitely be on the roster. You want Tolbert back or something?

[HeHateMe]

I mean I think Ivory makes the team but he sucked last year...  I'd rather see Murphy ahead of him.

[fansince88]

Guys, Dont let @Dadonkadonk hijack such a good thread. I believe you have all been trolled. @KingBoots8 thanks for the post and real happy you got the chance to enjoy this with your dad.

[KingBoots8]

Ford definitely hurt his chances last night with the penalties too. The one series just didn’t go his way at all. Was hoping Cadet got in after that but didn’t. I guess next Week we will see

[RevWarRifleman]

KB8, a very good post, lots of observations and detail!  I feel very good about our QB situation. This is the best situation since Jimbo & Frank were our qb's.

 

Again, good post.

[QCity]

I really liked the design and execution of those screen plays. The blocking was textbook both at the line and downfield. 

Edited October 19, 2018 by QCity

[Rocky Landing]

7 hours ago, CLTbills said:

It was slightly behind. But that's a catch you have to make at the NFL level. Not every single pass is going to be dead on the money. That pick is absolutely on Ivory. And I am 100% NOT a Peterman fan. But No way can I blame that on him.

IDK, it was a 10 yard throw with Ivory cutting across field at full speed, and the pass was behind him. The announcer called it as "through Ivory's hands," but it wasn't. He just got a hand on it. It might have been catchable, but a poorly thrown ball. Would love to see a slo-mo on it.

[wiskibreth]

14 minutes ago, Rocky Landing said:

IDK, it was a 10 yard throw with Ivory cutting across field at full speed, and the pass was behind him. The announcer called it as "through Ivory's hands," but it wasn't. He just got a hand on it. It might have been catchable, but a poorly thrown ball. Would love to see a slo-mo on it.

 

I'm no huge Peterman fan, but I totally disagree.  That ball was on the money right in his face, hands up.  That drop/pick is all on Ivory.

[Formerly Allan in MD]

The most impressive thing, I thought, was how all three quarterbacks got the ball away quickly.  Haven't seen that in years.

 

Foster needs to go.  He seems rather clueless out there and would have likely had a long touchdown reception if he hadn't stop running while the ball was in the air.  His rep clearly follows him.

[Alphadawg7]

14 hours ago, KingBoots8 said:

 

2. Peterman looked pretty confident both on the field and sideline. Came out and played well. I think training camp has really helped him compared to last year. The pick wasn’t on him- the ball may not have been a perfect throw but it was certainly catchable.

 

 

Sorry but this board is making excuses in a hypocritical way.  Last year, TT threw a TD pass to Clay that hit him directly in both hands slightly behind him, but Clay didnt catch it and was intercepted.  This board piled on TT and put ALL blame on him and it was not nearly as bad of a throw as NP had last night on that pick.

 

YES, you still want to see your RB haul that in, but it was late, high, and behind the RB moving away from where the pass was thrown, and those passes are dangerous because they often are tipped up into a very intereceptable ball.  Everyone ignoring it and giving him a pass as if its not his fault are just making excuses for him.  It was BOTH his fault and the RB, it was not a good pass nor was it on time.  

 

He looked good, although with a lot of air on the ball, the first drive.  Those air mail throws are easier to pick off come regular season time when youre not facing vanilla D's in the first preseason game, so they still make me worry about if he can play with any consistency as a starter.  NP gets to take his praise for what he did well, but he also gets to own his mistakes.  And that pass was a definite mistake being late, poorly placed, and behind his target.

Edited August 10, 2018 by Alphadawg7

[Kelly the Dog]

22 minutes ago, wiskibreth said:

 

I'm no huge Peterman fan, but I totally disagree.  That ball was on the money right in his face, hands up.  That drop/pick is all on Ivory.

You can't tell from the angle in that screen shot. The ball was behind him. He could have caught it but it was still behind him. 

[wiskibreth]

3 minutes ago, Kelly the Dog said:

You can't tell from the angle in that screen shot. The ball was behind him. He could have caught it but it was still behind him. 

If his shoulders were turned more the other way, I'd agree with you, but they're not.

[KingBoots8]

16 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

Sorry but this board is making excuses in a hypocritical way.  Last year, TT threw a TD pass to Clay that hit him directly in both hands slightly behind him, but Clay didnt catch it and was intercepted.  This board piled on TT and put ALL blame on him and it was not nearly as bad of a throw as NP had last night on that pick.

 

YES, you still want to see your RB haul that in, but it was late, high, and behind the RB moving away from where the pass was thrown, and those passes are dangerous because they ofter are tipped up into a very intereceptable ball.  Everyone ignoring it and giving him a pass as if its not his fault are just making excuses for him.  It was BOTH his fault and the RB, it was not a good pass nor was it on time.  

 

He looked good, although with a lot of air on the ball, the first drive.  Those air mail throws are easier to pick off come regular season time when youre not facing vanilla D's in the first preseason game, so they still make me worry about if he can play with any consistency as a starter.  NP gets to take his praise for what he did well, but he also gets to own his mistakes.  And that pass was a definite mistake being late, poorly placed, and behind his target.

 

Maybe there’s a better angle on the cameras, but from my vantage point it looked alright. If I’m wrong I’ll certainly own it.

 

That being said, I feel TT got thrown under the bus a few times. I actually liked him in spite of some of his shortcomings and I’m not a Peterman apologist. I have no problem calling him out for a lame duck pass- it’s just that from my angle it didn’t look so bad. If it was behind him I hope he learns from this and has a good remaining preseason to prove himself.

[Rocky Landing]

37 minutes ago, wiskibreth said:

 

I'm no huge Peterman fan, but I totally disagree.  That ball was on the money right in his face, hands up.  That drop/pick is all on Ivory.

Like I said, he got a hand on it, but that's not "on the money." 

Be that as it may, Peterman did have a good game last yesterday, one errant throw notwithstanding. I do still maintain that while all three QBs had good games, took advantage of their situations, and played to their strengths, I think they also, all three, showed their weaknesses, as well. Although, probably Peterman least of the three.

[Alphadawg7]

8 minutes ago, KingBoots8 said:

 

Maybe there’s a better angle on the cameras, but from my vantage point it looked alright. If I’m wrong I’ll certainly own it.

 

That being said, I feel TT got thrown under the bus a few times. I actually liked him in spite of some of his shortcomings and I’m not a Peterman apologist. I have no problem calling him out for a lame duck pass- it’s just that from my angle it didn’t look so bad. If it was behind him I hope he learns from this and has a good remaining preseason to prove himself.

 

I didnt think it was that bad when I was streaming it last night either, but when I watched the game I recorded off of NFL network on my big screen and they showed the angle from behind the QB, you can see how off the pass was.  It was late, high, and behind the RB.  Again, you like to see your RB find a way to haul it in, but its a tough pass catch and was not a good pass.  

 

He deserves kudos for the first drive, but he doesnt get to escape blame on that INT where he was at least half at fault, but honestly more like 75% him as its a hard pass to catch.

[Alphadawg7]

1 hour ago, wiskibreth said:

 

I'm no huge Peterman fan, but I totally disagree.  That ball was on the money right in his face, hands up.  That drop/pick is all on Ivory.

 

This is not even close to a good angle to see the play.  I recorded the game on NFL network and this morning during the replay they showed the angle from behind the QB where you can see exactly where the ball is.  It was behind him, high, and late.  It was mostly on NP...both are to blame, but the pass was bad and more on NP.

Edited August 10, 2018 by Alphadawg7

[wiskibreth]

4 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

This is not even close to a good angle to see the play.  I recorded the game on NFL network and this morning during the replay they showed the angle from behind the QB where you can see exactly where the ball is.  It was behind him, high, and late.  It was mostly on NP...both are to blame, but the pass was bad and more on NP.

I guess I'll see for myself when I watch the rebroadcast on the DVR.

[JerseyBills]

10 hours ago, eball said:

 

Agreed, but I hope Murphy makes the team.  He's good.

He is very good, I think our RB depth chart is Shady - Ivory - Cadet - Murphy - Dimarco (FB)

That's a deep RB group and every one of them are good catching too. 

I think Shady has a career year 

[ColoradoBills]

30 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

I didnt think it was that bad when I was streaming it last night either, but when I watched the game I recorded off of NFL network on my big screen and they showed the angle from behind the QB, you can see how off the pass was.  It was late, high, and behind the RB.  Again, you like to see your RB find a way to haul it in, but its a tough pass catch and was not a good pass.  

 

He deserves kudos for the first drive, but he doesnt get to escape blame on that INT where he was at least half at fault, but honestly more like 75% him as its a hard pass to catch.

 

I just watched it.  It was behind him, he got his hands back to catch it but it bounced off the top of his shoulder pads.

It was bad luck it bounced into an interception, Ivory has pretty good hands for a RB. 

[Rocky Landing]

2 hours ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

I just watched it.  It was behind him, he got his hands back to catch it but it bounced off the top of his shoulder pads.

It was bad luck it bounced into an interception, Ivory has pretty good hands for a RB. 

He does. He really is a good compliment to Shady, IMO, and Murphy adds another dimension. I feel a little bit better about our offense in general after yesterday.