Panthers verses Falcons Running Commentary

Panthers 28-24

 

DeLoatch comes up with a key play on special teams.

Panthers win, 17-13.

 

Isn't Savio supposed to do these? Is this bad mojo?


DAMN IT JAKE!!!
FIRE TRGO!!!

 

different mojo is needed

 

FIRE CROSSMAN!!!


no more Allen Rossum, btw.

 

From fantasyguru.com

Match-up Overview:

The Panthers unraveled last week and fell at home to Houston, but they get a quick pick-me-up against the hapless Falcons. Look for them to try to re-establish the running game with DeShaun Foster, who has pounded Atlanta in the last five meetings, averaging better than 100 yards with three TDs. The Panthers are 20-2 when Foster has more than 15 carries. The Falcons have allowed 13 sacks in two games, so the challenge is to get the ball out of Joey Harrington’s hands as quickly as possible with short, quick passes to Roddy White and Alge Crumpler. The Falcons were so desperate for a change of fortune that they brought in Byron Leftwich to push Harrington this past week.


Looking Glass:


Looking Better Than Usual:



Steve Smith (WR, Car) – This fiery wideout erupted against the Texans in Week Two for 8 catches, 153 yards, and 3 TDs. Nobody can cover him, and he’s becoming increasingly harder to tackle, so he could easily be considered the most feared receiver in the game right now. On the season, Smith has posted 15/271/4 for an average of 18 yards/grab. There’s reason to believe he won’t keep up this blistering pace with DeAngelo Hall matching well with him, but Hall isn’t all that, and he will definitely give up the big play, so don’t be too worried. Matching up against a respectable Falcon secondary that has allowed an average of 9/127/.5 to wide receivers this season might seem a bit unfavorable on the surface, but Smith can dominate anyone with the greatest of ease. With Delhomme looking his way constantly, you have to figure he’ll see enough balls in the matchup to go over 100 yards and score a TD for the third week in a row. Hall or no Hall, he’s unstoppable, enough said.



Panther RBs – DeShaun Foster and DeAngelo Williams struggled mightily running the ball last week against the Texans, combining for a meager 53 yards, but collecting a total of 9 receptions for 40 yards in the short passing game. Week Two illustrated that this pair is having some growing pains adapting to the new zone-blocking scheme, but on the flip-side, it was wonderful to see the screen game come to fruition. In two games this year, Foster has rushed for 116 yards, catching 5 balls for 27 yards, while Williams has rushed for 93 yards, snagging 6 balls for 33 yards. Neither guy has crossed the stripe yet, which is a nightmare for fantasy GMs. Foster and Williams both ran for over 80 yards in the last meeting between these two squads, so there’s some positive history to build upon. The Atlanta defense has given up an average of just over 100 yards a game and some decent receiving production to opposing backs this season, so you can anticipate this duo having at the very least modest success in Week Three. Take this committee situation for what it’s worth (not much) right now and try to make the best of it because there’s not a ton of fantasy goodness in this running game to go ‘round with Smith getting all the love in Carolina’s offense. But there’s a reason we have them here: the Panthers should control the game and run, run, and run in the second half.



Carolina Defense - Falcon LT Wayne Gandy was hurt last week, and if he plays, he has the unenviable task of protecting Joey Harrington from pass-rush demon Julius Peppers. Atlanta has given up 13 sacks through two games, so the Panthers could control the line of scrimmage here and do some serious damage in terms of sacks and interceptions of the shaky Harrington.



Looking Neither Better Nor Worse Than Usual:



Warrick Dunn (RB, Atl) – This little dynamo takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Last week against the physical Jag defense, Dunn rushed for 50 yards and a TD, bringing his season totals 105 rushing yards, 5 receptions, 30 receiving yards, and 1 TD. He’s obviously not a workhorse back who will pile up the yardage, but he’s more than serviceable in deeper leagues because he’ll continue to touch the ball about 17-18 times a game. This week, he squares off against a Carolina front seven that has ceded an average of 87 yards and a half a TD along with some production through the air to opposing RBs in 2007. Dunn rushed for over 100 yards against the Panthers early last season, which is reassuring. It’s not a matchup that bodes well for a big game, but Dunn always seems to do something of note each week, so you could do worse, especially with the air attack under Coach Petrino still grounded. He could very well grind out a TD, but 75+ total yards might be asking a lot.



Alge Crumpler (TE, Atl) – Crump-daddy posted 3 catches for 53 yards in Week Two against Jacksonville, and thus far this season his bottom line is 7/93. His production has taken a hit with the struggles of Joey Harrington, but it’s not time to give up on this TE, since he can still make big plays by breaking tackles and running after the catch. You’d think he’d be leading the way in terms of receptions/yardage with the weak play the Falcons are getting from their wideouts, but something just isn’t clicking with Coach Petrino’s system. This week, he’ll face off against a Panther defense that has given up an average of 4/44 to opposing TEs thus far this season. It’s not an unbeatable matchup by any means, but until Crumpler finds the endzone or Byron Leftwich (shudder) jump starts the passing game, it’s best to temper your expectations for this tight end. He did find the endzone against Carolina last year, so there’s a chance he crosses the stripe in this one.



Jake Delhomme (QB, Car) – Jake hurled it for 307 yards and 3 TDs against Houston last week, but he threw his first INT of the young season in the loss. While he can be erratic and happy-footed at times, Delhomme has gotten off to a rock-solid start this year by the numbers, tallying 508 passing yards and 6 TDs thanks in large part to one Steve Smith. He didn’t have much success in his lone start against the Falcons last season, as he failed to throw a TD and was held under 200 yards. The Atlanta D has given up an average of 217 yards and a TD to opposing signal-callers thus far this year, so it’s a pretty lukewarm matchup for Delhomme. Expect him to continue to rely on Smith for the quick strike and check down to his RBs and his TE to keep the chains moving in this NFC South showdown. But keep in mind this Panther team threw the ball only seven times against the Falcons last December. Granted, that was Chris Weinke, but 7!

 

Looking Worse Than Usual:



Joey Harrington (QB, Atl) – This QB passed for 200 yards against the Jaguars last week, raising his season total to 399 yards. So why is he looking worse? He hasn’t thrown a TD pass, he looks uncomfortable in the pocket, his receivers aren’t showing up, he’s not getting the ball out if his hand quick enough, he’s turned the ball over twice, and he is still unproven as a signal-caller. Now that Leftwich is signed, Harrington's days are likely numbered, but he was doomed from the start given the talent he’s surrounded with. Matching up against a Carolina secondary that has permitted an average of 197 yards and 1.5 TDs to opposing QBs this season will provide him with an opportunity to do something positive, but the chances of his taking advantage are slim. Find someone else to fill your QB roster spot because Atlanta isn’t exactly a fantasy-friendly offense at this point.



Too Risky To Play:



Secondary Panther WRs – Drew Carter and Keary Colbert combined for 6/75 against Houston last week, but they were afterthoughts to the studly Steve Smith in the passing game. Through two games, Carter has 6/69/2 and Colbert has 4/32, which can’t possibly excite fantasy GMs. Carter is a nice red zone weapon with enough talent to help this offense, but Colbert is a major disappointment who’s dropping balls and in danger of losing his job. They will square off against a Falcon secondary that has ceded an average of 9/127/.5 to opposing wide receivers in 2007, so there’s really not a tremendous amount of upside for either guy in this matchup. You’d be doing yourself a great disservice by rolling with this duo.



Falcon WRs – Roddy White, Michael Jenkins, and Joe Horn teamed up for 7 catches and 130 yards against the Jags in Week Two, which frankly is pretty pathetic. On the season, White is leading the way with 8/110, while Jenkins has 3/28 and Horn has 3/48. Much of their futility could be attributed to the ineffectiveness of Joey Harrington, but sooner or later modern day NFL receivers have to step up, make plays, and help their team put points on the board. They’ll face off against a Panther defense this week that has given up an average of 11/124/1.5 to opposing WRs this season, so one of them is probably destined to find the endzone. Chances are it will be White because he’s the only guy in this bunch with any semblance of upside. Jenkins scored against the Panthers last season, but he’s been nearly invisible this season. Avoid this crew at all costs because the Atlanta offense is a black hole. But we do like what we’re seeing from White.



Jerious Norwood (RB, Atl) – Last week against the Jaguars, Norwood only touched the ball 10 times for 43 yards. Through two weeks of play, this RB has tallied exactly 100 yards on 17 touches, so clearly he’s not involved enough in Atlanta’s game-plan just yet to warrant your attention. He’s a dangerous runner who can break the big play, but with Dunn having modest success in the offense, Norwood will continue to play second fiddle. Matching up against a Carolina front seven that has given up an average of 87 rushing yards and a half a TD along with some yardage through the air to opposing RBs isn’t a great spot for Norwood to cut loose in, but sooner or later he’ll make some plays. He had some decent success against the Panthers a year ago, rushing for 66 yards. Be patient; his time will come. For now, he’s far too unreliable.



Atlanta Defense - The Falcons held the Jaguars to 13 points and tallied four sacks in last week’s loss. They’re certainly nothing special. DT Rod Coleman is out and FS Chris Crocker might not play. Carolina QB Jake Delhomme has thrown six touchdowns with only one interception.


Reaches of the Week:



Jeff King (TE, Car) – King caught 4 balls for 39 yards against the Texans a week ago, bringing his bottom line in 2007 to 9/74. He’s developed quite a nice little chemistry with Delhomme, who looks his way quite a bit, albeit on shorter routes. This week, King will face a Falcon defense that has permitted an average of 3/40 to opposing TEs this season, so it seems like he’s poised for another decent outing. Right now, he’s a guy you can count on for a couple of catches for about 30-50 yards every game as Delhomme’s safety valve. So if you’re hurting at TE, he could be a guy to reach with, since the Carolina passing game is in a nice groove and scoring TDs in the red zone.



History Report:

These NFC South divisional rivals met last season in Week One in Carolina (20-6, Falcon) and Week Sixteen at Atlanta (10-3, Panthers). They will play again this season in Week Ten at Charlotte.



Panthers – QB Jake Delhomme was 21/39 for 186 yards, and not very sharp, with 0 TDs and 1 INT to open the 2006 season at home against the Falcons. There was very little offense on the field for the Panthers that day. RB DeShaun Foster had 54 yards, and no receiver exceeded 68 yards, while the only Carolina points came from John Kasay’s 2 FGs (54,46). Then in Week Sixteen, the Carolina offense was just present enough to get a win, but weak nonetheless. Chris Weinke was in at QB, and he put up pathetic numbers that on any given Sunday would have produced a big L: 4/7 for 32 yards, with 1 TD, not surprisingly, a 1-yarder. The ground game was not bad, with Foster 28/102, and DeAngelo Williams 21/82, but neither scored, and it was TE Jeff King (1/1) who scored the TD.
Falcons – Atlanta QB Michael Vick was 10/22 for 140 yards, with 2 TDs and 0 INTs last year on opening day. He also rushed for 48 yards against the Panthers to begin the 2006 season on the road. RB Warrick Dunn had 29 carries for 132 yards, but 0 TDs, and young RB Jerious Norwood also had 10 carries for 66 yards. WR Michael Jenkins (3/77) and TE Alge Crumpler (3/27) had a TD apiece, and PK Michael Koenen had 2 FGs (25,32), although he missed 2 attempts in the easy win over the Panthers in Week One last year. In the Week Sixteen game, Vick was just 9/20 for 109 yards, with 0 TDs and 2 INTs. He ran for only 32 yards on 4 carries, too, and he was the team's leading rusher. The ancient PK Morten Andersen put up the only Falcon points on a 40-yard FG. New Atlanta WR Joe Horn knows the Panthers well from his time with the Saints, but in 2006 he scored just a 2-point conversion against them.

Lineup Updates:

Panther WR Drew Carter could overtake Keary Colbert for the starting #2 job as soon as this week.
Place Kicker Report:

John Kasay has just two field goals this season and neither from the bonus range. He does have six extra points, but his 12 points this season rank him tied for 22nd for place kicker fantasy scoring. After missing one of two field goals on Opening Day, Matt Prater followed up with two more missed field goals in Week Two. The team released him and re-signed veteran Morten Andersen.


Game Prediction:

Panthers 21 Falcons 14

 

For chat, see if you can make it into the Panthers room. I don't know how to find "null."

 

FUCK FANTASY FOOTBALL

 

agreed

Vincent Jackson plays like shit for two weeks, and catches a TD on the Chargers 1st drive.