Over the past few weeks

>> Basically, we take away Safety help from the corners to have the Safeties play back.

I'm inclined to think you are on the right track. Don't know that we stick with the same thing as earlier in the game, but what we are doing is not working. Don't know if it's individual talent, inexperience, inexperience as a group, or what. Noted that Fox said that they were gonna start working on 2-minute defense every practice now until we get it fixed. Our game management seems to go well up until the last few minutes of games when we have a lead and then it goes all to hell.

On another note. You see Fox's comment regarding the fans booing the draw call on 3rd and 7 (we're up 17 - 13; subsequent punt I think gets blocked)? Mitchell gets hurt on second down and Nesbit is forced into action at center. Fox says he thinks booing is funny cuz he just wants to get out of there -- run a play and punt due to not having a center. Kinda reinforces what someone told me and that was that it is Fox and not Henning who is dictating the ultra-conservative, punt rather than try to go for it when you're in a bad situation style of play. He wants to win with his defensive and not take a lot of risks with Henning's offense. Ain't working but he seems convinced that it should.

 

>>That is good news. I'd take 2 more good years from him. How old is he?

I believe 32 or so. He's played better in the stretch than I thought, so it's worth it to keep him, and a pick would be foolish with so many other needs right now.

>>>Early in the game (Burton) was getting crushed off LOS by one lineman. As game progressed for some reason he started standing his ground better.

He was struggling with the one gap stuff. Either they put him back on two gap or he got the hang of it - seems like they called him as more of a nose's responsibility in preseason. he's more of a read and react guy but he had more impact than Witherspoon IMO.

>>I thought Witherspoon held up pretty well for his first start at MLB. He certainly wasn't close to Morgan and is nothing more than a stop-gap at MLB. But he did make some nice plays and I think brought much more and much more consistently than either Jackson or Allen.

He made two plays that weren't typical MLB responsibility. He ran right into blocking, doing nothing more, in pursuit and usually got shielded away on inside stuff. He's growing as a linebacker, but a middle linebacker he's not.

>>I don't understand defensive schemes. What is it that we changed at the end of the NO game?

Like HB said, basically they drop out of zone and play the safeties totally free. Because of that the corners aren't in their short, safe zones anymore and have to play man. The difference is night and day in how it's played if you don't have deep speed. You tend to play off your man a little more, and a little mistake is a lot bigger.

>>Seems like you could be doubling Horne and Stallworth if you are not blitzing. Was this a breakdown in coverage by one of the 2 safeties?

Don't believe so at all. A double would mean having the safety break toward that side immediately and lined up closer to the standard 15 yards. This call, an umbrella type call, would be very hard to use double-cover out of. Both players do man-free very well.


>>Fox says he thinks booing is funny cuz he just wants to get out of there -- run a play and punt due to not having a center. Kinda reinforces what someone told me and that was that it is Fox and not Henning who is dictating the ultra-conservative, punt rather than try to go for it when you're in a bad situation style of play. He wants to win with his defensive and not take a lot of risks with Henning's offense. Ain't working but he seems convinced that it should.

If it's not Henning, then I'll get off him. Like I said it was never as much an indictment of him as much as the decisionmaking overall. I still have issues with Dan if Fox is in charge of the third down mistakes, but it's certainly less.

Yeah, the paper came out with a story last week where Henning said it's Fox' fault we do that. And that we won't change.

Still, in that one situation it's acceptable. It's not acceptable to keep doing it. There are other safe ways to chance a first down without putting the ball up for grabs.

 

>> Yeah, the paper came out with a story last week where Henning said it's Fox' fault we do that.

I missed that. Do you have a link? That would not be a good career move if you ask me. Maybe he's wanting Fox to let him open it up some.

>> Still, in that one situation it's acceptable.

This is gonna seem weird and maybe like I'm just trying to be argumentative but I don't agree. I wondered that they were afraid to try a pass with Tuten in but then I said "nah" that doesn't make a bit of sense. I was pretty pissed when I read Fox's comment and now am having questions about Fox and if his ultra-gutless approach has a chance in hell of working. I mean I just never thought that in a 3rd and 7 that you would just punt outa fear unless you're backed up to your own goal line or you had a safe lead late in the game. If you had accused him of doing that, I would have defended him and called you an ugly name. He's made some good decisions but I hate this one.

>> he had more impact than Witherspoon

maybe when his butt but hitting the turf

>> He ran right into blocking, doing nothing more, in pursuit and usually got shielded away on inside stuff. He's growing as a linebacker, but a middle linebacker he's not.

I'll agree with most of that. But he did do more than you say and was adequate and I would expect him to show some improvement next week. Fortunately (not that it really matters since the season is lost) it sounds like Morgan will be back sooner than expected. Wonder how he will do with Burton in front of him. Gotta love Morgan. If it was me, I just might take my sweet time coming back to this mess. So far, the one positive is the guys are still fighting their asses off. They must believe in these coaches even if some of us fans don't.

 

that's the part that got me, the part where it seemed like you were reacting to what I'd said more than what you felt
it's all good.

Yeah, my feeling is that if you can get the snap off, you're good to run whatever you wish. As a matter of fact, the passing game would be better helped by this as the QB would be in total control of the football, where often a bad exchange can lead to a bad handoff.

If they wanted to play it safe there, once, then I could deal with it. I just get tired of seeing it more than a few times in a season, regardless of down and distance. Even Seifert would only run draws on third and 20+ with the ball on his side of the field.

As far as WW, it's just real big to me that middle linebackers play like middle linebackers. In the situations I wanted him to act like a MLB - hitting the hole hard and taking a guy down, picking through traffic rather than getting stuck in it - he didn't do good at all. Neither did Navies. Both, to me, had bad games. Witherspoon made a couple of nice open field plays but that's why he's a weakside player. I have a little more confidence in him as a linebacker but none more as a middle.
He had two tackles. One of them was open field. The guy ran around looking anxious before the snap. It was at home, so noise wasn't a problem on his calls.

The link was on the Observer site,

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/sports/football/nfl/carolina_panthers/4479800.htm