Cam Newton has such a limited arsenal as a passer. That's the frustrating aspect of this loss. He can't alter pace and loft to fit every situation. On the 4th and 10 play it's going to be a mindless 100 mph fastball. You can virtually guarantee that. I mentioned it last night. So when we got to that pivotal play I just wanted tight coverage to force Newton to make his typical instant line drive decision, a ball that can just as easily ricochet off the wall ringing the stadium as manage a first down. So what does Brent Grimes do? He plays 6 yards off Steve Smith and then backs off another 6 yards as the play unfolds, allowing a perfect window for the mindless fastball. I still have a difficult time believing it. It's the most inept 4th down coverage I've seen on a pivotal play since Terrell Buckley allowed Horace Copeland to wander downfield and turn around for a simple first down on 4th and 7 in Wide Right I, the Canes' famous 17-16 win at Tallahassee in 1991.
Otherwise, Dion Jordan can't be on the field on every down approaching the goal line. I wanted to scream when he was inserted for every play once Carolina reached our 30 yard line on the first possession of the third quarter, when we led 16-6. Olivier Vernon was really battling out there all day, to the point he was praised by the color commentator. Vernon isn't exactly Reggie White against the run but at this point he gives us a significantly greater physical presence than Dion Jordan. Once Jordan was out there on every play on that possession, Carolina pushed us around and walked into the end zone within a few plays. Only one was aimed directly at Jordan, a sweep that gained about 12 yards. But overall we're simply too fragile with him in there. It attains an Oregon or Baylor type feel, like we need a 60 point offense to offset what we are surrendering with twig personnel. Jordan is fine for 3rd down plays but this is the second time we blew a lead partially because we insisted on using him near the goal line on every play. I don't know if Vernon got winded on that drive, or what happened. Carolina was running some hurry up. All of a sudden Jordan was out there on every play and I would have been shocked if we weren't exploited. And once it's 16-13 instead of 16-6 or 16-9, the math and likelihood of victory shifts dramatically.
Otherwise, Dion Jordan can't be on the field on every down approaching the goal line. I wanted to scream when he was inserted for every play once Carolina reached our 30 yard line on the first possession of the third quarter, when we led 16-6. Olivier Vernon was really battling out there all day, to the point he was praised by the color commentator. Vernon isn't exactly Reggie White against the run but at this point he gives us a significantly greater physical presence than Dion Jordan. Once Jordan was out there on every play on that possession, Carolina pushed us around and walked into the end zone within a few plays. Only one was aimed directly at Jordan, a sweep that gained about 12 yards. But overall we're simply too fragile with him in there. It attains an Oregon or Baylor type feel, like we need a 60 point offense to offset what we are surrendering with twig personnel. Jordan is fine for 3rd down plays but this is the second time we blew a lead partially because we insisted on using him near the goal line on every play. I don't know if Vernon got winded on that drive, or what happened. Carolina was running some hurry up. All of a sudden Jordan was out there on every play and I would have been shocked if we weren't exploited. And once it's 16-13 instead of 16-6 or 16-9, the math and likelihood of victory shifts dramatically.
