2020-21 Player Preview: Miles Bridges

When it comes to most young players, the fans of their team are usually more inclined to have a higher view of him that the rest of the league at large – displayed in drastically uneven NBA Trade Machine proposals and references to impressive yet innocuous performances on random nights in January.

However when it comes to Miles Bridges, the sides of the debate are actually reversed. Though the rest of the league remembers the All-Star Rising Stars MVP performance and the ferocious dunks he gives on a weekly basis, Charlotte fans are more likely to have a critical, sometimes cynical opinion of Miles as he comes into his 3rd year as a pro.

A lot of these criticisms of his game are fair, Bridges has even said as much himself, and it’s that character and ability to be his own biggest critic that influences many (most notably those around him) to believe that down the road he’ll be able to get it corrected.

The main problem for him to overcome is heightened given it’s importance in his role, that is his ability to shoot the ball. He is 33% on 3 point shooting for his career so far, which though already not ideal gets even more worrying when you dive deeper into his splits.

#Hornets' Catch-and-Shoot 3P numbers: pic.twitter.com/xjOMgPjUmS

— Richie (@richierandall) November 28, 2020

To be taking the most catch and shoot 3’s on the team and making them at such a low clip? A less than ideal situation, but one that will have to improve for Bridges to keep clocking big minutes for this team – especially given the number of initiators now on the team who’ll need to rely on him to get these shots to fall.

Whilst Bridges’ minutes will naturally go down due to his new role coming off the bench, making way for newly acquired Gordon Hayward to enter the starting lineup, the hope is that it could end up being the making of him.

His connection with new star LaMelo Ball was clear over the pre-season, and indicated that playing next to a guard with his style handling the ball may be more conducive for success for Miles going forward.

LaMelo lobs to Miles Bridges! pic.twitter.com/TDjyi9ALMY

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) December 15, 2020

LaMelo no-look, behind-the-back assist 🔥 pic.twitter.com/3k1VL0dTvp

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 13, 2020

Defensively, the hope is that we’ll see less of the mental lapses that have caused issues over the last couple of seasons. It’s clear that Bridges has the build and makeup of a strong defensive player, but now the onus will be on him to start going out there and proving it as he grows more experienced as a player. Now that coach James Borrego has other strong defensive options at the forward positions with Gordon Hayward, PJ Washington and the Martin twins – the big question will be if Bridges can prove himself as someone you can play in those important crunch minutes, rather than a liability who the opposition will pick out to attack.

With a big summer coming up in 2021 as he becomes eligible for big money, this 3rd season will be huge in determining whether the former 12th Overall Pick is someone GM Mitch Kupchak will want to have in his long term plans. The issues he needs to correct are laid out, and with his attitude and will to succeed as outlined earlier, I wouldn’t want to bet against him getting it fixed and developing into a strong player for the team. He’s one of the easiest players to root for on our team, and I’ll be cheering for him hard this season.

2020-21 Player Preview: Gordon Hayward

Charlotte has been building up a lot of good grace with basketball heads and media figures alike over the past season or so. They’ve been able to boast an impressive young core of lottery picks, 2nd rounders and undrafted guys led by James Borrego, who has done one of the leagues more underrated coaching jobs since taking the helm in 2018. The LaMelo Ball pick, though maligned by some, was a calculated shot at a high upside player who many smart analysts believe to be the best player of his class – a skilled initiator with great size who projects very well to the direction the NBA is currently headed.

Ultimately, there was too much good grace being afforded to the team – not to say it wasn’t deserved, it just didn’t feel like the Charlotte we’d grown to know…

In many ways, Gordon Hayward is about as ‘Charlotte Hornets’ as it gets from a free agency signing. A perceived overpay for a player who is in a battle with his own body to reclaim some of his prime years due to a combination of frustrating and catastrophic injuries. Whilst the signing gave everyone a chance to criticize Michael Jordan’s ownership and have another big laugh at Charlotte fans, there’s more than enough reason to have belief that this signing can be a success for the team in the short term at the very least.

Short memories are a problem in most sports, and basketball is not exempt – so it has been easy for many to forget that the health of Gordon Hayward was discussed by many as the X-Factor of the Eastern Conference we watched a mere 3 months ago.

Boston found themselves 0-2 down in the series by the time Hayward was able to return, and though likely still compromised by injury he was able to contribute effectively as a 6th man as the teams split the next 4 games 2-2. Though not enough to stop Miami making it through to the finals, it was clear he made his presence felt.

His performance in Game 3 gave a little bit of everything you’d want to see out of a star wing player, including a particularly relevant quote from former coach and current commentator Jeff Van Gundy.

“Thats why they pay him 30 Million Dollars a year, it’s cos he’s good”

Ultimately, it’s that ‘little bit of everything’ that Hayward will have to provide for this to work out for Charlotte, and he’s more than capable of filling almost every need the team would’ve had down going into last off-season. Perimeter shooting, perimeter defense and a wing player who can initiate but also play efficiently… Hayward fits the bill.

For the 2020-2021 Season, it feels very safe to say that Hayward will be the best player on the team, which begs the question of whether he’ll be able to carry the demands this role will bring. He will have a lot of responsibility handling the ball, will almost definitely take the most shots on the team and will be asked to do a good share of work on the defensive end as well, likely clocking around 35 minutes a night – a return to the role he was assigned in his last season in Utah, the version of him the team is hoping they see this season

Will he be able to get back to that form? If the last 2 seasons are anything to go by, he still has the ability – but it’ll be as much about the durability that will determine whether his season is a success. When he’s out there, I have no doubts you’ll be able to pencil him in for a 25-5-5 with strong defensive contribution, something this young team will be so so dependent on.

And that for me, is as important as any other part of Hayward’s play this season. For as much as we’ll need him to play well for both the benefit of himself and the team, it is the way this will help the younger guys on the roster that will be instrumental for this team getting better going forward.

We’ll need him to take some of the initiating burden off of LaMelo, we’ll need him to provide spacing to see if Malik Monk’s career can be salvageable in Charlotte, we’ll need his defensive ability to see if Miles Bridges can hold up more effectively in big crunch situations.

It may seem like a lot, but Hayward wouldn’t have taken on the challenge if he didn’t feel he was up to it, and I for one won’t be betting against him having an All-Star level season in his 1st year in Charlotte.

3 Main Objectives for the 2020 Carolina Panthers

Whether you call it a rebuild, retooling or just an outright tank, its clear to most that the Carolina Panthers will not be a team in contention this season.

For the first time in years fans won’t go into the season with Super Bowl dreams or even realistic playoff aspirations, but instead with a fascination at what the team will look like playing under a new coaching staff for the first time in nearly a decade (Perry Fewell era discounted.)

Though joy may be hard to come by this year, there are a few ways Carolina can put together a productive season in terms of building for the future to ensure we can soon become a contender once again…

1. Find some hits amongst the Defensive draft picks:

Having already ended last season as one of the worst defensive teams in the league, the loss of Top Corner James Bradberry and Franchise Legend Luke Kuechly pretty much guarantees that things will not be pretty on that side of the ball this year.

Despite this, there’s still a chance that a few individuals could show some promise as key contributors going forward, or at least you’d hope so given that the 2020 NFL Draft saw Carolina go Defense with each one of their picks.

Derrick Brown will look to avoid being Vernon Butler 2.0 as he comes in to partner KK Short on a D-Line that also includes 2nd Round Pick Yetur Gross Matos, who could prove to be a steal for the team after many projected would go at the back end of the 1st Round.

Do-It-All defender Jeremy Chinn is definitely the most hyped of the group with fans very excited for his future. Also watch out for defensive back Troy Pride Jr. who will begin the campaign as a starter at Corner for the team.

2. Address the Curtis Samuel and Taylor Moton situation:

When Marty Hurney said that he had not opened contract negotiations with either player coming into this season, the fanbase let out a collective sigh of disappointment but certainly not shock, as is the disappointment that Marty has trained us to expect.

After rumours that a day 2 pick had been tabled for Curtis around the time of the Draft, the team came out strong in saying that he would not be leaving and had a big role to play in Joe Brady’s offense. For him to still be in contract purgatory after that statement is indicative of a team that maybe has not fully decided its direction, a tough indictment on Hurney and the incompetence that his 2nd stint as GM has brought. One would think you’d want to sign him for the bargain deal you can get him on now instead of risking paying him more in the event he has the blow up season we all know he’s capable of.

Though the Samuel situation is frustrating, the Moton one is absolutely infuriating. At the hardest position to come by other than Quarterback, Moton is a gem at Offensive Tackle and deserves to have already been paid by Carolina for the performance he has put in over the last 2 years.

However it continues to look more and more likely that the 4th year player will hit the open market next off-season and leave the team in James Bradberry-esqe fashion – another unforgivable exit by a player to continue the theme of the last few years. Locking him up to a long term contract is an absolute must for this season, and like I say, it’s shocking that this hasn’t been dealt with already.

3: Avoid Mediocrity:

This seems like an obvious point that would apply to any team, but with the 2020 Panthers it is absolutely imperative that should the team not be able to be good, they should be as terrible as possible.

It has been suggested by some that a 6-10/7-9 season would be a success and give the team something to build on after all the change we have seen occur over the last year. But for the Panthers to have any real success in the near future, it is more change that will have to come rather than the team building on what they already have.

An average season would not only make the team more bullish on QB Teddy Bridgewater, but also put a contract extension in play for Hurney, who as we all know has made a living off of mediocrity.

It is obvious that the team themselves do not plan to tank this season, however I do think there is a roadmap where the team can stay competitive week to week, let the young players develop and still lose enough games for the team to be in with a shot at drafting one of the blue chip QB’s available in the 2021 Draft.

That, hopefully followed with the exit of Marty Hurney, and I think we could look back and say that this season whilst not being pretty, was absolutely necessary to bring about a brighter future for the team

Yetur Gross-Matos, Welcome to Carolina

Last night, Carolina decided to double down on their 1st round pick of Derrick Brown to add even more power and disruption to their defensive Line, selecting edge rusher Yetur Gross-Matos from Penn State with the 38th overall pick.

As a player who many believed would sneak into the late 1st, this pick offers a lot of value with the Panthers even admitting themselves they didn’t think Matos would be there for them at that stage of the draft.

Standing at 6’5 with a 34 7/8″ arm and 82 3/8″ wingspan, he offers elite length and size that was overall lacking in what has been perceived as a pretty mediocre class of edge rushers. Pairing him with last years 16th overall pick Brian Burns now gives the team a young pass rush that has the potential to grow into something really special, and with Derrick Brown and KK Short on the inside they can start to feel really good about their defensive front – a unit that struggled last season despite misleading sack numbers.

In his final 2 years at Penn State, Yetur racked up 17 sacks as well as a mightily impressive 34.5 tackles for loss, something that bodes well to help improve Carolina’s run defense that managed to break records for being so bad last year.

Now that its in the books, it is clear to see what the Panthers plan was early in this draft. Despite the progressive thought in the NFL being drafting guys who can cover over guys that play up front – Carolina has stood by the old school mantra of building a Defensive front to back, jamming the run and getting in the face of the Quarterback.

Whilst opinions on that philosophy are mixed, it can’t be denied that the Panthers picked up two very, very good football players who will contribute big to rebuilding a defense that has undoubtedly lost its way in the last couple of years.

Going into day 3 it is clear the team will need to draft some corner help – this position being without question now the weakest on the roster.

In terms of targets for Carolina today? Keep your eye on Bryce Hall, the cornerback out of UVA who is likely the best remaining player on the board at the position and would be a great add to the team.

Who should the Carolina Panthers pick at number 7?

The Carolina Panthers are a bad football team.

This was true when the team slumped to an 0-8 finish in the 2nd half of last season, became worse when the best player on the defense retired, then was compounded with the unceremonious and disrespectful release of the greatest Quarterback in franchise history.

Indications that this team lacks serious talent are all over – a personal favourite being that Colin Jones was granted a release by the team during the heat of free agency. With all due respect, if Colin Jones feels like he’s above your football team, it might be worth asking if the guy who put it together really does have a steady hand on the tiller the way many in the organisation would want you to think.

Thankfully, the Panthers are well positioned at number 7 overall to get an elite level player to start their team turnaround, these are the 3 options I think the team should be highly considering – should they be there on the board

3. Isaiah Simmons – Linebacker/Safety/Just Put Him on Defense – Clemson

For a team with holes at basically every area of the defense, drafting a guy who can play a role at almost every single position seems like a smart option.

Widely seen as the best athlete in this draft – his combination of speed, size and explosiveness paired with impeccable table is so impressive that it would be a waste to peg him down to one position. That’s why it is so important for Simmons to go to the right spot, combining him with a smart DC to fully maximise his potential.

It remains to be seen whether Phil Snow is that guy, but should he be, Thursday could see the start of a very happy marriage between the Snowman and the new face of his Defense.

A fitting player to come in and pick up where Luke Kuechly left off.

2. Jeff Okudah – Cornerback – Ohio State

Of these 3 players, Okudah is the least likely to be on the board when the Panthers pick at number 7. In a deep class of corners, he has set himself apart as the consensus number 1 (save for the CJ Henderson truthers) and to many others is the number 2 overall prospect behind his teammate Chase Young.

It’s no secret that playing corner in the NFC South is a tough gig, but it’s Panthers DB’s who have it toughest of all. A combination of great offensive minds like Payton and Arians, top level wide receivers and Quarterback’s with stacked resume’s mean there are no easy assignments when it comes to divisional matchups.

The loss of James Bradberry this off season was a big one for Carolina. The team already needed more help in the secondary and the development of 2018 2nd round pick Donte Jackson seems to have been stunted, making corner a high priority need in this draft.

Should Okudah be there at 7, it would be the perfect pairing of need and best player available.

1. Tua Tagovailoa – Quarterback – Alabama

This one is the dream, the real kick starter. The one which will give life back to a fan base that has felt pretty disillusioned for about six months now. The funny part? He may be the player you can most realistically envision being there for us at 7. Talk continues to gather that his medical concerns are seriously putting teams off selecting him high in the draft, with Justin Herbert playing the defacto role of tall, white quarterback rising up draft boards – his 39 wonderlic score won’t do any harm for him either in terms of attracting teams without a clue what they’re doing.

The idea of Tua becoming a Carolina Panther after the last decade of incredibly questionable football decisions and awful mismanagement of a generational quarterback talent does make you wonder what sort of karma has been built up to make this team get so lucky twice. And while many fans feel like we may get even luckier next year in the form of a top 2 pick to take either Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields, my well guided pessimism makes me believe our team can do just enough to keep us out of the stakes for either of those franchise altering talents.

Unfortunately, there’s every chance Carolina passes on Tua should he be there. It’s been reported that at least 2 teams have flunked his medical, with the Panthers being circulated as potentially one of them.

Nobody doubts that there is risk tied to drafting Tua, but to get the guy deemed the consensus Number 1 Pick this time last year before the Burrow Boom, and to get him at number 7 overall? Well worth the risk. Players with a legit chance to be an elite Quarterback’s are very rare, so many teams settle for mediocrity and can waste years upon years as a result through the fear of where leaving the comfortable middle ground might leave them.

Team owner David Tepper prides himself on being a guy who likes to take ‘calculated risks’ – On Thursday night, There’s a good chance he’ll have a big one in front of him in the form of a potential new franchise Quarterback.

Matt Rhule set to be hired as Carolina Panthers Head Coach.

This morning David Tepper’s search for a new Head Coach came to a conclusion as reports emerged that Baylor Head Coach, Matt Rhule, was finalizing a deal to become Head Coach of the Carolina Panthers.

Reports say that an agreement was struck when Tepper and current GM Marty Hurney traveled to Waco to interview Rhule for the position, speaking with him and also getting to know his family. The Panthers were aware that the Giants had scheduled to meet with Rhule this week but they did not want to give anyone else the chance to hire him, making him an offer that he could not refuse. 7 years for $60 Million with the potential to rise to $70 Million with incentives.

Though not yet having any high ranking position in the Pro Game on his resume, Rhule earned respect from many in the NFL for both the job he did as the HC for Temple and the turnaround job he did at a Baylor program who was at the brink of death due to scandals and brought the team from 1-11 to 11-3 in just 2 years in charge of the team.

It is likely that Phil Snow will also be coming to Carolina to serve in the same role he did under Rhule at Baylor as Defensive Co-ordinator, whilst Detroit Lions QB coach Sean Ryan will come over to be the Offensive Co-ordinator for the team.

More info on the rest of the staff will be sure to come out over time, along with a press conference likely coming soon and opportunities to speak about what this means for many going forward, including most importantly franchise Quarterback Cam Newton who will enter the 2020 season in the final year of his contract.

One thing is certainly for sure though, Owner David Tepper is finally crafting the Carolina Panthers in his image by making a big long term commitment to a Coach who has previously spoken about the importance he puts into numbers and analytics. Much more in line with Tepper than previous Head Coach Ron Rivera.

With only the Cleveland Browns still yet to appoint a new Coach, it seems safe to say that Matt Rhule is the most impressive and intriguing hire of this off season and many eyes will be on Carolina next season to see how he performs. Let’s hope he can impress early and get the team back to winning ways as soon as he can, hopefully with Superman as his Quarterback.

Panthers Fire Head Coach Ron Rivera

Today, in what was a shock to many people, Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper announced that he had fired Ron Rivera and would immediately begin the search for the teams new Head Coach.

The news came within 48 hours of the team’s defeat to the 2-9 Washington Redskins, an embarrassing result that served as the final nail in the coffin for the teams playoff hopes and ultimately their Head Coach’s tenure.

More than anything, it is the timing of this decision that has left many surprised and also drawn criticism from others who believe this was an unfair way to part with a coach who had achieved many things with the team. Guiding them to a Super Bowl appearance and becoming the winningest coach in franchise history just to name a couple.

To many though, this was a decision that felt inevitable since Tepper bought the team back in the Off-Season of 2018. Renowned for being heavily into analytics as a businessman, it was always going to be a clash of ideology with Rivera having a much more old school approach to the game. He always opted for tough defense and running the ball whilst also seeming to ditch his ‘Riverboat’ ways that made him so popular in the early part of his Head Coaching career.

With this style of management, it seems easy to say with hindsight that the game would always catch up with him. His matchups with division rival coaches Sean Payton and Dan Quinn always seemed to serve as reminders that Ron was an old dog without many new tricks.

Payton’s New Orleans team have beaten the Panthers in each of the teams last 5 meetings when starters haven’t rested, whilst the Falcons are 7-2 against Carolina since Dan Quinn became their Head Coach in 2015.

The legacy that Ron leaves in Carolina is a confusing one. Whilst the majority would agree it was time to make a change, the argument of whether his 9 years in Carolina should be deemed a success will be debated for years to come.

On one hand, you have a guy that took over the team with the league’s worst record and had them polished into back-to-back-to-back division winners and NFC champs by his 5th season, picking up a couple Coach of the Year awards along the way too.

On the other, someone who was gifted a generational Quarterback in Cam Newton and not only couldn’t put a consistently successful team around him, but also put Cam’s career in serious jeopardy with gross mismanagement of his health.

This firing will no doubt be the first of many changes that take place this off season, and it could be a complete break with the past for this team as the rumors of this being Newton’s last year as a Panther just will not go away. Should Carolina part ways with Number 1, the bitter feeling toward Ron may grow as large as it ever has even after his departure from the team. Mismanagement of a star is one thing, leaving him so badly injured that he is deemed surplus to requirements? Unforgivable.

General Manager Marty Hurney is another key figure who many believed would part ways with the team sooner rather than later, though quotes from David Tepper’s press conference seem to suggest he is safe, at least for now.

All in all, this can be seen as the 1st real day of the Tepper’s regime for the Carolina Panthers. After maintaining a fairly low profile for so long and not interfering with the football side of operations, the owner looks set to begin his project of completely reshaping the makeup of this team. Don’t be surprised if we see more big statements in the coming months.

3 Keys vs the Washington Redskins.

The Carolina Panthers are clinging onto their playoff hopes after last week’s tough defeat against the New Orleans Saints, a close game that could’ve easily ended up with a Panther W if not for a rough performance from Kicker Joey Slye.

However, as Ron Rivera is keen to point out, our destiny remains in our own hands and this  Sunday’s game against Washington is a great  place to start the teams potential bounce back into form, here’s how they can help themselves back in the winning column.

1. Focus on Protecting Kyle Allen.

Carolina comes into this game with some serious health issues on their Offensive Line. Guard Greg van Roten has been placed on IR and officially ruled out for the rest of the season, whilst Tackle Greg Little is doubtful to play in this game after suffering an ankle injury.

This likely means we’ll be seeing Daryl Williams this week as he looks to improve upon what has been a very disappointing season so far to say the least as he heads into free agency this upcoming off season.

Offensive Co-ordinator Norv Turner should look to give Williams as much help as possible in order to keep Kyle Allen clean this Sunday… Look to see how he uses Greg Olsen and Christian McCaffrey in terms of helping protect the Quarterback.

2. Be Creative on Defense.

Washington had much to celebrate last week as Rookie QB Dwayne Haskins got the first win of his career vs the Detroit Lions, a win they’ll be hoping is the first of many after selecting him in the 1st Round of the NFL Draft back in April.

Reports though on Haskins are mixed, and as a young player he is naturally going to experience some growing pains as he navigates the league. The Panthers should look to get spicy on defense to keep the quarterback on his toes and expose his youth and lack of playing time thus far in his career.

After reports last week that Head Coach Ron Rivera is very much on the hot seat, he should see this game as an opportunity to make a big statement and show himself as one of the top defensive minds the league has to offer.

3. Get Clinical in the Red-Zone.

Many have blamed last week’s defeat on Joey Slye’s big missed field goal late in the game, however it could be argued that had the Panthers been able to get in the End Zone, it wouldn’t have come down to the Kicker having to make that late chip shot to put the team in the lead.

This isn’t the first time the offense has let the team down late in a game either – the game vs the Bucs at home and the road game vs the Packers both stand out as instances where we had a big chance to get a W but instead let it slip through our fingers.

If Kyle Allen wants to stake a serious claim to be a Starting QB going forward, he will have to make some big improvements in this particular area. Hopefully he’ll come out firing this week and look to put right some of the issues that have crept up in his game thus far.

3 Keys vs the New Orleans Saints

When it comes to playing against the Saints, it doesn’t matter what the situation or scenario is, it’s always a great feeling to get a win over one of our fiercest rivals. Add to that the fact that this is a win or go home game, and this is without question Carolina’s biggest game so far this season.

The Panthers have suffered some heartbreaking losses in the Superdome in recent years, this is how they can avoid more pain and come away with a much needed victory this Sunday.

1. Give Proper Attention to Michael Thomas

Christian McCaffrey isn’t the only non-QB making a strong MVP case this season with Saints wide out Michael Thomas having an incredible season, staking his claim as one of the most dominant receivers in the game.

Thomas is on course for record breaking numbers, at this pace he will end the season with over 1,800 receiving yards and break the record for receptions in a season with 150.

Panthers corner James Bradberry has been able to hold his own in matchups against Thomas so far in his career, but don’t expect him to be working alone this week as Head Coach Ron Rivera should look to put as many men on him as it takes to slow him down.

2. Survive 3rd downs on Defense

Leading on from dealing with Thomas, Carolina will have to make sure everything else on Defense is sound when facing off against this New Orleans team.

Carolina come into this game ranked 22nd in Defensive 3rd down conversion percentage, contrast that with the Saints who rank 9th in Offensive 3rd down conversion and it’s clear to see that the Panthers must up their game in this area if they are to have any chance this weekend.

If the team is able to deal with Running Back Alvin Kamara and force Drew Brees into making tough throws after his struggles since returning from injury, the Panthers will give their Offense every chance to make a big statement.

3. NO TURNOVERS

This seems an obvious point to make after Kyle Allen’s performances in the last 2 weeks – a 2 turnovers game against Green Bay followed by 4 interceptions last week at home vs the Atlanta Falcons, a team that has struggled to create turnovers all season.

Extra emphasis should though, be put on taking care of the football this week as the Saints have the least turnovers in the league so far this year with just 6 giveaways in total.

On that evidence, it’s unlikely that the Panthers will be getting any freebies, so it’s up to Kyle Allen to take care of the ball and make smart decisions, so that Sean Payton’s offense isn’t getting any extra possessions this Sunday…

Panthers 3 Keys vs Tennessee

Coming off their biggest loss of the season, the Panthers are looking to bounce back this weekend in their first home game in a month against the 4-4 Tennessee Titans.

The Titans are coming off back to back wins since installing Ryan Tannehill as the starting Quarterback and will be looking to keep that run going as the AFC South looks more and more wide open… Here’s  how the Panthers will look to stop them.

1. Improving the run defense.

The 49ers put up over 200 rushing yards against Carolina last week on their way to a blow out 51-13 win, an uncharacteristic moment for a Defense that prides itself on being able to stuff the run game.

However, this week may see a better matchup as Titans running back Derrick Henry is much more of a ‘ground and pound’ style back, the type of which Carolina are much more suited to facing.

Don’t be surprised if Tennessee opt to give back Dion Lewis more reps than usual, as he could give the Panthers problems in terms of threatening both in the run and pass out of the backfield.

2. Get the ball to Curtis Samuel.

In the aftermath of last week, Samuel has received very unfair criticism for his performance so far this season, with reporters saying he’ll need to up his game in order to help the Panthers going forward.

Despite this, the advanced numbers have shown that Curtis has been doing all he can in his role, creating great separation for himself and just not seeing the ball come his way from quarterback Kyle Allen.

Tennessee has given up 300 passing yards to opposing QB’s in each of their last 2 games, hopefully this will be the weekend where we see the big 100+ yard receiving game from Samuel we’ve all been waiting for

3.  Deal with Tennessee’s many wide receivers.

Since making the change at Quarterback, the Titans have seen a much improved pass attack with 5 passing TD’s over their last 2 games compared to the 7 they had seen in Mariota’s 6 starts prior.

It comes as no surprise that this would be the case when you look at the skill players on their roster… 5th overall pick Corey Davis, AJ Brown and off season acquisition Adam Humphries.

Carolina will have its hands full this Sunday dealing with them, but with James Bradberry, Donte Jackson and  Ross Cockrell… they’re pretty well equipped to do so.