Panthers In Free Fall
Added on Oct 22, 2012 by Scott in
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Someone had to answer for the Carolina Panthers 1-5 start. It wasn’t struggling quarterback Cam Newton or treading water head coach Ron Rivera. No, it was embattled General Manager Marty Hurney, who was handed a pink slip this morning by owner Jerry Richardson. It ends a decade of inconsistency both on and off the field and leaves the Cats hanging in limbo with ten games left in the 2012 season.
It would be simple to paint the Panthers with broad strokes and call them awful. However, toss out the blowout loss to the Giants in Week 3 and their other four defeats have been by a combined 17 points. The defense has been adequate, if not altogether good, but the offense lacks the 2011 explosiveness.
Newton appears dazed and confused. The overpaid running back duo of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart is stuck in mud. Steve Smith has yet to find the end zone. Neither Greg Olsen or Brandon LaFell has become a reliable second option in the passing game.
Hurney’s decision to not upgrade the weapons surrounding Newton led to his undoing. His only additions in the offseason were Mike Tolbert and Louis Murphy. Tolbert is a solid back, but why sign him when you have Williams and Stewart? Murphy couldn’t separate himself from a group of mediocre Raiders wideouts, so his inability to make an impact shouldn’t be surprising.
The pressure on Newton has never been higher. His fading statistics in the second half of last season have carried over into the first two months of this season. His completion percentage is down, he’s taking more sacks and hasn’t eclipsed 255 passing yards since Week 1.
As expected, defensive coordinators are forcing Newton to beat them through the air and thus far he’s failing to get the job done. The upcoming schedule features games with Chicago, Washington and Denver, so life isn’t going to get any easier for Cam’s Cats. For the front office and fans sakes, they better hops it’s a sophomore slump and not a symptom of something more serious.
