Preseason #3: Miami

It was a great battle, because I think we played a championship caliber team. And when you play solid teams like that, your weaknesses are definitely going to be exposed. There were too many penalties, which is uncharacteristic for a John Fox team. Either the team chemistry is not there for some of the new guys, or there is a lack of focus. I seriously doubt the latter. Foxy should straighten this out by the beginning of the season. I think it is a matter of time before these new guys get our system down.

I am going to be more specific and talk about the offensive line. This bunch is definitely an upgrade from last year. Their pass blocking is ok, but Jake was still seeing some pressure. Their run blocking is getting better, but for a run first team like us (believe it or not we are), we need more than that from our offensive line. Deshaun Foster was running hard, but there were limited gaps created for him. On the other hand, I am very excited about DeAngelo Williams, who was the player of the game in my opinion. Besides that electrifying KR for a TD, he ran very well despite poor blocking. He created his own holes and hit them hard. Deshaun better watch his back. This kid is good(Top right).

The defense continues the tear that they are on throughout this preseason. They are as good as advertised. However, they gave up lots of yards this game, but the first team defense only gave up 3 points. We drafted Thomas Davis as a safety, but his transformation to linebacker is now complete. He was making some serious hits too. There was some serious physical play from Chris Draft and most of the DBs. They are flying around and making plays. Defense is in tip top shape.

I’m gonna go out on a limb and say our special teams won the game. DeAngelo Williams broke the defensive deadlock with that kick off return for a TD(pic of that is on top right). This is why special teams are important. It was a battle on offense and defense, and special teams gave us the edge. Efram Hill also gave us great field position on punt returns. Our special teams unit also recovered a fumble in Miami territory, and got a field goal out of it.

There is a whole article about DeAngelo's 'coming out party'.
http://www.panthers.com/news/newsroomNewsDetail.jsp?id=26275