Preseason Win!

I had a chance to review the Panthers preseason win against the Giants Saturday night.

I have a few thoughts on the game and what I saw.

First I was pleasantly surprised to watch the first team move the ball down the field and score a touchdown. I may be mistaken, but I don't remember them doing that during the preseason games last year. The zone blocking scheme worked well, and Deshaun Foster (5 rushes for 62 yards) was able to get a number of nice carries off of it. I think this will bode well for the team this year. Foster, and Williams are not the big, bruising backs that play their best games between the tackles. They are built more to take advantage of their speed (and the athleticism of the offensive line) by finding holes and cut-backs and exploiting them.

The defense looked good, if not stellar. I wasn't disappointed in what I saw, and think they are improving nicely. Beason led the team in tackles and forced a fumble so what more can you ask of your first round draft pick?

The part of the game that still looks sketchy to me is special teams. I am not convinced that the Panthers special teams are where they need to be. John Kasey is still accurate in the kicking game and has plenty of leg. Jason Baker is more than serviceable as a punter. However, kickoff coverage and the return game still need to be better if this team is going to be considered a serious contender this year.

I'm hoping to attend the training camp on Wednesday, and will try to post my thoughts (along with some photos) when I get back.