Pirate Galaxy » Monday Morning Optimist: the Panthers found their speed o

n a weird day That was one of the dumbest and luckiest games of football I have ever seen the Carolina Panthers play. Let’s make that clear up front. This column isn’t sunshine and roses because a win is a win this week. Captain Colin Jones Stitched Cameron Artis-Payne Jersey , with key assists from DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel, made sure that a punt was not a bad play. Graham Gano kicked lights out, including that game winner that might have taken the lights out at a dome. The rest would be concerning if the Panthers had suffered another conference loss yesterday. Instead, there is hope that the litany of mistakes can merely be instructional.We’ll talk more as the week goes on about how many questionable decisions were made by Norv Turner, Ron Rivera, and Cam Newton against the New York Giants. An octopus on a slip-n-slide could have won a three-legged race more gracefully than the Panthers beat the Giants yesterday. It happens. The NFL is weird and the Cleveland Browns keep taking folks to overtime to remind them just in case they forgot. To harp on the down day for the defense or the uncharacteristic miscommunications between Ian Thomas and Cam that led to two turnovers would do a disservice to the great potential the Panthers demonstrated yesterday.Christian McCaffrey didn’t break the game Youth Fozzy Whittaker Jersey , but he had a couple of runs that made you hold your breath just in case he did. He has that potential that every fan and coach wants on their team: the run-away speed that can ruin a defense that makes even a single mistake. It’s exciting to watch in a way that even DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart weren’t —not quite— in their primes. He’s a reliable Ted Ginn, Jr.What’s more, the Panthers put the ball in the hands of rookie DJ Moore and second year wide receiver Curtis Samuel with space to move. I held my breath the same way I did for McCaffrey. These kids have the speed we hoped they would. Half the credit for their big plays goes to the Giants for putting on a clinic for poor tackling. Their speed was on full display in that much traffic, though. Imagine what it would look like in the secondary.It’s been a long time since the Panthers have had a player with the home run ability of McCaffrey. I don’t think they have ever had two players in that mold. If all three of these guys work out; if McCaffrey, Samuel, and Moore can all earn the trust of the coaches; if they each can force Turner’s hand into giving them significant roles in the game plan week in and week out then the Panthers offense is going to be a show worth watching.Their speed in front of the threat that is Cam Newton is not something that the NFL is made to handle. Devin Funchess can continue to settle into his role as a reliable contributor Stitched Fozzy Whittaker Jersey , a 1b to Greg Olsen’s 1a when he returns (possibly next week!). The Panthers can use those guys to move the chains while pinning safeties impossibly far back in fear of the three actual jungle cats the Panthers have masquerading as offensive skill players. It won’t work out quite that way, of course, but the players are finally there. They could do it.I don’t know if Turner is the right coordinator for that job. I don’t know if Rivera is an aggressive enough coach to even want that kind of ability to chew up yards and score touchdowns. I do know the Panthers flashed the potential for an unstoppable offense yesterday. Weird things happen in the NFL, so I’m happy to give them a pass for this game. For now. We’ll see if they can take advantage of their talent and stop manufacturing these nail biting finishes.That’s how they become relevant in the post season. That’s how 2015 happened. It’s worth it, even if that means no longer having some of the greatest calls of the week, like this one Youth Daryl Williams Jersey , courtesy of the Spanish language broadcast team: As the Panthers try to end a six-game losing streak that wiped out a strong 6-2 start to the season, many league observers are trying to figure out what will happen to coach Ron Rivera.Already on the job for eight years, Rivera now works for a new boss, and no one knows what owner David Tepper will do, now that a promising season has fallen apart.Some think Tepper will make a change. Some think he’ll give Rivera another year. Yes, Rivera has two years left on his deal Stitched Daryl Williams Jersey , but it would be peanuts in comparison to the purchase price for Tepper to pay Rivera to walk away.With two games left and the Panthers clinging to mathematical postseason possibilities, it would be premature for Tepper to make a decision now. But he surely has considered his various options, regardless of whether Tepper pulls the trigger.As it will be for every other team contemplating a coaching change, the final two games will be a factor. The Panthers could make the playoffs. Even if they don’t, they could finish strong with a pair of wins, ending up at .500. That necessarily would create a different vibe entering the offseason.Another big factor will be whether Tepper can upgrade. Rivera quietly has become one of the best coaches in the league. Before giving up on a guy who is closing in on a decade of experience and who has taken the team to a Super Bowl Youth Michael Palardy Jersey , Tepper had better be sure he’ll end up with someone better — especially since many believe the Buccaneers are poised to pounce on Rivera, if he becomes available.