Pirate Galaxy » With 20 receptions in the first two games we were alread

y talking about running back Christian McCaffrey chances of breaking some kind of receptions record in 2018. The Bengals defensive coordinator certainly had to make it a focus of the defensive game plan; protect the edges and the flat in response to the Panthers’ propensity to run or pass to McCaffrey in those directions.New Panthers offensive coordinator Norv Turner made all that planning for naught. Instead Turner ran McCaffrey between the tackles to the tune of 184 yards on 28 carries Baby Donte Jackson Jersey , a whopping 6.6 yards per carry. If you were like me, as the game wore on in the second half you probably thought “well now Newton will start to throw to McCaffrey in the flat”. Nope, it never happened. McCaffrey only caught two passes for 10 yards on the day, a huge departure from what the Panthers offense did in Weeks 1 and 2. The result of this effort is the Panthers lead the NFL in averaging 166 yards per game. That is Ron Rivera football right there.Let me throw some additional credit where it’s due. The patchwork offensive line did a great job of run blocking in this game. Also huge props to McCaffrey for his tough, tackle-breaking running. I read somewhere he averaged almost three additional yards after contact and had eight or 10 broken tackles. Can we please now stop with the ‘McCaffrey can’t run between the tackles’ narrative? He blew that up this past Sunday.On a related note here’s a graphic on McCaffrey’s directional success:Another reason I find the game plan genius is it took the pressure off the aforementioned patchwork line. With three starters out of the game the Panthers needed to avoid forcing Newton to stand in the pocket and win the game with his arm. Running the ball between the tackles did just that. The fact Newton was under a lot of pressure when he dropped back to pass supports this notion. Here are the PFF grades for the Panthers’ three fill-in starters on the offensive line:I should add that right tackle Taylor Moton was the Panthers’ top graded player on offense and even made the All Offense Team for PFF this week. I imagine Turner looked at this group of fill-ins and realized we had to run the ball in order to win this game. That turned out to be an advantage since it was the opposite of the Panthers’ film from the first two games. Advantage Panthers.I could get used to this whole ‘out game planning the competition’ stuff. I reached out to The Smoking Musket to get a feel for what the Panthers will get from their third round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Keep Sounding PodcastPanthers 2019 NFL DraftCSR Film RoomPanthers 2019 NFL DraftFour questions with The Smoking Musket on Panthers’ third round pick Will GrierNew,36commentsI reached out to The Smoking Musket to get a feel for what the Panthers will get from their third round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft. EDTShareTweetShareShareFour questions with The Smoking Musket on Panthers’ third round pick Will GrierAs you’ve probably heard by now Best Donte Jackson Jersey , the Carolina Panthers selected quarterback Will Grier with the No. 100 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.Regardless of how people have reacted to the decision, it’s been made and there’s nothing we can do to change it. Will Grier is the Panthers’ backup quarterback for the forseeable future, and if something were to happen to Cam Newton, he will be the team’s starter. You don’t have to like it, but at this point you may as well accept it. As our old friend Foxy used to say — it is what it is.Since we’re going to be rooting for Grier for the next four years (at least) I reached out to Michael Miller from our sister site The Smoking Musket for a brief Q&A session. Below are his answers to my four questions.1. What are Grier’s strengths and weaknesses, and how do you think he could help the Panthers’ offense in 2019?Will’s biggest weakness is something that can be coached out and improved on as his career continues — his footwork. When Will is under pressure Adult Donte Jackson Jersey , his footwork gets sloppy and causes him to throw off balance. Fortunately for Will, his strengths allow his weakness to not be his undoing.Grier has impeccable accuracy on his ball placement. Time and time again, West Virginia fans witnessed Grier drop a pass through a narrow window and into the arms of his receivers. According to Pro Football Focus, Grier graded out as the best in the country on catchable passes over 20-yards, and only second to Baker Mayfield over a two-year span.Check out Will’s game winning touchdown to new Seattle Seahawks receiver Gary Jennings Jr. against Texas last season for a perfect example of this. Grier is able to compensate for his footwork inefficiencies by being an athletic, instinctive playmaker.As for how Will can help the Panthers offense in 2019 Donte Jackson Panthers Jersey , it really just depends on if Cam is healthy. If Newton’s shoulder isn’t 100 percent by September and Grier is thrown into the starting role to begin the season, he may have a couple games where he doesn’t perform at his full potential while he gets used to the speed of an NFL game. I hate to draw the comparison, but Will definitely has a Baker Mayfield quality to him. We saw Baker struggle at times through his first three starts for the Cleveland Browns last year before turning things up and becoming a Rookie of the Year candidate. I’m not saying Will is going to come out and win the job from Cam straight up, but the Panthers are in good hands if Newton can’t go.2. The Panthers drafted him in the third round. Do you think they got a good value there, or did they overdraft him?I think they got excellent value for Grier with the No. 100 overall pick. I’m not exactly sure why Grier slid to the third round, but I believe he would’ve been a solid late first round - early second round pick. He’s definitely better than Daniel Jones DJ Moore Panthers Jersey , who was taken 94 picks ahead of Grier, but I won’t get started on that.3. Which parts of his game do you think will best translate to the NFL? Which parts will he need to work on the most?Grier’s vertical passing game will translate perfectly to the NFL, but he needs to get more consistent with his footwork — especially when under pressure — to reach his maximum potential in the league. I also believe his pocket awareness, scramble ability and athleticism will surprise people who haven’t watched him and only looked at the combine numbers. If he can fix the footwork, he can at least be a league average starter within two seasons.4. Do you see him as a potential starter in the NFL or more as a career backup? Why?I do see Grier becoming an NFL starter, although it may not happen for a year or so. I think Will landed in a perfect situation in Carolina Limited Christian McCaffrey Jersey , where he can sit behind Cam Newton and learn the offense. Newton only has two years left on his contract before becoming a free agent, and I think by then Grier will absolutely be ready to take over. If the Panthers choose to extend Cam’s contract, they’ll have an excellent quarterback to shop around for trades. There you have it, Panthers fans. Does this help ease your mind a bit? Why or why not? Share your thoughts with us!