Carolina Panthers defeat the Buffalo Bills 9-3, start the season 2-0!

The Carolina Panthers defeated the Buffalo Bills 9-3 in an ugly, physical, defensive game. Carolina becomes 2-0 to start the season, while Buffalo drops to 1-1. Buffalo trailed for the entire game, but game the Carolina a scare in the final moments, nearly executing the two-minute drill to perfection. Bills’ quarterback Tyrod Taylor worked the sidelines on a drive that began at Buffalo’s 25-yard line with just over two-minute remaining. A string of completed passes and couple of scrambles gave Bills a shot at the end zone from 38 yards out with 14 seconds left. Rookie Zay Jones broke free near the right pylon, but couldn’t haul in Taylor’s slightly overthrown pass to steal the victory. Carolina Panthers Kicker Graham Gano made field goals of 34,28 and 20, last of which gave Carolina a 9-3 lead with 2:38 to play. Gano is 6-6 on field goals this season. Neither team scored a touchdown in today’s game.

            The MVP for the Panthers for this game would be the defense in general. Holding Bills star running back LeSean McCoy to 9 yards on 12 carries, sacking QB Taylor 3 times and only allowing the Bills to have 10 first down in this game. Most importantly in the first two games of this season, Panthers defense has only given up 6 whole points and haven’t given up a touchdown yet. Julius Peppers made 6 tackles, 2 sacks in his home opener since re-signing with the Panthers. Before today the Panthers were injury free but that quickly changes, center Ryan Kalil dressed but didn’t play after waking up with a sore neck and the biggest injury for the Panthers left in the first half of what he confirmed afterward is a broken right foot. Cam Newton was 20 of 32 for 228 yards, 0 TD, and 0 INT. Kelvin Benjamin, after being targeted only twice in the season opener at San Francisco, caught six passes on eight targets for 77 yards.

            Even though the Panthers won this game, there’s clearly something the Panthers need to work on. McCaffrey had another rough day, Offensive coordinator Mike Shula needs to learn how to use him correctly and not force play him. Cam Newton, even though he played a great game, was throwing the ball with great velocity, and still can scrambles very effectively. But he must learn to not overthrow his receivers. Ever since joining the league one of his biggest problems is overthrowing receivers, Gettleman drafted Benjamin and Funchess, both receivers are 7 feet tall but Cam still overthrows them. With little over two minutes left in today game, it was third and goal on the three-yard line, Cam overthrew a wide-open McCaffrey who would’ve scored and sealed the game. Cam almost cost the game for the Panthers. He also needs to learn clock management; every game Panthers burn at least one timeout because Cam can’t hike the ball before the game clock hits zero and in today’s game burn two timeouts and called for delay of game. I know this sounds like I hate Cam Newton, I don’t, I love Cam. He’s a top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL and one of the greatest QB in Panthers history just needs to fix major flaws in his game. Carolina Panthers (2-0) host the New Orleans (0-2) next Sunday.

            What did you think of today's’ Panthers victory? Tell me in the comment section below! And make sure to check back here sometime in the middle of the week for a preview of the Saints game but till then Follow me on Twitter @CarolinaFlights and subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/mOeZ564dOnE! 

Cam brought back the Dab in the first quarter of this game. 

Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Hornets News Update for this past week!

It's Friday again so it’s time for a Charlotte Hornets and Carolina Panthers news recap for the week. Let’s get started with the Panthers, Last Sunday the Panthers defeated San Francisco 49ers, 23-3 in the season opener. Panthers have claimed former Packers cornerback LaDarius Gunter and waived rookie kicker Harrison Butker. So that means Graham Gano has won the kicking battle after going 3-for-3 on field goals last Sunday. Panthers did, however, place Butker on the practice squad and parted ways with DT Eric Crume. Gunter, who landed in Green Bay as an undrafted rookie out of Miami in 2015, led the injury-plagued Packers' secondary in snaps (859) and passes defensed (12) last season. He then helped hold Giants wideout Odell Beckham Jr. to four catches and 28 yards in a Wild Card playoff win but struggled in subsequent weeks against Dallas' Dez Bryant and Atlanta's Julio Jones. With the Packers' secondary healthy again, Gunter played just two snaps in Sunday's season-opening win over Seattle. But at 6-foot-2, 201 pounds, he has the size Carolina looks for in its outside corners. Panthers also claimed former 49ers OT John Theus and put rookie CB Cole Luke (ankle) on injured reserve. Second-year defensive end Vernon Butler (knee) was a full participant at Wednesday practice, expected to play Sunday. Speaking of Sunday, Panthers have their home opener against the Buffalo “Carolina North” Bills. Lastly, it announced that the Panthers have the third-oldest roster in the NFL…so suck on that Atlanta!

            The big news coming from the Charlotte Hornets this week was them unveil classic uniforms, pinstripes and pleats which was made famous in the 80’s are coming back. Charlotte is one of eight NBA teams allowed to wear “Classic Edition” alternate uniforms the upcoming season. There were rumors over the summer that the Hornets would be wearing the classic uni’s throughout the summer, glad those were accurate. Hornets will play three games wearing the new classic jersey, the first game is the nationally televised matchup with the Cavs on November 15, other two are against the Bucks on December 23^rd and against the Thunder on January 13^th. According to the NBA 2K Hornets 4^th jersey is the purple Statement Uniforms, there will likely be the fifth uniform and a lot of people are suspecting it to be the Buzz City jersey. Next, is according to head coach Steve Clifford, rookie Malik Monk ankle injury is still “significant” and causing him enough issues that he is not yet able to undergo rigorous training. Hopefully, he will be ready for the season opener next month. Finally, Sports Illustrated did a top 100 NBA players, Charlotte had 5 players in it; 88-Marvin Williams, 73-Dwight Howard, 70-Cody Zeller, 48-Nic Batum, 29- Kemba Walker. Yeah, that seems pretty accurate to me, nothing much else to say about that.

            That’s all the news from the past week for the Hornets and Panthers if I missed anything tell me in the comment section below! And if you want you can follow me on Twitter @CarolinaFlights and check out my brand-new YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/TLOmMVRjy90! Also, make sure to check back here Sunday night for a Bills at Panthers recap and my initial thoughts of the game!

Hornets new "Classic Edition" uniforms

Previewing Sunday Buffalo Bills at Carolina Panthers game!

With week 2 of the NFL season started tonight, it’s time for me write the preview of the Buffalo Bills at the Carolina Panthers! The game is at one o’clock at Bank of America Stadium (obviously), this Sunday. Panthers are 7 points favorites as of Thursday. Bills and Panthers are both 1-0 after the first week of NFL action, the Bills defeated the Jets 21-12 while Panthers took down the 49ers 23-3 last Sunday. Panthers fans have given Buffalo the nickname “Carolina North” since Bills hired former Carolina’s assistant GM Brandon Beane as their GM, hiring former defensive coordinator Sean McDermott as their head coach and signed former Panthers fullback Mike Tolbert. The nickname has only gained significance in recent weeks as the Bills signed former quarterback Joe Webb and made a trade with the Panthers for Kaelin Clay.

            The centerpiece of the Bills offense is the rushing attack headed by LeSean McCoy, who’s arguably one of the most dangerous runner’s in the NFL. The Bills passing game, first-year offensive coordinator Rick Dennison is turning QB Tyrod Taylor into an improved pocket passer and stressing tight end involvement. Small sample size but week 1 it appears Taylor and TE Charles Clay are on the same page with Dennison’s plan. Taylor targeted Clay a game-high 9 times, including game’s opening touchdown. Bills emphasized run defense and to great effectiveness, while it was only the Jets but Buffalo held New York to just 38 yards on 15 carries. Even though it was one game against the Jets…But the Bills had the second-best in terms of yards allowed per carry in the preseason. The Bills also picked off the Jets twice, Bills went just 3-5 on the road last season (3-4-1).

            The 23-3 rout of San Francisco 49ers last Sunday, Panthers got a much-needed victory right off the bat to shake off their 6-10 performance during the 2016 season. Quarterback Cam Newton was clearly rusty after only throwing a couple passes in the preseason and with shoulder surgery. He did just enough throwing 171 yards on 14-of-25 passing and 2 touchdowns. The running duo of Jonathan Stewart and rookie Christian McCaffrey was a huge part of the Panthers offense last Sunday, especially McCaffrey.      

                This game is big for both teams, Panthers want to start the season off 2-0 before playing NFC South Rival New Orleans Saint and go to Foxborough to face off against the Patriots. But if Cam and company want to walk away with the win there going to have to be better offensively. Especially the run duo will have to do better, were also going to see how good the offensive line really is, since they didn’t allow Cam to get sack once against the 49ers. Panthers run defense will also be tested and were going to see how good the defensive line really is. This game will be a good early test for the Panthers, see how good they really are. But I do believe the Panthers will win in a hard-fought defensive battle and start the season 2-0. Make sure to check back here tomorrow for a weekly news update on the Hornets and Panthers! Till then go follow me on Twitter: @CarolinaFlights and my YouTube account: https://youtu.be/TLOmMVRjy90! 

Carolina Panthers defeat the San Francisco 49ers, 23-3! Recap and my thoughts on the game!

            In the season opener, the Carolina Panthers get the win, defeating the San Francisco 49ers, 23-3! Behind a suffocating defensive effort that including 4 sacks, an interception, and 3 fourth-down stops. Carolina allowed the fewest points they’ve ever allowed in an opener, the fewest before this game was 6 points in 1996 against the Falcons. Late in the first quarter, defensive end Wes Horton started the impact plays by the defense, stripping quarterback Brian Hoyer, defensive tackle Star Lotulelei recovered the fumble; three plays later quarterback Cam Newton connected with wide receiver Russell Shepard on a 40-yard touchdown pass. Two Graham Gano field goals after Panthers stopped the 49ers on fourth-down near mid-field extended the lead to 13-0 at halftime. The defense picked up right where they left off at on the first drive of the second half linebacker Luke Kuechly intercepted Hoyer and couple plays later Newton found running back Jonathan Stewart for an 8-yard touchdown to make it 20-0.

            The MVP for the Panthers this game for me would be safety, Kurt Coleman, in his first game as Carolina Panthers captain, he had couple key tackles on third and short that got the defense off the field, he tilled 6 solo tackles. Personally, Coleman is one of my favorite Panthers defensive players, he plays smart, great tackler and loves to intercept the ball and his celebration is simple but great. But like I said earlier the entire defense was great today, if they play like they played today, the Panthers have a good shot of making the playoffs again. The secondary surprised me on how good they played, I knew Bradberry and Coleman would play good but Worley and Adams both played good and held an offense that loves to throw the ball under control. The offense needs to work on a few things, Cam looked very rusty in the first half; underthrowing Kelvin Benjamin which got intercepted, overthrowing a wide-open Ed Dickson in the end zone. He did settle in a groove in the second half and play better but still needs some playing time to get all that rust off. Rookie running back Christian McCaffrey looked good, had 45 yards on 13 carries and added 5 catches for 38 yards but did lose a fumble in the fourth quarter. There’s nothing much else to say about today’s game, Panthers looked great. Carolina Panthers (1-0) home opener is next Sunday against the Buffalo Bills (1-0) with Bills head coach and former Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott homecoming. 

Weekly update on the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Hornets!

            Since it's Friday, it’s time for a Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Hornets weekly news roundup! Let’s start with the Charlotte Hornets news since there hasn’t been much news from the Hornets this past week. But it was announced that the Hornets are close to signing Eddie Jordan as an assistant coach to head coach Steve Coach according to the Charlotte Observer. Charlotte is finalizing a contract for Eddie Jordan, Jordan would fill the role formerly held by Bob Weiss, who recently joined the staff of the Denver Nuggets. Jordan was the head coach of the Sacramento Kings (1996-98), Washington Wizards (2003-08) and Philadelphia 76ers (2009-10). He was 257-343 in those jobs, coaching 4 playoffs appearances with the Wizards. Charlotte coaching staff lost a lot of experience in the past 6 months. Associate head coach Patrick Ewing left in the spring to become head coach at his alma mater, Georgetown. Then Weiss moved on to the Nuggets to be closer to his family living in Denver. After Ewing left, Stephen Silas was elevated to lead assistant, Silas has been with the Charlotte Hornets since 2010. And it was just announced by head coach Steve Clifford that Michael Carter-Williams had a knee procedure in August and is uncertain if he’ll be ready for the season-opener; he also announced the starters going into camp. Kemba Walker, Nic Batum, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marvin Williams and Dwight Howard.

            Next up is the Carolina Panthers, unlike the Hornets, the Panthers has had a busy week. Carolina cut roster the roster to mandated 57 rosters. The notable names that were cut were third string quarterback and Panthers pre-season MVP Joe Webb and punter Andy Lee were both cuts, Webb signed with the Buffalo Bills and Lee signed with the Arizona Cardinals. Left footed Michael Palardy won the punting job after having a strong summer. Rookie Alex Armah made the practice squad, who the Panthers really like but is a working project. Panthers reached an injury settlement with cornerback Zach Sanchez, who becomes free-agency. The injury was hip, not the groin. Carolina traded wideout Kaelin Clay to Buffalo and a 2019 seventh round-pick for second-year cornerback Kevon Seymour. Seymour, a sixth-round pick from USC last year, can play inside and outside corner and gives the Panthers more depth at a spot where they were a little thin. Seymour missed time during training camp with foot and shoulder injuries and struggled in coverage as a rookie. Clay becomes the latest ex-Panther to jump on the Charlotte-to-Buffalo train, following Bills head coach Sean McDermott, Beane, and several players. There were rumors and talks of safety TJ Ward came close to signing with Panthers but instead signed with the Buccaneers. Carolina Panthers begin their season in San Francisco to face off against the 49ers, I wrote a preview on here’s the link: https://carolinaflight.blogspot.com/2017/09/carolina-panthers-at-san-francisco.html yes this is a shameful advertisement for my own blog which you are on right now. But some more news about the game has come out, quarterback Cam Newton (shoulder) questionable but did practice all week, defensive tackle Vernon Butler (knee) doubtful. Graham Gano will handle kicking duties for the season opener after having a kicking battle with rookie Harrison Butker. Finally, Panthers announced this year captains, who are Cam Newton, Greg Olsen, Ryan Kalil, Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis, and Kurt Coleman (his first time as a Panther).

            That’s all the news from the past week for the Panthers and Hornets! Make sure to check back here after Panthers game Sunday for a recap and my initial thoughts of the game. Hopefully, the Panthers can get the win and start the season off on the good note!

Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers Preview!

With the Carolina Panthers kicking their season off Sunday, it’s time to starts each game preview! Let’s do this with Carolina Panthers at the San Francisco 49ers! Panthers are 6-point favorites as of Tuesday afternoon. It will be the first time the Panthers will be back at Levi’s Stadium since losing Super Bowl 50. 49ers will look to extend their 6-game winning streak in season opening games; it’s the sixth time in head coach Ron Rivera’s 7 years that the Panthers have started on the road. Both teams did face off last year at Bank of America Stadium with the Panthers coming out on top, 46-27.

            Coming off an unforgettable 2016 season, Carolina will try to re-establish themselves as one of the top teams in the NFC and make another trip to the Super Bowl. Quarterback Cam Newton is coming off shoulder surgery he had in March, only played in one preseason game but did look sharp. Newton has some new offense toys to play with in rookies Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel. Returning starters with Pro Bowl tight-end Greg Olsen and wide-out Kelvin Benjamin. Defensively, expect the Panthers to be better than they were in 2016, where they were 26^th in points allowed (25.1 points per game), front 7 should remain competitive (47 sacks, 2^nd in the NFL) as led by linebackers Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis and last year leading pass-rusher Mario Addison (9.5).

            With San Francisco, they're coming off a woeful 2-14 record last year, new head coach Kyle Shanahan, who formerly the offensive coordinator for NFC South foe Atlanta Falcons.  Will try to turn it around for the 49ers. Journeyman quarterback Brian Hoyer, who threw for 237.6 yards per game in 2014 while he was in Cleveland and had Shanahan as his coordinator, was his best season of his career. Veteran receiver Pierre Garcon is in the same boat, as his career highs in receptions (113) and receiving yards (1,346) in 2013 courtesy of Shanahan’s pass-heavy offense. Running back who had 988 yards in 2016 is expected to have another good year as well. On the defense, 49ers were ranked dead-last in total yards but first-round picks Soloman Thomas and Reuben Foster are expected to help change that around.

            This game will show if the Panthers secondary has improved this off-season or stayed the same because Kyle Shanahan offense is passing heavy and will exploit any weakness from the secondary. But I do believe the Panthers will win this game, Carolina has too many offensive weapons, Cam should be ready to go and well 49ers defense sucks. And riverboat Ron wants to start the season off with a win.  My final score predictions are Panthers: 35 49ers: 21. What are your predictions for this upcoming Sunday game? What other NFL game are you looking forward to watching this weekend? Tell me in the comment section below! And make sure to check back here Friday for a news roundup for the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte and again Sunday night after the game for my post game recap and thoughts of the game! 

2017/2018 Carolina Panthers story line to look for and season preview!

With the 2017-2018 NFL season only three days away I decided to do this Carolina Panthers season preview? Or A look ahead to the Carolina Panthers season or something like that. The Panthers took a step back last season going 6-10 after going 15-1 and making it to Super Bowl 50 in 2015. The Panthers made both some good and bad transitions this offseason. The good was Panthers brought back Julius Peppers and Captain Munnerlyn and in my opinion, the entire draft class was an upgrade for the Panthers, getting two potential play makers in McCaffrey and Samuels, getting one of the best Guards in the draft with Tyler Moton; the Panthers really didn’t miss a step in the draft. The bad was firing former general manager Dave Gettleman which still is minding boggling to me and then hiring former Panthers GM Marty Hurney as Interim General Manager. But fortunately, he has done a decent job so far. Since I got that out of the way let’s get dive into the upcoming season and the key players/story lines to keep a close eye on.  

The key players and storylines to keep a watch for are how will Cam Newton play this season after coming off shoulder surgery and having a disappointing follow-up season after winning MVP in 2015. How will the secondary hold up mainly will James Bradberry improve from an impressive rookie season or will he have a sophomore slump? How will Daryl Worley perform after having a terrible preseason? And will veteran safety Mike Adams who signed with the Panthers this off-season play? Can he still play at a high rate even when he’s getting up there in age? How will KK Short do after agreeing to a 5-year 80.5 million dollar deal this offseason, will he keep playing at a high level? Or will the decline since he got his big contract? Like KK how will defensive tackle Star Lotulelei play with him becoming an unrestricted free-agent after this season? Rounding out the defensive end is Julius Peppers, only signing a one-year deal and some are thinking that he will retire after this season, how will he play? Because he and Charles Johnson will be the anchor for Carolina at defensive end. Switching over to the offense side, the first key line is the offense line. The offense line needs to play like they did in 2015, Cam Newton can’t afford to take hits like he did last year. One certain player, I want to see how offensive tackle Matt Kalil play? Surely, he can be better than Mike Remmers was…right!?  Next up is wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess, both coming off a disappointing year last season. Benjamin was great in the preseason but Funchess is still a big question mark for the Panthers. How good will rookie running back Christian McCaffrey be? Lastly, who will win the kicking battle? Graham Gano or rookie Harrison Butker who has shined this preseason while Gano has struggled the past couple seasons. Both are getting trade

Looking at the 2017/2018 schedule (http://www.panthers.com/schedule/schedule.html) the Panthers will play 7 home games and 6 away games. Carolina will face off against 7 teams that had a .500 or better record last season while 4 of those 7 teams making the playoffs and two of them making the Super Bowl. Panthers will have one Monday night game in which they face off against Miami Dolphins and one Thursday night against the Philadelphia Eagles. The games that pop out for me are, 9/17 Buffalo Bills the return of former defensive coordinator Sean McDermott who is now the head coach of the Bills. Going to Boston to on 10/1 to face off against the Super Bowl 51 winners New England Patriots, I hope the Panthers kick their a@% because I just hate Tom Brady. And 11/5 when Atlanta Falcons come to Bank of America Stadium, I’m sure Panthers fans will have a lot of things to say for the Falcons after blowing a 28-3 lead in Super Bowl 51. In an honestly, I believe the Panthers will go 9-6 this season and miss the playoffs. But I do believe Cam Newton will play much better than he did last year and McCaffrey will be very impressive. There are just too many question marks in the secondary and offensive line. I do hope they prove me wrong and oh I don’t know go 15-1 and make the Super Bowl.

That’s my season preview and key players/story lines that I’m going to keep a watch out for this upcoming season. Tell me in the comment section your predictions for the Panthers for this upcoming year and what are you looking forward to this upcoming season as well! Have a great day and make sure to check back here Friday for a weekly news update on the Hornets and Panthers!

Panthers/Hornets new roundup #2

Welcome back to the second edition of Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Hornets news roundup! If this is your first time reading this, all I really do is collects news from the Hornets and Panthers from the past week and give my opinion on such news. So, if that interests you in any way then stick around!

            Let’s get started with the Carolina Panthers who played their fourth and final preseason game of the year Thursday night They lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 17-14 on a 1-yard run by quarterback Joshua Dobbs with 2-seconds left to play. No starters played for each team, both teams now have less than 48 hours to cut their rosters to the 53-man regular-season roster. The notable to players that got injured was this year second-round pick Curtis Samuel, was had two catches for five yards, limped to the locker room with an ankle injury early in the third quarter, he didn’t return. Second-year cornerback Zach Sanchez hobbled off in the fourth quarter. The three players that shine in my opinion is running back Cameron Artis-Payne who capped an excellent preseason; carried 8 times for 51 yards Thursday night. Wide receiver Damiere Byrd, who caught that touchdown pass from Webb. And third string quarterback Joe Webb who besides a couple passes that he lost control of, has been surprisingly good this preseason. Let’s see what else happened early Thursday Panthers added 2 million dollars in incentives to tight-end Greg Olsen’s contract that will make him the 5^th-highest paid tight-end in the NFL if he meets them. It’s a good middle ground for both parties, Olsen’s got some extra cash if he plays well while the Panthers didn’t have to spend a lot and give out a contract that could potentially hurt them in the long haul. Finally, with the Panthers is that the Panthers are activity shopping punter Andy Lee, Arizona Cardinals the biggest team that’s interested in the punter. Not much else to that story makes sense for Carolina to trade Lee, he’s old and cost a lot for a punter. But if you want to read more there the link: https://www.profootballrumors.com/2017/08/cardinals-interested-in-panthers-punter-andy-lee.

            There isn’t much Charlotte Hornets news…not much NBA news beside the Kyrie Irving trade drama that ended early this week. But according to Hornets head coach Steve Clifford shooting guard-small forward, Jeremy Lamb has really improved this offseason, applied himself this summer as much as any Hornet has. He needs too with rookies Dwayne Bacon and Malik Monk coming and second-year pro-Treveon Graham coming off a fantastic summer league along with returning starters Nic Batum and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. The only other news that is somewhat related to the Hornets is that Milwaukee Bucks waive former Hornet center Spencer Hawes or other known as “Agent Zero”, Charlotte traded him to Milwaukee to get Miles Plumlee, who Charlotte shipped to Atlanta along with Marco Belinelli to get center Dwight Howard.

Well, that’s all the news and rumors for the Charlotte Hornets and Carolina Panthers from the past week. If I miss anything or want to give your opinion on any I reported on tell me in the comment section below! Come back either tomorrow or Sunday for a new post on the key players for the Caroline Panthers this season. Have a good day and make sure to not watch that much college football this weekend😉

Carolina's Flight new logo!