I waited to post here because after the game I was rather angry and didn’t want my post to be out of emotion. I think, like all of you on the board, I am lost at the moment. However, I will go back to the message that Lovie has stuck with since he got here -- temper your expectations. Listen to the press conferences... he hasn’t promised a rose garden here in the first year. The reality is we have a few key piece to a team, but this is a rebuilding year. With every new coach comes a new coaching staff, new plays, and new players. They completely changed the offensive line, how do you expect them to play well?? These guys barely know each other's names let alone had time to gel. This was further exacerbated by the constant line changes made throughout the preseason.I though Dave Moore explained it well last night on the post-game show. To summarize it: the offensive line is different because they are working in tandem on blocks both in the run and pass. That line itself created a large portion of the offensive problems. McCown threw rookie-like interception. I was there. I watched it live and I cried as well. I am with each and every one on the board... he is not the answer. What bothers me about the line is they removed all of the players (minus Dotson) from last year and they did a poor job of replacing them. I have said this since the draft... great we have Sims and ASJ, but they are useless if we cant get them the ball. The second and third pick should have been used to address line issues. While it contradicts my earlier point about gelling… at least I could feel confident that it will get better as the season goes on. I cannot say that today. Mankins (and possibly Incognito, because I can see the posts coming now)is nothing more than a Band-Aid. The defense was nothing short of average, which I believe is to be expected. They spent almost all of the first quarter on the field! They looked winded by mid-second quarter. Goldson, while dropping the somewhat easy pick, made a lot of tackles. The real issue, which I haven't seen anyone talk about, was Olson. The middle of the field was wide open! Yes, a weak area as a result of running a base cover 2 defense. But if we cant stop Olson… what happens when Graham comes to town? Foster’s pass coverage is horrible – still. At the end of the day, Carolina players are paid to play this game too.
