Mike Adams will be another year closer to his centennial

The alterations to Panthers quarterback Cam Newton‘s throwing motion and other changes to his game in the wake of last year’s shoulder injury have been a major storyline around the team this offseason.Based on what head coach Ron Rivera had to say on Monday https://www.carolinapanthersfanshop.com/Da_Norris-Searcy-Jersey , it looks like we’ll get the first look at those tweaks in a game situation on Thursday night. Rivera said at a press conference that all four of the quarterbacks on the 90-man roster should play in Chicago against the Bears.Rivera said that the team is still formulating the final plan for playing time in this week’s preseason opener, which would leave the door open to changing course and going with only Kyle Allen, Taylor Heinicke and third-round pick Will Grier this week.If the plan doesn’t change Greg Van Roten Color Rush Jersey , Newton’s playing time will likely be brief but brief may be enough to get a sense of how Newton’s progressing this summer. The Panthers are a bad team with a bright future. They showed us that at Pittsburgh and then again at Detroit. Just in case you missed those shows they brought it home and showed their fans just how much they love making Ron Rivera talk about missed opportunities. The loss to Seattle provided the Panthers with a veritable flood of opportunities to score or force overtime. They couldn’t have hit that water if they were standing in a riverboat.This is the part where I say that bright future is the reason to keep watching the Panthers. The offense is on the verge of being something special and the defense can’t help itself if it doesn’t have the personnel. You can’t expect the Panthers to win games, but you can enjoy them all the same.The problem with that is I wrote it last week. Cam Newton had one of his most efficient days. Christian McCaffrey rewrote the record books with indelible ink. Curtis Samuel can catch. D.J. Moore is the Panthers number one wide out now. The Panthers have the players to play ball in a pass happy, score heavy league.That argument for optimism may have held water then https://www.carolinapanthersfanshop.com , but the Panthers keep finding new ways to find old ways to lose. Yesterday featured a host of issues from defensive injuries to offensive play-calling that ultimately led to another game where the Panthers couldn’t get a first down when the need to and lost after playing it safe on fourth down didn’t work. It is frustrating, as a fan, to watch this team be exciting and then fail in their now habitual ways. The Panthers were a team that could have worked around their holes and made some noise in the playoffs. They were 6-2 and they hadn’t even figured out their offense yet. Now they are 6-5 Carolina Panthers Customized Jerseys , staring at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as their best —and maybe only— chance at winning again in 2018.That sucks. When a team sees four of their five losses come by a single possession then they should be hopeful they can turn that around. The Panthers have some cowardly tendencies in close games that have been the difference, but they have also stalled out on offense at weird times in most of those games. They should have had at least ten more points in the first quarter of the Seahawks game. Instead, the story is about a missed field goal in the fourth. Each week sees a litany of mistakes Carolina Panthers T-Shirts , flukes, and bad calls that all add up to a close game. Each of the Panthers’ losses could have been avoided if any one of those missed opportunities had been seized. None of this seems optimistic until you realize the changes they need to make to seize more opportunities have already been made.This franchise is likely to be saddled with Rivera as its head coach again next year. That isn’t the change I’m talking about. The change was the hiring of Norv Turner. He’s just taking his time proving himself.The players were as exciting yesterday as they were last week, but this game gave me the hope that the Panthers coaching staff can be part of their bright future as well. Turner called a great game if you don’t look at the short yardage situations in the first half. I’ll let those decisions go. He made a mistake and has shown the ability this season to learn.The Panthers have yet to put together a complete offensive performance in 2018 https://www.carolinapanthersfanshop.com/hats , but they are getting closer almost every week. Look at the difference between year one and year two of Kyle Shanahan’s tenure in Atlanta. Tell me the thought of Norv making those kind of strides in Charlotte doesn’t get your hopes up. His continued improvement over the course of this season is why he is poised to be the Cinderella, or at least her fairy godmother, in the Panthers locker room next season. Next Thanksgiving could feature a radically different tasting pumpkin pie thanks to Turner’s magic.The defense might still be awful. There is no telling if Eric Reid will stay Carolina Panthers Hoodie , let alone Julius Peppers and Thomas Davis. Mike Adams will be another year closer to his centennial. Rivera will still be testing his toe in the water on fourth downs to find out, much to his surprise, that it is wet. The 2019 defense will have depth and talent concerns and Rivera will actively pursue losses. None of that is new. That’s fine. All the Panthers have to do is maintain the status quo everywhere that isn’t the offense —well Ryan Kalil Color Rush Jersey , maybe not at kicker— and they will still be the team that loses most of its games by one score.A more competent offense makes the difference there. The Panthers could beat good teams by one possession. They could actually build a safe lead against bad teams. The players have been announcing their abilities loudly and clearly this season. Now Turner is giving me hope that those players might have leadership that is capable of taking advantage of their talents. That is going to be fun to watch.