FanPost

Breaking down the defensive line on the first series.

The game starts with a tackle by Olivier Vernon on kick coverage. Nice job rookie.

The next play it looks like the O-line is flowing towards the right, and Soliai and Vernon fight to that side, while a TE(Olsen) and RB seal Koa Misi to the left, and Chris Clemons and Richard Marshall are left unblocked and are embarassed with their terrible open field tackling. We really need some DBs that can tackle...

Next play, Starks blows up his man, but overpursues, Solia who was playing a shade on the center gets reached by the other Guard and almost made the play at the line of scrimmage, but just misses the guy. The Center releases to pick up the LB but can't find him, Olivier Vernon is kicked out by the TE(Olsen) with a little bit of an assist from the LT to throw him off balance. The LT then goes on to take care of Guyton. Guyton makes the tackle after a 5 yard gain. How does another team decide that the best way to block a "franchise NT" is to reach him with a Center when the ball is going right by him? They have no respect for his ability to make a play at all. Once again his slowness allows the offense to cheat and steal an extra blocker at the point of attack... even if they didn't use him very well. Olivier Vernon should never be blocked by a WR... that is awful... just awful.

Third play- Soliai with pressure up the middle, but it is not quick enough, as Newton finds Greg Olsen leaving Koa Misi in the dust and brings it into Dolphins territory. Olsen is a total mismatch for Misi... Starks drew a double team, until the LG went to help out Vernon, Soliai and Odrick are single blocked and Odrick is irrelevant. At first I thought it was a great play by Soliai, but he was actually shaded on the Center but reached by the RG. That is a play that I would expect anyone to make. HOW DOES THEIR OFFENSE DECIDE TO TRY TO REACH OUR NT ON THAT PLAY? Soliai should have been all over Cam Newton on that play .. instead he is close to making another play ... AWESOME.

Next play Soliai is double teamed by the Center and RG, Starks beats his man with a nice swim move, but breaks down rather than lunging at Cam Newton and flushing him from the pocket. Odrick had his man beat to the outside, but decides to slow up his rush, to keep from flushing Newton. Olivier Vernon who is lined up on the TE, doesn't get a get a good hand on him and lets him slip to the weakside backer, while the guy we thought Starks beat actually just let him go to seal the strong side backer. Starks also went right by the RB, without even hitting him. It has to make you suspicious if a guy looks like he is trying to block you but cant even make contact... Bad play Starks... He needed to blow that RB up just for good measure.. If he does that he takes the RB out of that play and Cam doesn't make that play ... Very nice playcall though.. it reinforced our fear of overpursuing the QB. Result of the play is a penalty downfield which we had to take resulting in 1st and 2 for the offense...

Next play is blown up by Odrick on the outside. He shoves his man into the backfield, then cuts off the play to the inside of him, Olivier Vernon comes from the other side and makes the tackle for a loss. Nice job again rookie... Nice job by Odrick as well.

Next play is a weird one.. It is hard to tell because they switch the camera angle mid play, but I see that they double teamed Olivier Vernon with the TE and LT, while they try to reach Starks who instead shoots to the inside and gets deep and forces the RB to reroute. It looks like both Odrick and Soliai are held up for a minute then let go so that the lineman can get downfield and block the LBs, but only the RT gets a block on the weakside backer and the RG is looking for someone to block. Either way it gets blown up in the backfield by Odrick after Starks rerouted him and Soliai who was basically unblocked overpursues and goes right past the RB.

Next play is a quick one and well blocked by the offense. Newton gets it out quick, but the pass is incomplete to Lafell who was lined up in the slot. It looked like a little bit of a pick play on Marshall, but Marshall did the best he could since he had man coverage. Kudos to the Panthere for playcalling...

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of The Phinsider's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of The Phinsider writers or editors.