A look at Carolina Panthers news and nuggets from around the web.
Kevin Clark of the Wall Kevin Clark of The Wall Street Journal examines why Ron Rivera spends so much time around his players:
Rivera, whose team faces a crucial test against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, decided to take up residence in the locker room after seeking advice from fighter pilots. To promote honesty among his team, they told the Panthers coach he should “remove rank” when addressing subordinates. This is a strategy that fighter pilots have long adhered to when commanding officers ask pilots for advice.
Read it on WSJ.com
Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer worries about Luke Kuechly:
Kuechly got hurt in the second quarter of Carolina’s opening game against Jacksonville. From then until now, Kuechly has slowly let his brain heal. The doctors have cleared him. He believes he’s good to go – that the one tackle against Jacksonville was an anomaly. That it will never happen again.
But no one really knows.
Read it on charlotteobserver.com
Bryan Strickland of Panthers.com shares observations from Tuesday’s practice:
Rivera and Co. were pleased but not satisfied by how the team looked in its first practice in six days.
“It was pretty good,” Rivera said. “The nice thing I asked them how they felt about practice, and some of the guys said, ‘Well, it could have been better.’ And I said, ‘Good. I’m glad to see your expectations for what we need to do are higher.’ It was good to hear them say they thought we could turn it up a notch, and that’s what we’re going to do tomorrow.
Read it on Panthers.com
Steve Reed of the Associated Press looks at Cam Newton’s struggles against Seattle:
The Panthers have not scored more than 17 points in any of their last four meetings with Newton at the helm. And despite the Seahawks penchant for surrendering fourth quarter leads this season, Shula said, “They’re really good.”
“We’ve got to make first downs and stay out of long yardage,” Shula said. “They thrive on long yardage and they thrive on turnovers.”
Read it on Pro32.AP.org
David Newton of ESPN.com reveals Carolina’s spot in ‘owner rankings’:
The biggest change for Carolina in this year’s rankings is in the ownership category, up 28 spots, from No. 62 in 2014 to No. 34 this year. Perhaps the way team owner Jerry Richardson handled the Greg Hardy domestic violence situation is behind that.
Read it on ESPN.com
Bill Barnwell of Grantland.com sifts through some advanced statistics through five weeks:
One way the Panthers have managed to keep their heads above water while starting 4-0, of course, is by playing dominant defense. Switch sides to consider the success metric from the defensive side of the ball, and the Panthers are football’s second-best unit on first-and-10 when the game is within 14 points.
Read it on Grantland.com
Reddit user ‘Overcashed’ builds a new take on A Nintendo classic:
h/t reddit.com/r/panthers