News » The band is back,” Newton said with a big smile

Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the Hog Molly Report Curtis Samuel Color Rush Jersey , where winning in the trenches is all that matters. Before we begin, we open with the reciting of our usual motto:In keeping with the proven philosophy that building a team from the inside out is the best strategy for long term success, my goal will be to watch the hog mollies each game during the season and give them a grade based on their performance. This week we will look at the Carolina Panthers impressive week six victory across the pond in London over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The defense continues to smolder in red hot fire and prop up a struggling offense, but the hog mollies on both sides are doing great. Let’s take a closer look inside the game film and see what we find.Offensive Hog MolliesYards per Carry: 2.0 Season: 4.9 (T-7th, NFL)Yards per Play: 4.4 Season: 5.5 (22nd, NFL)QB Hits allowed: 4 Season: 29 (T-14th, NFL)Sacks allowed: 2 Season: 16 (T-22nd, NFL)Third downs converted: 3 of 15, or 20%Season: 34% (23rd, NFL)Rating: 4 out of 5 Surprising SausagesThe Carolina Panthers offensive line performed extremely well despite a meager yardage total of 268 on the day. Protection for Kyle Allen was other-worldly, particularly on the 99-yard touchdown drive which allowed him to execute it to perfection. Dennis Daley once again put forth a great effort at left tackle, helping keep Shaquil Barrett completely out of the sack column. If Cam Newton returns at full health to this kind of protection Daeshon Hall Jersey , he could put up some excessive numbers in very short order.Here’s your pressure report:Here’s your sack report:Q2 11:59. 3rd & 4, CAR 31 - Pencil this one down as being on Kyle Allen. Protection was good, entire left side of the line opens up for him to step up, instead he stands still and Carl Nassib gets a hand on him to drag him down. This has been a problem in Allen’s four starts this year, as he has shown an unwillingness to work the pocket and step up. Should have been an easy first down, instead it becomes a punt.Q2 1:07. 1st & 10, CAR 29 - Matt Paradis gets piledriven by Vita Vea back into Kyle Allen, he tries to toss him aside but there is no where for Allen to go, and no chance to get a throw off. Allen smartly tucks the ball away and goes down for the sack. Vae was too much for Paradis to handle one on one, and I think there is a good chance that the protection call was wrong. I think Greg Van Roten should have been assisting Paradis on the play, but no way to know if that was goofed or not.Run blocking was an issue on Sunday, but that is probably two fold. The Buccaneers sold out big time to stop Christian McCaffrey Trai Turner Color Rush Jersey , daring Kyle Allen to throw. The other factor is that a constantly shifting offensive line makeup creates problems in getting the timing of certain run plays right. About as bottled up as it gets for Run CMCnextgenstats.nfl.comThe third factor is a lingering one, in that I have not seen any notable people moving ability from Greg Van Roten, or much from Matt Paradis. Both are doing mostly fine protecting the quarterback, which is definitely the bigger priority, but it’s hurting our ability to convert short down and distance.Defensive Hog MolliesYards per Carry: 3.0 Season: 4.7 (T-22nd, NFL)Yards per Play: 6.0 Season: 4.9 (6th, NFL)Sacks given: 7 Season: 27 (1st, NFL) Third down allowed %: 5 of 15, or 33%Season: 41% (19th, NFL)Rating: 5 out of 5 Mauling MolliesWhat can I say about the Carolina Panthers defense that hasn’t already been said? They have been a dominant and opportunistic unit for the past four games, catapulting this team to victory on the strength of 23 sacks and 14 forced turnovers. They’ve provided incredible support to Kyle Allen in that he doesn’t have to do much besides take care of the football to win games. Now they get a well deserved rest before what might be the football equivalent of trench warfare with the San Francisco 49ers in week eight.There are many individual accolades up front to talk about. Gerald McCoy had his most productive day as part of the Carolina Panthers, and was in full revenge game mode against his old team.. a pass deflection Taylor Moton Jersey , 2.5 sacks, and 4 QB hits were sure to shiver the timbers of any Buccaneer fans watching. Brian Burns continued his defensive rookie of the year case, notching another sack and climbing to tenth in the entire NFL on the QB Hit list. Bruce Irvin caused a fumble and effectively notched an interception by putting a hit on Jameis Winston’s elbow as he threw. But the player of the day on defense was...Just look at all those beautiful red dots.nextgenstats.nfl.comHog Molly of the Week: Vernon Butler Jr.My oh my, we have been waiting a long time for this former first round pick to start panning out, but he is finally paying dividends as his playing time increases in the wake of Kawann Short being placed on season ending injured reserve. Butler had two sacks yesterday, on back to back plays, and forced a fumble on both of them. The second was recovered by the Panthers, and led to one of the better fat-guy celebrations you’ll see this year.Keep on keeping on Vernon, you’ll need to keep this up for awhile to earn a nice contract next year. LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — What a week for Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman.There was a benching during a 24-point loss. Criticism from a former teammate. Biting Twitter barbs from an opposing receiver.What better way to cap it all off than a matchup for his Redskins (2-2) on Sunday against Cam Newton and the visiting Carolina Panthers (3-1), the club that abruptly parted with Norman about 2½ years ago.“Old friends. They’re coming to town, and I get to see them and go at each other. They know how I am. Trust me. I know how they are. So it’s going to be quite an exciting time Wes Horton Color Rush Jersey ,” Norman said. “I’m looking forward to them. I know (Newton’s) got something special cooked up for us.”Norman was coming off an All-Pro season and a Super Bowl appearance when the Panthers put the franchise tag on him in March 2016, a move many figured was a precursor to a long-term deal. Fast-forward six weeks, though, and Carolina rescinded the tag offer, allowing Norman to become an unrestricted free agent.Within a couple of days, he signed a $75 million, five-year contract with Washington. For whatever the reason — and there are various theories out there — things have not gone all that well for Norman, who turns 31 in December and is currently up to 19 games in a row without an interception.The downswing culminated in Washington coach Jay Gruden’s decision to play a rookie instead of Norman coming out of halftime during a 43-19 loss at New Orleans on Monday night.Then came all sorts of theories about what might be wrong with Norman, from his age (courtesy of Saints receiver Michael Thomas) to his interest in becoming a celebrity (brought up by ex-Redskins defensive back DeAngelo Hall) to the shift from Carolina’s zone coverage to Washington’s man-to-man principles (referenced by Panthers coach Ron Rivera).Newton, a friend who participates in Norman’s charity volleyball tournament, maintains that QBs still need to be wary of the guy.“He’s not a person who hesitates to take chances, and that’s his gift and his curse Stephen Curry Jersey ,” Newton said. “I still go into each and every game pointing out who the impact players are on every defense, and he’s definitely one of those players.”Here are some things to know about the Panthers and Redskins:COUNT ON CAMA Redskins defense that had zero answers against Drew Brees now goes up against Newton, who is having a so-so season thus far but always comes up big against Washington. The 2015 NFL MVP is 4-0 against the Redskins, with nine TDs and zero INTs, a passer of rating of 115.4 and two rushing scores. “Cam is a beast, man. He can do it all. He can pass. He can run it. He’s an extra running back when he’s back there,” Redskins safety D.J. Swearinger said. “They’ve got a long list of good playmakers, man. So we’ve got our hands full.”ROLL TIDEDefensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne played together at Alabama, were first-round draft picks the past two years, and account for nearly half of Washington’s sacks this season. “They are two guys that I never have to worry about: ‘Hey, hustle. Hey, run to the ball.’ These guys are always playing hard Shaq Thompson Color Rush Jersey , playing fast, playing physical,” Gruden said, “and you can build around those two cats for a long time.”BAND IS BACKThe Panthers are hoping to get back three-time Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen; he broke his right foot in Week 1. “The band is back,” Newton said with a big smile. The QB’s favorite target for quite some time, Olsen strung together a trio of 1,000-yard seasons before initially injuring his foot in 2017 and missing nine games. If some wonder whether Olsen might be rushing back, he said: “I wouldn’t put myself out there if I couldn’t help the team.”DAVIS RETURNS, TOOCarolina is counting on linebacker Thomas Davis, who returns from a four-game suspension under the league’s policy on performance enhancers to give a big lift to a defense that struggled to pressure the quarterback last week. Davis is the team’s all-time leading tackler and joins Luke Kuechly to provide what Gruden called “the best linebacking duo in pro football, in my opinion.”