(by Ross Jacobs)
If I was a Panthers fan I would not be feeling good after this game. The Carolina starters got about two series on either side of the ball going up against all Jaguars backups, and they had their hands full. Especially on defense the Panthers were struggling to stop the Jacksonville second team. The game didn’t get out of hand until the Panthers own second team came in and played a large chunk of the game against the soon to be cut guys from Jacksonville, thus the relative lack of notes.
I know Carolina fans seem to think they are ready to take the proverbial next step and become actual contenders, but I don’t see that happening at all. I think this team is still firmly a bottom half of the league team and the only reason they made the playoffs last year was lucking into a tie in by far the worst division in all of football.
The Jags on the other hand are just so well coached. Liam Coen and the still underrated Anthony Campanile are quite a duo and look like they won’t allow this team to be a one-year fluke.
Player Notes...
-- Bryce Young looks the same as last year. He’s not the worst, he can process quickly and deliver accurate passes in the short and middle parts of the field, but he’s not great under pressure and he will never have the arm to hit all areas of the field and make something out of nothing in a cramped pocket. And now this year he’s set to start the season without either of his top-notch tackles. Last year might have been peak Bryce.
-- Tetairoa McMillan looks great of course and this year he’s playing much more from the slot. I’m not concerned about Young dragging him down for fantasy either. Tet will get his. He’s too good not to.
-- While Tet is the obvious #1, Jalen Coker is a really nice #2 that will have some moments when teams commit too many resources trying to stop McMillan.
-- Tommy Tremble will be the third leading receiver on the team, but the scraps he gets probably won’t make him fantasy relevant.
-- Jonathan Brooks scored a short TD here so he’s a god again to the masses. In reality he looks just ok, almost indistinguishable from Chuba Hubbard. Canales announced they will be in a split to start the season (as if that wasn’t already obvious), and unless one gets hurt they will probably just cannibalize each other. Brooks is fine, but he’s not nearly good enough to just dismiss Hubbard.
-- Don’t have many notes from the Jaguars side since they decided to barely play their 2’s and let the third stringers get some time before cut day.
Nick Mullens looks better than Kenny Pickett for whatever that is worth. He’s a respectable backup in case Trevor gets hurt.
Both of the Jacksonville 6th round rookie receivers look really solid. Josh Cameron and CJ Williams both look like they could eventually work their way into #3 or 4 WR roles, not on this team because the starters are so good, but maybe somewhere else. They are capable hands.
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