- I read in the Charlotte Observer where Steve Smith was seen yelling at a fan in the third quarter after fumbling the football.
Though Smith probably should not be even giving the fans any notice during the game, the problem is the way he was carrying the football as he was going out of bounds: with one hand.
I know that I have never played the game, and I admit that my experience in the game comes from just general observations, but if you have two guys on you and you already have the first down, ball security has to come first. The extra couple of yards he would have gotten with a stretched-out hand were not as important as possession.
Besides, the only time that a player should try that move with one hand is to get a first down or at the goalline; it's a uncharacteristic sloppy play from a veteran wide receiver that the Panthers desperately need to make big plays.
- While still on the Panthers' game from Sunday, here is another odd choice, this one by the offensive braintrust.
It's third down and one for Carolina from the Packer three-yard line with about four minutes left in the game, and instead of just running the football to get the first down, the Panthers ran a rollout passing play in which Cam Newton lost three yards on the sack.
I know that Carolina had not run well Sunday, but if you can't get one yard on a play, then something needs to change in the running game.
If you get the first down without the touchdown, you might be able to run a little more clock with a couple of short runs or force the Packers to call timeouts.
It's a moot point now, but at the time, it could have made a huge difference.
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