For the first time since 2010
Stitched Shaq Thompson Jersey , the Carolina Panthers have a quarterback battle on their hands heading into the preseason — at least when it comes to who'll
backup 2015 league MVP Cam Newton.Since Newton entered the league as the No. 1
overall pick in 2011, Panthers coach Ron Rivera has always had veteran Derek
Anderson to fall back on as a security blanket. But the Panthers opted not to
re-sign the 35-year Anderson this offseason, opening the battle for the No. 2
spot between two young QBs who have attempted one career pass between
them.Garrett Gilbert and Taylor Heinicke will begin that battle in earnest on
Thursday night when the Panthers open the preseason in Buffalo against the
Bills.Rivera said Gilbert will be the first off the bench and will get some reps
with the first team. Heinicke will be the third quarterback for this game,
although he didn't rule out that the QB rotation could change the following
week."I'm really curious to watch them and see how they both do, I really am,"
Rivera said. "... We are going to try to get those guys as many snaps as we can
the next few weeks so we can make a good decision."Rivera said he'll try to
split reps as equally as possible between the two in the preseason."We would
like to feel really good about who the guy is going to be going into the last
preseason game so he can get the bulk of the work," Rivera said. "We will give
them both some opportunities with the twos and the threes and create some
situations where they can get some time with the ones."Panthers tight end Greg
Olsen said he likes what he's seen from both young QBs in training camp."They
are two really smart kids and can spin it really well," Olsen said. "Of course,
losing a guy like D.A. (Anderson) is tough for a lot of reasons because of who
he was in the locker room for us
Youth James Bradberry Jersey , but we are moving in another direction."Ironically, both Gilbert and Heinicke have spent time in New England
behind Tom Brady, although neither was able to stick with the Patriots.Gilbert
was drafted in the sixth round by the Rams in 2014 and spent time with the
Patriots, Lions and Raiders before serving as Carolina's third-string
quarterback last season. However, he's never played in a regular season
game."You can see the confidence with how he gets up and handles things right
now," Rivera said. "He has a strong arm and we know that. So now, it's about
knowing the offense, and what we're trying to do and then taking it and
translating."Heinicke has a leg up on Gilbert in that area since he's familiar
with coordinator Norv Turner's offensive system having spent two years working
under him with the Minnesota Vikings."He has shown us he has a good arm and good
decision maker and he's athletic as well," Rivera said.Gilbert said he's not
worried about the competition at this point
Stitched James Bradberry Jersey , saying his goal is to "develop my skills and be the best quarterback for this team I can possibly be."NOTES: Rivera said ideally
he'd like to play Newton about nine to 10 plays against the Bills. ... Tyler
Larsen will start at center against the Bills as the team slowly works center
Ryan Kalil back into action. ... Defensive end Julius Peppers still has not
practiced with the team, although he has been cleared to return.Panthers 24
Falcons 31: 5 winners, 3 losers in Carolina’s loss to Atlanta The Panthers
defense played like garbage today. There’s no nice way to say it. That’s the
bottom line of how today’s 31-24 loss to the Falcons went. If the Panthers’
defense played a semi-competent game, the Panthers would be 2-0 right now. It’s
unfortunate that it ended up this way, because the offense played well enough to
win. It just wasn’t meant to be, it seems.Let’s dive into the winners and losers
from today’s action.WinnersCam Newton: Newton had a great game today if you
account for the fact that his receivers let him down multiple times by dropping
perfectly thrown passes. He finished the day 32-of-45 passing for 335 yards with
three touchdowns and one interception (that totally wasn’t his fault, but we’ll
get to that later). Considering 14 of those receptions and 102 of those yards
came from Christian McCaffrey, you can see that Newton would have probably left
Atlanta with a win if his receivers would have been able to produce for
him.Christian McCaffrey: As I mentioned previously, McCaffrey hauled in 14
receptions for 102 yards today and was a key factor in the Panthers moving the
ball on offense. He lined up all over the field and made quality plays to keep
the chains moving throughout the afternoon. It’s unfortunate that hardly anyone
else stepped up
Youth Vernon Butler Jersey , but if the Panthers can keep using McCaffrey like they did against the Falcons the offense has the potential to be dangerous this
season.Jarius Wright: Wright grabbed five catches for 62 yards and a touchdown
this afternoon, and he also picked up several key first downs for the Panthers
to keep the chains moving. He is a key asset on third down and is one of the
best free agent pickups the Panthers have made in a long time. The Panthers
finally have their “go-to guy” on third down, and that will benefit the offense
as the season progresses.D.J. Moore: Moore took his first career reception and
turned it into an electrifying 51-yard touchdown reception that pulled the
Panthers to within one score late in the fourth quarter. He almost hauled in the
game-tying touchdown as time expired as well, but it just wasn’t meant to be. At
any rate, we saw good things from Moore today and should continue to see them as
he gets familiar with the speed of the NFL.Graham Gano: He buried a 54-yard
field goal to give the Panthers a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. Yeah, that’s
good enough to make the winner’s column today. Let that marinate for a few
minutes.
