The Panthers offense took a significant leap forward last season in its first year under Norv Turner.
Franchise quarterback Cam Newton was having arguably the best year of his career during the first half of the season before his shoulder was injured. Carolina also had a strong run game all year, averaging more yards per carry (5.1) than any other NFL team.
One reason they were relatively successful was their efficiency on first down. According to Next Gen Stats, the Panthers averaged 6.08 yards per play on first down in 2018. That ranked 10th best in the league.
This trend is worth a deeper dive but my best guess is Turner’s willingness to change things up was a major reason why they did so well.
Former offensive coordinator Mike Shula tended to call downhill runs too often on first down with not nearly enough misdirection involved. It was perhaps the most frustrating part of a larger trend of predictability that limited the Panthers’ ceiling on offense.
While Turner still called a run-heavy scheme, he did a much better job of not tipping his hand and keeping the defense off balance.
Most preseason game-plans are vanilla by design, but we should get at least a peak at Turner’s creativity tonight against the Patriots.
