Michael Orr & Jah Reid

[GOTA]

I agree that Ware would be a better bet against a pure pocket passer like Manning, Brady, or Flacco, but Newton, like all QBs, is much less accurate on the move. He doesn't need to get sacks, or QHs with the same frequency as he did against Brady.

As I'm sure you know, it's extremely difficult to effectively double an edge rusher consistently. You can chip him occasionally, but keeping a TE on that side to block often just changes the 1-on-1 matchup to Ware vs. a TE with 1 less receiver in the pattern. In the case of Denver, their edge rushing pair is so dominant, doubling Ware will simply allow Miller to go on a rampage.

It's going to be a lot of fun to watch. As a fan of defense I'm very excited about this Super Bowl. There are so many interesting ways for both teams to approach it. We're going to see some huge defensive plays that determine the winner of this one.

Just thinking about what you wrote. Do the Panthers have a TE who can actually block? Olsen has to be in the pattern. Their whole offense is based on that. Dickson is a terrible blocker. Simonson who is the 3rd TE on the roster wasn't even active for half the games. So what do they do with Ware? Can't wait to find out.

[Raven Werewolf]

I root for Michael Oher. Solid pro who gave 100 % day in day out and was a total class act when he was here and looks like nothings changed now that hes in Charlotte. That being said hes going to earn every thin cent of his salary in a couple weeks. Those Bronco rushers are going to unleash hell on that OLine.

As far as Reid goes I don't really get that but good for him I guess. I admit Im amused (or is it bemused? LOL) at the fact that a lot of us including me couldn't wait to get him gone from here but hes suddenly seen as indisposable by a somewhat legit SB contender. I guess that's how it goes sometimes.

[HotInHere]

Let's remember about these players that football is a team game. A player playing in a Super Bowl means his *team* played well. It doesn't necessarily mean the player played well.

Oher is still what he always was: a serviceable below-average starting NFL tackle with some holes in his game. And I mean below-average in the literal sense of the word. He is not one of the top 32 (LT+RT) offensive tackles in the league. He may be 33 -- but probably not.

In football, the team around you is critical. Being a LT for Cam Newton, you are going to give up fewer sacks simply because Cam is one of the hardest guys in the NFL to sack. You have to play contain, so you can't rush as aggressively. And if you do rush him and get to him, he is elusive, enormous, and strong.

Similarly, people wonder why Darien Stewart is suddenly so good. Part of that has to do with him coming to a defense full of Pro Bowlers. We watched it for years and years here in Baltimore, as guys like Dawan Landry came in and played really really well, because they had a pass rush and two solid corners backing them up.

[Bawlamer]

I can't see Michael, an adequate LT performing well under the duress of this kind of defense. When you couple the talent and the DC I think it will be more than Michael can handle. Look for Newton to consistently roll to his right and look for Denver to compensate. If Cam starts throwing across his body to the left look for some picks. My prediction is that he will do well but the talent and schemes will be his undoing. But, I wouldn't mind if he proved me wrong. Go get 'me Michael.

[TxRavensFan]

I can't see Michael, an adequate LT performing well under the duress of this kind of defense. When you couple the talent and the DC I think it will be more than Michael can handle. Look for Newton to consistently roll to his right and look for Denver to compensate. If Cam starts throwing across his body to the left look for some picks. My prediction is that he will do well but the talent and schemes will be his undoing. But, I wouldn't mind if he proved me wrong. Go get 'me Michael.

I agree. I'd love to see him do well, but I think Ware is going to eat his lunch in the SB.

[GOTA]

Cool story

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...ping-need-you/

Cam Newton’s pitch to Michael Oher: “I bleeping need you”

Cam Newton knew the Panthers needed to sign someone to protect his blind side last offseason, and so he went to work on recruiting Michael Oher to come to Carolina.

Newton said today that he started work on Oher a year ago, before free agency officially started, urging him to consider signing with the Panthers. Newton said his pitch to Oher was the hardest he’s ever worked on trying to convince a player to sign with the Panthers.

“With the free agent pool, I’ve sent texts out before, called guys and said, ‘We’d love for you to be part of the team.’ But Mike was different,” Newton said. “I didn’t say, ‘I want you to be here.’ It was, ‘I need you.’ That’s different. Want and need are two different words, and that’s what I used in that text, along with other explicit words before the ‘need.’ And I think he got the feeling from that.”

Newton’s brother, Cecil Newton Jr., was a center on the Ravens’ practice squad for two years while Oher was in Baltimore, and Cam says Cecil told him how much he’d like playing with Oher.

“With my brother playing in Baltimore, I had someone tell me how good he really is. My brother, playing on the offensive line, was around him every day, saw how he brought the professionalism each and every day. That’s something that stuck out to him, and he told me, ‘Mike is someone who will be a key asset to the team,'” Newton said.

That turned out to be a good scouting report from Cecil and a good recruiting pitch from Cam. Oher’s presence in Carolina has been a big part of the Panthers’ Super Bowl season.