Fotoalbum » There’s a lot of optimism in certain areas as well

CHARLOTTE Brian Burns Jersey , N.C. (AP) — The good news for the Carolina Panthers is they return home Sunday to face the Seattle Seahawks where they’ve won 10 straight games.The bad news is it’s highly unlikely the Panthers will play a playoff game in Charlotte, North Carolina, if they reach the postseason.The Seahawks (5-5) can relate.They and the Panthers (6-4) essentially find themselves competing for wild-card spots in the NFC with six games remaining given their chances of winning a division title and hosting a postseason game appear remote. Carolina has lost two straight on the road and fallen 3 ½ games behind New Orleans in the NFC South, while the Seahawks trail the Los Angeles Rams by 4 ½ games in the NFC West.“Right now, we can’t worry about what New Orleans is doing. We can’t worry about the playoff picture. We just have to win a game,” Panthers tight end Greg Olsen said. “In this league, it’s so easy to get caught up in, ‘If this team wins, if this team loses, (then) we can have home-field (advantage). … Hey, if we don’t win some games, we’re not going to be in the playoffs.”In terms of wild-card implications, this game looms as large as any in the NFC.Currently Graham Gano Jersey , the Panthers would be one wild-card team, while the Minnesota Vikings would be the other. But that could all change if the Seahawks continue their recent dominance over the Panthers.Russell Wilson is 5-2 against Cam Newton and Carolina.He has averaged 270.3 yards passing per game with 11 touchdown passes and six interceptions. Newton, on the other hand, has struggled mightily against the Seahawks with nine turnovers and only five TD passes.“They get after the quarterback,” Newton said when asked of his struggles against the Seahawks. “That’s what they do extremely well, and they’re very opportunistic in that. You know what they’re going to be in (defensively), they know you know what they’re going to be in, but they just play so fast and rally around the football.”Seahawks coach Pete Carroll wasn’t giving any hints as to how his team intends to slow one of the game’s most dangerous QBs.“If I tell you, then that would help them, huh?” Carroll said.MORE OF MOORED.J. Moore has been looking increasingly more like Carolina’s top receiver — and this week he may need to take on the role of No. 1 receiver with Devin Funchess listed as doubtful with a back injury that has kept him out of practice this week.Moore, the team’s first-round draft pick, caught seven passes for 157 yards and a touchdown in Carolina’s 20-19 loss to the Lions last week, including an 82-yard catch and run. Meanwhile Julius Peppers Jersey , Funchess had a miserable game with five drops, including one in the end zone.If Funchess is out, the Seahawks can expect to see more of second-year wide receiver Curtis Samuel, who has been explosive in his limited playing time.SACK ATTACKFrank Clark is having a standout year in a contract season for the Seahawks. Clark has already tied his career high with 10 sacks with another six games to go. He has been a consistent threat off the edge and has seven sacks in the past five games.While Clark has been a menace, Seattle is still seeking a complementary pass rusher to work with Clark. Defensive tackle Jarran Reed is second on the team with 5 ½ sacks, but no other player has more than two.Seattle had five sacks of Aaron Rodgers, but Carroll warned Newton is a completely different challenge.“I’m hoping that that will be a part again because if you noticed, we broke the pocket down and that’s important to do with Cam as well because he can get out and really scorch you too,” Carroll said.PRESSURING WILSONThe Panthers realize they need to get some pressure on Wilson and make him uncomfortable in the pocket.That hasn’t been Carolina’s strength this season as it ranks 23rd in the league in sacks entering the week with 23. Carolina isn’t getting much penetration inside, where defensive tackle Kawann Short has gone nine straight games without a sack after registering two in the season opener against Dallas.Wilson is expecting a close game.“We know these games against Carolina have always come down to the wire,” Wilson said. “We have a lot of respect for how they play the game. They play the game the right way, they play the game fast and physical, they play the game smart.”THREE-HEADED ATTACKSeattle has the top running game in the NFL and it continues to be a collaborative effort.Chris Carson DJ Moore Color Rush Jersey , Rashaad Penny and Mike Davis all have had 100-yard games this season.Carson is clearly the primary ball carrier and had 17 carries for 83 yards in Seattle’s win over Green Bay last week. But Penny has been earning more opportunities as his rookie year has progressed, and Davis was the closer for Seattle against the Packers as the one getting carries on the final drive.Seattle has rushed for at least 150 yards as a team in seven straight games.GOTTA GANOPanthers kicker Graham Gano missed an extra point and a field goal in Carolina’s 20-19 loss to the Lions last week. So when coach Ron Rivera opted to go for 2 in the game’s final seconds instead of tying the game, it appeared to show a lack of confidence in his veteran kicker.However, Gano returns home this week where he has made 39 straight field goals.__AP Sports Writer Tim Booth in Seattle contributed to this report.__ There’s a very wide spectrum of emotions flying around as various fans and media outlets process the report that Thomas Davis will not be re-signed by the Carolina Panthers for the 2019 season. Understandings of the reasons are as diverse as the flakes of a cold winter snowfall, but most people share one common emotion... sadness. Players who have lived the caliber of career and life that Thomas Davis can claim are priceless in their rarity, and my belief is that they are only getting rarer. Davis embodies the spirit of the game, and we were very fortunate that he shared it with our team for the vast majority (and possibly all) of his career.However, it is possible to both mourn the departure of a team legend and understand the move at the same time. This isn’t our first visit to this rodeo, and it also certainly won’t be the last one. The business side of the NFL is hard to mix with the raw emotion many fans feel for their team and certain players, this is just the latest example.A General Manager changing his waysBefore getting to on-field implications, I think we should start discussions with the fact this move is further proof that this Marty Hurney isn’t the same one we saw during his first tenure. Telling a fourteen year veteran star, one that he drafted himself back in 2005, that he won’t be re-signed is a major shift in expectations from what we’ve seen in the past. While general managers are constantly walking the popularity lines based on their latest moves James Color Rush Bradberry Jersey , since his return to Carolina, Hurney has had more to brag about than regret. Never. Forget.Denny Medley-USA TODAY SportsWe should all remain skeptical, but at least he has shown some propensity to learn and grow from experience.A future plan with significant investmentThe real reason that the Panthers have to move on from Thomas Davis is the future of Shaq Thompson. I think there was a pretty high degree of certainty that this would be Davis’ final season, and the team planned accordingly by exercising the fifth year option on Thompson’s rookie contract to give them flexibility heading into 2019. The notion that Davis might be playing again next year really started fueling about a month ago, but the team knows it absolutely has to hand the reigns over to a younger player, get a complete season of evaluation on him, and sign a long term contract based on that.Make no mistake, there are absolutely locker room politics at play here. Thinking that Thomas Davis, if re-signed, would really be asked to play a reserve only role on a team he’s lead for so long is foolish. Not only would Davis himself push for more snaps, I think Ron Rivera would happily give them to him. Nothing about his history regarding preference for veterans says otherwise.Meanwhile, you have to consider the pride of an athlete like Shaq Thompson. He’s publicly taken the whole process in stride, but behind the scenes Ian Thomas Jersey , you’re talking about a former first round pick looking to truly make his mark ahead of signing his second NFL contract. He knows that with Thomas Davis around, his share of the spotlight will continue to be dim, and it is likely to hurt his value. If you re-sign Davis, you risk a scenario where Thompson is going to opt to chase money somewhere else regardless of his home team offering him a deal, due to him being disgruntled. If Davis retires then, well, you’ve wasted everything and have to start over.A season of change2019 is already shaping up to be a pivotal year in the history of the Carolina Panthers, and that is before any major transactions are made and draft picks are selected. You’re going to have a head coach sitting on the hottest seat he’s occupied in years balancing a house of cards and praying for a lack of wind. As of now, Cam Newton is not well, and there is worry that he may never quite be the same again. Your franchise G.O.A.T. at tight end, Greg Olsen, may have to call it a career due to a chronic foot injury. Your offensive line is hamstrung by a bad deal by a former general manager, and your defensive line is not performing to standard for various reasons. There’s a lot of optimism in certain areas as well Curtis Samuel Color Rush Jersey , but the general situation is very volatile. If you’re team management, you control the fires that you can, and that has everything to do with what I spoke about in the previous section. You have to ensure the team has a future, even if that means making a hard decision about a beloved player. In the end, there isn’t a single person connected to the Panthers that feels good about the fact that Davis might play somewhere else next year. PICTURED: One of the few people happy to see Thomas Davis go.This is a guy who deserves a bronze statue of himself outside the stadium, so the thought of him finishing things up like Jerry Rice or Brett Favre is unsettling. Hopefully it will all work out for the best, but I sure know we are going to miss his presence. Thanks for everything, Thomas Davis, you’re one in a billion.