Sunday’s visit from the New York Giants marked a reunion of sorts. Former Carolina Panthers general manager Dave Gettlman was in the building, as was former offensive coordinator Mike Shula. The latter was routinely the brunt of near universal criticism during his final years in charge of the Panthers offense, largely thanks to the ultra conservative play calling Panthers fans have come to know and hate.
It seemed his mere presence in the stadium was enough to put the Panthers offense in a state of complete disorder. The delay of game penalties and wasted timeouts that seemed to be a thing of the past once again reared their heads, and the infamous “grind it out” approach to offense once again manifested itself.