One subtle adjustment paid off big for the Panthers defense helping seal the team’s comeback win in Week 5 over the Dolphins
The coaching staff made the right decision on this one.
A lot went right and a lot went wrong for the Carolina Panthers in Week 5. Which is a common theme for the team this season and it makes sense considering the amount of young players getting valuable opportunities on this roster.
At the end of the day, the Panthers came out of Sunday with a 27-24 win over the Miami Dolphins, despite trailing by 17-0 early in the game. The way the team responded to adversity in that game was outstanding and exactly what head coach Dave Canales wanted to see out of his squad.
Looking closer at the details, the defense in particular had a strong showing by shutting down a usually explosive Dolphins offense. And one subtle decision played a key role in that.
Week 5 adjustment with Trevin Wallace and Christian Rozeboom turned out to be a good decision
Prior to Week 5, Panthers linebacker Christian Rozeboom had the green dot on his helmet. Something he earned during his first offseason with the Panthers signifying that he was the primary play-caller on defense and received plays from the coaching staff via radio in his helmet.
However, in Week 5, the Panthers made an adjustment, giving the green dot and play-calling duties to second-year linebacker Trevin Wallace instead. While talking to reporters on Monday, Canales explained why that decision was made and how it proved to be fruitful for the unit.
“It was a really interesting dynamic where Trevin felt really comfortable making the calls and that was something that we asked him to do, take on that challenge. And Christian just looked like he was playing a little freer out there, running sideline-to-sideline and making hits” Canales explained. “Flipping the roles, I thought really helped both guys settle into a comfort zone.”
As a result of the change, Wallace saw more playing opportunities as well. For the first time this season, Wallace played 100 percent of the defensive snaps while Rozeboom played a little over 69 percent of the defensive snaps despite playing 100 percent in each of the previous four games.
“Going into our dime packages, we left Trevin out there a little bit more and got a really fast group out there,” Canales added. “Guys that were aggressive in the run game and in the pass game. I thought (defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero) did a great job of making that decision.”
Against such a fast offense that is built off the run game and quick passes to get the ball into the hands of speedy playmakers, it was the correct adjustment to made and the stats prove it. The Dolphins rushed for just 19 total yards on 14 carries and averaged 4.7 yards per play.
While playing more free without having to call the defensive plays, Rozeboom led the team with nine total tackles (five solo), including one for a loss and three defensive stops. Wallace added two tackles and two stops but did allow one touchdown in coverage.
For this specific matchup, it was the correct decision to make. Once we hear from Evero later in the week, we should get a better idea on if this adjustment will be consistent moving forward or if it will be matchup-based after seeing both players are able to handle the role.
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