AAAAAND WE'RE BACK! SWAMPY NFL OPENER - CAR @ DEN

***CAROLINA PANTHERS @ DENVER BRONCOS***

After another long and painful offseason, the day has finally come, and what better way to open'er up than a little Super Bowl rematch in Mile High?! I must say, this game is up there amongst the hardest of week 1 to cap due to the many unknown factors it comes with, and that is why we are in for a treat my friends. Trevor Siemian, a Sophomore QB drafted in the seventh round out of Northwestern, will be making his NFL debut for the defending Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos in a home game to kickoff the season. The Super Bowl losing Carolina Panthers will be filling some voids with unknown players as well by starting two Rookie CBs in an effort to try and make up for the large void left by the loss of last year's Pro Bowl CB Josh Norman. Tricky, tricky my friends! Lets go.

Now while I was one of the biggest Panther criticizers/Bronco backers you could find for the big showdown last season (see previous article), the tides have officially turned in the Swamp for the rematch. Some may say this isn't a "rematch" per say and it is game one of a new season. Those people have a point with the addition and subtraction of some players etc., but don't be fooled because this certainly is every bit of a rematch and the revenge factor is definitely flowing through the air. The Panthers losing in the Super Bowl was a gigantic upset and an even bigger disappointment for Panther Nation, and I got to believe that the sting of that loss is still fresh in their minds and waking them up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night. What better medicine to cure this entire offseason long nightmare than a week 1 win with a side of revenge? Carolina is a great team, extremely sound on all sides of the ball, and the Broncos defense ambushed the NFL bully, smacked them in the mouth and fed them a cold slice of some much needed humble pie and it was great! Tonight, I believe the Panthers will regurgitate that humble pie and force feed it right back to Denver and knock them off their high horse, or Bronco so to speak.

While last year's game featured two stellar defenses and points were scarce, I think tonight's game may be much more entertaining regarding the scoreboard. Don't get me wrong, both defenses will surely be dominant again this season and return to form, but I think being that it is also game 1 of the season, meaning a little rust may be apparent. Trevor Siemian has high praise coming from Denver. They believe he is a solid QB replacement for the future HOF 'ol Sheriff Peyton Manning, and that may be so. However a game of this magnitude, opening night at home, on Prime Time against a defense led by LB's like Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis is an entirely different animal than practice or preseason. I get that Siemian has looked pretty good in preseason so far and showing that he can make smart decisions and the throws he needs to make to his playmaking WRs in order to be productive, but one would have to imagine nerves will come into play in this situation, and nerves can kill ya. Speaking of Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis, these are two of the best LBs in the NFL, not to mention the addition of standout LB Shaq Thomson whom they picked up in the draft. Wow what a LB core! The football IQ of Kuechly and Davis is off the charts and although most will say that Peyton Manning didn't do much in the Super Bowl to help beat the Panthers and that his departure in a way is a positive for Denver, I disagree. Yes, these people have a legitimate point that Manning wasn't who he used to be physically and we all know that, hence his retirement. However the man has a football brain like no other behind that massive forehead and that is something that can't be replaced by just anybody. The decisions and calls he makes at the line will surely be missed and I believe were a huge under the radar factor in their Super Bowl win. I know that the young QB Brock Osweiler was able to come in and produce effectively in relief for Manning throughout the season, but he is a future NFL starting QB and they don't have him any more either. I could be wrong on Siemian but my assumption is that he will be good NFL backup in his career, and that the Champs will stumble out of the gate and be in the midst of a QB controversy earlier than not. They will be missing both Manning and Osweiler and my gut tells me will most likely be forced to go with their Rookie QB Paxton Lynch earlier than planned. Apparently Elway has told Siemian that his job is secure, and I feel as though he may regret that statement. Again, I'm not saying Siemian will be terrible, but good enough to beat a pissed off Carolina squad in his debut? I just can't see it. One thing is for sure, Carolina will most likely focus on shutting down the run and forcing Siemian to beat them. After the early game jitters settle down and against the Carolina Rookie CBs, I can see Siemian having some success and maybe tossing a TD or two to the YAC monster WR Demaryius Thomas or the sleeper TE I've noticed looking good in preseason in Virgil Green. Hence my mention above of the final score being higher than we may originally assume at a first glance. This also brings me to my next point-

As we all now know, the Panther offense and mainly the NFL MVP QB Cam Newton really pooped the bed in the big game as I predicted he would in my Super Bowl writeup and he was heavily criticized for it as well as his actions afterwards. I believe this was a much needed humbling and maturing experience in Cam's career that will serve as a major source of growth and be a positive in his life moving forward. That all being said, nobody felt the devastating loss harder than this guy, and deservingly so. To see him seeming to be back to his old self and looking confident again in the media I've seen during this offseason is a great sign. I think Cam really elevated his game in the pocket last season and will continue to improve on that this year. With the way Denver Pro Bowl stud Von Miller wrecked his dreams of a ring last year, I have to believe Head Coach Ron Rivera will be as prepared as one can be and will throw the kitchen sink at MIller to try and limit his production to try and give Newton a clean pocket to pass from. One can only hope, as Miller is pretty much unstoppable. However that is where Cam's legs come into play. With the losses of DT Malik Jackson and LB Danny Trevathan for Denver, he should be able to avoid Miller and the aging DeMarcus Ware more effectively this time around, or be much more aware of their presence at the least bit. The return of Carolina's top WR Kelvin Benjamin is also a huge plus for this offense, obviously. He was Cam's favorite target before getting hurt in preseason last year and sitting out the entire season. Essentially, Newton gets his favorite target back to play with and add to his WR arsenal who consists of veteran Ted Ginn & Sophomore Devin Funchess, whom were forced to build a rapport with Newton last season. Not to mention another huge weapon for Newton in Pro Bowl TE Greg Olsen. I got a peek at Benjamin and Newton in a couple plays during some preseason ball and they looked dangerous and already N'sync like Justin Timberlake. They're going to be a problem this year once Benjamin is fully back to football shape. Rivera said Benjamin's snaps will be limited but I strongly feel he will be effective when in the game and that Carolina will be able to put some points up tonight. Basically I think Newton and the Panthers will take a different approach this time around and as long as they don't give up defensive points and turnovers to the Broncos like they did in the Super Bowl, they will get some long awaited redemption tonight. I could be wrong but I feel those backing the Broncos are late to the party. PANTHERS-3