Boomerang is one of my all-time favorite movies. The cast was an all-star roster of Black Hollywood excellence at the time. Eddie Murphy was QB1 of that film, and he had weapons such as Halle Berry, Robin Givens, David Allan Grier, and the legendary Eartha Kitt to work with.
Murphy’s Marcus Graham, Berry’s Angela, Givens’ Jacqueline, and Kitt’s Lady Eloise were all memorable characters with their share of nice highlights, but they were not my favorites. It was the film’s X-Factor that did it for me.
Grace Jones’ Strangè was the film’s real MVP. Based on Jones’ persona with the volume on 10, Strangè was a model who wore her audacity like Armani, her moxie like Gucci, and her proclivities like Prada—and wore it well. She was a 4k character in the pixels of a high definition cast. Her quotes and exploits won the movie, but when you take away that accent mark and all the fashion world glitz surrounding her, you’re left with strange. Jones’ character didn’t behave like a normal person and if we’re keeping it a buck, the character was created in shady jest because Jones’ public persona was considered odd and eccentric.
The Carolina Panthers lost in Week 12 because they were trying to turn “strange” into “strangé”. The offense was trying to be something it wasn’t. They were trying to establish the pass and abandoned their rushing attack.
In Sunday’s 31-28 upset of the Los Angeles Rams at The Bank Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard combined for 203 total scrimmage yards, and did most of their damage on the ground. After being an afterthought in week 12 both Dowdle and Hubbard got their fair share of carries (18 for Dowdle and 17 for Hubbard) respectively and as a result, controlled the time of possession.
Carolina’s dual rushing attack helped open up the passing game. Bryce Young completed 15 of his 20 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns. Efficient. Effective. Comfortable. He wasn’t trying to do too much, because he knew Dowdle and Hubbard were moving the chains and the o-line were ‘moving furniture’. This is the essence of the Panthers’ offense. Run-centric and wisely choosing their spots in the passing game. The numbers may not be pretty all of the time, but the numbers contributed to the team’s 7-6 record and a shot at winning their first NFC South title since 2015. Granted, I understand the need for balance, but until opposing defenses begin to respect the pass, lead with the ground game. Don’t switch up now that this team is so close to their first winning season in years.
Defensively, Ejiro Evero’s 3-4 schemes has its faults. The unit struggles with tight ends and downfield coverage, however, they’ve been showing up when they are needed the most. They bullied and harassed Matthew Stafford into two interceptions and an 85.9 passer rating. According to Next Gen Stats, Stafford’s two picks came on quick pass attempts, making his first game in seven years with multiple interceptions on passes under 2.5 seconds. Carolina’s front seven had something to do with that. This unit may give up the big play, but when a stop is needed, they’ve shown up and carried the team when the offense struggles.
In the cast of the NFC, the Panthers are the X-Factor of the film. They are no longer an extra. They got there by being simply “strange”, not “strangé.” The way that they are winning the games they’re not supposed to makes sense only to them. Their formula works. There’s no need to repackage their ways and make it something else. They are who they are, and what they are now is a potential wild-card team.
