Panthers mailbag: The CJ Anderson move, Sunday in Detroit and more wine and Cam Newton

It’s undoubtedly tough for Carolina Panthers fans to get the taste of last Thursday night’s prime time walloping by the Pittsburgh Steelers out of their mouths.

But after a 52-21 loss in the Steel City, the Panthers (6-3) hope to cleanse their palates in the Motor City.

Naturally, you had questions about the matchup. I picked the five best inquiries I received on Twitter this week to answer. Let’s get going.

Question from @shawndburton: Do you think getting rid of CJ Anderson was the right move?

I do. I think it was the best-case scenario for both Anderson and the Panthers to waive Anderson, especially since Anderson wasn’t getting any touches. I found it interesting to hear about how offensive coordinator Norv Turner adjusted his original plan, which included more Anderson, once he saw how McCaffrey could be his own “complementary back” on the field, as both the lead runner and the team’s most-targeted receiver.

Criticism of the move mainly focuses on McCaffrey’s potential for injury or whether his workload is sustainable. But coaches can’t think about “what-if” when something is working — and using McCaffrey as much as they have is certainly working. He’s handling the load and the corresponding strain on his body well. Don’t forget, he never left the field while at Stanford, either. And back then, he was also returning punts and kickoffs.

My only qualm with the move is that it didn’t happen ahead of the trade deadline to perhaps give the Panthers some help elsewhere in return.

That leads us to...

Question from @ebutter90: Should we expect (now-backup running back) Cameron Artis-Payne to get any touches on Sunday?

I’d expect Kenjon Barner, who the Panthers picked up this week after waiving cornerback Josh Hawkins, to get an an active jersey perhaps even before Artis-Payne if the Panthers only decide to activate two backs.

That’s not a knock on Artis-Payne, but Barner will be utilized heavily on special teams for the Panthers. I’ve been hearing coaches say they think Artis-Payne should get more work in every training camp and preseason since I got here in 2016, and it simply hasn’t happened.

Head coach Ron Rivera said Friday that if Artis-Payne does see time in the future, he’ll be in Anderson’s role — which is to say, limited touches and usage in Carolina’s two-back “21 ponies” package.

Question from @tplyler22: Is the defense game-planning to see more of Kerryon Johnson given his success so far this season and now that the Lions’ passing attack is missing Golden Tate?

Absolutely. Carolina’s front seven has a lot of respect for Johnson’s ability, and expects Detroit to try to establish the run immediately on Sunday. They can do this using multiple backs who are stylistically different.

But where Johnson might prove to be more of a handful is in the passing game, especially in light of some injuries and after the trade of No. 1 receiver Golden Tate, and in short passes to alleviate a battered Lions offensive line.

Johnson can be shifty and create mismatches on the edge, so the Panthers’ linebackers will have to do a lot of sideline-to-sideline running and the cornerbacks will also have to be sure tacklers on Sunday.

Question from @yeahttsholden_12: What do the Panthers need to do to get back on the path they were on before the Steelers game?

First, Carolina must avoid giving up explosive plays. JuJu Smith-Schuster’s 75-yard touchdown against James Bradberry was the beginning of the end early on in Thursday’s game. And when Antonio Brown beat Donte Jackson for a 53-yard touchdown in the second quarter, the game was over before halftime. But the mistakes those cornerbacks made are fixable.

Second, the Panthers must protect the football. Cam Newton’s pick-six in Pittsburgh capped a wild swing of momentum on the Steelers’ behalf. Plus, the Panthers are 5-0 when winning the turnover battle, 1-1 when tying it and 0-2 when losing it.

Third, the defense has to find more consistency up front against the pass and the run. Carolina’s pass rush has been particularly inconsistent, but has a chance to pop against Detroit’s offensive line, which has given up 16 sacks in two weeks.

Question from @The_Bernanke: In a blind side taste test with every lineman bringing a wine for Cam to name, what wines would they bring and could QB1 get more right than his completion percentage?

Whew, I don’t know. ... Newton’s completion percentage is at a career-best 68.5 percent, and he completed 79 percent of his passes against Pittsburgh despite that pick-six.

For those who might have missed it, Newton has a newly discovered wine-tasting hobby, which he talked about this week. He did admit he’s still working on the taste-match part, though.

But if every linemen were to bring one to him ...

(Disclaimer: I know next to nothing about wine.)

Chris Clark: Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc. Clark has been reliable as Carolina’s fill-in starting left tackle, so he’ll bring Newton his current favorite style of wine. And Cloudy Bay apparently has been a reliable favorite since the 1980s — conveniently when Clark was born.

Greg Van Roten: The Panthers’ left guard went to Penn, an Ivy League school, so let’s pretend he’d really do his wine research here. He’d bring Newton a Sauvignon Blanc too, the Fils Les Deux Cailloux Pouilly-Fumé. I don’t know how to pronounce that. But Van Roten probably does.

Ryan Kalil: Rose. Plastic bottle. That’ll get the party started.

Trai Turner: Turner signed a four-year, $45 million extension last summer that made him one of the highest-paid guards in the league. It wouldn’t matter what kind of wine he brought, but it would be pricy.

Taylor Moton: Moton is in just his second year out of college, so perhaps his palate is still maturing. He’d probably go with Apothic Red from Trader Joe’s — the ol’ fallback option of many a young Charlottean.