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Last Year
In 2003, the Carolina Panthers played like Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn's characters in the Wedding Crashers, preying on innocent victims who underestimated them. A year later, the Panthers were merely a playoff ex and couldn't perform when it was expected of them. The Panthers were forced to break Rule No. 7 frequently — "avoid virgins, they're too clingy" — filling in with untested players all over the place due to a high number of injuries. Does a clean bill of health mean a playoff party once again?
What We Learned From Last Year
July 11th happens to be the 40-year anniversary of the slurpee and while the sugar-based slush has persisted through decades while healthier choices have surfaced, its perseverance still doesn't compare to the resilience that the Carolina Panthers display under head coach John Fox.
A 1-7 start and long-term injuries to Stephen Davis, DeShaun Foster, Steve Smith, Kavika Pittman, Jessie Armstead, and Kris Jenkins would have caused a brain freeze for most teams but not the Panthers.
They rebounded with five straight wins and could have made the playoffs with a Week 17 victory along with some outside help.
Like the hours of operation of a 7-11, the Panthers compete 24/7 and when you have a team that gives 100% effort, sometimes the parts can become interchangeable.
When Davis and Foster dropped out of the lineup, not many pundits believed in a running back that went undrafted in 2001, but for Nick Goings, he was just the next running back in line to succeed.
He started the last eight games of the season and averaged just fewer than 92 rushing yards per start. Not bad considering he was sixth on the running back depth chart at the beginning of the season.
Not many teams can handle the loss of a Steve Smith-caliber player, but for the Panthers, it was just another plug-n-play. Rookie Keary Colbert stepped into the starting lineup the rest of the way, catching 754 yards worth and five touchdowns.
Who does this remind you of? A little New England Patriot-esque, isn't it? A player is injured and somebody else is ready to step in. Now if they can only get this winning-consistency thing down pact...
John Fox is a defensive mind, but last year's defense was ranked lower than either of his first two seasons as the Panthers' head coach (20th). The line was unable to generate as much pressure as it normally does, mostly because of the absence of Kris Jenkins. There was little force from the interior, which led to more attention for the ends, but more importantly, the run defense was vulnerable.
In 2003, the Panthers allowed 107.6 rushing yards per game and only 10 rushing touchdowns, but that stat ballooned to 119 yards per game and 19 rushing touchdowns. Needless to say, there was a lot of work for the linebackers. Dan Morgan still didn't play a full season, but showed why he is one of the best linebackers in the NFC with 78 tackles, two sacks, and two interceptions in only 12 games. He went to the Pro Bowl with outside linebacker Mark Fields — even though Will Witherspoon could have gone instead.
In the secondary, Ricky Manning and rookie Chris Gamble enjoyed their first full season of starts. This tandem was sufficient and looks to have a bright future.
There were many eyes on Jake Delhomme last year waiting for the one-hit wonder to fail. That never happened as he emphatically asserted his presence as a legitimate starting quarterback. He augmented his passing yards and quarterback rating while outputting a sparkling touchdown-to-interception ratio (29 TD, 15 INT) while playing behind an unbalanced offensive line. Although the statistics may not incriminate the line, they were definitely a weakness for this offense.
Last year, the Panthers had a big bulls-eye on their back, as everyone wanted to defeat the NFC champions. On top of that, they were handed an unmanageable schedule with five eventual playoff teams in the first seven games.
That won't happen again this year and with a solid core of talent, there is no question that the Panthers will compete for the playoffs once again.
This Year
Considering John Fox's main philosophies are to run the ball and stop the run, getting back a healthy set of running backs along with defensive tackle Kris Jenkins should make a world of difference
DeShaun Foster should see the bulk of the work heading into the season, but Stephen Davis should be back in time for training camp to compete for the main role. Rookie Eric Shelton and last year's runner, Nick Goings, round out the league's deepest set of running backs. Having Foster and Davis injects a stronger burst for the running game as Goings, as effective as he was, only had three runs longer 20 yards last year.
The Panthers needed help on the offensive line and signed free agent guard Mike Wahle for that reason. Wahle, right tackle Jordan Gross, and center Jeff Mitchell will solidify three-fifths of the starting line, but the Panthers have reasonable concern at left tackle and right guard. Travelle Wharton, a converted guard, will take over at left tackle and Tutan Reyes will compete with rookie Evan Mathis for right guard duties. The line needs to be cohesive for the running game to flow, but it can't be much worse than last year.
The return of Steve Smith should restore an explosive punch and return the ability to score on any given play. He will be leaned upon with the loss of Muhsin Muhammad to free agency. Along with Colbert, the Panthers do have a good starting duo of wide receivers, but at 5-9 and 5-10, both lack in height. Tight end Freddie Jones will have to suffice as the tall target. He was a forgotten man in Arizona for three years, but he is still a quality receiving tight end.
On other side of the ball, the Panthers will once again possess one of the fiercest defensive lines with Jenkins back on board. The Pro Bowl tackle is a clog in any running game, but is also an excellent pass rusher for his size. That will keep less attention off of ends Mike Rucker and Julius Peppers and teams will have to pick their poison if they choose to double-team. Jenkins usually plays closer to Rucker because Peppers doesn't need any assistance to wreak havoc.
Dan Morgan enters a contract year and is one of many disgruntled NFL players to join the Drew Crew. Superagent Drew Rosenhaus wants to get an extension done for Morgan, but he will still participate without one.
The Panthers would like to reap a full season of action from their star linebacker before they make any commitments. Morgan has yet to play more than 12 games in a season.
A very solid season from Will Witherspoon was overshadowed by the impeccable return to the lineup of Mark Fields. Fields overcame the Hodgkin's disease to play in 2004, but unfortunately will miss the 2005 season with a recurrence of the illness.
Brandon Short is a competent linebacker and will complete an underrated grouping.
In the secondary, Ken Lucas was signed as a free agent from Seattle and will link up with Chris Gamble in the starting lineup. Ricky Manning was a liability in run support and is, but should still be one of the better nickel cornerbacks in the NFL.
The safety positions are still up in the air depending on how the team decides to use first-round selection Thomas Davis. If he plays strong safety, he will push Mike Minter to free safety. If they feel he is better suited as a linebacker, then Idrees Bashir will likely start as the free safety.
The Panthers' defense will be a difficult test for any opponent as there are not many weaknesses to exploit. Don't be surprised if this squad leads the league in sacks and/or takeaways.
With a complete squad intact, Carolina spent a whole draft building depth at a number of positions to avoid an encore of last season and to further encourage an encore of 2003.
They are definitely capable of it.
Over/Under: 9.5
After a trip to the Super Bowl, the Panthers were slapped with a difficult schedule. Most of their difficult games seem to come at home and their road schedule is fairly light. If they can protect their house and get four division victories, the division should be theirs. Their outer-division opponents are: NE, @MIA, GB, @ARZ, @DET, MIN, NYJ, @CHI, @BUF, and DAL.
Fantasy Sleeper
There was a time when Freddie Jones was in the upper echelon of NFL tight ends and he might be able to find his way back in Carolina. He is not the most complete tight end on the roster, but he is an excellent receiver. Jake Delhomme will be hungry for a big target since his starting wideouts are both under six feet and Freddie Jones, who will likely go undrafted in most pools, just might scratch that itch.
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