Carolina Panthers
Head Coach: Ron Rivera (25-23 all-time in Carolina)
Last Year's Results: 12-4, defeated by San Francisco in the Divisional Round in the playoffs
Projected Starters:
(My Player Rankings Guide:
E - Elite Starter: Franchise changing player at his position
HQ - High Quality Starter: One of the best in the game at his position
GS - Good Starter: If this guy's on your team, he's likely starting and you should be perfectly fine with it
AS - Average Starter: This guy is OK, but if possible, I'd be looking for an upgrade
BAS - Below Average Starer: This guy should not be starting, but he will because he's the best option
??? - Not enough information regarding this guy and the jury is still out on him
R - Rookie: Pretty self-explanatory
PS - Poor Starter: This guy shouldn't be starting for your football team. NO EXCUSES!)
OFFENSE:
QB: Cam Newton (GS)
RB: DeAngelo Williams (AS)
FB: Mike Tolbert (HQ)
WR: Kelvin Benjamin (R)
WR: Jerricho Cotchery (GS)
TE: Greg Olsen (GS)
C: Ryan Kalil (GS)
RG: Garry Williams (AS)
LG: Amini Silatolu (AS)
RT: Nate Chandler (BAS)
LT: Byron Bell (BAS)
DEFENSE:
DE: Charles Johnson (GS)
DE: Greg Hardy (HQ)
DT: Star Lotulelei (GS)
DT: Kawann Short (GS)
WLB: A.J. Klein (???)
MLB: Luke Kuechly (HQ)
SLB: Thomas Davis (HQ)
CB: Melvin White (BAS)
CB: Antoine Cason (BAS)
SS: Roman Harper (PS)
FS: Thomas DeCoud (BAS)
SPECIAL TEAMS:
K: Graham Gano
P: Brad Nortman
Schedule:
vs. @ Tampa Bay
vs. Detroit
vs. Pittsburgh
vs. @ Baltimore
vs. Chicago
vs. @ Cincinnati
vs. @ Green Bay
vs. Seattle
vs. New Orleans
vs. @ Philadelphia
vs. Atlanta
BYE WEEK
vs. @ Minnesota
vs. @ New Orleans
vs. Tampa Bay
vs. Cleveland
vs. @ Atlanta
Predicted Results: 9-7 (3-3 in division)
Team Analysis: "Where did this team come from last season?" seems to be the general consensus when talking about the Carolina Panthers. Are they really as good as their 12-4 record from last season or did they just get lucky? Is Ron Rivera really one of the best head coaches in the NFL or did he just have a good season that delayed his inevitable firing? Panthers fans will no doubt find out this season. Looking at their roster, it's hard to predict how these guys will finish. Their offense is OK. Cam Newton has the tools and mechanics to be a top-10 QB in this league. His numbers have pretty much been consistent throughout his NFL career thus far (averages about 3,600 passing yards, 21 TD's, 14 INT's, with a completion percentage of about 60%) and if he can somehow find a way to improve those number's even more, that might be the little push that Carolina needs to get them over the edge. The rest of the offense is just "meh". Carolina is loaded at RB with Mike Tolbert, DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart (go Ducks), and Kenjon Barner (go Ducks). There are questions marks at the receiver position thanks to the loss of long-time Panther Steve Smith, but Carolina is hoping that rookie Kelvin Benjamin picks up the offense quickly because let's face it, they are going to need him. The Panthers are about average on the offensive line, which is another reason why it helps that Newton can make plays with his legs if need be.
On the defensive side of the ball, Carolina is pretty good. As long as Greg Hardy isn't beating up women, this team could argue that they have one of the best defensive lines in football, and no one could argue with them. They are also set at the linebacker position, especially with Luke Kuechly, who is quickly turning into one of the most exciting guys to watch in the league. Where the defense could be considerably hurt is in the secondary. Carolina has absolutely no one in the secondary who pops out at you as a guy that you need on your team to win football games. It's definitely a unit that's in a "rebuilding stage" and it easily the weakest overall unit on this football team next to the wide receiver position.
Like I said earlier, Carolina is a team that is hard to read. Are they really just a 6-10 team that masqueraded as a 12-win team last year? Is Ron Rivera really an incumbent head coach who just had a lucky season? Can the Panthers reach the playoffs again with holes in the secondary and what seems like a lack of play-makers on offense? Who knows, but it's going to be fun to watch. This team will either enjoy a nice 8-10 win season and go on to add more pieces next summer in an effort to continue building a monster or they could see a huge drop in production that leads to "Riverboat Ron" having to find a new job and the Panthers sending out "we're sorry" letters to Steve Smith. Either way, it's going to be fun to watch, so sit back and buckle up. The show's about to start.
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