The Ultimate Sports Blog's
2015-16 NFL Preview
2014-15 Record: 7-8-1
Last Playoff Win: 2014 Wildcard vs. Arizona Cardinals
Last Playoff Appearance: 2014 Divisional vs. Seattle Seahawks
Last Super Bowl Win: None
Last Super Bowl Appearance: XXXVIII vs. New England Patriots (2003)
Head Coach:
Ron Rivera (32-31-1 all-time in Carolina, 1-2 in playoffs)
Assistant Head Coach: Steve Wilks
Offensive Coordinator: Mike Shula
Defensive Coordinator: Sean McDermott
2014-15 Team Leaders:
Passing Yards: Cam Newton (3,127 yards, 58.5% completions, 18 TD's, 12 INT's, 82.1 QB rating)
Rushing Yards: Jonathan Stewart (175 attempts, 809 yards, 3 TD's)
Receiving Yards: Greg Olsen (84 receptions, 1,008 yards, 6 TD's), Kelvin Benjamin (73 receptions, 1,008 yards, 9 TD's)
Tackles: Luke Kuechly (153 tackles)
Interceptions: Roman Harper (4 interceptions)
2014-15 Team Rankings:
Passing Offense: 19th in NFL
Rushing Offense: 7th in NFL
Points Per Game: 19th in NFL
Least Points Allowed Per Game: 21st in NFL
2014-15 Potential Starters:
Purpe - Elite Starter
Blue - Above Average Starter
Green - Average Starter
Orange - Below Average Starter
Grey - Rookie
Red - Disgusting, Awful, Horrible, E.J. Manuel
Offense:
QB: Cam Newton
RB: Jonathan Stewart
WR: Devin Funchess
WR: Kelvin Benjamin
TE: Greg Olsen
C: Ryan Kalil
OG: Andrew Norwell
OG: Trai Turner
OT: Michael Oher
OT: Mike Remmers
Defense:
DE: Kony Ealy
DE: Charles Johnson
DT: Star Lotulelei
DT: Kawann Short
LB: Shaq Thompson
LB: Thomas Davis
LB: Luke Kuechly
CB: Charles Tillman
CB: Josh Norman
FS: Tre Boston
SS: Roman Harper
2014-15 Schedule:
(September 13) vs. @ Jacksonville Jaguars
(September 20) vs. Houston Texans
(September 27) vs. New Orleans Saints
(October 4) vs. @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(October 11) BYE WEEK
(October 18) vs. @ Seattle Seahawks
(October 25) vs. Philadelphia Eagles
(November 2) vs. Indianapolis Colts
(November 8) vs. Green Bay Packers
(November 15) vs. @ Tennessee Titans
(November 22) vs. Washington Redskins
(November 26) vs. @ Dallas Cowboys
(December 6) vs. @ New Orleans Saints
(December 13) vs. Atlanta Falcons
(December 20) vs. @ New York Giants
(December 27) vs. @ Atlanta Falcons
(January 3) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Overlook: The bad news for Panthers fans is, the NFC South was a disaster area last year and things don't look that much different this season, so people are going to be complaining about the strength of the division as a whole. The good news for Panthers fans is, none of that matters because Carolina actually has a nice little roster and are by far the most talented team on paper in the division. Last year was kind of an odd year for the Panthers. They went from an impressive 12-4 campaign in 2013 to a mediocre 7-8-1 and it's hard to pinpoint exactly where things went wrong for Carolina, but we're sure going to try and find out.
Defensively, there is a whole lot to love with this Panthers team. The front seven on defense could arguably be the best in the National Football League. Kawaan Short and Charles Johnson are phenomenal players who would be a welcome addition to any team in the NFL. Star Lotulelei hasn't turned into the animal everyone thought he would be, but he's still a damn good player and could still make that jump to the next level. Kony Ealy is "meh", but there's time for him to turn it around. We all know how good Carolina is at linebacker (especially if Shaq Thompson turns into what I think he can....), so there's no reason to spend time on that unit. Carolina's big weakness on defense is the secondary. They don't have any elite players in this unit and need to upgrade it immediately as Roman Harper and Charles Tillman are a combined 185 years of age. Still, I think the rest of Carolina's defense is good enough to cover up the mistakes that are going to happen in the secondary, so Panthers fans shouldn't be too worried.
Were they should be worried is on the offensive side of the ball. What's going to happen to this team offensively? Can Cam Newton finally put it together and be play consistently better than he has? It seems like Newton's constantly flashing signs of brilliance that make people in NFL circles all over explode with enthusiasm. Then he comes back out and makes a boneheaded play that makes us all wonder if he'll ever be an elite QB or even the QB of a consistently good playoff team. Will the real Cam Newton please step up? You got your money, now go get your rings. As far as the rest of the offense, it's a "wait and see approach". We all know what Jonathan Stewart and Greg Olsen are (a good running back and an elite pass-catching TE). Kelvin Benjamin showed signs of potentially blossoming into one of the NFL's top WR's and the addition of Devin Funchess should only help his development come along. Where the Panthers will really struggle on this side of the ball is on the offensive line. They are doing patch work on that unit and we all know what the result of that will be. I just hope Cam is prepared for it.
Anyway, to wrap things up....I think the Panthers are easily the most talented team in the NFC South. I would consider it a huge disappointment for Carolina if they didn't win the division this year and comfortably make the playoffs with at least ten wins. There's too much talent on this team for them to be average or anything less.
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