KB_fan

Ron talks Peanut & Bene in his post practice interview today. He is very complimentary of Bene's growth & play. http://www.panthers.com/media-vault/videos/Ron-Rivera-Making-every-rep-count/b943ebc5-8d41-441f-a8f0-9b2dcc7fff08

​Just signed him yesterday - news was eclipsed a bit by TD contract extension. Seems like he's had some good years, notably 2012. See PFF comments here evaluating 2013 Free Agents: I understand he's one of the famous Gettleman rehab projects. Huddle thread link below:

Max Henson has a good write up on Bene's performance in minicamp today. http://www.panthers.com/news/article-2/Benwikeres-minicamp-interception-exemplifies-growth/6c9bbb8b-2cad-4f1a-8a0b-f59fa8702442

David Newton had this tidbit in his coverage of today's minicamp. It makes me so optimistic to think that our offense gets to practice against what is likely to be one of the top Ds in the league, while our D now has to contend with all the challenges & mismatches presented by KB, Funch & Olsen, and a healthy Cam. It is a win-win! [the quote refers to Bene's one-handed interception of a Cam pass]

Great post. It's entries like these that have me loving the Huddle. I'm learning so much about the Panthers and the game that I never appreciated as a casual fan. Safe travels!

One more comment. Here's a very fun (but perhaps meaningless?) stat. Was looking at the 1stDown% (# of first downs / # of receptions). http://www.sportingcharts.com/nfl/stats/player-receiving-first-downs-and-first-down-percentage/2014/ When looking at all players with 10 or more receptions last year, Carolina has the top two players on the list! 1. Ed Dickson: 9 FDs out of 10 receptions = 90% 2. Bersin: 11 FDs out of 13 receptions = 84.6% NEXT is.... wait for it.... 3. Calvin Johnson (aka Megatron) 59 FDs out of 71 receptions = 83.1% The average FD% for all players with 10+ receptions = 53.2% The average FD% for players with 10 - 19 receptions (like Bersin) = 49.6% So, among players used in limited receiving roles, Bersin's ability to get the 1st down really stands out. Here's a list of the top 30 players in terms of 1st down %: NamePosTeamGamesReceptionsFDFD%Ed DicksonTECAR1610990Brenton BersinWRCAR15131184.6Calvin JohnsonWRDET13715983.1Dwayne AllenTEIND13292482.8Terrance WilliamsWRDAL16373081.1Crockett GillmoreTEBAL1510880Corey FullerWRDET16141178.6Brandon LloydWRSF14141178.6Lance MooreWRPIT14141178.6Coby FleenerTEIND16514078.4Randall CobbWRGB16917178Travis BenjaminWRCLE16181477.8Andre RobertsWRWAS16362877.8Torrey SmithWRBAL16493877.6T.Y. HiltonWRIND15826376.8Nick ToonWRNO8171376.5Marques ColstonWRNO16594576.3Brian QuickWRSTL7251976Cooper HelfetTESEA1012975Rishard MatthewsWRMIA1412975Albert WilsonWRKC12161275Daniel FellsTENYG16161275Malcom FloydWRSD16523975Jason WittenTEDAL16644875DeAndre HopkinsWRHOU16765775Kenny StillsWRNO15634774.6Rob GronkowskiTENE15826073.2Julio JonesWRATL151047673.1Zach ErtzTEPHI16584272.4Jordy NelsonWRGB16987172.4 P.S.: Just need to add a shout out to Jeremy. The new table formatting is AWESOME. Just love it!

So... doing some number crunching thanks to the great link provided by a previous commenter http://www.sportingcharts.com/nfl/stats/player-receiving-statistics/2014/ OK, so here's a stat that blows my mind. Bersin led all the WRs last year in reception %. (65%) 13 catches out of 20 targets. 11 of those catches for 1st downs. 1 TD, no fumbles. His greatest weakness as many have mentioned seems to be yards after catch. But seriously, the stats back up his making some clutch catches. Nice. Among the WRs, Cotch was next at 61.5%, then Brown at 58%; Kelvin at 50% The RBs & Greg had higher reception percentages than the WRs. Fozzy & DeAngelo nailed a tiny number of targets (83%). JStew (80%) & Tolbert (70%) showed great hands. Olsen was his awesome "Mr. Reliable" self 84 catches out of 123 targets = 68% reception %. *REALLY* hope Kelvin can pull up his reception % this year. If he does, our offense could be very exciting!

​That is a great link. Really appreciate your taking the time to post this. Bersin & Dickson really made the most of a small number of receptions in terms of converting for 1st downs. Love it. Stats are a beautiful thing.

​Disagree. I think we already have 4 solid receivers (KB, Funch, Corey Brown, Ginn) if Funchess lives up to expectations. (and of course we have Olsen too..., perhaps our MOST solid receiver, though not a wideout) I think we're talking about him because there's a pretty fierce competition for the last 1 - 2 roster spots this year and we're all interested to see who makes the cut and why: Veteran or youth? Speed or Possession receiver? Flash or solid & dependable?

​Do we have any stats geeks here who can give us the breakdown on snaps played, targets etc., or can someone point me where I can find those. (I don't have any special access subscriptions, i.e. to PFF).

​And with Ginn back. Ginn's entering his 9th season IIRC. Cotch is going to have to show something special if he's to make the roster. It doesn't seem like he had much chemistry with Cam last year.

​I've been thinking we may keep 6 this year given the abundance of WRs (12) on the 90 man roster, though that might only happen if Webb is released. I assume KB, Funchess, Brown & Ginn are all locks. It's going to be a very tough battle for the last 1 or 2 spots. Cotch & Bersin play a similar role as possesion receivers. Obviously Cotch has the added plus of being a veteran to coach the rookies. It may be hard to keep them both. I'm really not sure whom to route for. If Hill does well and/or if Byrd shows a lot of promise (meaning he might be picked off the PS) it's going to be nearly impossible to keep both Cotch & Bersin.

Just came acoss a great stat about Cam that I'd not been aware of: (from an SBnation article: http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/6/3/8699639/cam-newton-contract-cap-hit-structure-carolina-panthers) SO COOL. Go Cam!

Thanks for the great notes Jeremy. In addition to all you wrote, I loved reading of the special guests RR invited to practice. The Panthers are SUCH a class act. I love this team's heart.

​Now that's an intriguing proposition. JR stays happy because he's employing Bersin, and we don't have to fear his punt return attempts. I like it.

​I've argued before that Cotchery will make the team. But if Bersin makes it, I'm thinking Cotch may be at risk...

Thrilled! Great job to all involved. Congrats Cam. Can't wait to see what this will mean for 2015 season!

​ME TOO!!

​And Greg...! Don't forget Olsen!!

Glad to see this.

Mr. Scot, Thanks for the reply. Just saw another reported signing: Iowa Hawkeyes RB Brandon Wegher https://twitter.com/B_Wegher/status/595245099744792576 https://twitter.com/BlackBlueReview/status/595248048260780032 While I'm posting, can I ask a newbie question? (Been a lurker here for last 2 seasons, just decided to join...) I'm floored by that massive list of Chargers' UDFAs. Do they have to pay them all? Does this all come out of their Cap? That seems a lot of money for potentially not much reward. I can't imagine a team having to workout & evaluate and pay all those free agents on top of their draft picks. It seems like it would be a distraction in building a team. But I confess I know little about the Chargers' situation.

Last night I saw a post on Twitter, and then this morning a Colorado news story saying that QB Chris Bonner has gotten a tryout offer from the Panthers. Yet I'm not seeing his name on any of the lists floaring around on BBR, the Observer, etc. Anyone have further info? https://twitter.com/search?src=typd&q=%40cbbonner12 http://www.krdo.com/news/chris-bonner-reacts/32788392 2 QBs among our UDFAs / tryouts. Very interesting if true! Bonner had a great write up in Feb. at Bleacher Report.