Strickland on Ealy (your first off-season fluff piece).

[pantherj]

The best is when panthers.com does a fluff piece on a player who is about to be cut. Cracks me up every time. 

[rmoneyg35]

Sounds like he is saying the right things which is good.

I really expect him to be a starter going into best season unless we resign Hardy. I hope Ealy trains hard this offseason and puts some weight on.

[JJman Returns]

I was so happy when we drafted him in May, and I'm still so happy we drafted him now. He will be a very good DE for many years

[Mvp2014]

But in terms of elite size and athleticism at the position, over the past 13 years...no one comes close to Peppers, Mario Williams, and Clowney IMO.

Additionally, Ealy is bigger and longer than CJ.

Idk JPP and Robert Quinn are both unreal athletes

[Wundrbread33]

Idk JPP and Robert Quinn are both unreal athletes

 

They are...and they are great ends...but not on that level. 

 

Peppers and Williams move as fast and with more power...while being 20-30 pounds heavier.

 

Clowney is more their size but is more athletic and faster/more explosive. Almost as fast as the freak himself, Mr. Jevon Kearse.

[TheNewStandard]

Ealy and Hardy are pretty identical in terms of their measurable coming out of college. Hardy was 8 lbs heavier but Ealy is was faster in everything but the 40 (.05 seconds difference). Ealy even put up one more in the bench. Ealy might not have the genetics to develop like Hardy but he's not starting from a lower benchmark than Hardy either.

Hardy has that long frame with great footwork and quickness. Ealy is more compact and will get buried by double teams, where Hardy could move laterally and get those arms out there to drag down the ball carrier. Like peppers, Hardy is a rare freak that can reinvent the position. Ealy is not in that mold.

[Wundrbread33]

Hardy has that long frame with great footwork and quickness. Ealy is more compact and will get buried by double teams, where Hardy could move laterally and get those arms out there to drag down the ball carrier. Like peppers, Hardy is a rare freak that can reinvent the position. Ealy is not in that mold.

 

I don't see how you can read what "csx" wrote and still say that Hardy is quicker. Ealy literally was officially timed better in every measurement of speed and quickness sparing the 40 yard dash. 

 

You say Ealy is more compact...but he literally is not. Same height, 8 pounds lighter, and his arms are a 1/4 inch longer than Hardy's. He has an almost identical frame to Hardy. Elvis Dumervil/ Charles Johnson would be more "compact"

 

You reference Ealy getting buried by double teams where Hardy does not. Hardy is also a 5th year pro while Ealy is a rookie. It took until late in Hardy's second year for him to start to "get it" and begin developing into the player he become in year 3.

 

I love Hardy like the next guy who believes he is innocent, but he is not a "rare freak that can reinvent the position". He was a great DE prospect that needed to develop physically to compete consistently at the next level. He developed.

 

Same as Ealy. We just need Ealy to develop the same way. I believe he will.

 

I think people compare Hardy to Peppers for 3 reasons:

 

1. He has developed into a dominant defensive end.

2. He is a Carolina Panther (at least he has been).

3. He has a similar skin tone...so if you squint your eyes it just might be Pep...

 

But "reinvent the position"? Come on man...

[top dawg]

LOL @ Hardy "reinventing the position".

 

 

The thing I am afraid of is that he'll reinvent ways to get paid while peering from the sidelines (or his couch).

[L-TownCat]

I don't see how you can read what "csx" wrote and still say that Hardy is quicker. Ealy literally was officially timed better in every measurement of speed and quickness sparing the 40 yard dash.

You say Ealy is more compact...but he literally is not. Same height, 8 pounds lighter, and his arms are a 1/4 inch longer than Hardy's. He has an almost identical frame to Hardy. Elvis Dumervil/ Charles Johnson would be more "compact"

You reference Ealy getting buried by double teams where Hardy does not. Hardy is also a 5th year pro while Ealy is a rookie. It took until late in Hardy's second year for him to start to "get it" and begin developing into the player he become in year 3.

I love Hardy like the next guy who believes he is innocent, but he is not a "rare freak that can reinvent the position". He was a great DE prospect that needed to develop physically to compete consistently at the next level. He developed.

Same as Ealy. We just need Ealy to develop the same way. I believe he will.

I think people compare Hardy to Peppers for 3 reasons:

1. He has developed into a dominant defensive end.

2. He is a Carolina Panther (at least he has been).

3. He has a similar skin tone...so if you squint your eyes it just might be Pep...

But "reinvent the position"? Come on man...

You left out that neither Pep nor Hardy really care all that much about how their decisions effect people, I mean it's just business right?

[TheNewStandard]

for all the haters. Hardy is 1b as far as ranking on our defense. He was better tha CJ and everyone not names Luechly among the defensive players in the NFL.

Ealy may turn out great but only Hardy and Peppers have ranked top-3 in the NFL in any one season.

[top dawg]

for all the haters. Hardy is 1b as far as ranking on our defense. He was better tha CJ and everyone not names Luechly among the defensive players in the NFL.

Ealy may turn out great but only Hardy and Peppers have ranked top-3 in the NFL in any one season.

 

People saying that Hardy is/was better than CJ just look at football with tunnel vision.

 

CJ has been our most consistent line player since Peppers left.  Sure, Hardy may have finally risen to that level in 2013, but that's because he had CJ playing on the opposite side.  Plus, it's not like he even outplayed a less than 100 percent CJ that season by a marked difference.  

 

CJ has been the anchor of the defensive line, not Hardy, and it's not even really close.

[TheNewStandard]

CJ sucked without Hardy until we got Ealy and Addison producing. Hardy is the man and CJ took half the season to start being a leader on the DL.

Don't get it twisted

[TheNewStandard]

Hardy wAs the number 1 RE in the league in 2013. As far as CJ goes, he was injured half the season.

Of course the DL benefitted by our DEs playing, but CJ was injured for half the season while the Kraken wrecked OL even in CJs absence.

[TheSpecial1]

Panthers.com has really improved the past few years but their articles are - not good.