The Most Dynamic Offense Ever Under John Fox?

[joethoma]

The overall body of work for the preseason has not exactly been stellar, but there are 5 things I am taking from the preseason that have me legitimately excited about the potential of our offense this year. As several of the players have said, they only just began to scratch the surface of what they could do last year, being that it was the first year with a stable quarterback situation. I believe the following are reasons we could add to an offense that was already incredible in the second half of last year.

#1) Running Backs

With John Fox, it all starts with the running backs. We are one of the only teams left in the league who run more than we pass, and have proven we can do it well in spite of the other team knowing we are going to do it. The tandem of DeAngelo Williams, Jonathon Stewart, and Mike Goodson is as intimidating as any trio in the league. DeAngelo has become a superstar in his own rite, and if Stewart can come even close to replicating his rookie success, the offense will do good things. Even if Stewart misses some time or a lot of time with his Achilles injury, I think we will be fine with Mike Goodson. Goodson has unbelievable explosion and I think he can run in between the tackles and bounce to the outside. He may prove to be the best of the bunch receiving from the backfield. I think Goodson may be the offensive steal of the draft (if he can just hold on to the football).

#2) Third Receiver

The Panthers have struggled to have a great second receiver in the past few years, let alone a good third receiver. Working out in the off-season with Steve Smith has obviously yielded good results for Kenneth Moore. I think he is undoubtedly our third receiver right now. As other people have noted, it's hard not to draw a lot of comparisons to Moore to Ricky Proehl. Good things happened to the Panthers the last time we had three legitimate receivers (which really hasn't happened since '03). DeWayne Jarrett continues to, in my opinion, not disappoint but certainly not give the Panthers any confirmation he can be a starting wide receiver. I think his blocking and knowledge of the play book have improved, but with him not playing special teams, he’s probably going to be inactive on game days unless there is an injury.

#3) Tight End

Even though none of them have set themselves apart to the level of being great, the collection of Gary Barnidge, Jeff King, and Dante Rosario is probably the best collective group of tight ends the Panthers have had. All of them contribute to special teams, can block, and have/are showing the ability to get open. Their versatility will be very important to the Panther offense moving the chain. I could see all three being active on game day. As previously noted, Barnidge does seem to have the most potential as a receiver, but King and Rosario have both stepped up when they have had to.

#4) Offensive Line Depth

One of the biggest questions going into the season (other than defensive tackle which we all know is a work in progress) was the offensive line depth after losing the top three backups from last year. Obviously, without them playing in the regular season, we can not make a definitive conclusion right now. But I think this group has shown great improvement doing the preseason. To me, Mackenzie Bernadeau has shown the most improvement, along with interior lineman Geoff Schwartz and Duke Robinson (whom Fox singled out for praise). We don’t really have a good backup at tackle, but the versatility of Gross, Otah, and Wharton will hopefully be sufficient if injuries force any changes.

#5) Quarterback Depth

Jake Delhomme is still the unquestioned starter and gives us the best chance to win this year. However, I think Josh McCown and Matt Moore are above average back-ups and a definite upgrade over backup situations we have had in year’s past. Jake going down with an injury would not be a good thing, but the fact we have 2 experienced back-ups with experience in this offense is a better situation than what we experienced in past years.

Any one else have any opinions about the offense? I think when we look at it objectively, we can be optimistic about the potential of this offense.

I do believe Fox and Davidson were not going to tip their hand during the preseason, and did a good job of instead just using the games to evaluate potential contributors to the team under game conditions.

[jpniner]

....and worst Defense ever under Fox?

[joethoma]

And maybe worst defense under Fox.... unfortunately yes

[PrimeTyme]

the offense should be great, and lets face it... its gotta be if we gonna win the division

give the defense time... they may actually be good, if they can just learn to tackle, I never thought we would be such a soft tackling team

HOWEVER.. i think having T. Davis and Beason back will improve things

[PhillyB]

i think we are going to light up scoreboards NO and NE style this year.

if we can muster up a decent defense - and i think we will - it's going to be an exciting season of panther football.

[grateflday]

Nice write up and good analysis. I like the potential of the Panther's offense. I do not know how "explosive" it will be, but balanced definately yes - with the hope of more weapons is a good thing.

[Vagrant]

I am really not a Jake hater at all.... but what prevents this offense from being better than our other offenses under Fox is the deterioration of Jake. When we had Smith and Moose in his prime lining up opposite one another, there was not a more dangerous passing attack in the division. Jake could get it there with precision too.... which is the biggest part of what he lacks now. His accuracy has really suffered at the hands of time.

In terms of impact on the scoreboard, an elite passing game will usually take you a bit further than an elite ground attack. We at one time had a nearly elite passing attack with an average running game. We now have a superstar wideout trapped in an average passing game with an elite running game. I say the scales tip in favor of the strong passing game.

As for the defense, it will improve. Peppers playing at full strength with Beason and Davis back will help our run defense exponentially.