A Recap: CB James Bradberry - Building The Pathway For Making A Name For Himself; Why He's Poised To Breakout Next Year

[Saca312]

It all began when Bradberry was fixing his mom's toilet.

It was 2016 when the NFL Draft commenced to the second round. Names were called, with cheers and tears decorating the scene of hopeful prospects, excited about the chance of fulfilling their dreams. Bradberry was sitting in his mom's humble home with friends, parents, and sister all watching the TV; patiently waiting and hoping his name would be called. Coming from a small school in Samford, Bradberry knew that he was going to largely be under the radar. Even so, he felt his skills were superior to most other prospects in the draft, and he made sure that fact was known.

Quote

You know when you’re in elementary school, when you’re being picked for a team and you know that other kids being picked ahead of you aren’t as good and you’re thinking your talent is better than them? That’s how I felt.

As the second round came towards the end, James Bradberry lost out on hope. He figured he would have to wait until the third round to hear his name called. As the TV went on announcing other inferior prospects, Bradberry's mother motioned for his ear. She told Bradberry that he needed to go fix her toilet. Bradberry agreed, assuming that his name wouldn't be called until a little while later.

Then, his phone rang. Bradberry put down what he had on hand to listen, and the rest is history.

Quote

After it got later in the second round, I figured I’d be in the third round.

My mom was in my ear to go fix the toilet seat. We had bought a new toilet seat and it didn’t seem to fit right, so toward the end of the second round, I went to go fix the toilet seat.

Then my phone rang and I saw it was a North Carolina phone number, so I answered it and the coaches told me … I couldn’t really hear a lot because there was so much screaming in the house. Then we celebrated and screamed and stuff and then we all watched my name come across the board. And then they called me back and had me talk to the PR guy, then things settled down, everyone was kind of in shock.

"I'm Not Josh Norman. I'm James Bradberry"

Coming in to Carolina, everyone was ready and armed with Josh Norman comparisons. After all, the Panthers have just recently released their All-Pro corner to free agency after negotiations between Gettleman and Norman's incompetent agent went nowhere, so it was only natural the next guy in would be put to the test. 

Bradberry doesn't like that comparison. He wants to build a name for himself, not in the shadows of any other corner or All-Pro.

Quote

“That thing where they try to compare me to (Josh Norman),” he said, shrugging. “I just want to do my own thing. Make a name for myself. I just don’t want to be a replica or a duplicate of anybody else. I want to be my own person, with my own strengths and weaknesses.”

Cam Newton decided to provide a little help to Bradberry's goal in his own way. As per tradition, Cam Newton was armed and ready to pronounce a nickname on the new #24.

Quote

Bradberry is “Major James” because of his bald head.

A very interesting nickname indeed. Very fitting for any guy who demands respect. With Bradberry's polite, calm demeanor, it's pretty much polar opposite of his on-the-field aggressiveness, but that's just a part of who James Bradberry is. A humble guy who doesn't like flashy things and won't say much, but a guy who just wants to make an impact in a major way.

His mother always told him to remember that there's always going to be someone better than him and to never be satisfied with where he's at. 

Quote

[Bradberry's Mom] also reminded him that as he progressed through football, there was always going to be someone out there who was more talented.

“She was trying to keep me grounded, but I guess it was also motivational,” he said. “Like, work on your craft and try to be the best you can.”

Wise words, and stuff Bradberry keeps very close to his heart.

The Beginning: Building That Name For Himself

James Bradberry's 2016 season began against the defending Superbowl Champs with the Denver Broncos. It was during this time Bradberry got his first taste of what an NFL regular season game looks like, and he didn't do half bad. For a rookie, he made quite the impression that night, containing WR Demaryius Thomas to only four catches for 48 yards. 

Even Thomas had to comment on such an impressive performance by a rookie.

Quote

If he just sticks to what he knows—and keeps working—his potential is there," Thomas says. "It's just how hard will he work? I haven't been around many rookies who play like he does.

"He's going to be a great player."

However, the Panthers lost that night as Gano's did what he does best; miss clutch field goals. Bradberry provided a very swift assessment as to why he was the cause of the Panthers' demise.

Quote

"I fugged up. Simple as that. I fugged up."

...

He brings up C.J. Anderson's 25-yard touchdown on a screen pass. Bradberry grabs my elbows, shoves them together and pretends to push—that's how Thomas took him on a 5.5-second joyride in the fourth quarter.

Even so, Bradberry knew that this was not going to be the defining point of his rookie season. He was out to make a name for himself, and Bradberry knew he needed to put forth the work if he wanted to achieve that goal. 

As Demaryius Thomas said, Bradberry needs to put in that hard work if he wants to get better.

In comes the 49er game. Arguably one of the worst teams in the league, the Panthers were ready to pounce and demolish the talent-less 49ers to a pile of rubble. The day started off a bit slow before the Panthers hit high gear, finishing off the Gabbert-lead 49ers 46-27. Easing plenty of Panther fans' fears of a possible Superbowl collapse, this score and performance reminded fans of the danger the Panthers present to the league.

James Bradberry's performance was top-notch. Although it was against 49er receivers, Bradberry had a field day. He intimidated and dominated the talent-less receivers, shutting them down with every move. 

Bradberry would also show up in run support. Against the 49ers, he was able to sniff out RBs in open space and shut them down. He was putting together a top-notch performance, sort of like a revenge tour after what he deemed was a "poor debut" against the Broncos.

Bradberry capped off his performance with a solid interception of a pathetic throw by Gabbert, shoving and twisting the knife of a loss right down the throat of a demoralized 49er team.

Cam Newton came rushing in, being the first to congratulate Major Bradberry on his first career interception.

Overall, James Bradberry finished as the best performing corner that day, eclipsing Josh Norman's own amazing performance. Finishing at a 93.3 grade, Bradberry turned plenty of heads and eyes as a potential match-up nightmare.

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Ironically, the only cornerback to outperform Josh Norman this week was the rookie tasked with filling his shoes in Carolina. Going up against the 49ers receivers will help, but Bradberry allowed just one catch on seven targets, and it went for only six yards. He notched a pick and a pass defensed, and when targeted yielded a passer rating of 0.0.

Throughout the season, it wasn't easy for Bradberry or Carolina. The Panthers defense started off really slow, with its usually dominant front seven being near the bottom tier of the NFL prior to the bye week. Bradberry wasn't getting any help from that.

When Bradberry first faced the Falcons, it wasn't good. Before getting hit with turf toe, Bradberry tried a few looks of his own against Julio Jones, and it didn't go over well.

He would later leave the game early with turf toe, leaving Bene to get burned for 300+ yards. Worley would also get hit with the injury bug, and the Panthers would be forced to play the Saints with Zach Sanchez and Teddy Williams as starters.

To put it in short: The Panthers defense entered the bye week as one of the worst in the NFL. 

Bradberry would look to change that when he got back.

Redemption: Solidifying His Name

Bradberry and the Panthers would come back firing all cylinders.

With the rejuvenated and restructured defensive front, the Panthers came back once again as one of the NFL's most feared fronts. Bradberry would be back healthy and ready to do his job.

In a rematch against the Saints, Bradberry made his presence known. Able to make prevent a TD in a play you only see elite corners make, James Bradberry was ready to turn around and completely dominate.

To compare, one could simply look at how JNo didn't fare well on a similar style play against us.

James Bradberry would hold off Saints WR Brandin Cooks to 42 yards on 7 catches. A very solid day indeed.

Later on, Bradberry would take on Raiders WR Amari Cooper. Cooper was coming off a fantastic season, dominating the league with his stellar big-play ability and 100+ yard days. A huge test for an up and coming corner.

Needless to say, Bradberry brought career lows that day. Amari Cooper caught just four of seven targets for a season-low 22 yards in Sunday’s game, only one of which coming in the second half.

According to PFF.com, Cooper’s final grade on the day was 51.1. A very poor grade that Bradberry just seems to hand out even against "fortuitous matchups."

Soon, Bradberry would be ready to face his biggest challenge yet once again in Julio Jones. Their first meeting didn't go over too well, but Bradberry would be looking to change that. To redeem himself and the Panthers, Bradberry knew he would have to bring his best game yet.

Bradberry would take on the challenge and come out on top, finishing off Julio Jones with 1/3 catches for a total of five yards.

On a short pass, Bradberry locked on to Julio Jones and flopped Jones straight to the ground for Julio's only 5 yards against Bradberry. A very strong and athletic move you don't see normal corners make on Jones.

On another play, Bradberry was able to beat Julio Jones' press and completely lock him up. Matt Ryan never considered throwing to Julio's way after seeing how tightly locked up Julio was, and threw the other way instead.

Shutting down Julio Jones seemed to be a part of Bradberry's instincts. Keeping Julio Jones from being a major contributor, Bradberry rose up to the challenge and shut him down. If Luke was healthy and if Cam was as well, we could've very well stopped the Falcons from getting a win.

In one of Bradberry's best plays of the year, he was able to stay step-by-step with Julio Jones. Mind you, Bradberry was forced to remain in trail coverage with Julio Jones having inside leverage in what should've been a huge gain. Bradberry remained in pace with Julio and broke up that pass.

Bradberry redeemed himself against Julio Jones their second go around, and the NFL realized that maybe the Panther's secondary isn't as bad as it seemed. For anyone watching the game, the loss was certainly not either of the corners fault, with a whole host of reasons in front of any blame falling on the Panther's backfield (minus Tre Boston).

To finish off a spectacular season, Bradberry would grab his second and final interceptions of the season in one of the most acrobatic moves that you don't see normal men make.

With that interception, Bradberry achieved his goal. He made a name for himself, being one of the most impressive rookie corners the NFL has seen in a while. Looking like a solid veteran starter, Bradberry made the most of his opportunity of his rookie season, and turned some heads.

PFF would finish off grading Bradberry as the best rookie corner from his draft class, ahead of guys like Jalen Ramsey and Tavon Young. With plenty of work and ability to improve on, Bradberry has only scratched the surface of his potential.

With a full off-season of training and work ahead of him, Bradberry will surely be looking to solidify his name in NFL history.

So, How Does The Future Hold?

Bradberry is a guy who soaks in information from coaches. He's like a sponge; he'll take in any advice and apply it. This off-season, Bradberry will have plenty of film to work with and soak every juicy bit of information he can muster.

Quote

“He’s a bright young man,” Rivera continued. “He’s inquisitive, he’s always trying to learn and get better as a football player. He takes coaching very well. That’s another huge plus. If you get a young guy that’s playing and trying to do the things you’re talking about, you know he’s got a chance to be successful.”

With a constant drive to improve, Bradberry will look to get better. His pass coverage will only get better as he gets used to the NFC South's elite receivers, and his instincts will be refined when he hits that sweet spot of his career.

One thing Bradberry could improve on is attempting to go for the ball more often. He only had 2 total interceptions his rookie year, and he could certainly look to trust his instincts more. Nevertheless, Bradberry's already proved he could be an elite shut-down corner real soon.

The Panthers upgrade on defense should certainly help. Getting rid of a prime reason our pass-rush was terrible in Ealy and replacing him with Hall and Peppers is a definite upgrade to the same unit that was 2nd in the league in sacks, and adding CB Captain Munnerlyn, Corn Elder, and SS Mike Adams will only help to strengthen our safety and nickel positions, allowing our corners and linebackers to have plenty of help.

With Steve Wilks now driving the defense as DC, it's very likely we see a lot of formations that will highlight the strengths of our secondary. Wilks was our prior secondary coach who was one of the best in the league, and his defensive mind will only strengthen Bradberry and his role on the Panthers. 

@Mr. Scot went over the change nicely in the following thread:

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All Out Aggression

Here's an area that's not so much about technique as it is approach. Lovie Smith's Bears were an aggressive, attacking defense, especially aggressive when it came to creating turnovers (witness the Peanut Punch).  Under Smith, Wilks and Rivera were also both known to be guys who heavily emphasized the importance of turnovers.  In fact, the Bears defense under Rivera was sometimes a little overzealous in attempting to get picks and strip fumbles and wound up giving up big plays as a result.  Was McDermott aggressive as Panthers DC?  Yes, but was he as all out, always go for the fumble aggressive as the old Bear defenses used to be?  That's a subjective question, and my subjective answer is I don't think so.  Thus, if we do become more aggressive then it's right to expect a lot of turnovers, but sadly a fair number of big plays given up too.  It's a very "feast or famine" approach and fans should be ready to expect that.

More Man Coverage?

From prior discussions, I know there are some who will expect that a Cover 2 means more man coverage as opposed to the zone favored by Jim Johnson's approach.  That's not necessarily true.  The Cover 2 was actually built on zone concepts.  Throw in the fact that we've built our defense of late with corners like James Bradberry & Daryl Worley - i.e. guys who are primarily suited to zone coverage - and a huge shift seems unlikely.  So while I do indeed expect that we'll play some man defense (as we already did before) I wouldn't necessarily expect the amount of it to increase significantly.

 

For next season, Bradberry is very prime to already hit a breakout season. He has potential to achieve his first pro-bowl season if he keeps working his hardest. Plenty of people have already taken note of this potential, as certain sites are already naming Bradberry as their number 1 breakout player for next year.

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Carolina asked a lot Bradberry during his rookie season, and Josh Norman’s replacement held up just fine while flashing ridiculous play-making ability throughout the year.

With a season under his belt, the 23-year-old should be more consistent in coverage on a down-to-down basis and could establish himself as a top-15 corner in the NFL. The Panthers’ decision to move on from Norman looks a lot smarter now that Bradberry has proven himself capable of playing the No. 1 corner role.

However, one thing will always remain true. 

Bradberry did not enter this league hoping to be a good replacement for Josh Norman. He doesn't want to be compared to any all-star corner or anyone at all for that matter. All that matters to Bradberry is that people remember his own name - James - and no one else. 

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“Hopefully soon it’s just ‘James.’” 

I just want to do my own thing. Make a name for myself. I just don’t want to be a replica or a duplicate of anybody else. I want to be my own person, with my own strengths and weaknesses.

Major Bradberry. Already making a major impact in the league, with major potential in his future.

[Nails]

How much of this do you write and how much do you use from other sources?  Either way is fine, the content is great, just curious.  I don't even have time to read all of these posts and I'm a fanatic.

[Saca312]

Just now, Nails said:

How much of this do you write and how much do you use from other sources?  Either way is fine, the content is great, just curious.  I don't even have time to read all of these posts and I'm a fanatic.

Anything quoted is from another source that is hyperlinked in the text.

Anything written not in quotes is entirely from me and my own thoughts/research.

[therealmjl]

Great write up. @Saca312 wow. Hire him @Jeremy Igo :)

[therealmjl]

Your best one yet IMO

[XOBlackxJokerOX]

I'm just glad we have the continuity in Steve Wilks to keep coaching him up. His progression as the season went on was evident. I'm curious as to your take on Worley.

Sent using the amazing CarolinaHuddle mobile app

[Saca312]

2 minutes ago, XOBlackxJokerOX said:

I'm just glad we have the continuity in Steve Wilks to keep coaching him up. His progression as the season went on was evident. I'm curious as to your take on Worley.

Sent using the amazing CarolinaHuddle mobile app
 

Worley is like night and day. He started off slow, but he looked dominant towards the end of the year.

His run defense was never an issue, and was far superior to Bradberry's surprisingly. Coverage took a while, but he has a lot of potential.

[uncfan888]

Waiting for someone to quote the OP so I can flame them

[nctarheel0619]

41 minutes ago, Saca312 said:

dominant towards the end of the year

Jesus Christ, no, no, no he didn't.  He looked adequate at best.  Wow.  Dude is meant to be just an average corner at best.  

[Saca312]

3 minutes ago, nctarheel0619 said:

Jesus Christ, no, no, no he didn't.  He looked adequate at best.  Wow.  Dude is meant to be just an average corner at best.  

From what I saw, I saw a very good #2 corner for us by year's end. Has a bit of uphill to climb, but he's far exceeded my expectations.

[uncfan888]

14 minutes ago, nctarheel0619 said:

Jesus Christ, no, no, no he didn't.  He looked adequate at best.  Wow.  Dude is meant to be just an average corner at best.  

Relax. Give Worley a chance to improve in his second year. Damn 

[Eazy-E]

2 hours ago, Saca312 said:

It all began when Bradberry was fixing his mom's toilet.

It was 2016 when the NFL Draft commenced to the second round. Names were called, with cheers and tears decorating the scene of hopeful prospects, excited about the chance of fulfilling their dreams. Bradberry was sitting in his mom's humble home with friends, parents, and sister all watching the TV; patiently waiting and hoping his name would be called. Coming from a small school in Samford, Bradberry knew that he was going to largely be under the radar. Even so, he felt his skills were superior to most other prospects in the draft, and he made sure that fact was known.

As the second round came towards the end, James Bradberry lost out on hope. He figured he would have to wait until the third round to hear his name called. As the TV went on announcing other inferior prospects, Bradberry's mother motioned for his ear. She told Bradberry that he needed to go fix her toilet. Bradberry agreed, assuming that his name wouldn't be called until a little while later.

Then, his phone rang. Bradberry put down what he had on hand to listen, and the rest is history.

"I'm Not Josh Norman. I'm James Bradberry"

Coming in to Carolina, everyone was ready and armed with Josh Norman comparisons. After all, the Panthers have just recently released their All-Pro corner to free agency after negotiations between Gettleman and Norman's incompetent agent went nowhere, so it was only natural the next guy in would be put to the test. 

Bradberry doesn't like that comparison. He wants to build a name for himself, not in the shadows of any other corner or All-Pro.

Cam Newton decided to provide a little help to Bradberry's goal in his own way. As per tradition, Cam Newton was armed and ready to pronounce a nickname on the new #24.

A very interesting nickname indeed. Very fitting for any guy who demands respect. With Bradberry's polite, calm demeanor, it's pretty much polar opposite of his on-the-field aggressiveness, but that's just a part of who James Bradberry is. A humble guy who doesn't like flashy things and won't say much, but a guy who just wants to make an impact in a major way.

His mother always told him to remember that there's always going to be someone better than him and to never be satisfied with where he's at. 

Wise words, and stuff Bradberry keeps very close to his heart.

The Beginning: Building That Name For Himself

James Bradberry's 2016 season began against the defending Superbowl Champs with the Denver Broncos. It was during this time Bradberry got his first taste of what an NFL regular season game looks like, and he didn't do half bad. For a rookie, he made quite the impression that night, containing WR Demaryius Thomas to only four catches for 48 yards. 

Even Thomas had to comment on such an impressive performance by a rookie.

However, the Panthers lost that night as Gano's did what he does best; miss clutch field goals. Bradberry provided a very swift assessment as to why he was the cause of the Panthers' demise.

Even so, Bradberry knew that this was not going to be the defining point of his rookie season. He was out to make a name for himself, and Bradberry knew he needed to put forth the work if he wanted to achieve that goal. 

As Demaryius Thomas said, Bradberry needs to put in that hard work if he wants to get better.

In comes the 49er game. Arguably one of the worst teams in the league, the Panthers were ready to pounce and demolish the talent-less 49ers to a pile of rubble. The day started off a bit slow before the Panthers hit high gear, finishing off the Gabbert-lead 49ers 46-27. Easing plenty of Panther fans' fears of a possible Superbowl collapse, this score and performance reminded fans of the danger the Panthers present to the league.

James Bradberry's performance was top-notch. Although it was against 49er receivers, Bradberry had a field day. He intimidated and dominated the talent-less receivers, shutting them down with every move. 

Bradberry would also show up in run support. Against the 49ers, he was able to sniff out RBs in open space and shut them down. He was putting together a top-notch performance, sort of like a revenge tour after what he deemed was a "poor debut" against the Broncos.

Bradberry capped off his performance with a solid interception of a pathetic throw by Gabbert, shoving and twisting the knife of a loss right down the throat of a demoralized 49er team.

Cam Newton came rushing in, being the first to congratulate Major Bradberry on his first career interception.

Overall, James Bradberry finished as the best performing corner that day, eclipsing Josh Norman's own amazing performance. Finishing at a 93.3 grade, Bradberry turned plenty of heads and eyes as a potential match-up nightmare.

Throughout the season, it wasn't easy for Bradberry or Carolina. The Panthers defense started off really slow, with its usually dominant front seven being near the bottom tier of the NFL prior to the bye week. Bradberry wasn't getting any help from that.

When Bradberry first faced the Falcons, it wasn't good. Before getting hit with turf toe, Bradberry tried a few looks of his own against Julio Jones, and it didn't go over well.

He would later leave the game early with turf toe, leaving Bene to get burned for 300+ yards. Worley would also get hit with the injury bug, and the Panthers would be forced to play the Saints with Zach Sanchez and Teddy Williams as starters.

To put it in short: The Panthers defense entered the bye week as one of the worst in the NFL. 

Bradberry would look to change that when he got back.

Redemption: Solidifying His Name

Bradberry and the Panthers would come back firing all cylinders.

With the rejuvenated and restructured defensive front, the Panthers came back once again as one of the NFL's most feared fronts. Bradberry would be back healthy and ready to do his job.

In a rematch against the Saints, Bradberry made his presence known. Able to make prevent a TD in a play you only see elite corners make, James Bradberry was ready to turn around and completely dominate.

To compare, one could simply look at how JNo didn't fare well on a similar style play against us.

James Bradberry would hold off Saints WR Brandin Cooks to 42 yards on 7 catches. A very solid day indeed.

Later on, Bradberry would take on Raiders WR Amari Cooper. Cooper was coming off a fantastic season, dominating the league with his stellar big-play ability and 100+ yard days. A huge test for an up and coming corner.

Needless to say, Bradberry brought career lows that day. Amari Cooper caught just four of seven targets for a season-low 22 yards in Sunday’s game, only one of which coming in the second half.

According to PFF.com, Cooper’s final grade on the day was 51.1. A very poor grade that Bradberry just seems to hand out even against "fortuitous matchups."

Soon, Bradberry would be ready to face his biggest challenge yet once again in Julio Jones. Their first meeting didn't go over too well, but Bradberry would be looking to change that. To redeem himself and the Panthers, Bradberry knew he would have to bring his best game yet.

Bradberry would take on the challenge and come out on top, finishing off Julio Jones with 1/3 catches for a total of five yards.

On a short pass, Bradberry locked on to Julio Jones and flopped Jones straight to the ground for Julio's only 5 yards against Bradberry. A very strong and athletic move you don't see normal corners make on Jones.

On another play, Bradberry was able to beat Julio Jones' press and completely lock him up. Matt Ryan never considered throwing to Julio's way after seeing how tightly locked up Julio was, and threw the other way instead.

Shutting down Julio Jones seemed to be a part of Bradberry's instincts. Keeping Julio Jones from being a major contributor, Bradberry rose up to the challenge and shut him down. If Luke was healthy and if Cam was as well, we could've very well stopped the Falcons from getting a win.

In one of Bradberry's best plays of the year, he was able to stay step-by-step with Julio Jones. Mind you, Bradberry was forced to remain in trail coverage with Julio Jones having inside leverage in what should've been a huge gain. Bradberry remained in pace with Julio and broke up that pass.

Bradberry redeemed himself against Julio Jones their second go around, and the NFL realized that maybe the Panther's secondary isn't as bad as it seemed. For anyone watching the game, the loss was certainly not either of the corners fault, with a whole host of reasons in front of any blame falling on the Panther's backfield (minus Tre Boston).

To finish off a spectacular season, Bradberry would grab his second and final interceptions of the season in one of the most acrobatic moves that you don't see normal men make.

With that interception, Bradberry achieved his goal. He made a name for himself, being one of the most impressive rookie corners the NFL has seen in a while. Looking like a solid veteran starter, Bradberry made the most of his opportunity of his rookie season, and turned some heads.

PFF would finish off grading Bradberry as the best rookie corner from his draft class, ahead of guys like Jalen Ramsey and Tavon Young. With plenty of work and ability to improve on, Bradberry has only scratched the surface of his potential.

With a full off-season of training and work ahead of him, Bradberry will surely be looking to solidify his name in NFL history.

So, How Does The Future Hold?

Bradberry is a guy who soaks in information from coaches. He's like a sponge; he'll take in any advice and apply it. This off-season, Bradberry will have plenty of film to work with and soak every juicy bit of information he can muster.

With a constant drive to improve, Bradberry will look to get better. His pass coverage will only get better as he gets used to the NFC South's elite receivers, and his instincts will be refined when he hits that sweet spot of his career.

One thing Bradberry could improve on is attempting to go for the ball more often. He only had 2 total interceptions his rookie year, and he could certainly look to trust his instincts more. Nevertheless, Bradberry's already proved he could be an elite shut-down corner real soon.

The Panthers upgrade on defense should certainly help. Getting rid of a prime reason our pass-rush was terrible in Ealy and replacing him with Hall and Peppers is a definite upgrade to the same unit that was 2nd in the league in sacks, and adding CB Captain Munnerlyn, Corn Elder, and SS Mike Adams will only help to strengthen our safety and nickel positions, allowing our corners and linebackers to have plenty of help.

With Steve Wilks now driving the defense as DC, it's very likely we see a lot of formations that will highlight the strengths of our secondary. Wilks was our prior secondary coach who was one of the best in the league, and his defensive mind will only strengthen Bradberry and his role on the Panthers. 

@Mr. Scot went over the change nicely in the following thread:

For next season, Bradberry is very prime to already hit a breakout season. He has potential to achieve his first pro-bowl season if he keeps working his hardest. Plenty of people have already taken note of this potential, as certain sites are already naming Bradberry as their number 1 breakout player for next year.

However, one thing will always remain true. 

Bradberry did not enter this league hoping to be a good replacement for Josh Norman. He doesn't want to be compared to any all-star corner or anyone at all for that matter. All that matters to Bradberry is that people remember his own name - James - and no one else. 

Major Bradberry. Already making a major impact in the league, with major potential in his future.

Your posts are usually a diamond found in a pile of poo. Thank you and keep them coming.

[panthers55]

Very extensive. I do have a different take on some aspects. I think that Wilkes  will use more man coverage than McDermott did. I don't think that Wilkes will use the blitz as much as McDermott did especially early in a game unless we aren't getting pressure with our front four. He will look to make each defender win their individual match ups with aggression instead of using schemes to confuse the offense like McDermott did.. McDermots defense was very technical and one missed assignment and it was a big lapse. Wilkes isn't going to gamble as much. 

As for Bradbury, he is a good man coverage corner.  When he played cover 3 he was covering the receiver who was in his zone using man technique. He was solid against the run which is very important if you are on an island and you see a screen develop to your side. Then you have to beat the block and make the tackle. We will see more aggressive play by the secondary whether we are in zone or man. From what I have seen of Wilkes he emphasizes technique and playing fast instinctively..

just my take on things.

[KillerKat]

Can you guys not quote the original post. Jesus Christ.