Evaluating Talent.....What We Really Have

[uptowndlo34]

Since this season is pretty much in shambles, we could definetly be in rebuilding mode next season. For a lot of teams, this could take years, but i believe that the Panthers have enough talent to turn the corner fairly quickly. Regardless is Fox loses his job, or if another HC comes in, there is definetly loads of talent on this team. there is just a few misplaced parts of the equation. Here is an evaluation on every position that Carolina has, and what should be done to allow this team to keep its talent and build on what should be a promising future for this franchise:

QB: Obviously, Jake Delhomme is done. He makes bad decisions, he doesnt scare anyone, and he has become extremely inacurrate this season. A combination of age, shook confidence, and elbow surgery have done him in. Time to let him go after this season, regardless of his contract. Jake has been good in the past, but now he is one of the worst QBs in this league. If Fox and company stick around and bring this guy back, i think he would be run out of Charlotte. Backing up Delhomme, we have Matt Moore and AJ Feely. Josh Mccown is garbage and will be gone after this season. Moore has impresssed me with his confidence since his first pass, when he threw a bomb to KEARY effin COLBERT, and made it complete. While he might not have all the intangibles a starting QB requires, why not give him a shot to finish the year? To me, Fox doesnt want to look like he made a mistake in extending Delhomme. And until Moore gets his shot, we will not know what we have at the most important position on this team. AJ Feely should get a shot in training camp, and thats it with him.

Talent Grade: F

RBS: We do not need to change anything with our running backs. Deangelo is one of the top three in the league, Stew in the top 15. Tyrell Sutton has impressed me tremendously and Mike Goodson has loads of potential. There is just something i love about the fact that DWill breaks one for 30 yds or mre at least once a game. We have a young FB in Fiammetta, and Hoover is likely done after this season. Fiammetta will continue to get better, and should be a solid FB. Up and down, this is our most talented spot on the football field.

Takent Grade: A+

WR: I dont know what it is with Smitty this season, but his arrogance and attitude have pissed me off. But by all means, he should retire a Panther. He is our best playmaker and best reciever in franchise history. His competitiveness makes him great. Keep Smitty by all means, just get him a QB. Moose is old, and prob has one good yr after this year in him. Dwayne Jarrett..........well, Dwayne Jarrett. I dont know what to make of this kid. He shows signs of being great, but also shows signs of being a bust. Maybe with a new QB, he will strive, but he is definitely talented. But i dont know what his future with this team holds after this season (but i could just see DJ leaving this team to go somewhere else and be great). Kenny Moore is also a young talent, and would be better off with a good QB throwing him the football. The TEs we have are outstanding. I love all three of them, and they all hold a very strong role in how this offense works. Barnidge has the most potential of them all, but Rosario is a beast. I love these guys as a whole, leave this position alone. A new rookie reciever would be great for this football team next season, maybe a successor to Smith. Overall, this group suffers from horrible QB play.Bring in a new QB, and they could surprise some people.

Talent Grade:C

OLINE

We have a solid OLine core, with a great mix of vets and young guys. The three that stand out that make the core of that line is Gross, Wharton, and Otah. They are three very solid olinemen that will be the core of that unit for many years to come. Kalil is consistent, at the least, and Vincent is just a temporary fix. I believe that Vincent is paving the road for Duke Robinson, a guy i believe will one day be an pro bowl caliber guard. This unit is built to overwhelm, and they do a good job. Mackensy Bernerdeau has he talent to be a good backup, but the rest of the backups are garbage. Im not too worried about this unit either, bc Fox and co has shown the ability to pick good olinemen through the draft.

Talent Grade:A-

DLINE

I am a little bit worried about the Julius Peppers situation. I am almost certain that he will want to walk once again after this season, and the rest of our dline suffers without his presence. Charles Johnson could be great, but the move that really puzzles me is the trade for Everette Brown. He was OWNED last night by the Dolphins. Was he really worth the pick? I like Brayton too, but his presence is keeping CJ off the field. I say get rid of him and damione Lewis afetr this season. Hollis Thomas was a great pickup, but Kemo wll hopefully be back and we have great young talent in guys like Lewis Leonard and Tank Tyler. Make those guys the core of the defensive line. Nick Hayden shouldve been cut instead of Sunny Harris, bc Harris would be grand in a couple of years. That is a move that will haunt the Panthers. Hillee Taylor is a mystery, but he is so far down on the depth chart it is hard for us to see what we have in him. Get rid of Brayton, Lewis, and Thomas and we will see how this unit plays out. But if we lose Pep, we need to find an immediate replacemnt

Talent Grade: B-

LB's:

We have two absolute studs in Beason and Davis. They will give oposing OCs nightmares for many yrs to come. We have two good depth guys in Connor and James Anderson. Landon Johnson is garbage, and should be gobe after this season. Diggs should be gone as well, his ability to cover and tackle have jus played off. When i look at this core, Diggs has really benefitted by the play of the two guys alongside him. But u no what i dream about? That we never got rid of Will Witherspoon. Imagine him with Beason and Davis. WOW that would be amazing. But overall, this unit is the best on defense, and the Panthers will need to find an eventual successor to Diggs, whether it will be Connor or not.

Talent Grade:A

DBs:

I like our Dbs as well. We have great rising stars in Sherrod Martin and Captain Munnerlyn. We have soilid starters in chris Gamble and richard Marshall. Chris Harris is also a beast. keep this core, they will be good for yars. Everyone else is a question mark, except for Dante Wesley. He is a stud on special teams.Charles Godfrey isnt what was expected, maybe a kove to corner will do him good. CJ wilson and quinton teal are good special teamers, but very inadequate backups. Maybe a shift in the depth will bolster this unit.

Talent Grade: B

our kickers and punters are fine, and JJ jansen has been very serviceable.

Overall, our team is very talented, there is no question about it. A new reciever and a new pass rusher will greatly benefit this football team. EVERYTHING ELSE is in place. What the Panthers problem is is coaching and Jake Delhomme. They are keeping this football team from maximizing its potential and it is sad. We should keep the team virtully in tact, with a new QB and HC. Then everyone next season will sit there and be like "Damn, when did the Panthers get so good?" But after seeing we have talent everywhere on this team and lose because of bad coaching and Jake Delhomme, the Panthers dont deserve that. Please Please.

Its time for change in 2010. The talent is there. The missing pieces are not.

Feel free to discuss, and changes that could be made that will make this team competitive for years to come.

[MaineManPanther]

The problem with this upcoming offseason, we have to both sign Peppers and Davis. Or atleast get somthing for Peppers if we can't. Hopfully those contracts dont hurt us getting Wr, QB.

[KBRed]

I honestly thought Gamble was getting killed on Thursday night's game, but overall I agree...new coach, new QB, and a young stud WR should get it done.

[pstall]

I agree on everything but D line and DB's. I would give both a C.

If the D line was a full strength maybe a B.

The DB's have been better but I never feel fully confident they will lock somebody up and tackle well. Again, lately they have played better.

[jaPAN fan]

Tyler Brayton has been a lot better than people want to give him credit for. I want to see him back next year.

[jtm]

If we can get a possession type QB and a stud young receiver to take some of the double teams from Smitty, we are golden. I counted 5 passes just in the first half (then I quit counting) that Jake missed targets that were wide open. Against good teams, that is the difference between winning and losing and it ultimately was.

Honestly, I don't think Peppers is going anywhere. He isn't going to get the $ he wants given his age and I hope he has realized this. Hopefully he will come to terms and accept what he is worth and I am sure the Panthers will pay this. Having said this, I hope we don't continue to overpay for him. I can't really see him being worth more than $10 million a year on a 5 yr. deal considering what other guys in his position are getting paid given his age. Just my .02

[Raskle]

I disagree about CJ Wilson. From the little we've seen, he's shown himself to be a solid baller that hasn't been given any playtime. It's not an unusual concept on this team though, so I shouldn't be surprised or anything. I think the kid has the goods -- not a probowler by any means, but he deserves more playing time for sure.

[Baschski]

DLINE

I am a little bit worried about the Julius Peppers situation. I am almost certain that he will want to walk once again after this season, and the rest of our dline suffers without his presence. Charles Johnson could be great, but the move that really puzzles me is the trade for Everette Brown. He was OWNED last night by the Dolphins. Was he really worth the pick? I like Brayton too, but his presence is keeping CJ off the field. I say get rid of him and damione Lewis afetr this season. Hollis Thomas was a great pickup, but Kemo wll hopefully be back and we have great young talent in guys like Lewis Leonard and Tank Tyler. Make those guys the core of the defensive line. Nick Hayden shouldve been cut instead of Sunny Harris, bc Harris would be grand in a couple of years. That is a move that will haunt the Panthers. Hillee Taylor is a mystery, but he is so far down on the depth chart it is hard for us to see what we have in him. Get rid of Brayton, Lewis, and Thomas and we will see how this unit plays out. But if we lose Pep, we need to find an immediate replacemnt

Talent Grade: B-

You want to cut three of our starting four D linemen and, assuming that Pep walks, leave ourselves with no returning starters on the D line? Wtf are you smoking?

Brayton is the most experienced DE on the roster besides Pep and he is solid in run defense. No reason whatsoever to cut him. CJ is getting better all the time, and EB still has the potential to be a stud in the future. Keep Lewis, keep Thomas. Kemo isn't coming back.

[zebrainz]

The problem with this upcoming offseason, we have to both sign Peppers and Davis. Or atleast get somthing for Peppers if we can't. Hopfully those contracts dont hurt us getting Wr, QB.

If a new CBA isn't signed and there is no salary cap for 2010 Davis is a restricted free agent when his rookie contract expires at the end of this year. Players with 4-6 years of service that would normally be unrestricted free agents fall under into this category.

Here are the tender amounts for 2009, the amounts should be slightly higher in 2010, but not much:

Low tender – right of first refusal & original draft pick – $1.01 million

Middle tender - right of first refusal & 2nd round pick – $1.545 million

High tender – right of first refusal & 1st round pick – $2.198 million

Highest tender – right of first refusal & 1st and 3rd round picks – $2.792 million

So if it comes down to it, the Panthers can retain Davis' services for just under 3M at the maximum. By comparison, Davis counted 2.1M against the cap in 2009.

If you want to see who else on the roster is affected by this, go to panthers.com, roster and click on "yrs". All the players listed from 3-5 (4-6 next year) years of service are eligible to be signed under the restricted free agent rules if they don't currently have a contract in place for 2010. In Davis' case I think the team may try and do a longer deal just to keep him happy (injury or no injury). Rotoworld has the best data on current contracts if you want to look them up case by case.

[Wither]

Really, the only positions I see that need work are FS, QB and WR.

FS: It's not that big of a gash in the secondary, but I can't help but cringe when I see long passes by other teams.

QB: I don't necessarily think Jake is bad, but what's going on with the team right now (fanbase, internal matters, etc.) I think that it would be best to try out a new QB.

WR: Moose has at least another 2-3 years in my opinion, even if he gets bumped to 3rd WR. Keep Smith at all costs; he will be good for quite a few more years. Jarrett... keep him one more year and give him LOTS of chances. Hell, at the rate the season is going, give him LOTS of chances this year, in real games! If he can't show anything by the end of a next year, he's done (but he needs a lot of chances to really test out to see if he's usable - like, 5 completed receptions. Moore looks solid and should be the 3rd WR (or second if Moose loses another step).

CB: I'm a little worried about Gamble, but I'm a Gambling man so I let this one go.

[DaveThePanther2008]

QB - Think it is time to make a change. I think now is the time to evaluate Moore and let Feely go. I think Jake has some value to us as a backup but it is time to see is Moore has it and if he doesn't then demote him and bring Hunter up from the Practice squad and give him an opportunity. We need to get this area straight and in a hurry. We don't need a Cleveland situation.

RB/FB I think we are set at this position. With Fiamattia and Goodson available I think we have solid backups if D'Will and/or Stewart go down. God forbid

WR Steve Smith is still a pure bred and we have to have a threat to go with him. Whether someone in the slot or someone at #2. We need another burner, like a Deshawn Jackson. This is a must area of importance. Second only to QB.

TE - King is servicable, Rosario is more of a H-Back I believe our future is in Barnidge. The catches he made on that final drive were incredible tough and he reminded me of Bavaro. Tight end is fine.

OL- Mac B. filled in fine. I think he has some awesome blocks and will only get better with playing time. This is a perfect time to allow him to develop. I also think it is time to move OTAH to the left. It was what we drafted him for. If next season they want to move him back to the right so be it. I would only add more depth.

DT - I would sign Tank to a long term contract and when Kemo comes back next season or DT's should be OK.

DE - Either Sign Peppers to a long term contract or cut the strings. If we tag him and don't trade him before the 1 Mar I say let him go. Great player but not worth being strapped for cash for. C. Johnson and E. Brown are our future. Brayton can come or go and we can find a suitable backup in the draft or F.A. Once again. I WOULD NOT ALLOW PEP TO STRAP This team again.

LB - Solid group. Critical to keep TD. Fortunately Beason and TD are not tied together like Morgan and Witherspoon were. We have to opportunity to sign both in different years. Conner is solid and though Diggs is getting a little long in the tooth. No one has beaten him out. We need to continue to look for Gems but the LB corps is pretty solid.

CB - Marshall is in his 1st year as starter so we are going to have growing pains but he IMO is worth keeping. Not a monster deal like he believes he is entitled to but a well compensated deal. I think Captain will develop into a solid corner too. We need to continue to develop the CB position though.

Safety - I believe Harris and Martin are our future. Godfrey could be a solid back up and Teal seems to be hanging in there. Like CB I think we should keep an open eye.

Special Teams - Kasey cannot last forever and keeping thunderfoot just for kickoffs is a waste of a roster spot. We need to find a solid kicker in the draft. Or possible bring a vet in. We need a replacement. Baker is doing fine. KR/PR needs to be addressed somewhere.

Go Panthers

[OneBadassCat]

No way is the d-line a B. DE maybe a B or even an A, but DT generates no pass rush, though generally good at run stopping.

[rayzor]

let's move forward...

QB:

try moore out this year and see what he can do. if he can't do the job get rd of both him and jake (and feeley as well). draft a QB from a pro-style offense early and pick another up from FA in the offseason. keep hunter in the PS...i don't care. let him develop. go into camp next year with mccown as the starter. the FA should be experienced and familiar with whatever system we run to be mainly used as another set of eyes for the QB on the field.

RB:

willams/stewart/sutton/fiammetta (hoover will likely retire, imo)

WR:

smith/jarrett/moore/goodson (yes, goodson should be moved to WR or at least be considered a RB/WR hybrid) + draft or grab a good respectable WR from FA next year and let the cream rise to the top. moose has no contract after this year. lets not give him another one and let's focus on developing talent by giving the young ones real opportunities. whoever isn't starters should only be kept if they are a real asset to special teams.

TE:

don't change a thing

OL:

get robinson involved more and give him a shot at RG. keep the starting 5 intact but plan on robinson moving into vincents spot and give otah and robinson experience working together since that is likely the future of that side. scrap everyone else and bring in 2-3 more experienced linemen as depth. we should have 8 OL active at all times and have 9-10 on the 53 man roster.

Dline:

only way peppers and kemo are kept is if there is no cap next year.

DEs: johnson, brayton, brown, peppers (or some brayton type DE brought in via FA). i don't care one way or the other about taylor.

DTs: tank, thomas, leonard, irvin, lewis, and kemo (if uncapped). might try to find another solid run stuffing DT. to compete with thomas and kemo (if either/both are kept).

LBs:

keep beason and davis for sure. diggs, connor, anderson should all be kept but let SAM be a legit competition. get rid of landon johnson. bring in a FA/rookie for depth but only if their real strength is in special teams.

DB:

core needs to be gamble, marshall, munnerlynn, harris, martin. depth for defensive backs should come from people who are chosen as STers first. wesley is a shoe in. godfrey only kept if he can contribute on running down returners.

STs:

get rid of all kickers and bring in two who can do it all...and i mean do it all. i would love to have a punter who played rugby as a fly half or a scrum half who can punt, kick, throw, or run with ease to give the STs some more options. i'd also be happy chasing after the next ray guy award winner to come out of college (whoever that is).

if you aren't in a starting role then you better be able to be solid on special teams. i would love for us to be able to go after people who are special teams players first in positions that we need depth in.

[Guild]

I basically agree with everything Ray posted above.

ESPECIALLY getting rid of Landon Johnson. God what a waste of a roster spot and cap space.