Bill Barnwell's All-Pro Team

[Ricky Spanish]

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/10199548/bill-barnwell-pick-nfl-all-pro-team

 

Mentions quite a few Panthers. Has Luke and Kalil as 1st teamers and has Davis and HArdy as second teamers. 

 

Middle Linebacker

Luke Kuechly, Panthers

Luke Kuechly IS Ray Lewis. Like, he's Ray Lewis to the extent that I'm genuinely concerned about the identity of the guy who does Monday Night Football coverage for ESPN. How did they regenerate him at 22? One other way Lewis compares to Kuechly: Lewis had a habit of producing his best performances in big games, and Kuechly has been enormous in Carolina's key wins this year, notably its victory over the Saints last week. I wouldn't go crazy over tackle numbers — they're inflated by official scorers, and Kuechly's 26 tackles included plenty of "assists," which suggests it would have been more like 18 tackles if the Panthers had been playing a road game — but his tape from that game compares favorably to the work of any one player in any one game this year. If you redid the 2012 draft today, Kuechly would be the third pick behind Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson. He's that good.

Second Team: NaVorro Bowman, 49ers

 

Center

Ryan Kalil, Panthers

One of the quiet reasons why the Panthers have been better this year has been the return of their star center. Kalil missed 11 games last season with a Lisfranc fracture, and his presence is unquestionably one of the reasons why Ron Rivera is so comfortable going for it on fourth downs. It's also hard to argue that he gets a lot of help; Kalil is playing alongside left guard Travelle Wharton, who didn't attract any offers this offseason and signed with Carolina in September, and second-year undrafted free agent Nate Chandler at right guard. Carolina's ability to run in the interior is built upon Kalil's shoulders.

Second Team: Alex Mack, Browns

 

 

[TN05]

Bill Barnwell seems to like the Panthers. I heard him on Dan LeBatard's show saying he thinks the Panthers are the team that can beat Seattle in Seattle.

[PantherBrew]

I think this is a very fair and rational take.