Honest assessment

[Squirrel]

OK usually I bs during most of the season so I thought I would give you a honest assessment of this upcoming season.

RB- We have a 1-2 punch with Williams and Stewart. I am a little concerned about Stewart though seemed like every time you turned around last you he was hurting. If he can stay on the field our running game will be like last years.

OL- My biggest worry is depth. I like the starting front 5 but I need to see what the backups can do. Good thing is we have two bookends that will be with the team for a good time.

TE- The King project is over great blocker and catches a few balls here and there. Rosario is great for a receiving TE and it will be interesting what the new players can do.

WR- Smitty is Smitty he will bring his A game. Jarrett I think will be what everyone expects and have a breakout season. Moose love the guy but I think this will be his last season so I will enjoy every moment he catches the ball. But I think he is on the decline. The guy that I think will come out and just kick but though is Rhyne Robinson or as I prefer to call him Smitty II. He is hungry after missing last season and he will be turning heads. I really think this will be the deepest and best WR Corp that the Panthers will ever have. Carter I think will have a hard time finding playing time.

QB- Jake is Jake everybody know what he can do and cant do. With that said if we just have Jake manage the game we will be fine. If we put it on his shoulders we get another Arizona game. I think he will have a great season with the running game and the wr's we have we should be hanging 35 points a game on the board. McCown is here to be backup I dont see him staying past this season and if for unfortunate reason Jake goes down he should be able to manage the game.

Moore to me it was a big sign that managment doesnt have faith in Moore when they extend Jake to a 5 year contract. Yes I understand the cap room but to not extend Moore before the beginning of training camp points to that. He could still catch on and be a good QB but I wouldnt be surprised if both McCown and Moore dont return next season.

Defense

This will be or make or break point in the games. No reason we should hang 35 points a game with our offense.

DL- Starter wise I have no complaints. But our backups are questionable across the board. Rookie DE 2nd year DE and backup DT's that I cant even remember their names.

LB- Solid this is our backbone of the defense.

Secondary- Harris Solid / Gamble Solid/ Godfrey learning and hopefully will do alot better than last year. The big elephant in the room our starting CB opposite Gamble will it be Marshall in which case I have serious doubts or will it be Wilson which I have no clue. This position beside the DL is going to be our weak points.

If the Defense can hold opponents to 21 or less with Meeks coming in I know we will get pressure which we need to but with pressure comes the possibilty of our secondary getting burned. Will be a interesting year and I learned from last year I will just go with the flow and enjoy every minute. For those that like predictions I think we will go 9-7 with a wild card into the playoffs.

Now go ahead and rip it apart.

[Jangler]

So you are a Panther fan, I wasn't sure with that avatar...:biggrinjester:

[Squirrel]

Nope I am just pretending to be a Panthers fan since the Fins play them twice this season.

[Nu Guns]

So you are a Panther fan, I wasn't sure with that avatar...:biggrinjester:

LOL :rofl:

[AKPantherFan]

honest.... yup... and it about sums it up....

I have a feeling we will get what we expect with some surprises along the way. Good surprises I hope...

I said it before, I will say it again... I think this is the YEAR!!!

Get ready!!!!

I think we will manage 11-5 and kick some ASS in the playoffs!

[Mr. Scot]

None of the QBs on our roster fits the "game manager" mold, and I don't think that's what Fox wants them to be. I've called our offense "Ground Chuck" as we do two things: ground it out and chuck it down the field. And truthully, without the "chuck" the "ground" isn't as big a threat.

(Scherer's influence will be key here)

I think it's remiss to mention the TE spot without mentioning Gary Barnidge. I'm also intrigued by Kevin Brock. Something tells me Rosario's flash might have played out and he could potentially wind up shipped elsewhere.

The ideal role (or perhaps "roehl") for Moose is as Ricky Proehl II. Hopefully if Jarrett is the starter, he'll at least be somewhere close to the blocker Moose can be (his contributions to the run game are underappreciated).

I'm very anxious to see the defense as produced not just by Ron Meeks, but by Brian Baker, Richard Smith, Ron Milus and Mike Gilhammer (the lone holdover outside of QC guy Sam Mills II).

[Squirrel]

None of the QBs on our roster fits the "game manager" mold, and I don't think that's what Fox wants them to be. I've called our offense "Ground Chuck" as we do two things: ground it out and chuck it down the field. And truthully, without the "chuck" the "ground" isn't as big a threat.

(Scherer's influence will be key here)

I think it's remiss to mention the TE spot without mentioning Gary Barnidge. I'm also intrigued by Kevin Brock. Something tells me Rosario's flash might have played out and he could potentially wind up shipped elsewhere.

The ideal role (or perhaps "roehl") for Moose is as Ricky Proehl II. Hopefully if Jarrett is the starter, he'll at least be somewhere close to the blocker Moose can be (his contributions to the run game are underappreciated).

I'm very anxious to see the defense as produced not just by Ron Meeks, but by Brian Baker, Richard Smith, Ron Milus and Mike Gilhammer.

Yeah couldn't remember the TE's that we picked up. As far as game management Jake is McCown and Moore no. But to me game management is handing the ball off and taking shots down the field when possible. Jake fits that role good. Im not saying its a bad thing. I honestly hope Jake has a great year I would like to see a Superbowl ring and some of our guys dont that much longer left before they will have to retire. But we do have a nice young team now. Just need to get a young QB in here to groom if it isnt going to be Moore.

[AKPantherFan]

I do think people are overlooking the fact that Delhomme has "for the 1st time in his Carolina tenure" a new QB coach.

I think this is going to pay huge dividends

Delhomme proved he can still sling the hell out of the ball, now with more accuracy drills at camp, I expect folks to see a more improved Delhomme this season.

[realstandman]

TE- The King project is over great blocker and catches a few balls here and there. Rosario is great for a receiving TE and it will be interesting what the new players can do.

I'd really like to see what Barnidge has to offer.

[CRA]

considering what Fox and Meeks both typically like to do w/ the DL....I think our starters are still a question mark. Outside of Peppers there is no proven pass rush threat. There was little pass rush the entire 2nd half of the season last year and a big reason our secondary was abused like they were (that and the fact they blew assignments).

other than that, I agree w/ it.

[panthers55]

I think the offense will average around 25 points a game this year. In almost any year that Fox has coached, that portends good things. I don't see any problem with the starters and unless we have a rash of injuries our backups should be adequate. In the end not being able to spend big time on what have usually been overpriced free agents may be a boon down the road. Just like last year on the o line, we went out and gathered a group of cheap UFAs who will compete for back up spots. Plus our draft will fill some holes and provide good depth as well. Many of the guys we released in the offseason last year like Darwin Walker are still available but we think we have upgrades who are cheaper. We will see how that plays out. I think on the defensive side our coaching staff is much improved and this should be a good thing.

Jake will rebound and have a very solid year. He won't put up big numbers but he will be efficient and move the ball consistently. Our running game will continue to improve even as teams load the box on us. Smith and Moose will have good years while we open up the short passing game to Goodson, Williams and Stewart out of the backfield.

On defense we will still give up a lot of yards but we will be tougher against the pass and get more turnovers and more sacks. The net result will be more 3rd down stops and better field postion for the offense. We wil work better as a unit this year and players won't get caught on an island or out of position as much.

Special teams will be shaky early but over time will gel into a strong unit. We will actually run one back for a score on a kickoff and punt this year. I know...lofty goals. We also won't give up too many as well.

[SnarkAttack]

Rosario's a great receiving TE? Not sure about that-he's had one good game....

[frash.exe]

RBs: DeAngelo and Jonathan are one of the premier running back tandems in the league. DeAngelo might not match his rushing yards total from last year, but I think Stewart improves and takes an even bigger role in the running game. Could be the first year we showcase 2 1000 yard rushers. Ironic, because most other years in the past, we couldn't even get one.

TE: This unit isn't anything special. There just hasn't been enough attention paid to it. I'm not bitching, it's not like it's a requirement in this offense. King will be our primary blocker and the primary TE, and Rosario will be the primary pass catching TE. From this unit I expect 40-50 passes caught, which is around the number it's always been.

OL: The starters make for an above average unit. However, the lack of depth concerns me a bit. It's extremely hard to get all 5 players to play all 16 regular season games, and even harder when you count postseason play. Duke Robinson I think will fill in nicely if one of our guards go down, but he doesn't have the versatility to play center like Hangartner did. If Kalil goes down, it will hurt us.

QB: Jake won't be spectacular and he won't be awful either. He'll just be the same QB he's always been. He'll be marginally better or worse from his 2008 campaign. He'll have good games, he'll have 4th quarter TD drives that prove to be the scoring difference to give us the win, and he'll have miserable flops riddled with turnovers in other games. Look for a passer rating from the high 70s to the mid 80s.

WR: Besides Smith, who will be the same elite WR he's always been, there's Moose and Jarrett as the only other real variables. Best case scenario is Jarrett's good enough in the slot to create mismatches with nickel corners and put pressure on the secondary, and Moose's production doesn't drop off.

DL: Ends have a good core of talent, Kemo is solid, but that UT position is a little shaky. Irvin might get some opportunities filling in situational downs.

LB: This unit is fine. Beason, Davis, and Diggs make one hell of a trio.

DBs: Gamble's solid, Marshall will probably make strides in development with Meeks, and Sherrod Martin might be good enough to handle nickel corner. Godfrey will improve over his rookie campaign from last year and Harris will continue to be a force in the secondary.

[Kyle82]

The only time we have ever beaten the fish is in preseason....thats gotta change this year please.