Fox sports Posistional power rankings round-up

[ItsNotGonnaBeAlright]

....so far at least. I know most of these have been posted a couple of times, but still it's one of the more comprehensive seasonal previews going on, and for the most part they have seemed pretty fair. Plus, the Panthers have recieved a good amount of love here so that's gotta count for something, right?

O-line

Rank: 2

Write up:

Carolina's offensive line was outstanding last year, paving the way for a franchise-record 2,437 rushing yards and 30 rushing touchdowns. They allowed only 20 sacks. The good news is the Panthers signed Gross to a long-term contract extension, assuring the Panthers will have all five starters back from last year's team as well as all 11 starters on offense overall. Otah looks like a great young player, as does Kalil. Wharton is a little overpaid, but still very effective. The bad news is Gross' contract extension and the decision to franchise Julius Peppers took up most of the available salary cap space. That meant the Panthers weren't able to re-sign guard/center Geoff Hangartner and tackle Frank Omiyale and had to cut Jeremy Bridges. That means they have no experienced backups. Bernadeau and Schwartz were both seventh-round picks in 2008 but didn't play. The team drafted Robinson this year and signed a host of undrafted rookie free agents.

Link:http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9848856/Positional-Power-Rankings:-OL-packages

QB Package

Rank:9

Write up: Delhomme is set as Carolina's franchise quarterback and one of the better clutch arms in the business, plus with two division titles and a Super Bowl trip on his resume. If Jake goes down, their backup should keep them headed toward the playoffs. McCown has been a part-time starter in the league, but mostly on bad teams like Arizona and Oakland. Moore was overmatched in three emergency starts as a rookie in '07, but is young enough for the Panthers to groom for the future.

Link:http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9735822/Positional-Power-Rankings:-QB-packages

WR/TE Package

Rank:16

Write up:

Carolina has one of the NFC's strongest pair of starting WR tandems with the perennial Pro Bowler Steve Smith and veteran Muhsin Muhammad, who almost notched 1,000 yards last year as Jake Delhomme's second option. But the rest of the Carolina wideouts caught just 25 passes combined in 2008, a figure which must double or triple. Granted, the Panthers are a run-first team, one of the few left in the modern NFL. But don't assume both Smith and the 36-year-old Muhammad to stay healthy, and at the very least Delhomme needs someone else to depend on. That means you, Dwayne Jarrett. Panthers receivers and tight ends do a solid job blocking downfield, fulfilling head coach John Fox's mandate. But the Cats desperately need another downfield target ASAP.

Link: http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9787230/Positional-Power-Rankings:-WR/TE-packages

RB Package

Rank:1

Write up:

Does anyone outside of Charlotte even know what DeAngelo Williams looks like? Maybe not, but someone put this dude on a poster — check his obscene numbers from '08: 1,515 rushing yards (third in NFL), 5.5 yards per carry (first among No. 1 RBs, only the Giants' Derrick Ward was better) and 20 total touchdowns (most in NFL). And John Stewart's not just a cable talk-show host. Carolina's No. 1A RB scored 10 rushing TDs and nearly reached 1,000 yards on his own. The Panthers also really like rookie Mike Goodson after his strong OTAs, plus Brad Hoover gives the run-heavy team solid depth as a blocker, runner and receiver when his number is called.

Link: http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9746990/Positional-Power-Rankings:-RB-packages

D-Line

Rank: 7

Write up:

The Panthers registered 37 sacks last year, 14.5 by Peppers so you can bet the team is thrilled to have him back under contract — even though they couldn't convince him to sign a long-term deal. Peppers will make more than $1 million per game. Brayton turned out to be a solid free-agent acquisition last year for the Panthers but isn't a top-notch pass rusher, which is one of the reasons the Panthers traded a first-round pick in 2010 for the right to draft Florida State's Brown. Brown figures to challenge Brayton and Charles Johnson, who had six sacks last year, for playing time. The Panthers also like Taylor as a third-round pass rusher. Carolina drafted Irvin in the third round to give them some needed depth at defensive tackle. Kemoeatu and Lewis both went down with injuries late last season and the Panthers' run defense fell apart. The Giants, in fact, put up 301 yards against them on the ground in Week 16.

Link: http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/9862990/Positional-Power-Rankings:-D-lines

Average Ranks (through 5 rankings)

Panthers: 7

Falcons: 8

Saints: 9.8

Buccaneers: 21.8

[rippadonn]

I never would have thought that WR was our weak point. We have two of the best WRs in the league and they only say that about Jarrett because he hasn't been on the field much.

If he sees some playing time he WILL be talked about. I really like his composure on those 4th down plays last year. The coaches wouldn't draw up that play or take that risk on 4th if they didn't believe he WOULD catch it. He's our sleeper, mark my words!

[unicar15]

Steve Smith alone should make us a top 10 WR corp. Moose is also one of the most consistent #2s in the league.

[rippadonn]

I don't know how well this Tommy John experiment is going yet. They've said in some reports with baseball players who've had the surgery that some of them noticed added strength and whip in their arms afterward. That's the bright side. If he can be better than he was last year he could end up in the top 5 by the end of the season possibly better.

Having Steve Smith would tend to pad ones QB stats but lets remember when Steve's leg was broken he did just as well with Moose. If they keep crowding the box because of the fear of SLASH & GASH the receivers could see some very good gains, hopefully.

Tomorrow will start to tell this years story. It is upon us!

[Carolina Crazy V2]

Our LBs ranking will probably offset our DB ranking so I say we finish around 7-8.

[bleys]

The point to putting our receiving core so high was our depth. If Smitty or Moose get hurt, we have no PROVEN talent to come in. We hope Jarrett is going to be that guy... Also, TE's were involved in that.. So it's easy to see why we weren't higher.

[ItsNotGonnaBeAlright]

Weakest posistion contains one of the best players in the league at that posistion? Yeah, I'll take that "disadvantage" any day.

[rippadonn]

Weakest posistion contains one of the best players in the league at that posistion? Yeah, I'll take that "disadvantage" any day.

Yeah. Somebody should tell Smitty so he can have another chip on his shoulder this season.