The 2015 season was a
good year for the Carolina Panthers. Quarterback Cam Newton won the MVP award
and had an amazing season. The team had a 15-1 record and appeared in the Super
Bowl. They were able to accomplish all this without their best wide receiver
Kelvin Benjamin. The Panthers success was short lived because it all came
crashing down for them in 2016.
There is no question that the Panthers success begins and
ends with quarterback Cam Newton. When he is playing at an elite level, they
are a hard team to beat. Last season saw Cam take a major step backwards from
his MVP performance a season ago. Playing quarterback in the NFL is a hard job. In order to be an
elite quarterback you have to be able to make other players around you better
and mask the deficiencies on the roster. Cam does that and more. He isn’t the
most accurate quarterback in the league but he make plays. He is a factor in the
run game and his mobility is the sole reason guys like Ted Ginn Jr still have a
job. It’s hard for anybody to produce at an MVP level every year (unless you're Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers), but Cam has to have a better 2017 season if the
Panther hope to contend for a playoff spot. Make no mistake Cam Newton has been
inconsistent but it isn’t all his fault.
The Panther wide receiver unit consist of Kelvin
Benjamin, Ted Gin Jr, and Devin Funchess in 2016. Corey Brown caught some
passes but he wasn’t a huge contributor. Benjamin and Funchess give this team
two big bodied, physical wide receivers on the outside. Funchess's catch rate
last season was 41%. He was targeted 58 times and caught 23 passes. That is unacceptable
for a player that stands at 6’5” and 230 lbs. Benjamin was targeted 118 times
and caught 63 passes, for a 53% catch rate. As good as Benjamin is, his catch
percentage should be in the 60s or low 70s. The lower percentages aren’t all
the fault of the wide receivers because Cam struggled last season with his
accuracy. These wide receivers aren’t helping him out and it’s causing the
offense to struggle. Both Funchess and Benjamin are going to have to play
better this season if the Panthers hope to make a push for a playoff spot. With
the departure of Ted Gin Jr the Panthers have lost the speed element to their
offense, or have they?
Funchess and Benjamin are both consider possession wide
receivers. I wouldn’t call them slow but they don’t threaten a defense with
their speed, they do that with their size. Greg Olsen is one of the better
tight ends in the league but he isn’t still running a 4.50 second forty yard dash.
Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel will be welcomed additions to this
Panthers offense. They should help balance this offense, bring speed, and big
play possibilities.
Christian McCaffrey
was the Panthers first round pick. He brings speed and versatility to the Panthers
offensive unit. McCaffrey has the ability to be a running back or slot wide receiver.
Having McCaffrey operate in the flats and out the backfield in the passing game
will give Cam a playmaker to dump the ball to. Samuels also offers versatility. In college he played all over the field. He lined up outside, inside,
and in the backfield at times for the Buckeyes. Samuels will probably get a
chance to start at the third receiver spot and will play in the slot for the
Panthers. They definitely upgraded at the running back and receiver position
with these two rookie players. The offensive side of the ball will get better
as the season goes on and they find ways to acclimate these young players. The Panthers
will still need a better performance from the defensive side of the ball.
In 2015 the Panthers defense ranked 6th in
yards per game and points allowed per game. They lost Josh Norman in free
agency and their rankings dropped to 21st in yards per game and 26th
in points allowed per game. For a team that is built around having a good
defense these numbers will not get the job done. James Bradberry and Darly
Worley were the two rookies that tried to solidify the outside cornerback positions.
They had decent season as rookies, they must build on that to give this defense
a chance at getting back to middle of the pack.
The Panthers brought back Julius Peppers via free agency.
He will give them a veteran presence on the defensive line and offer up a
situational pass rusher. At this point in his career, Pepper shouldn’t be
counted on to lead a team in sacks. He is tough against the run and can still
get after the passer, but he shouldn’t be relied on for 10 sacks this season.
Six sacks would be a productive season for Peppers and someone else should be
able to give them 10-12.
The Panthers pass rush will fall on the shoulders of
Kwann Short, Charles Johnson and Mario Addison. Kwann Short is two years remove
from an 11-sack season. With the issues in the secondary and the overall drop
in production for this defense his numbers took a hit. Johnson has produced double-digit
sacks in 3 of his 9 seasons. The last being in 2013. Johnson is now 30 years
old but can still give the Panthers 10 sacks if the rest of the defensive line
is doing it’s job. Mario Addison played big for the Panthers last season.
Before last season, Addison was a situational pass rusher. He is undersized for
his position and didn’t play the run very well. As the season went on, he got
better against run and gave opposing quarterbacks hell. Addison had 9.5 sacks
last season and missed two games to injury; he may have finished the season
with 11 or 12 sacks. These three players are going to have to carry the
Panthers pass rush in order to protect that secondary.
Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis are still elite
linebackers. Regardless of the stats, they bring it every game and every
season. Shaq Thompson was a second year player, playing next to two of the
better linebackers in the league. Its easy to overlook Thompson but he is a
solid linebacker that plays well in space and is good against the run. These
three linebackers give the Panthers a strong linebacker unit.
The Panthers have won the NFC South division in three of
the last five seasons. They match up well against the other teams and is the
only team in the division with a run first mentality. Even after a disastrous
2016 season the Panthers can win this division and get back into the playoffs
in 2017. McCaffrey and Samuels will add explosiveness to a passing attack that
loves to go down field. Benjamin and Funchess have to have better season. This
defense should be better, they won’t ranked in the top 10 but they can’t be any
worse than they were last season. Most importantly,
Cam Newton has to rebound to his usual superstar self. This team will go as far
as Cam can take them. Cannot see them making a super bowl appearance, but I
expect them to contend for a wildcard spot in the NFC this season.
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