| ANALYSIS: Breaking down the Panthers roster with training camp a week away |
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| Written by Steve Reed |
| Thursday, July 22, 2010 3:08 pm |
 Where does Dante Rosario fit into the mix for the Panthers this season? (AP Photo) So we thought we'd trot out an early position-by-position breakdown of this year’s team a little early. Listed below is each position with likely starters and potential backups, which doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll make the team but certainly have a chance. Those listed as “others” basically indicate those players who, how do we say this politely, face an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster. We're also where we think each position ranks in comparison to the rest of the National Football League. So here we go. Hope you enjoy. QUARTERBACK: Starter – Matt Moore. Backups – Hunter Cantwell, Jimmy Clausen. Others -- Tony Pike. Contrary to what you might read nationally there isn’t really a quarterback controversy in Carolina. Barring an unforeseen injury in the preseason Moore will open the season as the starter. The No. 2 spot might be the more interesting battle with Cantwell hoping to hold off Clausen, the team’s second-round draft pick from Notre Dame. GM Marty Hurney loves Clausen and even tried to trade up to No. 33 in the draft to get him before watching in astonishment as he fell to them at No. 48. Clausen has played in a very similar system under Charlie Weis – his former protégé, Jeff Davidson, is Carolina’s offensive coordinator – so the learning curve will be quick. But the Panthers like the way Cantwell looks after changing his throwing motion. He probably has the strongest arm on the team and will be given a legit chance to earn the No. 2 spot. So Clausen could start the season third on the depth chart, although I don’t think he will. Pike, from Cincinnati, was selected as a value pick in the sixth round and the Panthers won’t want to risk losing him by putting him on the practice squad, so don’t be surprised if Pike ends up on injured reserve with a (wink, wink) injury. Overall, this is the least experienced quarterback unit in the league with only eight career starts between them, all of those belong to Moore. Moore has been impressive when he’s played (6-2 record), which is why the Panthers feel compelled to give him a longer look. But the big question remains whether he can succeed under pressure. In most of his previous starts (three in 2007 and five in 2009) the Panthers were out of the playoff picture so expectations were fairly low. Moore is under a one-year contract, so he should be plenty motivated as his financial future hangs in the balance. LEAGUE RANKING: 29th out of 32 teams. RUNNING BACKS: Starter – RB DeAngelo Williams, FB Tony Fiammetta. Backups – RB Jonathan Stewart, RB Mike Goodson, RB Tyrell Sutton. Others – Josh Vaughan, Rashawn Jackson. This is the most stable and talented position on the team. Williams and Stewart became the first running back tandem in league history to each run for 1,100 yards last season. Although Stewart actually outgained Williams with a strong finish last season – including a franchise-record 206-yard rushing performance against the Giants in Week 16 – it was Williams who went to the Pro Bowl. Williams missed his final three games with a foot injury but is fine now. Together, they give Carolina arguably the most dangerous one-two punch in the league. And, the talent doesn’t end there. Sutton, an undrafted rookie in 2009 who was claimed off waivers from Green Bay before the season, was a huge surprise and will likely serve as the team’s third-down back since he first that scat-back role better than Williams and Stewart. Goodson has outstanding potential and is a big-time home run threat, but needs to learn to protect the football better and get a chance. The big question with this unit is if Fiammetta can develop as the blocking back after taking over for longtime fan-favorite Brad Hoover, who was cut in a salary cap move. Hoover was very good at what he did and one of the more underrated players in the league. But the Panthers wanted to go young and felt Hoover might have been wearing down after 10 seasons in the league. LEAGUE RANKING: 3rd out of 32 teams. TIGHT ENDS: Starter – Jeff King. Backups – Dante Rosario, Gary Barnidge. Others – Jamie Petrowski. The Panthers are almost certain to return the same three tight ends as last season. Each brings a little different to the table. King can block and catch, but isn’t particularly fast and his YAC (yards after catch) will never turn heads. Rosario has great hands and can line up as an H-back, while Barnidge has the speed to spread the defense. On another team, one that throws more to the tight end, Rosario might get more attention, but he has a limited role here. Barnidge is a player who could emerge this year because he can stretch the field, which would open things up for Steve Smith. Basically, this is a decent group of tight ends. LEAGUE RANKING: 15th out of 32 teams. WIDE RECEIVERS: Starters – Steve Smith, Brandon LaFell. Backups – Dwayne Jarrett, Armanti Edwards, Wallace Wright, Charly Martin, Kenneth Moore, David Gettis. Others – Trent Guy, Dexter Jackson, Oliver Young. Keep Jarrett’s name in pencil because although he’s working with the starters right now, he could easily be released before the start of the season if he doesn’t start producing. Now entering his fourth season, Jarrett has only appeared in 29 games and caught just 33 passes with one touchdown. The Panthers need someone to step up and take pressure off Smith, which is why they drafted LaFell and Edwards in the third round. LaFell is Jarrett’s primary competition for the No. 2 spot opposite Smith. He has the ability to make plays downfield and is a decent blocker. It also helps that new receivers coach Tyke Tolbert is a former LSU graduate and pushed for the team to draft LaFell. Edwards is a project. He played quarterback for Appalachian State, but the Panthers plan to make him a receiver and returner, although he could see some action in the Wildcat as well. Edwards is fast and has surprisingly good hands, but you have to wonder if his smallish frame will hold up. Smith will miss most of training camp with a broken arm he sustained playing flag football but he should be ready for the season. Wright will make the roster because of his special teams ability but hopes to play some receiver. Martin, Moore and Gettis, a late-round draft pick, will battle for the fifth receiver spot. Gettis has great straightaway speed (think Drew Carter here). LEAGUE RANKING: 27th out of 32 teams. OFFENSIVE LINE: Starters -- LT Jordan Gross, LG Travelle Wharton, C Ryan Kalil, RG Mackenzy Bernadeau, RT Jeff Otah. Backups – OT/OG Geoff Schwartz, OG Duke Robinson, OT Garry Williams, OT Rob Pettiti, OG C.J. Davis. Others -- G Noah Franklin, G Kurtis Gregory, G Ray Hisatake, C Steve Justice. The only change here is at right guard where Bernadeau is likely to replace Keydrick Vincent, who was not re-signed. He could face competition from Schwartz, who is a little tall for guard (6-foot-7) but played well at tackle last year. If Schwartz doesn’t start, he’s clearly the sixth man off the bench giving the Panthers some proven depth on the O-line – something they didn’t have last season. Other than that, the starters are set with Gross and Otah both returning from season-ending injuries. Gross was having an average year by his standards when he broke his leg last season, but he should be fine. Kalil is developing into one of the better centers in the league and played in the Pro Bowl last year after being selected as a second alternate. Wharton is underappreciated and is solid in what the does. This is an outstanding run-blocking offensive line. They gave up a lot of sacks early last season but turned things around as the year went on. The problem wasn’t the line, but how defenses attacked them. With Steve Smith the only threat in the pass pattern, teams often sent extra defenders to pressure the quarterback. With so many players up on the line of scrimmage, it was also more difficult to run the ball early in the year. Still, the Panthers ended up third in rushing last season and running the ball should be their strength once again. LEAGUE RANKING: 5th out of 32 teams. DEFENSIVE LINE: Starters -- LDE Charles Johnson, RDE Tyler Brayton, NT Tank Tyler, DT Louis Leonard. Backups – DE Everette Brown, DT Ed Johnson, DT Corvey Irvin, DE Greg Hardy, DE/ OLB Eric Norwood, DE Hilee Taylor, DT Nick Hayden. Others – DT Derek Landri, DE Eric Moore, Andre Neblett. The Panthers let Julius Peppers walk in free agency and now they have to find a way to replace his 10 sacks per year. In all, they will be replacing three of four starters on the line with only Brayton returning. They’re counting on former high draft picks Charles Johnson and Brown rotating in at one end spot with Brayton and Hardy sharing time on the other side. Eric Norwood, a linebacker by trade, could also be asked to rush the passer because of his success doing that at the college level. Hardy, a sixth-round pick, impressed during OTAs and has the potential to be a diamond in the rough. He has a motor that doesn’t stop and a desire to be great. The Panthers have plenty of questions inside after cutting veterans Damione Lewis and Maake Kemoeatu in salary cap moves. Leonard, Tyler and Irvin are all coming off serious injuries further clouding a position that was in flux most of last season. Ed Johnson is being given a chance to rejuvenate his career in Carolina after sitting out most of last season. He’s had off-the-field issues in the past, so this may be his last chance to make a splash. The Panthers traded fourth and fifth round picks last for Tyler and Leonard respectively and both played well before their injuries. But this group hasn’t worked together and is relatively unproven so run defense could be a problem early on. The Panthers don’t have a big nose tackle on the roster as they’ve had in previous years. LEAGUE RANKING: 30th out of 32 teams. LINEBACKERS: Starters -- WLB Jamar Williams, MLB Jon Beason, SLB James Anderson. Backups -- MLB Dan Connor, SLB Eric Norwood, SLB Jordan Senn, WLB Quinton Culberson, WLB Mortty Ivy. Others – Thomas Davis (Torn ACL, will go on PUP list), Sean Ware, Brett Warren. Davis’ injury (he re-tore his ACL during OTAs) is a huge blow for the Panthers, a unit that already had to replace five starters before he went down. The hope is Davis can make it back in six months and play in the second half of the season but there are no guarantees. In the meantime, the Panthers have moved Beason out to weak side linebacker with Connor filling in in the middle. That goes to show just how important the Will linebacker is in the Tampa 2 defense. However, the more likely scenario is Williams, who was acquired in an off-season trade that sent safety Chris Harris to Chicago, could wind up the starter there with Beason remaining in the middle. This is a very fluid situation and the Panthers will continue to look to get the best three linebackers on the field. The Panthers aren’t, at this point, considering moving Anderson to the weak side even though he filled in for Davis there last season. Anderson fills in for Na’il Diggs at strong side linebacker. With Davis out, depth is a concern here. LEAGUE RANKING: 24th out 32 teams (the loss of Davis hurts). DEFENSIVE BACKS: Starters -- LCB Chris Gamble, RCB Richard Marshall, FS Charles Godfrey, SS Sherrod Martin. Backups – CB Captain Munnerlyn, CB C.J. Wilson, CB Marcus Hudson, S Aaron Francisco, S Jordan Pugh, CB R.J. Stanford, CB Robert McClain. Others -- CB Brian Witherspoon, Marcus Walker. Marshall isn’t happy with his contract situation but had little leverage and was forced to sign his restricted free agent tender. He’ll again be paired with Gamble while Munnerlyn, coming off an impressive rookie season, will be the nickel back. Gamble is paid like a shutdown corner and does a nice job even though he doesn’t garner much national attention. He’s never been to a Pro Bowl. The fourth and fifth cornerback spots remain up in the air. The Panthers signed Hudson and Witherspoon in free agency and drafted Stanford and McClain in the seventh round to go along with Wilson. At safety, Martin replaces Chris Harris, who was dealt back to Chicago in a salary cap move. He played well in five starts last season as a rookie and the Panthers like his ball-hawking style. Godfrey returns as the free safety after missing time last year with a high ankle sprain. Francisco and Pugh look to be the backups. Carolina’s pass defense improved as the season went on last year and players got comfortable with Ron Meeks’ new defensive scheme. LEAGUE RANKING: 11th out of 32 teams. SPECIAL TEAMS: PK John Kasay, P Jason Baker, LS J.J. Jansen, KR Tyrell Sutton, PR Armanti Edwards. Others – K Todd Carter. Kasay returns for his 16th season with the Panthers and remains as reliable as ever. Baker solidifies the punting game and could be asked to kickoff as well following the departure of Rhys Lloyd. That might be a problem as Baker has never really be great at kicking off. That's why Carter is in camp. Jansen did well last season as the long snapper which is to say we can't recall hearing his name mentioned. The Panthers would like Edwards to return punts and kickoffs, but right now he’s primarily focusing on punts with Sutton returning kickoffs. Edwards, a quarterback in college, has never returned punts before so that could be a bit of an adventure. Carolina's coverage teams should be much better with guys like Norwood, Wright and Hudson possibly becoming core players for new coordinator Jeff Rodgers. LEAGUE RANKING: 20th out of 32 teams. |