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Friends, Foes, Huddlers,,,

It is that time one again that I bring to you the State of the Panthers. After much introspection and meditation, I have come to a conclusion.

2011 will be Avenged.

Ron Rivera now in his second season as head coach has his philosophy in place. With emphasis on team play and a decrease of individualism, he has assembled his squad of heroes. Rivera is by nature a disciplinarian, but this one time grid-iron hero was known for his fury.



Rivera expects nothing less than a playoff berth, anything else will be a failure.

Leading the offense we find a super soldier of sorts, Cam Newton. His physical abilities are far beyond anything we have seen on the football field. He can do things other QB's only dream of.  Once doubted and belittled as a gimmick, he has since proven to be a true leader. In fact, you can call him Cap.



Joining Newton on the offense is a player ready to take the next step. Ready to dominate all that block his path to greatness. A mammoth of a man, with blonde locks that flow like honey, no homo. Greg Olsen will have a huge season this year. Rivera recently has stated as much. He didn't throw the gauntlet. He dropped the hammer.



The offense will be great. But this season they will have help from the defense. The biggest improvement will come from the linebacking corps. First round selection Luke Kuechly has the speed, brawn, and intelligence to become an All-Pro in this league. Kuechly has already dazzled us all preseason, and he is just getting warmed up. Although he resembles the man of Steel, I like to think he is made of iron.



After a year hiatus, Jon Beason is rejoining the defense and will return to his pro bowl form. He looks more conditioned and in better shape than I have ever seen him. Beason is also one of the most intelligent and charismatic players in the NFL, but make him angry and you may see a whole other side of him. A side that makes opposing offenses crap their collective pants. Many of you call him Beast... but Hulk may be more fitting.



Beason Smash.

Friends, I have crunched the numbers. I say to you now I have taken all things Carolina Panthers and have come to a conclusion. All signs point to a Marvel of a Season. Buy your tickets, secure your Lazyboy, fire up the grill and lets get it on. Ish is about to get real.

Record Prediction = 13-3

/drops microphone

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Jon Beason gave an interview on the Mac Attack on 5/10/13. Searched for a previous thread on it but couldn't find it and somehow I don't believe it has been posted. Great interview and worth a listen. About 20 minutes long in total. Summary below.

• Beason about his charity event that took place on Monday night. Gave out prizes and some vacations and a Panther's fan package for a great cause and a charitable donation (MLB Foundation). Involved people buying tickets and going to The Palm restaurant in Charlotte and Beason and some other Panther's players including Gross, Kalil, Luke, Olsen, CJ, Hardy, Godfrey, Stewart, Steve Smith, and Thomas Davis would serve as waiters for the evening. Beason said its tough asking people for money and the event was nearly sold out but he was happy the roll out the red carpet for people. Beason thought that himself, Gross, and Kalil would make the best waiters because they have previous experience. Said DeAngelo would be the worst tipper and that DeAngelo would appreciated being nominated by Beason as the "worst tipper."

• Asked how pumped he was about the Panthers drafting two defensive tackles in Star and Short. Beason was excited about the picks and said it directly benefits him and the rest of linebacking corps. Loves the rotation and potential of the defensive line unit. Says he will be in there hiding behind that front four and ready to make plays. Believes the defensive line didn't get enough credit for what they did last year by the national media. Says we are extremely excited on the second level of the defense.

• Beason said he realized and had total respect for Luke Kuechly when he was in college. Watched him play at BC as a fellow ACC alumni and talked about him prior to the draft. He said he knew he was special right away with the way he studied, prepared, and worked hard. Said he knew he was an immense talent right away at the Mike position and that Luke was glad to be back in the middle and he was totally comfortable there from the first snap. Said he has the "it" factor and is grounded enough to be as good as he wants to be and that he still wants to get much better.

• Beason said its tough as an athlete trying to recover from injury because you have to live in the moment and realize your time in this league is limited. He said he now wants to make the most of this opportunity and win championships. When the game was taken away from him, he found a new appreciation for the game and it isn't about the personal accolades but about wining championships. Beason said football is about right now. Said it hurt hearing people say that we should trade him and that he doesn't have it anymore and when he lays that first big hit on someone next season he will just be thinking "I told you so, I told you so." Says he pities the guy who will be on the receiving end of that hit and will try to take his head off. Says its nothing personal, but someone has to pay for him missing time due to injury.

• Asked about his various injuries in different places and if he ever had a doubt that he could get back to form and come back stronger. Beason said the achilles and shoulder injuries are soft tissue related and it is all about what he put into it and putting the effort into rehabbing as quickly as possible. However, the micro fracture on his knee is bone related and just needs to be healed in time. Mentioned it was frustrating just waiting around for the pain to cease and lately he has been able to run around and says the injury is out of his hands and he is basically just waiting to wake up and have the pain gone. Says he feels good and hasn't lost anything in terms of strength and stamina.

• Asked by the interviewer "what Jon Beason will be lined up against Seattle week 1?" Beason says he appreciates the doubters and they mean the world to him. Doubters have helped him turn into a man and the doubters have gotten him to where he is today. He always overcomes and always wins because of the doubters. He says he will be slightly upset, highly motivated, and eager to prove to the world who he is and who he can become. Believes he can still be the best player at his position. 52 will give everything he has got.

• Interviewer says he doubted Thomas Davis getting back to form after three injuries. Beason is highly motivated by Davis and they went through rehab together and that they competed against each other in rehabbing and getting back to where they were. Wanted to win each day. Thomas Davis set a benchmark by coming back from three ACL injuries on the same knee. Beason said Thomas Davis has just scratched the service of his potential and that he is driven by Thomas.

• Asked how good this 2013 Panthers can be. Said first and foremost we are healthy. Said offseason moves have helped both sides of the ball and we got deep at some positions where we were previously pretty shallow. Really loved our draft and said it undoubtedly made us better across the board.

• Ripped on Adam Schein and wants to buy him lunch because he woke up everybody in the locker room and motivated everyone in the building and Beason thanked him for doing so. Guys know what is being said about them and it is just fuel for the fire. No one will speak of it but it is in the back of everyone's mind and the team and staff know what was said. Mentions the last two years and setting team highs/records for the number of guys that went on IR.

• Jon and Thomas Davis have always competed and they sit around with Luke and joke about how no one can break tackling records this year because there aren't enough tackles to go around and they don't care about individual stat lines. They just want to be dominant as a unit. They want to be the best unit every Sunday and thats the level they plan to play at consistently and he is confident they will do so.

• Interviewer brings up how Beason has been on NFL.com talking about 89 and Luke on the top 100. Says Beason is a really classy guy and deserves a tip of the hat. Beason said he wouldn't say things about Steve Smith and Luke if he didn't mean it. It isn't just because they are teammates and he says he is very very critical of other guys in this league. Said its a shame that Luke didn't get voted into the Pro-Bowl because its clear people didn't watch this defense and Luke go to work. Aside from believing Luke is already the best MLB in the game, that there is nobody close to Luke right now in terms of the potential he has and what he can be as a player.

Listen here! http://charlotte.cbs...ntire-building/

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Observations from yesterday…

Keep in mind, only so much can really be made of a practice like this.  Plenty of guys look great in helmets and shorts but then don’t look so great in full pads and full contact.  Yes, there are general things to be learned, but all observations this early on should be taken with a healthy dose of NaCl.

To the notes…

PRE-PRACTICE

First thing I noticed: Way more people here today than I would have expected.  Expected a crowd maybe in the tens, but what I saw when I arrived looked more like hundreds.  Wasn’t sure I’d get inside in time, but happily did.

Initially, the team had only opened up one of the end zone sections for the public (VIPs got the 50 yard line) but as the time grew later, they found the need to open up more and more sections.  Even saw one or two folks brought signs, and keep in mind all this is for a non-contact practice in June.

The level of fan enthusiasm is definitely way up from prior years.   And credit the team for making the effort to do things up right for them.  They had the big screen and the side screens going, Mick Mixon announcing over the PA and Danny Morrison out mingling with the crowd.  Concessions were open too, though I just wasn't in the mood to buy a ten dollar hot dog.

Saw DT Terrell McClain getting in some early work with DL Coach Eric Washington.  Greg Hardy was nearby, standing around looking contemplative.  He’s stated that he’s up to near 300, and looking at him, it’s believable.  Still looks quick though.  Watched him doing some hand movements that looked pretty fast.

Once things got started…

HIGHLIGHT MOMENTS

I’ll lead off here with some of the more memorable moments of the day.

During the warmups, heard a bit of commotion coming from the area where the Big Uglys were stretching.  The source was Byron Bell, who was doing a little more than stretching.  Bell was dancing up a storm, jumping around with one leg in the air.  His teammates were cheering him on, and the crowd was loving it.  Give him an ‘A’ for being unafraid.  Technique though?  Well, I don’t think ABC will be calling him for a spot on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ anytime soon

Fans of gadget plays take note: you might enjoy this year, and not just from the offense.  The special teams ran two fake field goals yesterday, with the first being the best.  Holder Nick Harris rolled out to the right and hit Geoff Hangartner with a solid pass in the end zone.  Give him credit.  Harris actually looked like a quarterback, right down to holding the ball properly on the run.  On the flipside, Nortman looked like a punter trying to throw a pass.  I looked up Harris’ bio to see if he’d ever played QB (a lot of college players at other spots were QBs in high school by default because they were the best athlete).  No QB experience, but was an all state linebacker in high school while also playing receiver and runningback.  Regardless, he pleased the crowd with his throw yesterday.

On the topic of crowd pleasers, a fair number of footballs got thrown into the crowd yesterday.  The first, if I remember correctly, from Hangartner after his TD catch (not dead certain on that).  Every time someone made a big catch, the crowd was calling for the ball.  Brandon LaFell obliged on one play, sort of.  He attempted to throw the ball into the crowd, but it hit the field goal net and bounced back.  It drew a pretty big laugh (stick to receiver, Brandon).

Ironically enough, one of the moments that drew the most crowd response was post practice.  "Cam Newton" became "Camera Newton" when he grabbed a shutterbug's camera and started taking pics of the fans.  The crowd ate it up, and Newton looked to be having a blast.  Kudos to him for that.  The fans are, after all, what it's all about

And then of course, there was the moment that probably got loads of tongues wagging.

During seven-on-seven, rookie LB Luke Kuechly jumped a route and picked off Jimmy Clausen.  For anyone other than Clausen, that play was a thing of beauty to behold.  Kuechly anticipated the pass perfectly, and once he got his hands on it he took off like a bullet.  Of course, he faced an unexpected challenge when he was chased by QB Cam Newton, unexpected given that Newton wasn’t actually in on the play.  The whole spectacle of last year’s top pick chasing this year’s top pick delighted the crowd,  and it was - for me and probably many others - the highlight of the day.

Moving to the rest of the practice notes…

SPECIAL TEAMS

First up for the day: punt practice.  Rookie Brad Nortman and veteran Nick Harris kicking.  Joe Adams, Josh Norman and Michael Avila catching.  Saw Armanti Edwards out there too, and he got a decent cheer from the crowd when he caught a punt and Mixon called his name.  Also saw Jordan Pugh and Sherrod Marin running down on coverage.

Fans of hang time should enjoy young punter Brad Nortman.  Nortman kicks the ball somewhere into the lower troposphere.  Also seems to be at least decent at placement.  As far as directional punting though, vet Nick Harris probably has the edge.  I get the impression from watching how they practiced yesterday that directional punting is an area the team wants to see more of this season.

Switching to field goals, first team group was Olindo Mare kicking, Nick Harris holding.  Second, Justin Medlock with Brad Nortman.  No misses, and that’s no great surprise given the lack of real rush.  For each attempt though, ST Coach Brian Murphy had Josh Norman running from side to side behind the line.  As I recall, Norman has a blocked field goal or two in his college credits.  Don’t be surprised if the team tries to use him in that capacity this season.

As far as distance, they only lined up as far back as the 30.  Catman72 advised me that before things started, Medlock was warming up by kicking (successfully) from 60 yards out.  I can tell you from my own observation that whether or not Medlock kicks better, he definitely kicks higher, and harder.  When Mare kicks the ball, you hear a thud.  With Medlock kicking, you hear a BOOM followed shortly thereafter by the sound of a football screaming in pain

Medlock did some additional practice on his own later on.  Perhaps he realizes he needs to buckle down and get a better handle on his career rather than bouncing around.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Speaking of booms, that’s the sound you hear when Greg Hardy swats a tackling dummy doing “gauntlet” type drills (running in-between various tackling dummies, swatting them down from both sides).  Ditto for rookie Frank Alexander and second year man Terrell McCain.  Some of the other guys just had a light swat, but Hardy, Alexander and McClain were taking swings worthy of Mike Tyson.

Hardy and Alexander looked like the fastest of the bunch as well.  I’d add that Alexander looks like he has really good balance and change of direction skills.  On the flipside, Antwan Applewhite looked a little off balance at times, and Frank Kearse slipped and fell doing the gauntlet.  Kearse did do better when they were practicing swim moves against the goal post though.

No Charles Johnson yesterday.  Starting lineup was Hardy, Fua, McClain and Applewhite.  I know everyone’s looking for (hoping for) changes on the interior, but “everyone” may not necessarily include Ron Rivera (we’ll see).

Other Notes: Rookie Ryan Van Bergen got a decent pressure on Derek Anderson that forced an incomplete.  Saw some nice work from Thomas Keiser too.  If Ron Edwards was out there, I didn’t notice him.

THE BIG UGLYS

Certain positions don’t really lend themselves to evaluation in non-contact or light-contact practices.  O-Line is probably the chief example of this.

Not much to see here other than that the starting lineup of the moment appears to be (left to right) Gross, Silatolu, Kalil, Hangartner and Bell.  Backups: Garry Williams, Bryant Browning, Mike Pollak, Will Blackwell and Lee Ziemba.  Zack Williams and Matt Reynolds also got some work at center and left tackle, respectively   Bruce Campbell was there also (at right tackle, I think).  Otah didn’t practice.

Watching what they did for drills, I’d say OL Coach John Matsko is going to put some emphasis on agility this season.  That’s probably a good idea when you have a mobile quarterback, but could bode well for the runningback stable too.

Other Notes:  Campbell trucked DB Josh Norman on one play, probably not enough to make the league say anything though.  Kalil took a little time to say hi to some fans in-between drills.

LINEBACKERS

At the second level of defense, all eyes were on Jon Beason and Thomas Davis.  Of the two, I saw more of Beason, who looked like his old self (again, just in shorts).  Davis I saw less frequently which made me wonder if they were limiting his reps.  What I did see of him though looked at least okay.

As you might expect, plenty of attention was also being paid to Luke Kuechly who had the aforementioned highlight reel pick of Clausen.  The word “intense” is a good descriptor for Kuechly.  He comes off as the kind of guy who’d go all out to win a game of checkers.  I’ve begun to believe that Rivera wants him to be our version of Brian Urlacher.  Will he ultimately be that good?  Don’t know, but I definitely can see the potential.  He even came fairly close to chasing down Newton on one play yesterday (as mentioned, Newton returned the favor later)

Starting LB lineup yesterday was Beason in the middle, Kuechly and James Anderson on the outside.  Davis subbed in for Anderson some, and as has been discussed before I get the impression that his future with us may well be as a backup or situational guy rather than a starter.  He’s a competitor, so that may be tough to swallow, but I believe he’s a team player first, which is why I think he’ll stick around.  That might not qualify as a “miraculous comeback” but it’s something.

Other Notes: Saw a decent pass rush on one play by Kion Wilson.  Jason Williams showed up on the radar a time or two as well.  Jordan Senn had one of a couple of near picks of Derek Anderson in hand, but lost it.

RECEIVING CORPS

Watching the receiving corps, the guy who stood out the most yesterday (other than, obviously, 89) was Brandon LaFell.  LaFell had several nice catches, including one where he outfought Chris Gamble and one from Newton over the middle that looked like it was shot out of a rifle.  LaFell is another who's looked good minus pads before, but even so, I choose to be optimistic.

Other good signs yesterday from Seyi Ajirotutu (saw a lot of him), Kealoha Pilares (had some good catches - including one sliding to the ground - and a nice run on an end around) and yes, Armanti Edwards, who appears for the moment to be the third receiver (Ajirotutu may have a chance there too).  Even saw an encouraging sight via a catch or two from David Gettis, who unsurprisingly had on a knee brace.

To expand a little on Edwards, yes he had a good day.  Not many major mistakes that I saw (one drop on a middle pass) a few decent catches, no dropped punts and a nice leaping catch on a short out route and another across the middle (from Anderson).  Cool right?  It would be, except Armanti looking good during non-contact “helmets and shorts” practices is nothing new.  There’s always the chance he gets better of course, but I wouldn’t be holding my breath.

Also among the notables: rookie Joe Adams.  It’s no shock to see Steve Smith make insane looking jukes and cuts, but Adams had a flash or two as well, including a fantastic looking catch and turn that left CB Josh Thomas grasping for air.  He’s fast, ridiculously elusive and seems unafraid.  Again, he’s just in shorts right now, but it definitely looks like he’s got all the right moves.

Adams looking good is likely expected, at least by some.  The less expected rookie standout was scarecrow looking undrafted player Lamont Bryant.  Bryant’s listed height of 6-5 looks right, though I wonder if the 229 weight might be a little padded.  Performance wise, he might have something to show.  Bryant had a beautiful falling catch in the end zone (think it came from Anderson, but I could be wrong) and showed well in some other drills as well.  I’d say he has an early shot at being this year’s undrafted sensation.

Another contender for that title would be Jared Green (whose father, Catman72 advised me, was in attendance yesterday; wish I could’ve met him too).  The younger Green was the target of what was probably Newton’s worst pass yesterday (a ground ball) but caught a few others including a nice reception where he got position on Brandon Hogan.  I’ll grant that his real chances are slim, but he’s someone I’ll be rooting for come camp.

Among the tight ends, Greg Olsen looked solid.  Put a pretty good move on Kuechly on one play, and saw him having what looked like a technical conversation with Newton between drills.   In two TE sets , I saw Ben Hartsock getting some work.  New (full sized) pickup Joe Jon Finley had a nice reception down the deep middle from Anderson.  Have to admit, would like to see Shockey back out there, but the prospects of that seem to be fading.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Although I’m sure this’ll come as a disappointment to many, if you can judge anything by yesterday’s workouts, then no real changes have been made to the starting lineup in the secondary just yet.  First team looked to be Gamble and Munnerlyn at corner, Martin and Godfrey at safety.  Yes, that can change, but doesn’t look like it has to this point.

Though judging DBs in this type of practice isn’t all that easy, I will say that Gamble still looks good while Munnerlyn still (sadly) looks iffy.  He was outfought for a catch yesterday by Darvin Adams.  Not a good sign looking at some of the receivers he’ll be facing this season.  You’d hope that’s an aberration, but last year tells me that it probably isn’t

The guy who probably has the best chance of making a change in the depth chart is rookie Josh Norman.  He was all over the field yesterday and did a pretty fair job of covering Steve Smith.  Early on, he was giving a little too much cushion, but I’d guess that someone (maybe even Smith himself, who gabbed with Norman a time or two) advised him to stick a little closer.  As practice rolled on, he did, and got better results.  He managed to strip a ball away from DeAngelo on a run too, though in fairness I think Williams was probably not paying attention (the play was largely over).  Keep an eye on this guy.

Brandon Hogan, on the other hand?  If he did anything all that special yesterday, I missed it.  Did see him get beat a few times though, including once each by Jared Green and Armanti Edwards, both of whom managed to get inside position on him.  There’s been a hint or two that Hogan may not have the world’s greatest work ethic.  If he wants to stick around, he’d better change that.

While I’ll grant that this format, at least to a degree, favors receivers over DBs, I still noticed what I thought was a little unnecessary chippyness from the secondary guys once or twice.  Gamble had an absolutely blatant jersey pull on LaFell.  One of the others (might have been rookie safety D J Campbell) apparently drew a “throw the flag” gesture from one of the younger receivers on an end zone attempt.  If you want a positive spin on that, I guess you could say that at least they’re feisty and competitive.

Other Notes: Darius Butler was one of a couple of guys with near picks of Clausen.  On another play, a ball intended for Ajirotutu was tipped first by Jordan Pugh, than Butler, but ultimately hit the ground.  Josh Thomas did a good job of stepping inside Jared Green to break up a pass from Clausen (Green will have to learn to try and prevent that).

RUNNING BACKS

Watching yesterday’s rushers, it’s a fairly safe bet that “Double Trouble” becomes “Triple Threat” this year.  The ‘tres’ in that group would be Mike Tolbert, a guy who runs with good power and better speed and elusiveness than you’d expect from someone carrying a fullback’s weight (243).  Tolbert had plenty of ‘highlight reel’ moments yesterday and I’d guess that’s exactly what Ron Rivera wanted to see when he went after him.  He’s definitely another one to watch come camp and preseason time.

The other thing I found notable?  If you can make anything out of the order yesterday, Jonathan Stewart was in before DeAngelo Williams.  Both saw plenty of action though, and both looked fast, shifty and tough.  Lord knows many thought the run game was anemic last season, but there might be good reason to hope for much better results this year (especially when you factor in Tolbert, and Newton).

Other Notes: Nice moments yesterday too for Josh Vaughan and Tauren Poole.  One or the other of those two probably makes the practice squad.  Good chance Richie Brockel gets slotted in as a fullback too though the site has him listed at TE.

QUARTERBACKS

So what about the signal callers?

Obviously, the best of the bunch was Cam Newton.  His passes have so much zip on them I’m afraid if I tried to catch one it’d take me for a ride.  His passes are crisp, tight and generally on target.  Now, true to his form last year, there were a few that sailed a little on him or just looked a tad off-target, and his deep pass is still better than his short one.  I honestly don’t ever expect those occasional misfires to go away (every QB has at least a few of them) but I do think they’ll be minimized over time.  And even the off passes are generally off “in the right way”.  Pretty sure Newton was the only QB that didn’t get picked at least once yesterday.

Derek Anderson?  He looked like a backup.  Decent, but not great.  He and Newton got the lion’s share of the passing reps yesterday.  Anderson had some good shots (including a perfect strike to Edwards in the front left corner of the end zone) and a few he’d probably like to take back (like a near pick by CB Josh Thomas when he was off target to Lamont Bryant).  Overall average, but to his credit, he definitely looked better than the number three.

Now for the bad part...

What can I say about Jimmy Clausen yesterday other than that he looked borderline awful.  His best work was on checkdowns.  Long passes were generally off target and he had as many near picks as he had receptions, and this is just a non-contact practice for pete’s sake.  To tell the truth, Clausen looks like a guy who’s lost his confidence.  At Notre Dame, Clausen always looked like he knew he was the man.  Now, he looks like someone who needs to make the best of a limited opportunity, and isn’t doing it.  If he doesn’t look better by training camp, I see him being out of a job.  Sad, but true.  Maybe a team running a West Coast Offense will give him a shot.  He's definitely better suited to that.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Let’s go back to Newton for a moment, and more specifically to his post-practice hijinks.

Clowning around after practice might not seem like something “scout worthy” but take a moment and think back to the reports from last year.  Newton was said by many to be looking tired, drained and a bit befuddled after camp workouts.  Yesterday, he looked nothing like that.  He was happy, energetic and enthusiastic.  Newton appears not only to have fully embraced “face of the franchise” status, but (perhaps) to have fully graduated from his college to pro transition.  And yeah, that’s good news.

One disappointment: Although fans were asking for it, no "Superman" pose yesterday (at least that I saw).

Rivera runs a tight ship, down to the times.  The opening airhorn went off right at 11:30am.  Practice ended on time too.

If they don’t make it in football, Joe Adams and Lamont Bryant have plenty of potential to work as stick figures.  These guys are ridiculously thin.

When Newton’s name was called out to the crowd, there was a pretty thunderous cheer (as you’d expect) but one crowd smart aleck followed up the cheer by yelling “Roll Tide”.

Guys I wanted to see but didn’t really notice much yesterday: Haruki Nakamura, Sione Fua, Reggie Smith, Gary Barnidge, Kenny Onatolu and Eric Norwood.  Of the bunch, Nakamura and Fua were the only ones I actually saw at all.  If the others were even there, I couldn't testify to it.  That could just be on me, though.

Made a mental note of seeing a nice completion from Jimmy Clausen to Armanti Edwards at one point.  Unsure either makes the team, though.  They tried again on the very next play and it was an incomplete.

Had my first encounter with Sir Purr yesterday.  He patted me on the back.  I wondered who it was, turned around and was face to face.  Looked like he was doing a good job in general keeping the kids entertained.

Catman72 said hello afterward.  He mentioned meeting Darrell Green and pointed out Keary Colbert in the audience.  I had seen Smith go over and say hello to him mid-practice but didn’t see him well enough to know who he was.

And lastly, good news for those who noticed something amiss in the past: Sam Mills statue has been cleaned.

See ya at training camp

First of all here are the best links available to help you understand our cap situation and rules.

http://www.eaglescap...alyzingCBA.html (faq on the rules)

http://www.askthecom...laryCap/faq.asp (another faq on the rules)

http://www.spotrac.c...nthers/cap-hit/ (Our cap hits and access to details on every players contract..Click on specific player's full contract to see future cap hits and signing bonus money still counting against the cap in future years)

http://www.overtheca...thers&Year=2013 Later found this site and it does the math on cap savings for you.

http://espn.go.com/n...ct-cap-strategy (Every teams updated cap space, except for Giants who have already begun making cuts).

Heres some things you need to know.

Signing bonus- This is guaranteed money players receive as soon as their contract is signed. This money can be  and often is spread over the course of a player contracts for up to 5 years. This means the player already has the money but the hit against the cap is spread out. If we cut a player we are no longer responsible for their base salary and owe them nothing. The only deterrent to cutting a player with a large signing bonus is we still have to take the hit against the cap of whatever guaranteed money has not already been accounted for against the cap.

Base Salary- This is the yearly money a player will receive if still on the team, this money and their amortized signing bonus, plus any other workout bonus accounts for our total cap hit.

Dead Money- This refers to money that counts against the cap from players who were cut before their signing bonus has been fully accounted for against the cap.

June 1st cuts-  Teams can divide up the remaining dead money or unaccounted for against the cap signing bonus money from players cut over the current year and the next.
*As we did with Wharton last year the new CBA allows for a team to cut up to 2 players before June 1st and still be designated as a June 1st cut, hence allowing a team to spread the hit over 2 years without officially having to wait until June to do so.

March 12th- This is our first deadline to be under the cap(first day of the league year and start of free agency). When we cut down to 53 in September we will have to make sure we are under the cap again.

131.8 Million- This is the amount we are currently have committed to the 2013 cap. The cap is right at 121 Million for 2013.

4,526,462- The amount of the dead money already hitting our cap for 2013. Most of this came from 2 players, Mare(2 Million) and Wharton(1.8 million)

4.5-5 million- The amount our rookie class should roughly count against our cap. (Brockers the 14th overall last year counted 2.164 Million against the rams cap last year, Mychal Kendricks the 46th overall pick last year count just over 1 million against the eagles cap last year thats roughly 3.75 million to our 2 first rounders, plus we'll have a few other picks counting less as well)

Easiest way to calculate for yourself- Go to the spotrac website referenced above. Look at the cap hits and how much remaining signing bonus money we have spread out on each player by clicking on their name. IF you cut that player ignore their base salary and just use the signing bonus money as a cap hit. Choose to spread it out over 1 or 2 years. Keep in mind spreading it out over 2 years can be very helpful but just creates more dead money down the road.

****These numbers have been edited for accuracy and added a few to the list 2-10-13****
Ways to save without using June 1st rule and piling up dead money for 2014 as well
Cutting Gamble would save us  7.9 million
Cutting Gross would save us 6.9 million
Cutting Ron Edwards would save us 2.5 million
Cutting Hangartner would save 1.575
Cutting Gary Williams would save us 1.125 Million
Cutting Nakumara would save $966,000
Cutting Kenny Onatulu would save us $775,000
Cutting Jason Williams would save 715,000
Cutting Bruce Campbell would save us 630,000
Cutting David Gettis would save us 630,000
Cutting Armanti Edwards would save us 630,000

The following would all save us 555,000 a piece if cut or all 7 together would save 3.885 million.
Thomas Austin
James Dockers
Mario Addison
Jeff Byers
Colin Jones
Armond Smith
Colin Cole




*We could cut other players but if won't save us close to a million no point in fooling with them right now.

**Gross and Gamble should be very easy to restructure as their contracts are almost up and have very little leverage because their remaining signing bonus money to hit the cap is very small(3 Million for Gross and 3 million for Gamble in comparison to their cap hits).

Players that would have to be a june 1st cut to save us money this year and by default next year too, but will cause dead money to be on the books in 2014.
Cutting Beason would have an immediate savings of 3.5 million this year and 6.75 million next year.

Cutting Deangleo would have an immediate savings us of 3.4 million in 13 and 4.4 million in 2014. Cutting D-will will also create another 4.6 million in dead money for 2014, because he has a total of 9.6 million in signing bonus scheduled to hit the cap over the next 3 years.

Further reading on Beason situation.
Something has to be done here because not only does he have a large cap hit for 13(9.5 million) it goes up to 10.75 in 2014 and 11.75 in 2015. Since he has 12 million in signing bonus money scheduled to hit the books over the next 3 years( 4 million a year) if we cut him now it would require an immediate hit of the full 12 million. That is more than his current cap hit of 9.5 million if we keep him. Therefore if were going to cut him it makes more sense to do it as a june 1st cut if looking for the cap relief for this year. However if Gettleman can get us under the cap without making him a june 1st cut 2014 will have a much better outlook as we won't have 6 million in dead money already committed to the books.

Further reading on Deangleo Williams situation.

Cutting D-will will also create another 4.6 million in dead money for 2014, because he has a total of 9.6 million in signing bonus scheduled to hit the cap over the next 3 years. If we can bite the bullet on him for this year and hold off on cutting him until next year it would be much more ideal from a fiscal sense. If we cut him next year we can do it before June 1st and still save 2.8 million without carrying over dead money into 2015.

1 other wildcard here would be James Anderson but much like Deangleo if you look at his contract it makes much more sense to wait another year on him .http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/james-anderson.

In summary it looks nice and pretty to cut Gamble and Gross but because they have little signing bonus money yet to hit the cap, it provides us a good leverage in negotiating a restructure or small extension. On the flip side someone like Beason who has 12 million in signing bonus money yet to hit our cap has the upper hand on us in regards to not renegotiating if does  not want to. I just think much like Wharton, Beason's time is up because we have drafted his much cheaper replacement.

Heres our 2013 Unrestricted Free Agents
Dwan Edwards
Jordan Senn
Antwan Applewhite
Captain Munnerlyn
Louis Murphy
Sherrod Martin
Ben Hartstock
Gary Barnidge
Mike Pollack
Derek Anderson

Restricted Free Agents
Jason Phillips
Nate Ness
Richie Brockel
Andre Neblett

**also something to keep in mind is that Hardy will be a free agent next year and Cam the following year. Both these players are on pace to demand larger contracts so we need to cut back on the trend of doing june 1st cuts and carrying "dead money" over as much as possible so we can retain them.

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Panthers called me yesterday.  We get 2 field passes, a jersey, pregame food and bev, parking passes, and then he gets to go out on the field for the coin toss.  Freaking unbelievable.  He is going to poop his pants.  Make sure you cheer loud when you see him walk out to midfield with the captains.

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Mr Smith,

You don't know me. I am just one of countless Panthers fans who want to say thank you for staying.

You see, being a Panthers fan is not an easy thing. We don't enjoy the conventional things that other fans around the league get to enjoy. Things like "winning", for example.

Being a Panthers fan in many ways is a practice in depravity. We choose to support a team that season after season rips out our very soul and treats it like a depends diaper at the Ponderosa. Once that happens, we are left numb and cold. Alone in this cruel world  desperately seeking the slightest hint of hope, we follow with our hearts and our wallets. Our inevitable pain lessened by tears and hard liquor.

Mr Smith, you have provided the occasional peanut in the mound of crap we have seen for three years. The tasty morsel that reminds us of what it was like when we cheered for a team that at least had a chance of sniffing the post season 25% of the time.

And for that, Mr Smith, we are mighty glad you stayed.

[single tear]

Me and my wife are expecting a little girl, so our son is getting our old room to make room for the baby. When asked what color he wanted his room painted, he simply said "Pamffer Blue!" Then he went on to explain he wanted his room to be a football room where he can practice and become a Panther (My wife died a little inside hearing this because she's a Ravens fan. But, of course, I couldn't be prouder being a fan since day one!)

So he went to spend the weekend with his grandparents and we got started. It felt like an episode of Extreme Home Makeover because we were running low on time and came down to the last min. Anyways I thought I would share the photos with you guys! Enjoy...


UPDATE: I'm a graphic designer/photographer by trade, and I'm working on some art to print and frame in his room. One piece is a the picture I got of Smitty signing my son's football at training camp. Another of Keuchly running drills. I'll make sure to post once they get done.

No, sorry. But I do have one of the ref wanting to play QB.

fuging Idiots.

JR had a plan for his team.  Hire good people and let them do their job.  It was his formula for success in the business world.  He thought it would get his team to the top.

He also was a man of honor.  He believed in doing things right.  He had good values.  He believed in family.  No doubt he had been a good son, and a good husband.  He had sons of his own, he was going to be a great father.  When his dream came true, the father wanted to share his dream with his sons and have them be a part of it.

Things did not go as planned.  Early success was quickly followed by bitter disappointment. The disappointment was not just about wins and losses.  It was about character and honor and a violation of trust.  But he had made a promise to the fans who supported his long-shot dream of bringing an NFL team to the Carolinas.  So surely, finding someone who had done it before, can do it for his beloved team.  It was not to be.

Wounded, JR returned to his roots.  He sought out a trusted friend and found a coach who was traditional, tough, and would do things the right way.  He had not been great, but surely these qualities, after being around a championship team, would be just the right thing for JR's team.

The beginning was tremendous.  Surely this was it.  And then, the Super Bowl.  Oh, a loss, but this team will be back.  The success was enough to outweigh the glaring mistakes along the way.  JR's team had talent, very good talent.  But it never progressed.  Sometimes the team lost more than it won.  JR became heartbroken, in more ways than one.

His team was sick, but privately so was he.  He had to trust his people, and most importantly his sons, to carry out his vision.  Painfully, JR, a few weeks away from a life saving heart transplant, likely had to  call upon every cell of energy his body could muster to watch his beloved team suffer one of the most embarrassing playoff losses ever. Only one thing could be worse than this.

Who thinks that it is a coincidence that JR got his new heart on Super Bowl Sunday?

There is nothing that creates an awareness of one's own mortality more than a problem with one's heart.  A heart transplant is an incredible  shock and trauma to one's system physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It could only be understood by someone who has experienced it.  We can only try to imagine what it is like to literally get a second chance at life because some has lost theirs, and then having to wonder everyday how long that chance will last.  I imagine that perspective and focus take on an entirely new meaning.

JR looked at his life.  He looked at his dreams.  There had to be one thing left.  Can you imagine how sad it must have been for him to take a good look at his dream and the people he had trusted with it and realize that they had let him down?  And then, can you imagine how hard it was for JR, a man of honor and strong family values to realize that his own sons had let him down?  Next imagine what he went through in making the decision to fire them.  It had to be the hardest thing he has ever done.  It had to be a very, very  sad day for him.  We were all shocked.

JR is determined to do things the right way.  He is also determined to see his team be the champion.  He then did something he has never done before.  He got more involved in decisions about his team. He no longer trusted the vision of his coach.  In fact, that vision,or lack of it, had made a mess of his team.  So now JR had to start cleaning up the mess.  He had to position his team to become a winner.  (You know in his soul his dream is to build a dynasty.)  He imposed bold decisions, at least as far as the old way.  Remember, this is a man with a new heart, a new perspective, and a new deadline. Still he treated his coach honorably even though he was not the future.   His last mistake was in believing he was a better coach than he is.

JR has taken a lot of criticism this year.  Some have even said that he does not care about winning, just saving money.  Can you imagine JR firing his sons if that was the case?  JR is positioning this team to be a champion.  His next coach will be someone he believes in, period.  Money will not be a factor.

JR's literal change of heart has likely lead to a new future for the Panthers.  I believe the future will be bright and I hope that JR is the heart of this team for many years to come.   I respect JR and I trust him.  He will get this team  where we all want it to be.

Apparently, I'm a glutton for punishment, because I went back and re-watched the game, taking notes as I went along. It's long, so don't read it if that's a problem for you, but here are my observations:

• The Giants are clearly a better team than the Panthers. While the score would vary, they would probably beat us 5 times out of 5. Much deeper, much more disciplined than we are.
• Especially in the first quarter and a half, the Giants absolutely dominated both LOS's.
• DWill ran well out of the read option. His runs out of an I formation were much less successful.
• The Giants game plan appeared to focus on not letting Cam run the ball. This helped DWill on some of the read options, but overall, it was a successful strategy for the G-men.
• Our game plan was to blanket Cruz at all costs, and let the rest of the Giant offense beat us. They did.
• Cam did not throw the ball well overall. It wasn't just a case of him making bad decisions leading to turnovers, he just wasn't very accurate all night. Case in point, on our first possession, he had a big completion to Olsen over the middle, but it was a great catch, not a great throw.
• We did a fair amount of blitzing, especially early, but generally without success. Remember the Jets preseason game and TD's delayed blitz that got Sanchez? We did the same thing on the Giants first possession, 3rd and 3 from the 15 yard line. This time we sent Anderson. It didn't work. Result, touchdown Giants. On the Giants 2nd possession, with them driving for the goal line again, we had them 3rd and 8. In this case, we just sent 4, but crossed up the rushers, and we got to Eli. They had to settle for a FG.
• It is notable to look at the circumstances around each of Cam's interceptions. First interception, we were down 20-0, Smith had just false started for a 5 yard penalty, and it was 2nd and 15. Cam's second int came when we were down 26-7, and it was 3rd and 22 after a big sack on 1st down. His last int came on 4th and goal. The point is, all of his int's came when our backs were against the wall due to down and distance.
• Not much point in dwelling on our soft zone coverage, or the poor tackling. That was obvious and has been beat to death.
• Joe Adams...ugh.

Two more things need discussing. First, Cam's demeanor...I was surprised when re-watching how much was made of nothing. Cam's demeanor was professional throughout the game, and was a big improvement over his demeanor in similar situations last year. Even into the 4th quarter after his first 2 int's, he was still engaged with Shula and other players, his body language in the huddle was fine, etc. Very late in the game, like with 5 mins left, he was still sitting with Shula, but at that point it was obvious nothing he or Shula said would have any outcome on the game. When Cam wasn't talking to Shula, he would typically watch the play on the Jumbotron. At the very end of the game, he was sitting alone on the bench with a dejected look on his face, but the same was true of Kuechly and Beason when they showed them on the bench. Cam went out and shook hands with Eli post-game, so no problem there. Really, all this nonsense about Cam's demeanor is just because he has a towel on his head. Good play or bad, winning or losing, Cam has a towel on his head. Why that is such a huge problem for some of our fans and media is beyond me. It's a towel. Get over it. He acted professionally throughout, despite tough circumstances.

On to Rivera. The on field reporter said he was upset about the soft coverage in the 1st half. I found that a questionable comment, given that he certainly was in a position to do something about it, and apparently didn't. I know you will think this is bs, so I dare you to go back and check...Ron Rivera was never shown on camera moving his lips even once. Not to a player. Not to another coach. Not to an official. Not into his headset. The first time they showed him speak was when he went on the field to congratulate Coughlin post-game. Frankly, I'm much more concerned with Ron's on field behavior than Cam's.

Chud's play calling was not as bad as I first thought. He tried a bit of everything, it just didn't work because of the domination of the Giants d-line.

McDermott and Murphy...not worth discussing.

Anyway, for those with the patience to read all of this, thank you for any comments you may have to add, and hope you found it helpful.

If I went into your house. Sat down to watch TV in your chair, told your wife she was ugly? fat? Then proceeded to insult you for 3 hours what would you do ?

Would you: Sit quietly?  Get loud ?  Whoop my arse ?

I think the latter is most likely with the average american.

Your home is just that a home. It is a place of protection, rest, and relaxation. Someone does not enter your home and disrespect you. It just doesn't happen. It is your house.

Sure you may let someone you don't really care for (Inlaws, daughters bf, etc) into your home, but you do so knowing they will show you respect.

With that said, I want to remind you of something.


THIS fuging PLACE:


IS OUR FOOTBALL HOME.


fuging ACT LIKE IT.



I understand. Really I do. It's not in some of you to yell and get rowdy like the 500's might do. You don't have much backbone. Its ok. Modern American and their participation trophy's and corporate jobs of asslicking have done this to your mind.

BUT Kurb KNOWs deep down inside you are tired of this guy:

and this guy:


and Thursday maybe even this guy:


Coming into your house and completely shitting in your face with disrespect.

Im not promoting violence against a good natured fan of a opponent. But when they start running off at the mouth at how your state sucks, your city sucks, your team sucks, you suck, your family sucks and so on. Please, for the love of all that is Panthers Football, SHUT THEM THE fug UP.

I say all this as I plan to depart for the game myself.
I am attending the game with my Father in Law, a life long Giants fan.
He bought the tickets, tickets a Panthers fan should have long purchased...tickets I SHOULD HAVE Purchased.
I go knowing he will root for his team, but be respectful at the same time.





Protect your home Panthers Nation.
The world (minus TWC) will be watching.

OTA report 6/8/10

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Just some random observations-If you want more dirt, ask and i will deliver.

1. I had an unexpected chat with Richard Marshall. He said he is signing his tender today. He did most of the talking. He is a little frustrated, but he seemed happy that his standoff is over (he practiced). I don't know what this means. He agreed that it was bad luck to be coming into a second contract at this time. I told him that he was doing the right thing by going forward, and that he didn't need distractions. He agreed. Very Nice guy. The topic surprised me, but he brought it up. You could tell that it has been weighing on him. Surprised that he chose me to confide in.

2. Schwartz said he could play guard or OT, but he said he really wanted to play, so he is going hard after the RG spot. Duke Robinson might be one of the stories yet untold. He looked fast and agile to me. Gross looks thinner, Otah too. Otah was upbeat and talkative, mainly about the weather. What a huge man.

3. The WR depth was: 1) Smith, Jarrett; 2) K. Moore, Martin; 3) Edwards, Lafell. Look for that to change. Lafell looked good. His speed looked good, his blocking looked very good. He is a bit cocky, but shared a crack to me about some idiot fan who was there. We laughed and he left. He has the confidence. Jarrett and Smith got into an argument over alignment after a WR shift. In other words, does Jarrett know the playbook yet? Don't count out Moore.

4. Edwards had a good catch. He has tiny hands--he gave my son his gloves and my son could barely fit his hands in them (trying them on). Good news?: My son is nearly 6 feet tall. Bad news? He is an eighth grader. Doesn't really matter. Edwards is (and I was a huge skeptic) a special athlete. He told me that he was focusing on the route running, which seemed to be the big thing for him, but he got great separation on out routes. He is a lot like SS, but not there yet. SS caught a ball vs. Marshall and ran toward us. I couldn't tackle his shadow.

5. Gettis was smart and articulate when we spoke. He seemed determined. He is big!! Says he will make the team as a WR or ST--whatever he has to do. I was impressed with him.

6. Williams, Bernadeau, Schwartz, Robinson--all good enough to start--somewhere else.

7. The best QB I saw was--Hunter Cantwell. He seems to get it. He was running with the second team, Clausen with the third. Afterwards, Clausen was disgruntled. Moore had the worst performance of the day, throwing about 3 balls that were picked off or should have been. I think that Moore and Clausen are not friends and never will be. THey never spoke. Back to Cantwell--I would take him over Pike at this point, which isn't fair to Pike.

8. On Defense T, Tyler and Leonard seem solid--Tyler is wide. Irvin--I was not impressed, but his quickness is above average. Ed Johnson--He could be a run stopper. I said it before, the DT from Temple (Nesbett?)will find a spot--at least on the PS.

9. DE is interesting. Charles Johnson has taken on more of a leadership role. After practice he told me that this would be his year. I told him it should be-the door is open. E. Brown is as humble as ever, but fast and heavier. He is looking more like Indy DEs. Hardy seems to be a head case. He has a permanent pout on his face and is not pleasant. Could be the hazing (I saw McGlover go after Jenkins until he realized it was Jenkins, and then walk away pissed while Jenkins smiled). He is a tremendous looking athlete, however. Worth the risk. I think the DL hazes the young ones harder than other units.

10. I talked to Norwood a bit, and he said that he is a LB. He said he will have his hand down in some situations. He said they are going to move him around like they did at SC--They are going to Turn him loose. He has the look.

11. TD had to leave the field with a trainer. He seemed pissed, but was not limping.

12. Connor was behind Beason. That has to be the best 2 MLBs in football. Did not see J. WIlliams. Anderson talked as if the SLB spot is his. He really seemed excited about it. I have trouble with it, but he is a class guy and will give 100%.

13. Pugh looked very smart, reading run and reacting quickly. Good speed. I was impressed with our safeties. Martin is pumped, ready to go, Godrey and he are tight.

14. CB-Munnerlyn is excited, Gamble is now a veteran, and Marshall is out of the woods. CJ Wilson looked good at times. Didn't see the 7th rounders do much, but i was distracted at times.

15. Overall, THe morale seems to be higher than during OTAs last year. There are more competitions for spots, and the players sprinted from one station to the next. These were differences I noticed from last season.

16. They were running some four wide sets. Personnel varied.

17. Overall, this team is fast and young. The coaching staff is the best I have ever seen it. These kids are getting coached up. Lot of new energy out there and they all seem determined and hungry. Can you say, "Under the
radar?"

This season I wanted to do something for leading up to game day. So to get everybody pumped and give them a little bit to enjoy, I'm going to be making movie posters to sum up the hopes we have for the up coming season. Hope everyone enjoys and if anyone has any ideas for future posters let me know.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My birthday was within the last few days and I just now found out that my 11 year old son emptied his piggy bank to get me my Cam Newton jersey (thought my wife bought it).  Granted, it is the cheap one but how can I complain when someone that makes $5 a week in allowance gets me a present like this?  I let him get on here, on the Huddle with me after I have filtered the "good stuff" but he is a true Panther fan and I had to give him an off-season post of his own.  He set up and took the picture of the jersey and told me to post it tonight so I am doing it.
Bwood, Ivantheawesome and JtGreensboro, you guys are his favorites posters (no offense to you other guys).
He has become so excited about football because of this surge in Panthers popularity that he has informed me that he is going out for football this up-coming school year (he has always played baseball exclusively before now).  He is pretty big so I hope he makes the team.
His mother and I paid him back btw, so now his Pig-account is back to over a C-note but I just thought it was cool and he deserved a shout out.
I know many of you will flame me but if you are a father that gets a $100 jersey from your kid, you would understand.
WarDamnPanther!

It's gotten out of hand again. Mainly due to the 1-6 record.

The following will result in vacations or deletions

1. Unapproved gif bomb
2. TLDRs
3. Personal attacks and name calling

In short, if you don't have something worth while to post, don't post anything. You aren't nearly as humorous as you think you are.