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The Carolina Panthers opened up an additional day for media, which came as a nice surprise this morning. So I rearranged my schedule and headed to Biggs Camera for my gear. Those guys are so awesome they are providing me with equipment this season so that I can bring these images to you. Having them in my corner this year is a load off my mind in terms of equipment. So make sure you show them some love if you are in Charlotte and in need of camera gear or prints. They are good people. Charles Johnson was showing off some nice kicks and a new haircut today. Kelvin Benjamin and Bene Benwikere again were limited in their practice involvement. I spoke to Bene after practice. He is feeling good and should return as soon as tomorrow possibly. After practice coach Rivera mentioned Kelvin also may return. Just because Kelvin is limited in team drills doesn't mean he is taking it easy. He spent a lot of time with the ball machine, catching pass after pass. He seems more aggravated by not being able to participate on the field than by a nagging hamstring...... View full article

After two weeks of OTA practices, here is how the wide receiver depth chart is shaping up according to number of snaps and targets on media days..... View full article

If you are like me and love a power running game, you should be excited about Carolina Panthers rookie fullback Lee Ward out of Stanford. Listed at 5'11 and 246 pounds, Ward earned an offseason contract and camp invitation by impressing the coaching staff at this year's rookie camp. "A bruising, blocking fullback. Someone that opens up running lanes. A road grader." That is how Lee Ward described himself to me after practice recently. "It's enjoyable. I have no problem blocking .... Read the Full Article

Every so often in the NFL a player elevates his game in such a way it redefines the game. At this week's Carolina Panthers OTA session, Panthers fullback Mike Tolbert showed he not only has the ability to play quarterback, but succeed at the highest level. Before practice on Thursday, Tolbert gathered his troop of running backs and began his own passing drills, showcasing his form and accuracy to the media. Took note, we did. Tolbert quickly displayed all of the needed skills any successful quarterback in the NFL must posses. Without leadership, a quarterback can never really be considered a success. But leadership is much more than barking orders. It requires different levels of understanding. Tolbert was willing to listen to suggestions from his guys. Tolbert was willing to make corrections and give positive reinforcement when needed. Being a multi-skilled player, Tolbert was also able to explain the finer points of route running and catching the football. His troops listened and executed his instructions to perfection. Indeed, Tolbert's communication ability is top notch. At the end of the session, it was crunch time. Tolbert had just a few seconds more to prove to head coach Ron Rivera he needed to be taken seriously as a quarterback. The media stood and watched as Tolbert put everything together for the winning drive. First, Tolbert had to choose his weapon. Of course, he went with Jonathan Stewart. All smart quarterbacks look to their most valuable players in their greatest time of need. For Tolbert, Stewart was that guy. J-Stew had an idea, a devious play call that he felt comfortable with. Tolbert, knowing when to listen, took in the suggestion from the scheming Stewart. And then, it was time to execute. Stewart made his move on Rookie Cameron Artis-Payne. Then, as quickly as he started, Stewart stopped and just stood there. Mike Tolbert, knowing the exact moment to seize the victory threw a perfectly placed jump ball, taking advantage of Stewart's athletic ability and minimizing any risk of an interception. Stewart leaped majesticly and snatched victory out of the air. So high, in fact, he leaped out of my camera frame. Head coach Ron Rivera took notice, with a look that seemed to be a mix of "wow that was impressive" and "Hey Mike, stop goofing around". The Carolina Panthers now know they have another Pro Bowl caliber quarterback on the roster if in need. Mike Tolbert.... Quarterback. View full article

Week two of Carolina Panthers OTA's are in the books. Here are some general observations you may find intriguing. The offensive line depth chart was identical to last week. No changes there. Remmers and Oher remain the starting tackles. Speaking of Oher, he and Cam have developed a special handshake to start the practice. Clearly a friendship is developing there. Trust in his protection will play a big role in Cam's play this season. Corey Brown, Brenton Bersin and Devin Funchess got the most amount of snaps with the first string with Kelvin Benjamin out. Ted Ginn was third in line. Stephen Hill did get in with the first string late in practice for a play or two, made no catches. Bersin had a great practice today. Lots of key grabs. One drop on a high ball from Cam that was also slightly behind him, but Bersin did get both hands on it, should have caught it. I know many of you are hoping Bersin does not make the team, at this point, however, he looks like a lock to make it. KK Short saw some time at left defensive end today. I think he could be a real mismatch there for some of the leagues smaller right tackles. Cameron Artis-Payne remains behind Jonathan Stewart and Fozzy Whitaker on the running back depth chart. Darrin Reaves could be a practice squad player again. Jordan Todman showed a spark today out of the backfield. Juked Luke Kuechly out of his cleats and showed that speed and shiftiness that the Panthers desperately need. Charles Johnson jumped up and snatched a Cam Newton ball out of the air as the sidelines errupted. When Johnson landed, he tossed the ball back to Cam immediately in a "here, try again" fashion. The crowd roared with laughter. Mario Addison and Charles Johnson got the most amount of snaps at defensive end, with Johnson spending much of the time on the right side. This is new as he is usually on the left. More images and thoughts coming today and tomorrow. Additional content available in the All-Pro section for All-Pro members who monetarily support this site. You can become an All-Pro Huddler by simply visiting the Huddle Store.

One of the most important stories of the week that few people are talking about is Cam Newton and his health. After an injury plagued 2014 offseason that only got worse into the regular season, Cam's health probably should be more at the forefront of the Panthers fan concerns. I can remember in training camp of 2014, after practices Cam could barely walk up the hill to the ice tubs. The physical toll after a single practice was obvious to even the most casual observer. He would cringe after each step, soreness from surgery performed on his ankle nagging at him. It would continue to bother him throughout the entire season. Throw in a couple of rib injuries before the end of 2014, and it is easy to see why his health should be a big concern. So at Thursday's OTA session, I was curious to see how Cam behaved. View full article

In the first open media OTA session of 2015 my main objective was to get a real glimpse of how the Carolina Panthers receiving corps were shaping up. With Kelvin Benjamin out with injury and rookie Devin Funchess out of town, there was a real opportunity to see which players would step up and make a case for themselves as that second or third option. Those two receivers today were Corey Brown and Stephen Hill. View full article

Carolina Panthers sign Stanford fullback Lee Ward. Ward is listed on the Panthers roster as being 5'11 246lbs. I noticed him today during one on one pass drills where he looked pretty good catching balls out of the backfield. With Mike Tolbert's roster shot not being a sure thing this season and Richie Brockel being hurt last season, Ward could have an opportunity to showcase his skills and make a case for himself.

Ok folks, one week to go. Much has changed in April, and the draft somehow seems to have gotten even more difficult to predict. I can't remember a draft where such question marks remained at picks 10 and below. Picking a single pick per round seems pointless. As such, I have decided to give you my top 2 picks for rounds 1-3, with a few other possibilities thrown in. Round 1 Andrus Peat - OT - Stanford - At 6'7 330 pounds this hog mollie could anchor the offensive line for years to come. This would put two Stanford tackles on the Panthers roster this year. Landon Collins - S - Bama - Hard hitting run stuffing safety that could make Roman Harper expendable. Collins was my original first round mock selection. He fell off due to wide receivers falling to the Panthers. I think he may be there now. Other possibilities: Shaq Thompson, DJ Humphries Round 2 Preston Smith - DE - Miss St - Panthers liked Smith at the Senior Bowl, and we all know Gettleman loves him some defensive ends. Smith has the frame and the motor to develop with Kony Ealy as a couple of solid defensive ends for the next 5 years. Devin Smith - WR - Ohio State - 27 yards per reception. I repeat, 27 yards per reception at Ohio State. Could be a solid #2 for the Panthers. Would be the second best receiver on the roster day 1 of OTA's. Other possibilities: Cedric Ogbuehi, Jake Fisher, Breshad Perriman Round 3 Devin Funchess - TE/WR - Michigan - Has been buzzing on the huddle lately, and for good reason. Many compare him to Kelvin Benjamin. Having Funchess, Benjamin, and Olsen on the field together would create a lot of opportunities against teams with smaller corners. Justin Hardy - WR - East Carolina - Hardy has impressed every team he has met with, including the Panthers. He may have worked himself up to a 3rd round selection. Skilled player that fills a need. It doesn't hurt that he also brings a built in local fan base. Other Possibilities: Duke Johnson, Jacoby Glenn

According to NFL.com the Carolina Panthers are working out safety Landon Collins on Tuesday. "Alabama safety Landon Collins, the top safety prospect in the 2015 NFL Draft, will perform for the Carolina Panthers in a private workout Tuesday. One of three Alabama underclassmen to enter the draft, Collins told al.com of his scheduled workout with Carolina, which holds the No. 25 overall pick of the draft." Link Collins fits perfectly what Ron Rivera and Dave Gettleman love in a strong safety, mainly run stopping ability. I had the Panthers selecting Collins in my first However, due to the many wide receiver free agent moves this offseason, I no longer believe the draft's best safety makes it to pick 25.

Now that Ted Ginn has been signed and Brenton Bersin re-signed I thought it would be helpful to take a look at the Carolina Panthers roster as far as wide receivers are concerned. Kelvin Benjamin - 6'5 240lbs Second year player. Huge target. Had a solid year as a rookie aside from more drops than the Panthers wish he had. Has solid #1 receiver potential. Ted Ginn Jr - 5'11 185lbs Speedy nine season veteran return man and receiver. A nice deep threat and end around runner. Capable of stretching the defense. a 3rd or 4th receiver option Brenton Bersin 6'3 210 Local dark horse receiver that beat the odds and made it to the pros. Had key first down receptions in 2014 that Panthers fans seem to have forgotten about. 3rd receiver at best. Jerricho Cotchery 6'1 205lbs Twelve year veteran. Great leadership and locker room presence. Questions linger on how much he has left in the tank. A solid second receiver earlier in his career. No better than a third now. De'Andre Presley 5'10 190lbs App State QB that has seen time at corner and receiver. A long shot to make the Panthers squad this season. Corey Brown 5'11 180 A lot like Ted Ginn, but less punt returner and more receiver. Proved himself late in the season as a deep threat. A long term 3rd or 4th. Looking over this roster it becomes clear that the Carolina Panthers are missing a true number two receiver. A guy that can take the pressure off of Kelvin Benjamin and force more single coverage. Last year, the Panthers learned a lesson at the receiver position. They had too many 3rd and 4th receivers, and not a legitimate 2nd. Jason Avant, Jerricho Cotchery, Brenton Bersin.... all three basically the same. The result? No one getting open, Cam Newton being sacked. Looking at this year's roster.... don't they have the same problem? At least for now, it appears they do. However, look for the Panthers this season remedy the situation before the season begins. This current roster is not complete. Two, or possibly even three of names on it now will not be on it come September. The Panthers will try to fill the number 2 receiver void through the draft (probably) or free agency (less likely). This post has been promoted to an article

Until the NFL announces the 2015 compensatory picks during the NFL owners meeting, I will only be mocking the picks the Panthers have at this point without speculating on how many they may have. Hopefully they can pick up at least an additional fifth rounder. Round 4 Tyler Lockett - WR/PR - Kansas ST The Panthers address their long term punt return issues in the 4th round with this selection. Lockett could be the best punt returner in the draft. He could drop to the late 3rd / early 4th due to concerns over his size. The Panthers may need to trade up to grab him. Good college production and a solid combine performance keeps him from dropping further. Would also compete immediately as a slot receiver. Has quick first steps to get separation. Known as a student of the game with high football IQ. Quality route runner. Would love to see him develop chemistry with Cam Newton. This pick could change should Ginn or another free agent punt returner be signed by the Panthers. Round 5 Lynden Trail - DE - Norfolk St Lynden Trail is a raw NFL project with tremendous upside. Dave Gettleman won't be able to pass up this chance to discover a late round starting defensive end for the Panthers. Gettleman has also shown a willingness to take on projects if the physical upside is there. 6'7 and 270 pounds he has the frame to compete at this level eventually as a defensive end but could contribute immediately on special teams. Look for the Panthers to have him put on ten more pounds through their training regimen. This kid is pure athlete, can also play tight end. Long story short, Gettleman won't be able to stop himself from taking Trail late in the 5th.

The following is my best guess at what will transpire in rounds 1-3 of the NFL Draft next month as far as the Panthers are concerned. All three picks are not only the best players available, but also players whose football talents line up perfectly with what the Carolina Panthers do on the field. So, without further ado... 2015 Panthers Mock Rounds 1-3 Round 1 , Pick 25 Landon Collins - S - Alabama Gettleman practices what he preaches in picking the best player available, but also fills a need. Landon Collins is one of those guys that is projected high but could drop in the first round. He ran a good 40, but other than that had a rather average combine. He won’t drop out of the first round, but he could drop to the mid 20s where the Panthers will select him if available. Collins is a prototype Ron Rivera strong safety. He punishes runners and has sound tackling technique. He is the best run defense safety in the draft, and as Dave Gettleman always says, you have to first defend the run to be able to rush the passer. Round 2, Pick 57 Jake Fisher - OT - Oregon FIsher had arguably helped himself the most at the combine out of all offensive tackles, which will bump him up into the second round. Fisher isn’t the physical stud that the first round tackles are, but he is a true football player. The Ducks offensive line performance decreased drastically without Fisher in the lineup. Throw in the fact that he is accustomed to protecting a mobile QB, and this is a no brainer for the Panthers. Round 3, Pick 89 Nick O’Leary - TE - FSU If there is one thing Ron Rivera and Mike Shula love, its an H-Back. A guy that can line up as a tight end or fullback opens up plenty of matchups that would be favorable to the Panthers. They tried this with both Ed Dickson and Brandon Williams last season, but had limited success. Nick O’Leary is the best H-Back this year’s draft and a good value in the late 3rd round. In addition, even though he is not much of a deep threat, he is a reliable receiver with solid hands for Cam Newton to target in mid to short yardage situations. He was a safety outlet for Winston at FSU, he can be one for Newton in Carolina.

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Dallas is in quite a conundrum this off season. They are in the rare position of having two starting caliber right tackles on the team, but both will be free agents come March 10. Doug Free was the starter most of the 2014 season with the Cowboys until a foot injury sidelined him. Then, Jermey Parnell stepped in and played just as well as Free, including starting the two playoff games. It is doubtful that Dallas will sign both players, as both know now that they are starters in the NFL. So one of these guys will be available. Most agree Free is the better player, but not by much. Parnell is 3 years younger, the Cowboys may go with youth. The Panthers look like they have a solid player in Mike Remmers, but there is no depth at tackle on the squad. The idea of bringing in another right tackle to compete, or possibly even toying with either at left tackle may be enticing to Dave Gettleman.

Tonight the Carolina Panthers take on the Buffalo Bills in the first preseason game of the season. Expect Bank of America Stadium to be half full of transplanted Buffalo fans who gloat about how great Buffalo is but would never actually move back there. Kickoff: 7:30pm Weather: Chance of rain TV: WCCB Radio: 1110WBT Follow @CarolinaHuddle on twitter for live tweets from the sidelines before and after the game. The Huddle Chatroomwill be open during the game for out of towners to keep up live with the action. I don't expect Cam Newton to play. Derek Anderson will play the first series or two with the first string. The most interesting action of the night for die hard fans will come in the second half. Young prospects will be playing their hearts out for a chance at a roster spot. Players to Watch: - Kelvin Benjamin: Will his camp success translate to actual football games? - Marcus Lucas: 6'4 UDFA looking like a gem in Camp - Offensive Line: Will they hold up against the formidable Buffalo attack? - Bene Benwikere: The most promising CB prospect since Chris Gamble. - Kony Ealy: Has had mixed reviews in camp, is he more of a gameday player? Please use this thread to post your general thoughts throughout the day and during the game. Click here to view the article

It was an exciting day at training camp. Getting to see the guys in pads for the first time this season revealed a few new things you just cannot see without contact. Unfortunately, photos were not allowed to have been taken during the full team drills. As such, many of my observations will be without images. Most players did not sign autographs while coming on to the practice field. Kelvin Benjamin, Luke Kuechly, and Antoine Cason made at least some time for the fans, so big ups to them. Some players made time for mosquito repellant. Those things will eat you alive in the shady areas. But I digress.... The day started with the usual drills. Then, the passing drills started. Kelvin Benjamin had a great day. I am not sure it is possible to overthrow the man. He made catches on the sidelines and over the middle. I didn't see him drop a single catchable ball all day. I am telling you all right now that he is the real deal and will have an immediate impact on the offense as a rookie. At this point, and I know its early, I would be shocked if he is not a day 1 starter. He looks better right now than Brandon Lafell ever did. Bersin also continues to impress. I spoke to a Panthers staff member who told me he would be shocked if Bersin did not make the squad. I enjoy watching Cotchery play. He does all of the little veteran things to gain advantage. A little grab here, a little push there, but never enough to draw a flag. It quickly becomes obvious the guy just knows hot to play the game at the highest level. Bene Benwikere flashes from time to time. He has a knack for closing quickly in and getting a hand on the ball. The coaches spend quite a bit of time with Bene. That tells me they see real potential in him Ken Dorsey ran the QB drills on the far field where I was the only one to look on. I am glad I did. Included in this year's drill selection is a heavier emphasis on moving in the pocket and avoiding contact. While having to hi step over obstacles, Dorsey would rush in and grab a shoulder. I think getting these guys accustomed to improvising in the pocket is a great thing, especially considering the question marks surrounding the Panthers offensive line. Speaking of offensive line... today we saw the offensive line vs defensive line, full contact, for the first time this season. Lyndon Gaydosh has a size advantage over Brian Folkerts, but was unable to take advantage. Star won the battle between he and Amini Silatolu. Amini did fairly well though and in all fairness not many guys could go one on one with Star and do very well. Kawaan Short versus free agent offensive tackle Oscar Johnson went ... well... the picture says it all. Nate Chandler took on Charles Johnson and Chandler actually had the upper hand. It is unclear if Johnson had poor footing or if Chandler actually dominated him. The most interesting matchup was Trai Turner versus the veteran Dwan Edwards. During the first round, Trai Turner easily won. For round two, turner was outmatched by Edwards and was pushed back about 10 yards. Apparently, Edwards did not appreciate being handled by the rookie in round 1. At that point Turner was pulled aside and coached up. Turner bounced back and did very well all day long in the team drills, at one point pushing Edwards several yards up field. It appears, folks, that Turner really is the road grader he was billed as. Brief intermission... here is a picture of Ryan Kalil. I am not sure I have ever seen him smile on the practice field this year, and I am OK with that. Players Rising: - Kelvin Benjamin. So far he appears to be everything he was supposed to be, and more. - Trai Turner. Playing with the first string and already looking competent. On one particular play he was able to pull right and seal off the block for a Kenjon Barner screen. Pretty advanced stuff for a rookie. - Philly Brown. Has made key plays two days in a row now in the passing game. If he can learn to hang on to punts a roster spot could be secured for him. - Tight Ends. Probably the most impressive offensive unit the Panthers have. Brandon Williams caught a beautiful long bomb today, catching it over his should, in perfect stride. Possibly the best catch of training camp so far. A;l of the tight ends made plays today. Four Tight End set anyone? - Bene Benwikere. Really like this kid's game, I think he could potentially contribute quickly. - Nate Chandler. Chandler is still getting a lot of time at left tackle and looks very solid. At this point, I think the job may be his to lose. Players Falling: - 2nd and 3rd string offensive line. These guys are getting obliterated out there. The Panthers have little depth in this area, pray for a healthy season. - Punt returners. At this point Cason looks to be the best of the bunch, but he has only returned 2 punts since 2011. The Panthers may need to look for an experienced hand here or once again special teams may cost them a game (or two). Click here to view the article

With the Carolina Panthers 2014 Rookie Camp coming up tomorrow, you may want to keep an eye on one name in particular. Of all of the undrafted free agents signed with the Panthers, wide receiver Philly Brown may have the best chance to catch on with the team. Brown led the Ohio State Buckeyes with 10 touchdowns last year. At a lean 5'11 and 178 pounds, he has decent size but could use to put on a few pounds. His route running also has much room for improvement. But Philly has one thing you can't teach, speed. His 40 low was a 4.38 making him on of the fastest guys on the practice field and able to compete as a return specialist. With he departure of Ted Ginn it remains to be seen who will be fielding punt returns. Kenjon Barner will be given another chance at the duties, as will Pilares. However, punt return talent is at its thinnest in many seasons. This may be the opening an UDFA like Philly Brown needs to find his name on a locker. Click here to view the article

Many fans are ready to start celebrating the Panthers having their first winning record since Jake Delhomme was the starting quarterback. Veteran Panthers fans know better. The Panthers are on the road against a division rival in prime time during a short week. Everyone on that field is a paid professional football player and the creme of the NCAA crop. The Panthers could lose this game. Here are the key points on defense to make sure that does not happen. - Force rookie mistakes. So far this season Bucs rookie QB Mike Glennon has actually looked pretty decent. Against the Falcons last Sunday, he had a 90.7 passer rating and completed 59% of his passes. Not bad for a rookie forced into a starting position. Glennon's passer rating has improved every week. Clearly he is learning. The Panthers defense will attempt to confuse Glennon with disguised coverages and blitzes. These tricks probably would not work against Drew Brees, but against Glennon could yield great results. I never thought Brad Johnson would lose the title of Bucs QB with the longest neck. - Don't relax on run stuffing. Tampa Bay RB Doug Martin is most likely out for this game, even though they are playing coy about confirming it (not a bad strategy in a short week and fewer injury reports). Still, the Panthers should not overlook the Bucs rushing attack. We have seen long and sustained drives given up by the Panthers defense when they lose focus. It is up to Sean McDermott to keep his unit hungry and unwilling to allow a single yard on the ground. Backup RB Mike James has looked average at best, the Panthers should be able to shut him down. The game Thursday night has all the makings of a trap game. Although I do feel the Panthers will win this game, I am not convinced it will be the blow out many are predicting. Click here to view the article

This Sunday the Carolina Panthers try to bring their record up to .500 for the second time in head coach Ron Rivera's career. To do so, the Panthers defense will need to stifle Sam Bradford and the Cleveland Los Angeles St Louis Rams offense. The Rams are not a particularly good offensive team. They currently rank 23rd in total offense. By comparison, the Giants offense (who the Panthers shut out a few weeks ago) ranks 15th in the league. Carolina should be able to hold the Rams to under 10 points. Here is how.... - Apply pressure from the front four. This really is the key to this game. Sam Bradford currently has a 90.7 passer rating. That rating drops to 57.1 when playing under pressure. However, when being blitzed, Bradford scores a 112.1. This means that the Rams are a team well prepared for the blitz. The Panthers must apply pressure to Bradford while keeping its defensive backfield in tact. Carolina has the personnel on the defensive line to do so, lets hope for another Eli Manning'esque feeding frenzy. - St Louis appears to have elevated Zac Stacy as their featured running back. Zac Stacy is the Rams version of Deangelo Williams at 5'8 and 215 pounds. This is actually an advantage for the Panthers defense, having faced Deangelo in practice throughout the week. Like Deangelo, Stacy is looking to find space to run and won't break many tackles. The Panthers linebackers have the speed and tackling ability to neutralize him provided they keep him contained on the edges. Overall, he Rams are coming off of a road win over the Texans provided by their Defense and Special Teams. It will be an extremely difficult task for them to win two consecutive road games. If the focused Carolina Panthers show up on Sunday, this should be an easy win. If the unfocused Carolina Panthers show up on Sunday, well, we all know how that will end. Click here to view the article

The rankings quickly show the Panthers have the 3rd highest ranked defense in the league. Unfortunately, they also show the Panthers have one of the worst offenses in the league. Week 5 Offense Yards per game - 24th No Change Points per game - 27th -10 Total Plays - 28th -15 Defense Yards per game - 3rd +7 Points per game - 3rd +1 3rd down % - 15th +2 It is easy to get bogged down into the minutia of games, concentrating too much on smaller things that only add to the big picture. It is helpful to step back once in a while and look from an impartial birds eye view. This week it is clear that the Panthers are a defensive ball club being held back by a lackluster offense. Click here to view the article

First things first. The NFL is an organic entity. It evolves. Coaching staffs look for weaknesses to exploit. They do so until those particular weaknesses no longer remain. Then they search for another. This is how it has always been. Once a team finds a weakness, you can expect others to follow suit. It is a guarantee. Going into the the Cardinals game, Cam Newton was being rushed by at least 5 defenders a league high 44% of the time. Newton, protected by a patchwork offensive line, saw more pressure than any other quarterback in the league. How did Arizona use this information? They doubled down, and the league was watching. Arizona rushed at least 5 defenders 60% of the total snaps. The result? Seven sacks, three interceptions, six points. The word is out, pressure Cam Newton and the Panthers offense will have no answers. This is not to say that Cam Newton is totally to blame. GM David Gettleman could have provided a better offensive line to protect him. Ron Rivera could have urged Mike Shula to find a way to get the ball out more quickly. Mike Shula could have anticipated the pressure and developed a counter strategy. The Offensive line could play with more heart and better communication. The blame can be spread around quite easily. It is now up to Mike Shula to realize that teams will be be bringing more pressure than ever before. It is up to him to counter the strategy with plays that quickly develop and make the defense second guess their approach. Can we expect to see more screens, draws, and hot routes? We can only hope. In short, Cam Newton can be a franchise player in this league, but not on his own. So far this season his team has let him down. Click here to view the article

Who: Carolina Panthers (1-2) at Arizona Cardinals (2-2) Kickoff: 4:05pm TV: FOX RADIO: 1110WBT BYE WEEK = OVER AND DONE!!! Keys to a Panthers Victory: - Front four of the Panthers defense must get pressure in base packages and rattle Palmer early. - Ted Ginn must stretch the field and allow Greg Olsen to roam in the middle. - Whoever Patrick Peterson is not covering needs to step up and make some plays. Prediction: Panthers 24 - Cardinals 6 Click here to view the article

That is, perhaps, until now. In Carolina, Ginn has found a quarterback and a system that is not afraid to go vertical to him. Cam Newton may be the biggest difference maker for Ginn at this point in his career. Ginn says so himself... "A guy like Cam, he has a big arm and he's not scared of the speed. You get a guy who doesn't have a big arm sometimes and after you get two steps on a guy, he is scared he might under throw you and the defensive back might pick it off." Ginn currently has a pair of 40+ yard touchdowns from Cam Newton.This week against the Arizona Cardinals, Ginn has a chance to further cement his place as a legitimate NFL threat. Cardinals shutdown cornerback Patrick Peterson will cover Steve Smith for most of the game. If the Panthers plan on putting up points against their highly ranked rushing defense, they will need another receiver to step up and make plays. With Brandon Lafell being more of a possession type receiver, it will be up to Ginn to stretch the field. Just a single big play of 20 yards or more will help keep the Arizona defense honest and open up the passing lanes for Olsen and Lafell to cash in on. I believe he is up to the task. This Sunday Ted Ginn can tell the rest of the league that his career is just beginning. Click here to view the article

Here is a look at how the Carolina Panthers match up against the Arizona Cardinals: Quarterback: Carson Palmer vs Cam Newton. One is a pocket passer on the downward slop of his career. The other is one of the most dynamic play makers the NFL has ever seen. This is an easy call, Advantage: Panthers Running Backs: Arizona starter Rashard Mendenhall is having an awful year. Last week against the Bucs he averaged less than 3 yards per carry and fumbled twice. The backup is a 6th round rookie. Carolina has Deangelo Williams averaging 4.7 yards a carry and features one of the best running games in the NFL. Advantage: Panthers Offensive Line Neither unit is considered good. Carolina's saving grace is Cam Newton's mobility. Arizona's downfall is Palmers concrete feet. Advantage: Push Receivers Fitzgerald, Floyd, and Roberts vs Smith, Lafell, and Ginn... I would take the former over the latter, as would any coach in the NFL. Jim Dray vs Greg Olsen? No contest, Olsen wins hands down. Advantage: Cardinals. Defensive Line While the Cardinals defensive line is nothing to sneeze at, it just can't compare with what may be the best defensive line Carolina has ever had. Rookie Star Lotulelei is performing at a pro bowl level, making all the difference this season. Advantage: Panthers Linebackers Daryl Washington makes his return after his four game suspension on Sunday, and will play next to Karlos Dansby in their 3-4 scheme. They will see improved linebacker play than against the Bucs last week, but I still would take Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis any day of the week. Moch vs Blackburn is a push. Advantage: Panthers Secondary I'd trade the Panthers entire secondary for Patrick Peterson and Honey Badger. Advantage: Cardinals Bottom Line: The Panthers have the better players on the field and given adequate coaching and game planning should win this game. Overall Advantage - Carolina Panthers Click here to view the article