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Over the coming weeks I will be comparing Carolina Panthers roster units from today and exactly one year ago. First up, the Carolina Panthers Offensive Line..... View full article
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I dont know if this will make the news, but man...glad I chose this team .
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Now that the Carolina Panthers offseason workouts are complete, here is my projected roster lineup based on first hand observations and reps received. Offense - 26 Quarterback - 2 Cam Newton Derek Anderson Running Back - 4 Jonathan Stewart Fozzy Whitaker Cameron Artis-Payne Jordan Todman Fullback - 1 Mike Tolbert Tight End - 3 Greg Olsen Ed Dickson Brandon Williams Wide Receiver - 6 Kelvin Benjamin Devin Funchess Corey Brown Ted Ginn Brenton Bersin Jerricho Cotchery Offensive Line - 10 Michael Oher Andrew Norwell Ryan Kalil Trai Turner Mike Remmers Jonathan Martin Daryl Williams Amini Silatolu Brian Folkerts Nate Chandler Defense - 24 Defensive Line - 8 Charles Johnson Star Lotulelei Kawaan Short Frank Alexander Kony Ealy Colin Cole Dwan Edwards Mario Addison Linebacker - 5 Thomas Davis Luke Kuechly Shaq Thompson Adarius Glanton David Mayo Safety - 5 Roman Harper Tre Boston Kurt Coleman Dean Marlowe Colin Jones Corners - 6 Josh Norman Bene Benwikere Charles Tillman Melvin White Carrington Byndom Teddy Williams Special Teams - 3 Kicker - Graham Gano Punter - Brad Nortman Long Snapper - JJ Jansen Practice Squad - 10 Lee Ward Garry Peters Damiere Byrd Brandon Wegher Terry Redden Martin Wallace David Foucault Rakim Cox Marcus Lucas Brian Blechen Notes: Panthers keep one less linebacker and one additional safety due to popularity of "Buffalo" package. Glanton currently higher on depth chart than Klein.CB Teddy Williams retained mostly for Special Teams abilities. Joe Webb not retained due to Cam Newton's improved health and other special teams additions added in offseason. All draft picks on regular roster until Gettleman shows otherwise. Nate Chandler retained for backup RT/G role. Versatility gets him a jersey. Brian Folkerts / Chris Scott position up in the air with Remmers taking backup center snaps. Folkerts as the only listed backup center on roster gets the spot for now. This is, by far, the most difficult year to make cuts to the roster in recent memory. Talent level is up, good players have to be released due to the numbers. Other teams will be signing cut Panthers players. View full article
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The Carolina Panthers finished their offseason workout in spirited fashion. This was one of the better practices to have witnessed. No punches were thrown, but it was exciting none the less. Here are the highlights... Konly Ealy impressed early with a reaching bat down of a Cam Newton pass. Could Ealy be using yesterday's fisticuffs at motivation?Starting corners today were Josh Norman and Peanut Tillman for the first half of practice, and then Benwikere replaced Tillman for the rest. Starting safeties were Tre Boston and Roman Harper.Josh Norman was very physical with Gamecocks rookie WR Damiere Byrd at the line, jamming him at the line. After the play, Josh would walk over to Byrd with encouragement, telling him what he did and how to counter it. Daryl Williams was the starting right tackle for most of the day. Mike Remmers spent time at center with the first and second unity. It is unclear if this is more than typical evaluation. TE Jamie Childers dropped a sure TD from Cam Newton. Not a great way to make an impression with the first team. Todman hauled in another nice touchdown from Derek Anderson out of the backfield. Todman has impressed as of late. CB Lou Young has looked less than average until today. He made a couple of nice plays on the ball. Bene Benwikere's quickness is an obvious asset to the Panthers. He is at the receiver instantly on Cam Newton check downs. Corey Brown again showed nice hands with an important sideline grab from Cam Newton. Devin Funchess also showed impressive hands today on a quick out from Cam Newton. Cam Newton had a couple of poor overthrows today to Ted Ginn, but Funchess is more difficult to place the ball out of reach for. A scary moment today happened when Cam Newton took a hard fall to the ground after slipping on the turf. There were many slips this year in practices for everyone.During the last first team drills, the offensive tackles were Martin and Williams. Jarrett Boykin dropped a sure TD from Cam Newton. Boykin tried to cradle the ball, but it bounced off his chest. Boykin has struggled throughout OTAs and Mini Camp. Damiere Byrd is looking like a keeper, at least on the practice squad. His snaps have been increasing as some others have been decreasing. He is taking full advantage of them. View full article
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I have no doubt you have heard about the punches thrown at practice today, so here are the other things you need to know about today's Panthers practice. ​ View full article
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The Carolina Panthers offensive line depth chart has become a little more clear now that the OTA practices have come to an end and the Panthers Mini-Camp is set to begin. Here is how the depth chart is shaking out according to my eyes and notes... View full article
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One of the more interesting stories of the 2015 Carolina Panthers OTA sessions has been the improvement of Corey Brown at the wide receiver position. A few days ago during practice I was standing next to Bill Voth of BBR discussing Brown's improvement. We came to the conclusion that the best sign of his arrival as a player was the fact that we were no longer really taking note of his receptions. Meaning, Corey Brown making plays had become routine, not noteworthy. That is a true sign of a player's growth. After the final Panthers OTA practice, I wanted to speak to Corey about his growth and his thoughts of the receivers group as a whole. So I waited, and waited, and waited a bit more. You see, Corey was across the field catching one handed passes with the defensive backs..... View full article
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The last OTA practice of 2015 was both the hottest and the practice with the least enthusiasm. With Ron Rivera in California for his daughters graduation, the Panthers seemed to lose focus. It showed both in their demeanor and on the field. It was a rough day for Cam Newton. After looking pristine for most of the OTA sessions, today he looked off kilter. Many of his end zone passes were high. His long throws either short or long. Colin Jones made the play of the day, intercepting Cam Newton in the red zone and taking it for what would have been a pick six. Cam Newton was visibly unhappy about the interception, and tried chasing Jones down.... without luck. Colin Jones also made a beautiful break on a ball from Newton later in the practice, nearly intercepting another ball meant for Ted Ginn on a curl route. Yes, Colin Jones is my player of the day. The first defensive player of the day I have named... which should tell you how the day went. Other Notes: - Brandon Williams struggled as he dropped a catchable 30 yard bomb from Cam Newton. Williams had both hands on the ball, but could not hold on. - Devin Funchess had more second string snaps today, due to Kelvin Benjamin being back on the field. Funchess did get a few first string reps in. When with the second string, he appeared to be running many of the same routes as Benjamin did with the first string. - Cam's sure fire connection to Greg Olsen was just not there today. Both targets in the end zone soared well above Olsen's head. - Both linebacker draft picks, Thompson and Mayo, spent time in the second string together. - Stephen Hill mainly played with the second string, no plays of note to mention. View full article
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Fact: Brenton Bersin has been one of the more impressive receivers again this offseason. Fact: Brenton Bersin appears to still be one of Cam Newton's favorite targets. Yet, fans are completely split on their excitement level over Bersin. Some recognize the work he has put in and admire the job he has done. Others believe he is the product of favoritism and doesn't deserve the first team reps he is receiving (and crushing, btw). Well, it is time to clear the air a bit. On the opinion that Bersin is on the team out of some sort of favoritism. While it is true that his Wofford and rumored Jerry Richardson connection may have played a role in his invitation to rookie camp years ago, every snap he has received since then has been earned. The Panthers have had plenty of "feel good" rookie camp invitations over the years. Bersin is the only one to have stuck. He did it by working hard and earning it. Not by his draft status, not by his 40 time, but by simply getting out there and catching passes. On the misconception that Bersin is not an adequate game day player. I will be the first to admit that Bersin may not be the best choice on punt returns. Heck, I think even Bersin would admit to that. But after being thrown into the punt return role last year (Bersin had no punt return reps in camp or preseason), his performance was at best unspectacular. The problem here is that is a position he should have been put in to begin with. But, to his credit, he did what he was asked and special teams turnovers decreased as a result. As a receiver, Bersin is a solid third down over the middle possession receiver and should be treated as such. At 6'3 he has the size to fight for the ball, as he did last season. Bersin had crucial first down catches last season, some fans seem to forget that. His short comings as a receiver occurred when he was not being used to this strengths (Bubble screen to Bersin? First read in the playoffs?). I find it difficult to fault him there. If Bersin was a third or fourth round player from a large school and a fast 40 time, fans would be tripping over themselves right now to praise his potential based on his 2014 production. Instead, Bersin again will need to shake the UDFA small school type casting to earn the respect of the fans, which is a shame. But, he will do so, quietly and confidently, earning every snap..... again this season.
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This could be bad news for Brandon Williams who has tried to carve himself out a spot for a few years now. While Williams has showed promise at times, he has been unable to grab valuable playing time. View full article
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Next to the wide receiver position, the Carolina Panthers running backs may have the most competition to deal with this offseason as any other unit. This year's Panthers edition of runners are a close knit group, possibly closer than years past. Over the past few months I have been wondering if the departure of Deangelo Williams would have a negative effect on the chemistry of the runners group. To my eyes the opposite is true. The players are more upbeat and eager to work than ever before. My article about Mike Tolbert playing quarterback recently highlights this. If you ever have been in an office where someone was not happy with the company, you know what effect it can have on morale. Why should this be any different in football? Individually, here is how things are shaping up for the ball carriers.... Read the Full Article
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The offensive line has seen a few changes in week three of the Carolina Panthers OTA practices. One of those changes puts #77 back in at the left tackle positions. Instead of Byron Bell, this time is was Martin Wallace. Wallace moved up to second string left offensive tackle for a few plays. While this doesn't sound like a major accomplishment for Wallace, it actually is. Getting second string reps is something some players will never see in camp. So who is Martin Wallace? Listed at 6'6 and 330lbs, Wallace played college ball at Northeastern and Temple. As a senior he made the second team All-Big East Conference team. Wallace came into the league at 305lbs. His added bulk may be by the direction of David Gettleman, but that is speculation on my part. Wallace was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an UDFA back in 2013. He was then released and signed to Carolina's practice squad last October. As of now, it looks like Wallace has leap frogged Canadian project David Foucault, who hasn't seen any time with the second string (at least on media days).
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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
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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
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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
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Last week it was Corey Brown, but this week Devin Funchess returned to the practice field and grabbed the heralded "Carolina Huddle Player of the Day" award. Devin had an impressive outing in his first practice open to the media with Cam Newton throwing to him. Funchess never catches the ball with his body. He is a full time hands catcher, which is something all coaches love to see. Less chance for the ball bouncing off the chest means fewer incompletions or interceptions. Funchess saw time on the outside as well as in the slot. He played in 2 wide and 3 wide sets. He spent most of his time on the field playing opposite Corey Brown. These two seem to compliment each other very nicely. For the majority of the snaps he was covered by new Panthers CB Peanut Tillman. In a practice two minute drill, Funchess bodied Tillman out of the way for a touchdown strike from Newton. Funchess was asked what it was like playing against Tillman after practice. "You've got to use your strength against his, and just play my technique." Tillman was not at all happy about being shoved around by the rookie. At 6'2 and 198 pounds, Tillman isn't exactly a small corner. If today's practice was any indication for the upcoming season, the Panthers are matching up nicely against teams with larger corners like Seattle. View full article
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Punt returners became a bit clearer at OTA practice today, and kept the same rotation throughout practice. In order... Ted Ginn Brenton Bersin (Don't shoot the messenger) De'Andre Presley Damiere Byrd Obviously, Ted Ginn is the favorite to win the starting punt return position. He has proven effective there in the past for the Panthers. For me, the most interesting prospect here is Damiere Byrd. During rookie camp I noted the Panthers would probably be taking a look at him at punt returns. South Carolina Gamecock fans were quick to point out the fact he had never attempted punt returns in college. None the less, the Panthers appear to be giving him a shot. And with his quickness, why not. Any hint of daylight and Byrd could be in the end zone. Byrd looked pretty comfortable for a guy that had never fielded punts before. I saw no drops on any catchable punts. Ted Ginn did drop an easy punt. Go figure. It will be interesting next week to see how this unit is shaping up.
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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.
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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
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Kelvin Benjamin returned to practice today in OTA's, but in a limited role. After missing the entire OTA session last week, Benjamin took part in individual drills (without a helmet). View full article
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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
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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
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Here are some general thoughts and musings on how day one of the Carolina Panthers 2015 rookie camp went down in no particular order... Yes, Devin Funchess appears to be worth that first round grade Dave Gettleman tagged him at. I understand why people want to compare him to Kelvin, but when they see him on the field they won't ever again. He is much more of an athlete than Kelvin is. I don't mean that as a knock on Kelvin at all. Benjamin uses his size and length as his main weapon while Funchess appears to use his legs. He is sneaky quick. Funchess and Benjamin are two completely different types of receivers. Devin caught everything that was catchable in the team drills. A few balls were very poorly thrown, and somehow he was still able to get a hand on them, a major accomplishment in itself. I was actually more impressed with David Mayo than Shaq Thompson as far as the linebackers go. Of course, Mayo stayed mainly at the middle linebacker spot where he is most comfortable. Shaq definitely has more of a learning curve ahead of him in the Panthers defense. Mayo didn't have a perfect day and did get burned in coverage a couple of times, which is concerning. Still, I feel he had the better performance of the two. Unfortunate Shaq could not get in on the team drills due to injury. Maybe that is where he would shine. Damiere Byrd had the best play of the day, a gorgeous one handed grab over Corey Trim. I really like this Byrd kid and am excited to see more of what he can do in camp. UDFA Garry Peters out of Clemson also looks like he could push for a roster spot early. He made more than one really nice play on the ball and a nice strip on a ball that would have been a touchdown. Keep an eye on this, he could change the roster up a bit. Daryl Williams so far looks to be a real keeper. Its funny how obvious a true tackle is to spot now that we haven't seen one in a while. This kid has a future. Compared to the performance of David Foucault last year, he already looks like a 3 year veteran. Not sure why people say Cameron Artis-Payne is a "bowling ball" or is compared to Tolbert. He looks and plays nothing like Tolbert. Truth be known, his performance today reminded me of the first day of the old #34 back when he was second string to Desean Foster. His game resembles Deangelo's much more than Tolbert's. He had a few really nice quick shifts at the line today and found the hole quickly. That was encouraging. The quarterbacks this year have been.... bad. I mean.... really bad. I feel sorry for the receivers trying to make a name for themselves on such little opportunity to begin with, much less the fact that the ball is no where near them. View full article
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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.
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Today I had the opportunity to get a look at the newest Panthers wide receiver, second rounder Devin Funchess, at Panthers rookie camp. Devin strolled into his first practice as a NFL player like he had been there before, having some fun with NC State guard Zach Allen. Lots of comparisons will be made between Kelvin Benjamin and Funchess this season, but right away it was clear to me these are two completely different receivers. Funchess is much more fluid in his movements, relies less on his height to achieve his objective. He runs more like smaller slot receiver. There were no team drills today, so my observations are limited to positional drills. I can tell you that Funchess caught every catchable ball that came his way, sometimes in athletic fashion. (More about that in All-Pro). His eyes in all of my shots of him are clearly fixated on the ball, a skill that other more experienced players on the roster still have trouble with. Overall, and yes I know this is early, I can definitely see Funchess as the opening day #2 receiver. But you know what? Here is the shocker.... I could see him as an eventual number one as well with Kelvin Benjamin being the second receiver. Funchess looks every bit as good at this rookie camp as Kelvin did last year at his. There is still a long way to go, but this initial look was very encouraging. View full article
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