Stepping back to take a look at the new offense; staying on top of the NFC

[Kuech the Sneak]

I just want playoffs again, and I think well be just as good if not better on offense, won't panic until the real bullets start flying

[jarhead]

The running game and pass protection are predicated on a good OL, Do we have a good OL? It does not look like on the surface so but time will tell.

[panthers55]

well...that and the extent of influence john ramsdell has on the offense.

It won't be that much.  He has never been more than a quarterback coach.  He has never called plays or been in charge of putting together an offense where he was the major contributor.  He will be helpful with Cam and the receivers understanding the Coryell offense but as far as having that big an influence, I doubt he will.

[hepcat]

That LT position is very worrisome.  Nate Chandler barely has any experience at tackle and I know no one wants to see Byron Bell protecting Cam's blindside.  I have to think the Panthers will be watching the waiver wire in training camp to see if a veteran tackle gets cut.  O-Line might be the weakest position group on the team.

 

I'm not worried about the receivers at all.  I like what the Panthers did in the overhaul, it fits the offensive style better.  They brought in bigger, more sure handed veteran guys who can run block.  Benjamin won't be relied on much in his rookie year outside of using his height to keep the safeties from stacking the box and being a mauler in the run game.  

 

Biggest question is O-Line.

[davos]

I just don't know what it is but I'm comfortable with Chandler.  His versatility+athleticism mixed with his consistence and coachability reminds me of Dave Bakhtiari for the Pack.  

 

So for me:

 

LT: Chandler (check) --a late-FA could become an obvious choice if available, but I'm cool with him given what I've seen.  Bell will be the backup LT/RT

 

LG: Amini (check pending injury comeback) --played on a high level before the injury and showed a ton of improvement

 

C: Kalil (check)--staple

 

RG: Turner (check) (w/ Scott backing him and Amini up) --Scott had some f' ups but was formidable for the most part. Turner is my fave draft pick.  

 

RT: Williams v. Bell (battle; want a FA) --Williams wins but this is my OL weak spot where if they really don't look up to snuff, grab a FA

 

Compared to decent teams in the league (i.e. Texans, Falcons, Bears, Jets, Giants, et.c), I think we're rather comparable and have a strong (by no means elite) interior now with Turner.  

 

 

   

[davos]

Also, we have a lot of staff members here that have tended to have success during the majority of their careers.  I can't say that about Shula but he was 12-4 last year for what it's worth.   Rivera, Gettleman, McD, Proehl, Ramsdell, Wilks...there's a good amount.  That's something highly overlooked imo and think we've built a very strong coaching staff.  

[Keep Steve]

Alrightythen...

If you look at the transition from last year to this one on offense, I think we are in a very good place regardless of the current criticism. All of our rookies are in great spots without a ton of pressure necessarily.

Key additions:

Staff--Ramsdell

New contributors-- primary: KB, Cotchery, Avant, Turner, Chandler (of sorts) | secondary: Gaffney, B. Williams, Dickson, the remaining WRs

Proven contributors-- Cam, Tolbert, Olsen, Kalil

Vets with something to prove/under pressure-- DeAngelo, Stewart, Amini, G. Williams (our RT front runner imo)...let's just say all vets on the OL

--

Considering this, I think the most pressure this year should be given on the running backs. D'Will had an okay season in 2013 but was noticeably slower at times...it will most likely be even more-so this year. Stewart however is still younger at 27, being paid a sh*t ton, and claims he's in the best shape since ~2008. Tolbert is doing fine in his prime for the most part, maybe slightly on the back end. They simply need to prove to be effective outside of Cam's help. Gaffney in this light was a great youthful addition. I think he could end up contributing and helping things out when need be.

The offensive line is undergoing a rebuild of sorts after Gross' retirement so it's a little too young to be under major pressure, although our success hinges in part on their performance.

So on to KB & Co....the WRs are in a similar light as the OL. A straight up revamp to Gettleman's liking that is actually like some past Chargers' WR groups imo. I have no doubt it will be productive and KB has the opportunity to just thrash it home this year.

--

Considering our ceiling while trying to temper my expectations...Imagine if the 2008 and 2009 Chargers had Cam at QB:

08--http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/sdg/2008.htm

09--http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/sdg/2009.htm

10--http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/sdg/2010.htm

No mistake, those years weren't good for them rushing the ball but they went from 8-8 to 13-3 and kept a winning record by getting first downs and touchdowns when they needed them and by being an efficient offense around what they had.

Considering roles relative to those numbers: Look at KB as the Jackson, Cotchery as the Floyd, Olsen as Gates..you've got Tolbert in there already, Hester could be the Gaffney role.

Their OL was better than ours but Rivers is not mobile. So having Cam really helps ours even though they really do need to protect him being the franchise leader and all. Just to note: Those teams started a 6th round RT, undrafted G, and a 7th round center

They also had unknowns producing at TE, WR and RB at times during these squads. Overall, I just think we're in a fine spot. Our D will stay nasty, and our O is only improving now including more of the talent our staff wants post-Hurney's deals. The only things left are finding that scat-back as Rivera seems to mention a lot a la Sproles and having D'lo/Stewart keep up an LT/Matthews like role.

Where it's interesting and funny is these offenses were being advised/assisted by Ramsdell and the defense by Ron Rivera. 09/10 was Rivera's big SD success and while killing it on D, he saw how that offense operated and liked it. Not saying this is his intent but influential in what we're trying to build. Just look at those league wide rankings on O and D in 2010. Damn.

--

So to make a long story short (...too late)...we may be soft at OT and unknown at WR, but if we're efficient about things with Ramsdell/Shula/Cam, there's no reason we shouldn't beat the crap out of our division and stay near the top of the NFC.

Geez a lot of work but all speculation. I hope KB equals VJ at his best.

[davos]

Geez a lot of work but all speculation. I hope KB equals VJ at his best.

 

I was saying roles relative to numbers.  Not saying the production would be matched rather was trying to visualize the offense we're trying to put together.    

[hdevonxz]

Oline is defintiely under the most pressure.  That's where a football team's success starts.  If you don't think it isn't the most important part of our offense and our success....just take a look at Bell getting blown backwards 5 yards off the line of scrimmage just about every other play, then cam getting hit, smacked in the head and having to duck out and run 75 yards to gain 10 yards total.  It's a very nervous and scary year for the emerging Oline....and I don't see how you can call it rebuilding when there haven't been any major pieces added...(besides rookie guard)

[CarolinaSamurai]

Oline is defintiely under the most pressure. That's where a football team's success starts. If you don't think it isn't the most important part of our offense and our success....just take a look at Bell getting blown backwards 5 yards off the line of scrimmage just about every other play, then cam getting hit, smacked in the head and having to duck out and run 75 yards to gain 10 yards total. It's a very nervous and scary year for the emerging Oline....and I don't see how you can call it rebuilding when there haven't been any major pieces added...(besides rookie guard)

Hope is all we can have for that Oline. Maybe someone worth something will become available before the season and we can afford them.

Sent from my iPhone using CarolinaHuddle

[hdevonxz]

Its a chicken and egg scenario.  Cam's first two seasons we had superior oline to now but Cam held the ball forever waiting on Chuds retarded plays to develope.  Last year the routes were shorter and the oline was ok but the receivers could not shake coverage.  Better receivers and better plays called should help nullify any real drop off in oline play unless of course the drop off is catastrophic.

 

How can you call those plays retarded?  To me they were the most innovative and new plays in our recent history.  The offense did a lot, with less talent and a rookie QB at that.. 

 

He took one of the league's worst offenses in 2010 and transformed it into one of the top 10 offenses in 2011 with rookie quarterback, finished seventh overall in the league on offense, fifth in points scored, and set a new franchise record for total yards in a season

[hdevonxz]

Hope is all we can have for that Oline. Maybe someone worth something will become available before the season and we can afford them.

Sent from my iPhone using CarolinaHuddle

 

Money is the main issue, that and us being stuck between a transition phase, and a win now phase.  Honestly if we wanted to win now we could have reached out to Wharton and several other decent FA's....but I fear age is the defining factor that made us not do it.  Wharton was coming off one of this best seasons last year, as well as Gross. 

[iamhubby1]

I was saying roles relative to numbers.  Not saying the production would be matched rather was trying to visualize the offense we're trying to put together.

This may be all speculation...but I do believe most of us got what you were inferring. That the sky isn't falling. That maybe, just maybe, we can have a good year with what we have.

But then again, I have been saying the future started a year and a half ago. So I am of the belief we have a damm good team. It may not be the best in the league. But at this point in time. We are pretty damm close.

[Navy_football]

This is one of the best Panther teams we've ever had. And with Gettleman, I'm confident it'll continue to improve. We won't have the Hurney drop offs year to year. Gettleman and RR are strong believers in competition. It really does bring out the best in players. 

 

But, even if they don't win the NFC south, I'm fairly confident they'll be a competitive, exciting, entertaining team. At the end of the day, this is all entertainment. I think we tend to forget that sometimes. Have fun and enjoy the ride.