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Six Core Players

Mr. Scot

By Mr. Scot,
in Carolina Panthers

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the butch Newbie

the butch

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Offense:  Cam, Olsen, KB, Funchess, Norwell/Turner/Williams

(RB isn't a "core" player anymore, and Kalil is in the waning part of his career, but there is not standout so I thought three were interchangeable.)

Defense:  Luke, CJ, KK, Star, and Shaq

(As much as I love TD, Shaq takes his spot as part of the core of this defense.  KK and Star will be the next two extended over Norman, as we ship Norman out due to contract demands.)

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Mage Grand Master

Mage

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Good list, but dont forget Norman. He is going to be a beast this year. By the end of this season he will be recognized among elite CBs IMO. 

I don't know about elite, but I agree - Norman is a very good cornerback who is finally playing up to his potential.  He's one of those guys you could choose as the 6th guy.  However, I didn't include him mainly because I'm unsure that we'll re-sign him after this season.  We still have holes to fill and players like Short and Lotulelei that we will need to start preparing for financially.  Plus, Gettleman seems like someone who won't invest a whole lot in a defensive back.

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KB_fan Proficient

KB_fan

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why Coleman over Star?

I confess I don't know enough about Star as a guy - just know his great play.  Coleman seems to have a kind of gritty tough leadership that can fire up guys - kind of like TD does.  I don't get the sense that Star is an extrovert or leader of people in the same way.  I could be wrong...

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CPantherKing Grand Master

CPantherKing

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Why are you all putting Norman as one of his core players?

You know Rivera would never do that.

His core D players are Thomas Davis, Charles Johnson, Roman Harper, Charles Tillman, Luke Kuechly, and Star Lotulelei in that order. Now I do not agree with that, but this is Rivera we are talking about.

On offense it is Greg Olsen, Ryan Kalil, Mike Tolbert, Cam Newton, Jonathan Stewart, and Kelvin Benjamin in that order. Once again we are talking about Rivera.

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KB_fan Proficient

KB_fan

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Why are you all putting Norman as one of his core players?

You know Rivera would never do that.

His core D players are Thomas Davis, Charles Johnson, Roman Harper, Charles Tillman, Luke Kuechly, and Star Lotulelei in that order. Now I do not agree with that, but this is Rivera we are talking about.

On offense it is Greg Olsen, Ryan Kalil, Mike Tolbert, Cam Newton, Jonathan Stewart, and Kelvin Benjamin in that order. Once again we are talking about Rivera.

If I understand Ron's remark about building a roster around core guys on both sides of the ball, I don't think you can talk about Harper and Tillman.  They may be veteran leaders in their position groups (like Cotch is with the WRs), but they're not guys you build a roster around.  They're here for 2 - 3 years maybe.  Yes, Ron likes and values them.  But I don't think they're the "core" he's talking about.

I think especially in the context of Luke's contract signing, Ron was talking about the guys you lock into long-term contracts on the team -  the core you keep that you then build around through the draft and free agency, etc.

So, as for core guys, we have locked up the contracts this year of Cam, Greg, Luke & TD.  That leaves 4 more guys on each side of the ball, the guys you want to have in place that you then build the team around.

On Defense:  I'd say as of right this minute the established core is TD, Luke, Star & Short, and CJ.  TD's role is secure as long as he's on the roster.  He's the heart of the Panthers.  CJ could begin to be phased out for a younger guy pretty soon...

After them you have another group of guys vying for a "core" spot: Norman, Bene, & Ealy.  Who becomes a core guy that we'd commit to for the long-term really depends on who steps up and becomes the player & leader we need at their position. 

And you can't forget Shaq (who presumably would eventually replace TD), and Coleman who looks to have tremendous potential both as a player and a real motivator... wow, an embarrassment of riches and what's exciting is that so many of these are young guys with potential years as key players for Carolina.

Priorities for player development on the defense will be Pass Rusher (always!), Secondary - Tillman & Harper are old, and backup at DT to replace the aging Cole & Edwards.

On Offense: 

After Cam & Greg, KB is obviously a  core guy we're planning to build around, assuming he recovers well and can play at full strength again next year.  For now Kalil is another core guy we've built around. He's been the "anchor" of the Oline, though given his age and the emergence of new good players on the Oline, his role as a key core player may be beginning to decline.  I foresee two others on the Oline - maybe Norwell and Williams becoming 2 new anchors of our Oline, hopefully solidifying it for years to come.

Stewart has been a core part of our Offense, even when teamed with DeAngelo, but I think with the drafting of CAP, this will be Stew's final season a a true "core player."  The future seems to be with CAP assuming he plays up to the potential we've seen flashes of this preseason.

Current Offense Core:   Cam, Greg, [KB], Kalil, Stewart,  there's no obvious 6th established core player on offense.   You have a vet like Tolbert and some young/new guys [Norwell, Turner...], but I don't know that any one of them can truly be called a core as of right now..

Future Offense Core:   Cam, Greg, KB, Norwell & Williams, CAP.  Ideally Funchess would be a key part of this group too as a true WR#2, and Turner & Oher could also be solid contributors for a good while, especially Turner. 

That would make our priorities in terms of ongoing development of the offense for next year:

WR: Urgency & need at WR depends on KB's recovery and development of Funchess & Norwood - if KB, Funchess & Norwood all seem sound,  we still have a big need for a speedster (both for WR & Special teams).  Ginn won't be around for too long, and I'm not confident that Philly will be a long term part of our offense unless he shocks us all with a breakout year this year.

FB - find the replacement for Tolbert. 

OLine:  Center is obviously our chief priority due to Kalil's age.  ALWAYS looking for the next great OLine guys..., especially at LT.  But seriously, with Norwell and Williams looking like they could be anchors at guard & tackle for years (yes, it's early, but these two look LEGIT) and seemingly solid guys in Remmers, Turner & Oher... we could be in pretty great shape at guard & tackle for a few years.

TE - develop a back up for Greg. 

RB #2 - At this point we're believing it will be Wegher, so this might not be a big need.

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