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Panthers Evaluation: Front Four A Concern?

Saca312

By Saca312,
in Carolina Panthers

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Saca312 Experienced

Saca312

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The Panthers came back from a disappointing 7 sack performance over a 7 week span to be 2nd in the league in sacks. It was a feat many praised, and solidified the belief our front may actually not be a problem this offseason.

Well, this article segment debunks that theory:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000781911/article/denver-broncos-lead-list-of-top10-pass-rushing-teams?campaign=tw-nf-sf54055029-sf54055029&utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral

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Despite finishing second in sacks with 47, the Carolina Panthers ended up 17th in this metric. Sean McDermott had to call more blitzes in the second half of the season to start manufacturing pressure for a team that could not get home with its front-four.

This came as a relative shock to me. I was in the belief that our D-line rotation change was the primary factor in our improved performance, rather than considering blitz'. However, this statistic shows we're having a relatively large amount of help with the blitz calls McDermott came up with.

This might be a factor as to why he was so easily considered for a HC job. He made our defense look better than it is.

Sure, arguably injuries and such derailed our units full potential, with Kuechly, Addison, and CJ missing time throughout the season, but it still is an area of concern. I believe we have been a product of a combination of a good front and blitz', but can be upgraded.

This is arguably a reason Gettleman is looking into DEs this offseason. We just need an upgrade at that position.

What do you think? Do you agree with the snippet?

EDIT: To add to the fire, they have the Falcons ahead of us. 

I'm questioning the legitimacy of the claims.

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The NFC Champion Atlanta Falcons just missed the Top-10 at an 11th place finish with a 2.86 average yards to the quarterback. The breakout seasons from Vic Beasley and interior disruptor Grady Jarrett gave them a viable pass rush.

 

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LinvilleGorge Grand Master

LinvilleGorge

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I think just about everyone on this forum has been talking about DE being a huge need. CJ and Addison are both free agents. Even if they return, CJ is past his prime and Addison is still best suited in a situational pass rusher role. Ealy is just never going to be consistent. He flashes here and there, but the ship has sailed on hoping for him to "get it".

Yeah, DE is a huge need.

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Saca312 Experienced

Saca312

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Arguably their metric does indeed warrant concern. Many factors determine pass rush, and there were instances our front four truly dominated.

Nevertheless, it does show we might at least want to consider getting an upgrade at DE. I originally believed we would be fine one more year with the same guys, but obviously not the case. 

Gettleman is most likely eager to find a contributor via draft or free agency.

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LinvilleGorge Grand Master

LinvilleGorge

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14 minutes ago, Saca312 said:

Arguably their metric does indeed warrant concern. Many factors determine pass rush, and there were instances our front four truly dominated.

Nevertheless, it does show we might at least want to consider getting an upgrade at DE. I originally believed we would be fine one more year with the same guys, but obviously not the case. 

Gettleman is most likely eager to find a contributor via draft or free agency.

I just look at it compared to something like average rushing yards per attempt. There's a whopping 57.6" difference between 2nd place and 31st place in that category. I'd like to see the entire data set he's working with. I'm not sure if the data is even statistically significant. My gut says it's probably not.

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The Lobo Grand Master

The Lobo

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19 minutes ago, LinvilleGorge said:

There are a lot of Panthers fans that will be howling if we go defense at #8, but I won't be one of them. Well, I won't be one of them as long as it's an edge rusher or a DB.

I'm all for BPA, especially if it's DE. I don't like going off of need, but if we did, an every Dow DE is a must. If Charles doesn't come back we have Addy, but we need another for the future and it's not even a guarantee Addy comes back. Adams, Thomas, Barnett or Fournette are the ones I would like. If they are all there...man we would be in a tight spot haha

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LinvilleGorge Grand Master

LinvilleGorge

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18 minutes ago, The Lobo said:

I'm all for BPA, especially if it's DE. I don't like going off of need, but if we did, an every Dow DE is a must. If Charles doesn't come back we have Addy, but we need another for the future and it's not even a guarantee Addy comes back. Adams, Thomas, Barnett or Fournette are the ones I would like. If they are all there...man we would be in a tight spot haha

Overall, I think the Combine is overrated, but I want to see how guys like Thomas and Barnett fair at the Combine. My fear with those guys in particular is that they peaked in college. I'm just not sure where their athletic ceiling is and if they might already be there.

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The Lobo Grand Master

The Lobo

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2 minutes ago, LinvilleGorge said:

Overall, I think the Combine is overrated, but I want to see how guys like Thomas and Barnett fair at the Combine. My fear with those guys in particular is that they peaked in college. I'm just not sure where their athletic ceiling is and if they might already be there.

That's fair, what about that kid from Nova? 

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LinvilleGorge Grand Master

LinvilleGorge

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7 minutes ago, The Lobo said:

That's fair, what about that kid from Nova? 

Huge upside. I'll just have to trust the scouts and staff to figure out where his floor is. We all know how Gettleman loves prospects that are ideal or plus size for their respective position. Would not be shocked at all if he's our pick at #40 if he's there.

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