SI looks at the Panthers

[Mr. Scot]

From the article:

Biggest gamble this offseason: Taking Bryce Young

If Young can withstand the rigors of NFL life, his ability should be enough to make the Panthers a tough out. He has talent around him in veteran receivers Adam Thielen, DJ Chark and Terrace Marshall Jr., along with running back Miles Sanders.

But if Young succumbs to injuries, many will wonder whether Carolina made a mistake by taking him instead of the larger C.J. Stroud out of Ohio State.

Toughest stretch of the season: Weeks 3 to 6

After a pair of division games against the Falcons and Saints to begin the season, the Panthers will head cross-country to take on the Seahawks before coming back to Bank of America Stadium for a date with the Vikings. In Weeks 5 and 6, it’s a pair of road tilts against the Lions and Dolphins, two teams expected to fight for their respective division titles.

If Carolina can go 2–2 in that stretch, it’ll be well positioned.

Breakout player to watch: OT Ickey Ekwonu

After some early-season inconsistency, Ekwonu became one of the league’s best rookies over the course of 2022.

He’s now tasked with handling Young’s blindside. Last year Ekwonu earned praise from Pro Football Focus, being given a grade of 92.1 against the defensively loaded 49ers, the highest grade for any offensive tackle to that point in the campaign.

At 6'4" and 230 pounds, Ekwonu has the size and athleticism to be a top left tackle in the league for the next decade. Don’t be surprised if he pushes for his first Pro Bowl this year.

Position of strength: Secondary play

The Panthers will face some weak quarterbacks in the NFC South this year, and a strong secondary should take full advantage.

Carolina is well stocked with young talent, including 2021 first-round corner Jaycee Horn, alongside veteran Donte Jackson. The duo is one of the NFC’s best and is backed by an excellent safety tandem in free-agent addition Vonn Bell and fourth-year man Jeremy Chinn.

Position of weakness: Pass rush

Carolina has one of the league’s most explosive pass rushers in Brian Burns, but who is going to be a complement to him?

Looking at the depth chart, it’s a tough answer to figure. This offseason, the Panthers signed Shy Tuttle to play on the interior, but he has just four sacks in as many years. Henry Anderson is another player up front who does little to reach the passer, notching zero sacks last year and only 11 across seven seasons. Yetur Gross-Matos is a 2020 second-round pick, but he’s been a disappointment as well with just 8.5 sacks in three campaigns.

X-factor: How ready is Young?

There’s no other question here. We’ve seen plenty of rookie quarterbacks struggle throughout their first years before becoming perennial Pro Bowlers. We’ve also seen men like Matt Ryan and Lamar Jackson lead their teams to the playoffs right away.

Best bet: Bryce Young will go over 3500.5 passing yards

The Panthers’ run game will open things up for the young passer, who could often be playing in a negative game script. Chark, Thielen, Marshall and Jonathan Mingo have enough talent to help get this done. —Jennifer Piacenti, SI Betting

Final record: 10–7, first in NFC South

[WhoKnows]

Damn, we have to have the smallest QB and LT by 100 lbs.

[Fright]

9 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

 

At 6'4" and 230 pounds

That's a lean ass LT.

[Mr. Scot]

4 minutes ago, Fright said:

That's a lean ass LT.

Heh, I didn't even catch that

(clearly their editors didn't either)

[mrcompletely11]

Pretty worthless article to be honest

[OneBadCat]

This is the "didn't do his research and just read the spark notes" type of article.

[Burnout189]

2 minutes ago, OneBadCat said:

This is the "didn't do his research and just read the spark notes" type of article.

It's the ChatGPT variant.

[PantherKyle]

Wouldn't consider our secondary to be the strong suite. Feels good to say....but I think it is the OL! Been years. 

I'll take the 10-7.

[ladypanther]

1 hour ago, Mr. Scot said:

The Panthers’ run game will open things up for the young passer, who could often be playing in a negative game script.

What did they mean by a "negative game script?"

[mccjeff]

1 hour ago, Fright said:

That's a lean ass LT.

You can’t teach speed.

[Newtcase]

18 minutes ago, ladypanther said:

What did they mean by a "negative game script?"

Playing from behind, a lot of passing.

[Wolfcop]

50 minutes ago, PantherKyle said:

Wouldn't consider our secondary to be the strong suite. Feels good to say....but I think it is the OL! Been years. 

I'll take the 10-7.

Our secondary absolutely will be a strength IF they stay healthy. Some are underestimating the addition of Bell. That back 4 is strong when they are all on the field. 

[Mr. Scot]

1 hour ago, Burnout189 said:

It's the ChatGPT variant.

It's interesting in the sense of seeing outside perspective, but it's not exactly a "deep dive". When the context is something like "32 teams in 32 days", you can expect a fairly shallow treatment.

That, plus it's being written at a time when there's very little of any substance to talk about.

[Wolfcop]

Yeah, the writer did not make a whole lot of sense. If we are often behind, how do we finish 10-7?