SI looks at the Panthers

[WhoKnows]

21 hours ago, Wolfcop said:

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

[WhoKnows]

21 hours ago, LinvilleGorge said:

I'm significantly more concerned with our secondary given our injury issues than I am our pass rush. I'm also concerned about our lack of proven production at receiver. Hell, I might be more concerned with our run D than our pass rush.

 

Totally agree. We don’t even know what post-Achilles Donte is and Horn has to demonstrate staying on the field, especially at the end of the year when it counts. Still also not completely sold on the pass coverage in safety land.

I’m also with you on WR. I’m hoping Bryce is the real deal and elevates them but I’m still taking the TMJ breakthrough with a large grain of salt when the tweet also mentions Taylor slipping. The secondary the WRs are practicing against is garbage right now. I’m also a little worried that I don’t recall seeing a single tweet so far on Mingo balling. I expect any vets to handle CJ and Taylor, but I’d like to see some sparks from the rookie.

[panthers55]

Maybe it is just me but if this staff is as good as advertised then why can't they coach up our secondary to play better than they have in the past. Why will they suck because they have struggled in the past? It isn't usually physical skill or ability as you don't get this far without ability. So if it is technique and practice we should have several folks who show a big improvement this year.

[LinvilleGorge]

4 minutes ago, panthers55 said:

Maybe it is just me but if this staff is as good as advertised then why can't they coach up our secondary to play better than they have in the past. Why will they suck because they have struggled in the past? It isn't usually physical skill or ability as you don't get this far without ability. So if it is technique and practice we should have several folks who show a big improvement this year.

The biggest concern about the secondary is injuries. Our #1 CB has missed over half of his career games and is slated to kiss the entire off-season. Our #2 CB is trying to come back from an Achilles injury and that's a devastating injury that most guys come back a shadow of what they once were.

Every roster is struggling at CB (or any other position for that matter) if you take away the top two guys on the depth chart.

[panthers55]

52 minutes ago, LinvilleGorge said:

The biggest concern about the secondary is injuries. Our #1 CB has missed over half of his career games and is slated to kiss the entire off-season. Our #2 CB is trying to come back from an Achilles injury and that's a devastating injury that most guys come back a shadow of what they once were.

Every roster is struggling at CB (or any other position for that matter) if you take away the top two guys on the depth chart.

Obviously we need Horn to stay healthy which has been an issue. And honestly I have never been a big Jackson fan. He seems to play smaller than he is. But why Henderson has sucked is very disappointing. He looks lost at times which I attribute to coaching. Maybe I am wrong. But it seems to me other teams can plug and play guys in the secondary and we rarely have had a depth guy step up and play well since Norman left.

And other guys have been here for years but still struggle. I would like to blame Rhule and the fact we didn't even have a full compliment of secondary coaches last season but it seems an ongoing problem.  While teams do struggle without their top starters they don't always go from good to horrid when the depth guys go in. I just don't buy the argument we can't develop secondary talent.

[LinvilleGorge]

46 minutes ago, panthers55 said:

Obviously we need Horn to stay healthy which has been an issue. And honestly I have never been a big Jackson fan. He seems to play smaller than he is. But why Henderson has sucked is very disappointing. He looks lost at times which I attribute to coaching. Maybe I am wrong. But it seems to me other teams can plug and play guys in the secondary and we rarely have had a depth guy step up and play well since Norman left.

And other guys have been here for years but still struggle. I would like to blame Rhule and the fact we didn't even have a full compliment of secondary coaches last season but it seems an ongoing problem.  While teams do struggle without their top starters they don't always go from good to horrid when the depth guys go in. I just don't buy the argument we can't develop secondary talent.

I just think Henderson sucks. When a team is willing to bail on a top 10 pick after one year for a 3rd rounder... yeah, that's got red flags written all over it. The rest of the roster is all late round picks after afterthoughts as is generally the case once you get that deep into the depth chart. Not many teams have studs sitting at 4th on the depth chart.

 

[panthers55]

1 minute ago, LinvilleGorge said:

I just think Henderson sucks. When a team is willing to bail on a top 10 pick after one year for a 3rd rounder... yeah, that's got red flags written all over it. The rest of the roster is all late round picks after afterthoughts as is generally the case once you get that deep into the depth chart. Not many teams have studs sitting at 4th on the depth chart.

 

Hard to defend Henderson after the Tampa game. And I don't think we need a stud at our 4th corner as much as competent. Apparently that is asking too much.

[LinvilleGorge]

7 minutes ago, panthers55 said:

Hard to defend Henderson after the Tampa game. And I don't think we need a stud at our 4th corner as much as competent. Apparently that is asking too much.

I'm curious to see Keith Taylor with better coaching. I liked him coming out of college. I'm not sure what the plan is for Eric Rowe either, he's played all over the secondary on his career. Two ways to look at that. Maybe he has good versatility or maybe he has talent and teams have desperately tried him all over the place trying to figure out how to beat use him and nothing has stuck.

[1of10Charnatives]

On 6/14/2023 at 9:33 AM, Mr. Scot said:

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

Tell me you're covering the Panthers without really covering the Panthers.

[pantherclaw]

On 6/14/2023 at 9:20 AM, 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 starting secondary is a strong suit, as long as they are all on the field. 

Say what you want about Horn and Jackson,  but any team would be in trouble if they lost both their starting corners. 

[Mr. Scot]

13 hours ago, 1of10Charnatives said:

Tell me you're covering the Panthers without really covering the Panthers.

National sports coverage basically focuses on a half dozen teams or so and only covers the rest sporadically.

That's why I much prefer the local guys who only concentrate on one team, though when they have decent knowledge of the rest of the league (like Mike Kaye does) it's helpful.

[Stuart Smith]

On 6/15/2023 at 6:13 PM, panthers55 said:

Obviously we need Horn to stay healthy which has been an issue. And honestly I have never been a big Jackson fan. He seems to play smaller than he is. But why Henderson has sucked is very disappointing. He looks lost at times which I attribute to coaching. Maybe I am wrong. But it seems to me other teams can plug and play guys in the secondary and we rarely have had a depth guy step up and play well since Norman left.

And other guys have been here for years but still struggle. I would like to blame Rhule and the fact we didn't even have a full compliment of secondary coaches last season but it seems an ongoing problem.  While teams do struggle without their top starters they don't always go from good to horrid when the depth guys go in. I just don't buy the argument we can't develop secondary talent.

I may be in the minority, but I wonder if part of Henderson’s issue is effort. It actually looked to me last year that when he was beat on a play he gave up. I know he has

 

On 6/15/2023 at 5:05 PM, panthers55 said:

Maybe it is just me but if this staff is as good as advertised then why can't they coach up our secondary to play better than they have in the past. Why will they suck because they have struggled in the past? It isn't usually physical skill or ability as you don't get this far without ability. So if it is technique and practice we should have several folks who show a big improvement this year.

Sometimes the players have issues in life that have nothing to do with football. At some point with C.J. Henderson you have to ask if he loves football enough to improve his focus, or is it truly a skill set issue. This year will be his “prove it” year for sure. 

[UnluckyforSome]

On 6/14/2023 at 11:13 AM, Wolfcop said:

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

Win close, 1 score games so the national narrative will be along the lines of worst 10-7 team ever.

[panthers55]

22 hours ago, Stuart Smith said:

I may be in the minority, but I wonder if part of Henderson’s issue is effort. It actually looked to me last year that when he was beat on a play he gave up. I know he has

 

Sometimes the players have issues in life that have nothing to do with football. At some point with C.J. Henderson you have to ask if he loves football enough to improve his focus, or is it truly a skill set issue. This year will be his “prove it” year for sure. 

If you can't put in the effort when you are getting paid millions to do your job I don't know what is wrong with you. One thing for sure, you will be replaced.