How would you grade this Panthers 2011 starting line up?

[panthers55]

That's what I thought. I figure that we might get two middle-tier or one upper-tier free agents at best. I'm hoping to see Cofield and a good cornerback. I really doubt we go after an offensive lineman or a receiver this year, but they've surprised me before. :)

The only way I see them going after a big name receiver is if we trade Smith and eliminate his 7 million dollar salary which can go to pay someone else. I would like us to go after Cofield but looking around different boards, half the teams in the league have him on their list of DTs they want. Also agree that a corner would be great although I wouldn't overpay for one.

I think people forget that we haven't picked a big time expensive free agent in years. I don't think we change the philosophy this year.

[Urrymonster]

Mark my words, this will be it. Very similar to others.

QB - Cam Newton

RB - DeAngelo Williams / Jonathan Stewart

FB - Tony Fiametta

TE - Jeremy Shockey

WR - Steve Smith

WR - Braylon Edwards

LT - Jordan Gross

LG - Travelle Wharton

C - Ryan Kalil

RG - Duke Robinson

RT - Jeff Otah (If Healthy) / Geoff Schwartz

DE - Charles Johnson

DE - Greg Hardy

DT - Barry Cofield

DT - Terrell McClain

WLB - Thomas Davis

MLB - Jon Beason

SLB - James Anderson

CB - Chris Gamble

SS - Charles Godfrey

FS - Sherrod Martin

CB - Eric Wright

Why on Earth would you drop Schwartz for Robinson?!

[rayzor]

fwiw, i know people dismiss the idea that we will be using a typical chud/norv turner type coryell this year anyway (which is probably true), but one of the analysts at PFF was looking at a breakdown of formations used in passing situations by NFL teams last year and i asked him specifically about what the chargers ran.

what he said was 3 WR, 1 HB, 1 TE (40%) ...followed by 2,1,2 (35%)...followed by 2,1,1 plus a fullback (17%).

there were a couple interesting things he found in his research which was for an article on pass distribution of rookie QBs compared to vet QBs in which he found there wasn't a lot of difference.

this really stuck out to me, though...

PFF_MikeClay In case you were wondering, the most popular offensive scheme on passing play is by far 3 WR, 1 HB, 1 TE

PFF_MikeClay @jakeallen47 It's been trending more towards 3 WR and away from 2 TE over the last 3 years

very likely, even with a rookie QB and the stud RB corps we have (assuming williams is back) that we could be seeing a lot of 1 back sets using 3 WRs/1TE or 2WR/2TE.

i asked him a couple minutes ago about what the panthers have typically used the past couple years. it will be interesting to see.

[bleys]

fwiw, i know people dismiss the idea that we will be using a typical chud/norv turner type coryell this year anyway (which is probably true), but one of the analysts at PFF was looking at a breakdown of formations used in passing situations by NFL teams last year and i asked him specifically about what the chargers ran.

what he said was 3 WR, 1 HB, 1 TE (40%) ...followed by 2,1,2 (35%)...followed by 2,1,1 plus a fullback (17%).

there were a couple interesting things he found in his research which was for an article on pass distribution of rookie QBs compared to vet QBs in which he found there wasn't a lot of difference.

this really stuck out to me, though...

very likely, even with a rookie QB and the stud RB corps we have (assuming williams is back) that we could be seeing a lot of 1 back sets using 3 WRs/1TE or 2WR/2TE.

i asked him a couple minutes ago about what the panthers have typically used the past couple years. it will be interesting to see.

I hope so.. you still have a good front for blocking, but spread the field a bit. you can do so much out of that formation, and most importantly, help your rookie QB with more skill positions on the field..

[mmmbeans]

EVAN MATHIS?!?

d'oh!

[Cyberjag]

The only way I see them going after a big name receiver is if we trade Smith and eliminate his 7 million dollar salary which can go to pay someone else. I would like us to go after Cofield but looking around different boards, half the teams in the league have him on their list of DTs they want. Also agree that a corner would be great although I wouldn't overpay for one.

I think people forget that we haven't picked a big time expensive free agent in years. I don't think we change the philosophy this year.

So what do you think about the DT position? It seems highly unlikely to me that they stand pat with the guys they had last year and two rookies. Stranger things have happened though...

[rayzor]

likely the most money will be spent on DT. probably cofield.

next will probably be CB. there are a good few talented guys beyond aso and joseph this year who would do well across from gamble. namely chris carr and josh wilson from the ravens, ike taylor and even carlos rogers. any of these guys would be an upgrade, imo, and wouldn't be nearly as expensive to acquire as aso would be or it appears joseph will be. any of those guys would be starters here.

i could see us going after one of the falcon OGs or marshal yanda from the ravens who can play both RG and RT well. i don't think any of these guys will be particularly expensive.

we could probably get braylon edwards for cheap as well (cheap meaning less than $3mil/year).

upgrades can be brought in for all those areas without breaking the bank.

[KillerKat]

Will we still have a load after re-signing all of our own free agents?

Getting guys like Okoye and Chester will be cheap. Edwards probably will come cheaper as well. . Cofield and Wright might be the only expensive ones of the bunch. They aren't all demanding top dollar.

[panthers55]

fwiw, i know people dismiss the idea that we will be using a typical chud/norv turner type coryell this year anyway (which is probably true), but one of the analysts at PFF was looking at a breakdown of formations used in passing situations by NFL teams last year and i asked him specifically about what the chargers ran.

what he said was 3 WR, 1 HB, 1 TE (40%) ...followed by 2,1,2 (35%)...followed by 2,1,1 plus a fullback (17%).

there were a couple interesting things he found in his research which was for an article on pass distribution of rookie QBs compared to vet QBs in which he found there wasn't a lot of difference.

this really stuck out to me, though...

very likely, even with a rookie QB and the stud RB corps we have (assuming williams is back) that we could be seeing a lot of 1 back sets using 3 WRs/1TE or 2WR/2TE.

i asked him a couple minutes ago about what the panthers have typically used the past couple years. it will be interesting to see.

I think you will be seeing more 22 personnel this year because we will run the ball more than San Diego did last year. After all, look at their running game. Sure it was ranked 15th at 113 yards but they passed for 282 yards. So as a function of their 395 yards a game, running yards accounted for only 28% of their yards. And that was with a 4 yard per run average. They ran the ball 44% of the time and threw it 56% of the time. I suspect we will see the opposite, we will run it around 60% and pass 40% especially with Newton at quarterback. I think that until Cam shows he can handle the blitz, teams will be coming pretty hard at him. As a result, we will likely use at least one back if not two on passing downs. We might substitute a WR for a TE and do a lot of 2 wide receiver sets or even three wide receiver sets with a single back on obvious passing downs but that will largely depend on how Cam develops. With a shortened preseason and training camp, the running game should be way ahead of the passing game at the beginning of the season.

[4Corners]

rather have santonio than braylon

[4Corners]

I heard Mathis is terrible???!?!

[panthers55]

Getting guys like Okoye and Chester will be cheap. Edwards probably will come cheaper as well. . Cofield and Wright might be the only expensive ones of the bunch. They aren't all demanding top dollar.

I can't speak for all of them but in looking at other fan websites, Cofield seems to be on the top of lots of folks lists. That means he will be able to negotiate top dollars. As for Wright, if he is expensive I would pass. He has 1 Int and 42 tackles in 10 starts and 13 games. Compare that to Marshall who had 88 tackles and 3 Ints in 16 games last year, and I don't find him to be an upgrade at all.

As for the rest, when was the last time in the past 5 years did we go out and get a household name at the peak of their career. Even with Shockey we waited until he has only a year or two left in the tank.

[panthers55]

I heard Mathis is terrible???!?!

Maybe that was during the time he played for us the first 3 years of his career before we canned him. Why would we take him back and actually pay money for a guy who isn't a starter or an upgrade.

[Cyberjag]

Getting guys like Okoye and Chester will be cheap. Edwards probably will come cheaper as well. . Cofield and Wright might be the only expensive ones of the bunch. They aren't all demanding top dollar.

Okoye will come in a trade, in all likelihood. I'm sure the Texans won't just cut him without trying to get something in return, and there's bound to be a team out there willing to take a chance on him. So if we sign him we're taking on 3 million per year of cap room right there.

I like Cofield, but it's already been pointed out that everyone else in the league does too. Also, the Giants have a second round tender on him in case last years' CBA rules are tendered. That doesn't mean a lot, other than to say that he's either going to be pretty expensive in his own right, or the Giants will make him so if they have the ability.

It kind of seems to me that the biggest hole is DT, and that's looking like one of the hardest ones to fill in Free Agency unless we go with an old guy who has two or three years at best left (Kris Jenkins, anyone?). So if the coaches are set on getting a DT, then that's where the money will go, and given our hole at CB I remain skeptical that we make a splash on yet a third starting-quality guy (Edwards, specifically).

And I'll be pretty surprised to see an Offensive Line that has both a free agent starter AND Duke Robinson on the roster. I think that they'll go into camp with an eye on it being Gross/Wharton/Kalil/Schwartz/Otah with Ziemba, Williams, Bernadeau, and Williams backing them up. Toss in Robinson if his head gets on straight (and I think we would all love that). Otherwise, you get your FA Guard, but not as a starter IMHO.

Hurney makes the roster, with input from the coaching staff. And the Panthers started the youth movement before the coaches were hired. I can't see them giving up on it so quickly, not in a year of low expectations and a fan honeymoon. You might think I'm nuts, but I see them patching the holes at CB and DT and trying to make do with what they have everywhere else.