Jump to content

  • Welcome!

    Register and log in easily with Twitter or Google accounts!

    Or simply create a new Huddle account. 

    Members receive fewer ads , access our dark theme, and the ability to join the discussion!

     

NFL.com's Panthers Offseason Forecast

El Chingon

By El Chingon,
in Carolina Panthers

Recommended Posts

El Chingon Newbie

El Chingon

Posted
Posted

What's changing

 

Armed with a three-year extension, coach Ron Rivera faces an uphill battle to repeat as division champs. Only one team has more free agents than the Panthers' 26 this offseason. General manager Dave Gettleman played the second and third waves of free agency to perfection on a shoestring budget last year. Can he pull off the same magic again? This team can survive the loss of a couple veterans on defense, but the offense needs an influx of talent to keep up with the Seahawks and 49ers.

 

Biggest free agents

 

» DE Greg Hardy: "The Kraken" is seeking a "crapload" of money after registering a career-high 15 sacks in 2013. Hardy told the Around The League Podcast it would be "a big honor" to receive the franchise tag from the Panthers. Gettleman hasn't ruled out the possibility of allowing the Pro Bowler to test the open market.

» LT Jordan Gross: After an Indian summer season in which he played at a Pro Bowl level, Gross has yet to decide if he will retire or re-sign with the Panthers. If he does return, it will likely be on a short-term contract in the neighborhood of $5 million per year.

» CB Captain Munnerlyn: Best suited to the slot, Munnerlyn has shown a knack for well-timed blitzes and pick-sixes. No cornerback in NFL history has returned a greater percentage (71.4) of interceptions for touchdowns. Munnerlyn is hoping to cash in on a career year with a long-term deal, but said he would be open to a one-year contract for the right price.

Other key free agents: S Mike Mitchell, S Quintin Mikell, OG Travelle Wharton, WR Brandon LaFell, WR Ted Ginn, CB Drayton Florence, DT Colin Cole, K Graham Gano

 

What they need

Already desperate for playmakers with Steve Smith losing a step, the offense is in danger of losing Ginn and LaFell. Wide receiver will be a top priority. Even if Gross returns for a 12th season, the Panthers will have to locate his eventual replacement on Cam Newton's blind side. With three-fourths of the secondary due to hit free agency, the bulk of the resources will have to be spent on defense. An edge rusher will also be on the shopping list if Hardy isn't retained.

 

On the way out?

» TE Greg Olsen: Newton can ill afford to lose Olsen in a talent-starved aerial attack, but the tight end carries a salary cap number of $7.8 million. It's a lot to devote to a player who falls shy of Pro Bowl caliber.

» S Charles Godfrey: The Panthers could use Godfrey with Mikell and Mitchell due to hit free agency, but the six-year veteran is due count a prohibitive $7.1 million against the cap. Godfrey, 28, missed the final 14 games of the season after tearing his Achilles tendon.

» DT Dwan Edwards: Now that Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short are established as cornerstones on the interior, Edwards is a luxury the Panthers might decide they can do without. He carries a cap number of roughly $2 million.

Offseason crystal ball

 

Hardy seems bound for the franchise tag even though it would give the Panthers a pair of pass rushers earning a combined $20 million. Next on the agenda will be a lucrative extension for Newton, who likely will earn at least $15 million per season. Even if the Panthers address their playmaker needs in the 2014 NFL Draft, free agency might still be an option with Charlotte native Hakeem Nicks hitting the open market.

Look for Gettleman to address the secondary on the cheap again. His dominant front seven can mask a talent deficiency on the back end. Ultimately, this franchise is in better shape now than at any point in the past half-decade.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000324281/article/offseason-forecast-carolina-panthers

Link to comment
Share on other sites
micnificent28 Mentor

micnificent28

Posted
Posted

Olsen is Overrated in my eyes as a TE. The guy is closer to a WR than aTE. He's not much of a redzone threat and he's not a very good blocker and has nothing after the catch. I like him as a catching option but,i don't think he's worth 8 million a year. I'm not saying he's not a good player or push him out the door but come on something needs to be done.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
El Chingon Newbie

El Chingon

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Olsen is Overrated in my eyes as a TE. The guy is closer to a WR than aTE. He's not much of a redzone threat and he's not a very good blocker and has nothing after the catch. I like him as a catching option but,i don't think he's worth 8 million a year. I'm not saying he's not a good player or push him out the door but come on something needs to be done.

While I agree that he's making too much money for the position, he's a very important player in our offense. We need more playmakers and Olsen is a key part of this team. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Swaggasaurus Proficient

Swaggasaurus

Posted
Posted

Olsen is Overrated in my eyes as a TE. The guy is closer to a WR than aTE. He's not much of a redzone threat and he's not a very good blocker and has nothing after the catch. I like him as a catching option but,i don't think he's worth 8 million a year. I'm not saying he's not a good player or push him out the door but come on something needs to be done.

This...he makes me want to goddamn vomit, he impacts our run game very negatively. He is basically a slow WR with no wiggle who can't block for poo...Everyone wants to talk about how our OL can't run block, Olsen causes a giant pile up in the backfield when he gets raped on every play...try to run through that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • PMH4OWPW7JD2TDGWZKTOYL2T3E.jpg

  • Topics

  • Posts

    • Martin
      Why does Bryce get the blame?

      By Martin · Posted

      He gets the blame because his role as the QB is to make plays, help the team score more points and elevate players around him. He does none of that. Just because he didn’t massively mess up doesn’t mean he wasn’t a reason for the loss. The bar some of you have for Bryce is incredibly low.
    • strato
      Canales is holding us back

      By strato · Posted

      Yeah I was crying about this earlier in the year when we got to 6 wins. Equal number to Wilks.  We are still a QB away. 
    • Verge
      The Hall of Fame case for two different NFC South quarterbacks

      By Verge · Posted

      Hey y'all, a topic that has been on my mind has always been the parallels between two of the best quarterbacks in the history of the NFC South and ultimately their place in history and how they are viewed moving forward through the rest of NFL history. These two quarterbacks as you might have guessed are their respective franchises greatest signal callers, Cam Newton and Matt Ryan.  Cam Newton (144 Games Started): 269 TDs (1.8 per contest), 123 INTs, Super Bowl Appearance, OROTY, MVP  Matt Ryan (234 Games Starter):  394 TDs (1.6 per contest), 183 INTs, Super Bowl Appearance, OROTY, MVP  Obviously on first glance, these are very similar players with identical top accomplishments. Let's zoom in a little bit on their surrounding talent. C Cam Newton top offensive producers:  Greg Olsen (TE) (9 Seasons) (3 Pro Bowls) Steve Smith Sr. (WR) (3 Seasons) (1 Pro Bowl) Matt Ryan top offensive producers:  Julio Jones (WR) (10 Seasons) (7 Pro Bowls)  Roddy White (WR) (8 Seasons) (4 Pro Bowls)  Tony Gonzalez (TE) (5 Seasons) (4 Pro Bowls)  Wow, quite the difference here. Through Cam's career his top option was Greg Olsen, who was one of the best tight ends of his generation and a real difference maker in an offense reliant on their quarterback making plays outside of structure. Newton post Steve Smith Sr was saddled with a revolving door of Chicken McNobodies at the receiver position and the offense had to be funneled through the tight end and running attack as Jericho Cotchery, Corey Brown, Jason Avant, Kelvin Benjamin, etc was not getting the job done. Ryan on the other hand was consistently surrounded with top level offensive weapons, including one of the best receivers and tight ends in the history of the game, thanks in part to an aggressive general manager who wanted to ensure they could maximize the arm talent of their franchise quarterback.  How about protection?  Cam Newton top offensive lineman: Jordan Gross (3 Seasons) (1 Pro Bowl)  Ryan Kalil (8 Seasons) (2 Pro Bowls) Andrew Norwell (4 Seasons)  Trai Turner (6 Seasons) (5 Pro Bowls) Matt Ryan top offensive lineman:  Jake Matthews (8 Seasons) (1 Pro Bowl)  Alex Mack (5 Seasons) (3 Pro Bowls)  Andy Levitre (3 Seasons)  Todd McLure (5 Seasons)  While Matt Ryan certainly had more consistency and high level talent on his offensive line, one could argue they had similar protection through the bulk of their career. Though one has to acknowledge some of the absolute dog water lineman that were trot out to protect Newton at his tackle spots post Jordan Gross retirement. Byron Bell, Mike Remmers, Matt Kalil, Chris Clark, Amini Silatolu, Nate Chandler, etc were all a collective pile of garbage save for two seasons from Remmers and a few splashes of brilliance from Michael Oher, Daryl Williams, and early career Taylor Moton.  Defense should be fairly simple.  Cam Newton defense average rank:  17th/32 Matt Ryan defense average rank:  18th/32  Honestly I was a bit surprised by this, I had thought Cam consistently had the better defenses, but when you look at the average it's shockingly close. While Newton did have the higher peaks of defense, Atlanta placed higher more consistently and only really faltered towards the end of Ryan's career. Both these players had on and off again defenses to rely on.  So what does all this mean?  1. I am bored at work  2. Cam Newton has the better body of work given the talent around him  While I am not sure either is necessarily a lock to get a gold jacket, it's undeniable that Newton carried his franchise on his back for the better part of his career and changed how quarterbacks are viewed as a whole. Newton became the blueprint for a new breed of signal caller, and Ryan is the standard that is set for pocket quarterbacks in the modern league. Both players deserve their kudos for what they did for their franchises and how they morphed their team's identity, but Newton I think was clearly the better of the NFC South quarterbacks, especially if he had remained as healthy as Ryan did. 
×
×
  • Create New...