The 2014 Panthers defense will be better than the 2013 one

[rayzor]

Still time though

Edit: ---> rayzor

 

yes, there is time. i just don't see how it's going to work out. FA market got smarter this year and got themselves jobs quicker. what's left is sparce and we have no money. what gettleman did to create space last year i don't see working again this year.

 

unless we manage to trade hardy away for picks and maybe a player, i don't see us having the money or really the ability to make this team better than it was last year. it's going to take everything we have to just get close to where we were.

 

time is not your friend if you still can't get poo done.

[Brooklyn Bully]

FWIW, I'm not worried at ALL about our D this year. I do worry how tired they'll get, however, if our O goes 3 and out multiple times a game.

[pantherphan96]

Front 7 will be even better than last year. Kuechly will probably have the best season any Panthers defender has ever had next year. They're losing no one and their great chemistry will be even better.

 

And, quietly and suddenly, the secondary is looking as good or better than last year. Corners made up of Cason, White, and maybe Terrell Thomas will be better than Munnerlyn, White, and Florence were. And the safeties of Harper, Godfrey, and Lester will be about equal to last year, possibly a hair worse.

 

So let's not lose sight of the fact that our defense will keep us in almost every game next year even if the offense does struggle. Opposing offenses will literally fear our defense. And we still have the chance to look at late round picks or camp casualties to add as well. If we can find some way, any way, to patch together a passing game then back-to-back winning seasons are very likely.

 

Agree 100%. Kuechly is already amazing, but I would love to see him improve his man defense, especially when there are WRs coming over the middle of athletic TE's that he was to pick up 1v1. Short and Star are only gonna get better, and I'm glad that CJ had the offseason to heal because it felt like he wasn't quite the same post-Marcus-Cannon-leg-whip.

 

I really liked Munnerlyn but his size was a disadvantage when it came to guarding bigger WRs. I like that we got Harper and with an improved Lester and a healthy Godfrey the safety position looks pretty good. Cason would be a nice addition to the CBs, and I would like to see us grab another CB in the draft or free agency.

[pantherphan96]

I also think that A.J. Klein is a guy that will pleasantly surprise some people who may not know much about him. We got a great deal with him as a late round draft pick. He really stepped up when Blackburn was battling injuries last year, and I think that this season he has a chance to break into the LB rotation alongside Luke and TD. I would love to see him start but have Blackburn around for depth and to help teach him the ropes a little more. Klein also seems to be a good attitude, hardworking guy that does not cause a fuss or any trouble on or off the field. Really glad that the organization is aiming to have a roster full of players that aren't a distraction on/off the field and seem to have a good team chemistry, for what it's worth.

[ladypanther]

Nice to see a positive thread!!!!  Thanks SMF.

[mc52beast]

Can you imagine how good they would be if all they had to do was cover our current receivers...

[scpanther22]

Gettlemen made it a point to mention last year he thought one of the things that separated us from a team like Seattle was the secondary. as of right now I can't say we upgraded with the likes or Roman Harper but after the draft and final cuts I could see us in a better spot.

[TheRumGone]

we need points. i know we were efficient, but with very limited possessions/scoring opportunities, we have to be. we have to make the most out of every possession. that said, we need to improve in that area. we need to do more with less chances. what we did wasn't good enough for sustained success.

and right now we don't have have the tools we need to achieve what we did last year.

No doubt. Which is why we are seeing a complete revamp to our wr.

Although having 89 here would be nice we completely ripped the bandaid off.

I think a good mixture of ball control and big plays is key. Ball control will help in the playoffs but Shula needs to not be Shula if we have weapons for Cam.

We will see

[The Huddler]

yes, there is time. i just don't see how it's going to work out. FA market got smarter this year and got themselves jobs quicker. what's left is sparce and we have no money. what gettleman did to create space last year i don't see working again this year.

unless we manage to trade hardy away for picks and maybe a player, i don't see us having the money or really the ability to make this team better than it was last year. it's going to take everything we have to just get close to where we were.

time is not your friend if you still can't get poo done.

Good points. I just refuse to through the towel in. We could sign hardy to a long term deal, lowering that hit. I don't think gettleman would have kept hardy if it was just for one more season, with this kind of hit. There are also more cuts to come between now and the regular season. I have a feeling we may double dip at WR as well, getting two young targets that compliment each other very well.

Idk who knows. Don't have the time to think this post out lol but at the end of the day, we got a top D, and our offense doesn't have to be very good. That said, I trust gettleman will find under valued players and bring them in, similar to Ginn. Just might not be on the market ATM. Even if they are, the longer he waits the lower their price tag goes down. Its sign sign sign for everyone and then doldrums

Time will tell

[CarolinaCoolin]

We just to upgrade at the oline and simply find WRs to match the numbers ginn smitty and Lafell put up last year and we will win games.

[TheNewStandard]

The front 7 should be improved.

The holdovers from our DBs should be improved. Who we draft could affect production as well...and we are still persuing DBs.

Like the poster above me said, if we can get good play from our OL and solidify the WR corp, we should see a significant jump in our rushing attack which keeps our defense rested and that will be huge.

Also, our schedule is not as rigorous as last season's.

It's still too early to say for certain but the way this team is starting to shape-up, we should be in for another monster of a year from our defense.

[Cpt slay a ho]

defense will not be better then last years............you can't replace that fire guys like cap and mitchell played with

[heel31ok]

Are you a joke?

If you think Cromartie is gonna get paid, then you're a moron. Antonio is gonna be 30 years before the start of the new season. Unless a desperate team overpays him, he'll be lucky to get a 2 year 15 million contract.

so we can't afford him.

[jarhead]

It won't be better if its on the field 99% of the time but, outside of that, I agree.

 

 

Agree unless we can field an offense our D will not be better