35 players of the Panthers were picked in the draft, which includes 18 of their 22 starters. Total there are 53 players.

For some time before they had been criticized for being cheap this offseason as they did not engaged free agent spending.

Marty Hurney, general manager of Carolina Panthers, said that he is considering it to be a win to keep 9 of the 10 picks from this year’s draft.

He said, “I think it’s hard to win, I guess,” Hurney said. “If we hadn’t kept nine of 10 and we’d have kept two of 10 then we’d have been criticized for not drafting well. It’s hard to win sometimes. A lot of people I talk to I don’t get that from, so I don’t get where that comes from.”

Carolina Panthers even had decided to keep 6th round pick Tony Pike as third QB and waive Hunter Cantwell.

Sources said that practice-squad Cantwell is unlikely to stay.

Danny Morrison is going to begin this first off-season. Fall out of an 8-8 season, quarter back woes and an uncertain future with Pro Bowl defensive lineman Julius Pepper, are the things to be dealt by head coach John Fox and his staff.

From now to till the start of summer training camp Morrison and the front office will face main issues of their own like, to lock in ticket renewals, land new backers and put renewed sizzle into the NFL franchise’s marketing blitz. This season, for him, the club will be like sports betting with all these limitations.

It means Panthers for the first time setting team’s business agenda under the guidance of Morrison. Just before 2009 season, the existing president Mark Richardson resigned and in October new president who is former Texas Christian university athletic director took over the charge. We all knew well that The Panthers are still the top sports property in the region.

Quarterbacks:

Jake Delhomme has shown that he can take a team to the Super Bowl. I have no questions about his arm. “Experts” say he needs to be careful in camp, which I would agree with, but when they say he’s a big risk to get injured or have his play suffer, I have to draw the line. What do they know about Tommy John Surgery, seeing as he’s one of the only quarterbacks to ever undergo that type of surgery, it’s tough to tell, but he seems fine to me. He says his arm is stronger than it has been in long time which is a positive, and he’s looked sharp in camp. He is the Panthers best player when he’s on, but when he struggles, they struggle. Jake could rebound this year and lead the Panthers on a long run.

He has the strongest recieving core since the days of Moose, Smith, and Proehl. Though Moose is older, Smith is much improved now and DJ Hackett has a lot of potential. Delhomme needs to have recievers that know how to come after the ball on errant throws, and thats what he has in Smith, Moose, and Hackett.

Matt Moore showed fans last year that he knows what it takes to win games, going 2 – 1in the last three games of the season, beating playoff teams Tampa Bay and Seattle. He also almost pulled out a win versus the Dallas Cowboys despite one of the worst referee performances I have ever seen, namely a blatant pass interference by the Cowboys that wasn’t called. He gets the ball to Steve Smith, and can move out of the pocket. He has potential and will see some action this year in many games, hopefully getting some action towards the end of the year when we are resting Delhomme for the playoffs and when the Panthers are beating up on teams such as the Falcons.

With a slightly run oriented offense, Delhommes stats will slightly dip, but he should have a nice year with great endzone threats.

Delhomme: 2,800 pass yds./25 pass tds./12 ints./90.0 QB Rating

Moore: 700 pass yds./4 pass tds./3 ints./78.0 QB Rating

Running Backs:

By selecting Jonathan Stewart with the 13th pick in the draft, the Panthers showed that they want to pound the ball this year with a potentially great 1 – 2 punch in Deangelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. Stewart will be getting the majority of the carries by the end of the season, but they will be basically equal. Stewart will pound the ball down the throat of the defense for the first half, and early 2nd half, then DeAngelo Williams will be utilized in the role that he is more effective, which is to run by tired defenses. I think that by sharing carries, the careers of these two running backs will be preserved, and eventually could form a great tandem. Jonathan Stewart’s toe injury does not worry me, and I predict they will both have solid years, with Deangelo getting more yards while Stewart gets the majority of the goal line carries. Together, they’ll be able to run around defenses. If the Panthers run a two RB backfield as they have tried with Foster and Williams in past years, they could have big play ability with both of them in the game.

Brad Hoover is a solid FB and will do a good job leading these backs down the field. He is a solid blocking FB and it will be nearly impossible to stop Stewart behind Hoover at the goal line. Labrandon Toefield will not be used much, but he is a solid backup in case of injuries to Williams or Stewart.

Williams: 1,000 rush yds./4 total tds./200 recieving yds.

Stewart: 900 rush yds./9 total tds./300 recieving yds.

Recievers & Tight Ends:

Steve Smith is argueably the best in the NFL. He is surely one of the only recievers in history to recieve for over 1,000 while being passed to the majority of the season by 3 different backup QBs, including the oldest in the NFL, Vinny Testaverde, the biggest bust in the NFL, David Carr, and the undrafted rookie out of Oregon State, Matt Moore. I find it amazing he pulled out that sort of season under those circumstances. With DJ Hackett and Muhsin Muhammad relieving double and triple teams from Smith, it should be tough to stop this recieving core. Hackett caught 31 footballs for 374 yards and 3 tds last year in 5 games. Moose is nearing the end of his career, but he still has a chance to recieve for at least 500 yds rotating with Hackett in that number 2 spot. Smith has deep play ability, Moose is a consistent touchdown threat near the endzone, and Hackett is a great no. 2 reciever when healthy  This recieving core could potentially be one of the hardest in the NFL to stop.

Dwayne Jarret is starting to smell like a bust, but he has shown improvement this offseason. He is studying more and catching better.  Ryne Robinson also has potential, and I am a fan. He made some impressive catches in mini camp and has good speed.

Jeff King is a well rounded tight end. I doubt he’ll ever be great, but he is a good blocker and an average pass catcher for a tight end. Dante Rosario and Gary Barnidge are both good pass catchers with good run-after-catch abilities. They could both pass King on the depth chart by the end of the year.

Smith: 1,300 recieving yds./11 recieving tds.

Muhammad: 500 recieving yds./5 recieving tds.

Hackett: 700 recieving yds./6 recieving tds.

Jarret: 200 recieving yds./1 recieving td.

Robinsion: 100 recieving yds./0 recieving tds.

King: 100 recieving yds./1 recieving td.

Rosario: 300 recieving yds./2 recieving tds.

Offensive Line:

Jordan Gross moved over to the left side this year, which shouldn’t be a problem. He will probably adjust quickly and be able to protect Jake Delhomme’s blind side. Hopefully, they can resign him to a longer contract before the year ends because I feel he is crutial to our offensive line. At LG, we have Travelle Wharton, who used to be the starting LT. He will be a great guard because he is surely mobile enough, and is a solid pass and run blocker. Ryan Khalil is the starting center after Justin Hartwig’s departure. He was less than impressive at guard last year, but he can be a solid center in the NFL. He could be the weak point in our line if it turns out he was put into the starting role too early.

The RG spot is up for grabs between Toniu Fonoti, Jeremy Bridges and Keydrick Vincent. I feel that the larger than life Fonoti will get the job. If he keeps losing weight, he could possibly return to his former self and be one of the best run blocking RG’s in football. When he was with the Chargers, he was great, but weight problems ruined his career for a short time. This could be the year that will revives his career or ends it. Jeff Otah was the best run blocking tackle in the draft IMO. He needs to improve on pass blocking, but I think he will pave the way for Stewart and Williams for years to come.

Evan Mathis has shown that he can start at G and play alright in case of injury, but he might not see as much playing time due to Keydrick Vincent, Jeremy Bridges and Toniu Fonoti. Hopefully, Geoff Hangartner will be able to fill in due to poor play by the pass blocking center, Khalil. Hangartner is a better run blocking center and that might be what John Fox wants. Geoff Shwartz was a steal in the late rounds of the draft. He could become a solid LT if coached right. He is big enough to be an overpowering run blocker and is already a proven pass blocker. He won’t ever be great, but he has potential to be a starter.

By Tyler Horner

Week 1 @ San Diego

Week 1 vs. the San Diego Chargers should prove a difficult task for the Panthers. This will be Jake Delhomme’s first game back since Tommy John Surgery and although his arm feels better than ever, he might be a little rusty. He might face trouble early on facing the Chargers great secondary, but with a new improved receiving core, he should find his rhythm by half time. Rookie Jonathan Stewart will be the first to touch the ball for the Panthers taking the kickoff back to the 30 yard line breaking a tackle and falling forward for a nice start to the season. Stewart will take his first carry of his career for a gain probably running the ball up the middle beginning to wear down the Chargers defense. Steve Smith will line up against Quentin Jammer and will probably create trouble for him. Smith will get double-teamed from the Chargers, but it will probably come from rookie Antoine Cason. Smith will take advantage of Cason’s inexperience and catch a touchdown early on. The Panthers will take a lead early on. After a nice first drive the score is 7 – 0, with around 10:00 left in the first quarter.

The Chargers will quickly return with a touchdown though. After a good Darren Sprolles return from Darren Sprolles, the Chargers march down the field with runs down the throat of the Panthers weak D-Line picking. After LT carries the Chargers to the goal line, the Panthers look like they have a goal line stop set up. It is 3rd and goal when the Chargers fool the Panther’s defense with a play action pass to TE Antonio Gates.

The Charger’s defense stops the rusty Panther’s offense at mid-field and they take to ball at the 20 yd. line. After a long pass to Receiver Chris Chambers, Ladainian Tomlinson runs in a lengthy dash to the end zone and the Chargers have the lead at 14 – 7 with little time left in the first half.

Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad go down the field with receptions back and forth setting the Panther’s up for a 30 yd. field goal shortly before half-time. Fans are reminded of the good old days when this combination of Jake to Moose, Jake to Steve, etc. was a regular site. John Kasay kicks the chip shot in and the Panthers go into half-time with a score.

14 – 10

Early in the half, the Chargers take advantage of the 5 in. height difference between Vincent Jackson and Ken Lucas. Phillip Rivers connects with Jackson for a long pass to midfield. The quickster, Darren Sprolles, takes a carry outside and Chris Harris comes up and lays him out. The ball falls to the turf and Julius Peppers takes the ball to the house as San Diego falls quiet. 17 – 14

Young Phillip Rivers doesn’t mind the small deficit. He looks like an experienced quarterback at home . He drops back and drops off a screen to the elusive Tomlinson. He breaks up the field for a first down. The Chargers are rolling and charge down the field. They take their time with runs up the middle with LT and short out passes to Jackson and Chambers and even the young, quick Nanee(Boise State reciever who caught famous hook and ladder play vs. Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, 2007). Charles Johnson doesn’t quit and comes through with his first sack of the season on a 3rd down for the Chargers. Its is 4th down and 3 yards for SD. Norv Turner’s team has the all on 37 yd line. This is out of range for San Diego Kicker, Nate Kaeding. The young FB, Jacob Hester, leads LT down the Panthers gut, first down. The ball is on the Panthers 30 as the quarter comes to a close.

Rivers leads them to the endzone ending with a QB sneak from the 2 yd. line. Jake Delhomme’s team is down by 4 points late in the game. He’s looking to grab an upset win vs. the Chargers and it looks like he will. The Panthers are rolling down the field. The Chargers defense is tired and Deangelo Williams is running all over them. Moose catches a first down pass at the 9 yard line and there is about 5 minutes to go. Delhomme drops back. Moose is running a fade to the left corner when Antonio Cromartie snags the ball and downs it in the endzone for a touchback. San Diego hangs on to win 21 – 17.

Jeff Davidson, the offensive coordinator of the team said, “I don’t quite feel like an old German shepherd anymore.” Jeff Davidson dropped 71 pounds. He further said, “I think it’s helped me dramatically. It just didn’t make me better looking.”

A take on “The Biggest Loser,” the program, was the brainchild of Ryan Vermillion, the trainer. He became alarmed late last season at the bulging waistlines of the staffs.

Ryan Vermillion said, “I felt they needed it for themselves and for their own health.” He also added further, “I didn’t want them to have cardiovascular problems. I didn’t want them to have physical problems.”

He joined about a dozen or more undrafted free agents signed by the Panthers, and he has become the first Bear that has been selected by the Panthers in the history of franchise.

Lonnie Harvey is a 6-foot-4, 345-pounder. He was the sole free agent D-lineman that has been signed by the Panthers to join camp. The other undrafted free agents to join the Carolina’s and take on the role of longshots to make the 53-man roster includes quarterback Louisville, Hunter Cantwell, OT Gerald Cadogan, Penn State; LB Brit Miller from Illinois; RB Jamall Lee from Bishop’s College (Canada); WR/KR Larry Beavers from Wesley College; WR Jason Chery, Louisiana-Lafayette (Jake Delhomme’s alma mater); OG C.J. Davis from Pittsburgh; OC Keith Grey from Connecticut; TE Kevin Brock, Rutgers; and also LB Anthony Heygood from Purdue.

From 1990 onwards Rifle Basix has been a developing, manufacturing and distributing replacement triggers for a long list of big brand rifles. A very good portion of Rifle Basix’s business is with big wholesale distributors of hunting supplies in the United States.

Jeff Mitchell is a 10-year veteran with the National Football League (NFL). He was Center on the Carolina Panthers offensive line for 5 long years. Before Jeff Mitchell joined the Panthers, he earned a Super Bowl ring with the Baltimore Ravens in the year 2000. He also played college football at the University of Florida. There Jeff Mitchell celebrated 4 consecutive Southeastern Conference titles and also the National Championship in the year 1996.

Peppers has made it well known that he wants to play elsewhere next season. The Carolina Panthers still slapped the franchise tag on him the previous week. This mean that they are on the hook for a one-year deal that is worth $16.7 million and that eats up a large chunk of the salary cap and makes a free agency spree impossible.

But this move of Peppers also won’t allow him to leave unless another team gives up two first-round picks. With that unlikely, Carolina Panthers could still pull off a trade for less compensation — if Peppers agrees to a fresh contract with that team.

The agent of Peppers, Carl Carey, and Panthers general manager Marty Hurney remained mum on the issue Thursday as it appeared Carolina won’t be a major player elsewhere in free agency. Hurney said to the media, “If you look at our situation, we’ve got our starters back from last year.” He also adds, “We’ve got a good part of our nucleus back. I think we’re in a situation where we have a good young core that has either headed into or is heading into their second contracts. I think it’s good situation to be in.”

Keys to the Game
1. Get out to a Quick Lead- There is no doubt in my mind that Jake Delhomme and the offense are intent on improving on their lethargic starts that have occurred in the last few games.  If Carolina can march down the field and quickly go up 7-0, that will allow them to fall back to their bread and butter style of play: pounding the rock with Williams and Stewart, chewing up clock, and keeping the ball out of Green Bay’s hands.  That lead also allows the defense to get comfortable and know that they have a seven point cushion to work with.  A fast start is absolutely key to for a Panthers win, which will keep them atop the division.
2. Come out Throwing- I know DeAngelo Williams is red hot right now, going up against a Green Bay defense that ranks 26th against the rush, but offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson needs to come out with some different play calls on the first drive other than two poor runs and an incomplete pass.  Whether it’s a screen or a smoke route to Smitty or Moose, the offense needs to get some momentum going with the passing game first and then set up the run, because runs on first and second down to start the opening possession is exactly what Green Bay will be looking for.
3. Tackle Better- Suddenly the defense seems to be playing two-hand touch rather than tackle football, something that was painfully evident last week against Atlanta, where numerous plays, particularity the 69 yard, game icing touchdown, could have been stopped for minimal games had the defense tackled better.  I don’t know if it has been just a lack of concentration or just a few bad outings, but the defense needs to get back to the level they were playing at earlier in the season.
Because of the way the Panthers finished the game last week in Atlanta, mainly the offense, I think they will break out of their slump today against a struggling Packers team that got whooped up on by New Orleans on Monday night.  A convincing win on the road, in Green Bay, will go a long way in jump-starting the team for a late season run.

As far as injuries go, the only player that is out for Sunday’s game is linebacker Adam Seward.  Jonathan Stewart is listed as probable with the same heel injury that has been bothering him the past couple of weeks.  It’s pretty amazing put outside of those two players, knock on wood, everyone else is totally healthy.

Other Game to Keep and Eye on: Saints at Bucs- If the Bucs loose today and Carolina wins, the Panthers will have an opportunity to lock up the division with a win against Tampa next Monday.
Panthers 24, Packers 20

Beason, who leads the team with 64 tackles, has been playing at a pro bowl level since comming into the league last season out of the University of Miami.  Orignally brought in to backup linebacker Dan Morgan, Beason started last season at WS linebacker, but eventually moved over to the middle when Morgan went down in week three.  Beason has shown amazing leadership in his first two seasons, even being recongized as a defensive team captain this season.  With Beason playing at such a high level, there should be no reason to doubt he will playing out in Hawaii come February.