New Year, New Defense
July 31, 2008
With all of the free agent acquisitions, draft selections, and line shuffling, the Carolina Panther’s offense has somewhat overshadowed the defense during this first week of training camp. Yes, Jonathan Stewart and Jeff Otah have looked good, if not great, but so have a number of the Panthers defensive players, such as Julius Peppers, who has looked very sharp the first few days of camp.
One of the big changes to the defense this year, has actually been a philosophy change, not a roster change. With the loss of veterans Mike Rucker, Dan Morgan, and Mike Minter, Panthers coaches decided that the overall defensive philosophy needed to change, it needed to become simpler. Now, Panthers defensive coordinator Mike Trgovac is emphasizing instincts over thinking. The Panthers are trying to take away the thinking aspect of the defense and just letting the players go out and make plays with their gut, not their head.
While the defense is working out the new wrinkles, they have also been working on their chemistry as well, something the squad has been lacking the past few seasons. After a number of interviews, it has become apparent that the players actually like each other, and are trying to play hard. One of the possible reasons for this new found chemistry, is the new leadership on the defense. I know everybody in the organization last season, especially owner Jerry Richardson, wanted Julius Peppers to step up and lead the defense, but it’s become clear that Peppers just isn’t a leader, and the lack of leadership on the defense last season was evident. Now with Jon Beason and Chris Harris willingly filling that leadership void, the defense has some serious potential.
Even now, just five days into camp, this is fantastic news because it shows that the Panthers are actually becoming a team; they’re playing with passion, not just going through the motions. In professional sports, and especially football, the chemistry and intangibles built during the offseason are of the utmost importance, but the problem is you can’t coach chemistry, that’s something the players have to do for themselves, and it appears that is exactly what the defense is doing.
Maybe this new philosophy, combined with a solid linebacking corps and a big year from Julius Peppers, can help cover up some of the holes on the defense and put the Panthers near the top of the league defensively. So I say just let the offense get all of the attention and hype, let the defense fly under the radar, because Philip Rivers and the Chargers may be in for a bit of a surprise come September 7.
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