Carolina Panthers

I know, Jordan Gross and DeAngelo Williams re-did their contracts to create room. I also have the feeling that the Panthers will release some other guys after June 1 to create still more room for this year but will primarily carry over to next year (remember that James Anderson was designated as a June 1 release but still freed $1.4 million for this year) so after their rookies sign they will have a good bit of room. A good bit of room that they should not use. The reality is that even though they are doing pretty good right now, the real cap troubles are going to be in the next 1-3 years when several productive players - including Cam Newton and Greg Hardy - will get substantial increases over their rookie deals. Even better: pretty much every Panther contract at WR and DB expires before 2015. (Yes, Steve Smith's deal runs through 2015, but no Smitty won't be getting that $7 million balloon payment hat season.) But wait: there's more. Godfrey's contract is through 2016, but base salary jumps from $1.6 million to $5 million after this season so barring a massive paycut this is his last year as a Panther. And how long are Thomas Davis, Jon Beason, Jordan Gross and Ryan Kalil going to stick around? Gross will be an UFA after this season, and the other 3 will be making $5 million a year or more in 2015. Are there guys who can help the Panthers on the market? This list says yes, but that is not the point. The point is that because the Panthers have so few good players - and so many of those have contracts that are big, expiring or both - the Panthers cannot add more guys on the wrong side of 30 with 3-4 year contracts at $4 million - $5 million a year. If we are talking about adding a 26-28 year old guy just coming off his rookie deal and will still be in his prime at the end of that contract, fine. But adding a guy on the downside of his productivity with a deal like that will simply mean cutting him in 2015, eating his signing bonus that year and still having to fill his roster spot. So yes, the Panthers could sign Brandon Moore and Eric Winston, have one of the best OLs in the NFL and make the playoffs in 2013. Or they could sign Kerry Rhodes and Daryl Smith, have a tremendous defense (at every position except CB) and make the playoffs in 2013 for the same reason. Good deal. But the price of that would mean not making the playoffs in 2014-2016. The reason is that they are losing far more guys starting next offseason than they can possibly replace in the draft. During that stretch, they are going to need multiple prudent midlevel free agent type deals just to fill holes. Giving Rhodes, Winston, etc. the deals that they want now will prevent them from doing that in the future.Example: look at the depth chart at WR. Of those 4 guys, Steve Smith is the only one under contract after this season, and he may well retire. You fans of David Gettis and Brandon LaFell? Both guys are UFAs this season right along with 1 year stopgaps Hixon and Ginn, Jr. So if LaFell and Gettis were to break out this year, not being able to retain them because the 4 year, $20 million deals to keep them in Charlotte are being taken up by Daryl Smith and Kerry Rhodes would be very counterproductive.Bad example? Well here's another scenario. The Rams gave for Jake Long 4 years, $34 million, $16 million guaranteed for a player that Dolphins fans aren't even upset about losing. Don't expect Gettleman to go the same route. He will either retain Jordan Gross for a reasonable amount next year or take his replacement with the #1 pick. Giving Eric Winston - who likely doesn't even fit the blocking scheme that the Panthers will run anyway - the money that he wants will make retaining Gross almost impossible. And as it is easier to find a RT in the 2nd round than an LT in the first so why give that sort of money to Winston anyway? And the same can be said about Kerry Rhodes. Giving him the $4.5 million a year that he wants will only block the Panthers from signing a

For the first time under Ron Rivera, the Panthers will take the field this week with someone other than Rob Chudzinski calling the offensive plays.Click to Continue »

Brett Davis – USA Today Sports Images The Carolina Panthers have been improving over the past couple of seasons, largely due to the arrival of their dynamic star quarterback Cam Newton. Newton has been a revelation for them, showing leadership, charisma, and, of course, the ability to make defenses sweat with both his arm and ability to take off into the open field running the ball. Offense hasn’t really been the issue for the Panthers, save their sometimes porous offensive line. However, their defense was inconsistent at times, particularly their passing defense. Carolina ranked 13th in the NFL last season in opposing passing yards per game, which isn’t terrible. The organization noticed that there was still substantial need to bolster their defense this off-season. Two of the big moves they made addressed making their pass rush better when they drafted Star Lotulelei and Kawaan Short, both defensive tackles, in the first and second rounds respectively. Adding these two defensive linemen arguably gives the Panthers the best front seven in the NFC South for the 2013 season. However, that still leaves a ton to be desired in Carolina’s secondary. The Panthers’ secondary is largely comprised of young and inexperienced players, as well as players that have never really played at a consistently high level. They aren’t atrocious, but with the rest of their division making big moves to address issues in the secondary, the Panthers are definitely lacking in that area. One way they could address this is if they were able to sign former Green Bay Packers safety Charles Woodson, a free agent who has still yet to land with a team. With Green Bay last year, the 36-year-old Woodson struggled with health and played in only nine games. He still accrued 25 total tackles and 13 assisted tackles, had one interception, 1.5 sacks and five pat downs. Woodson also had a success count of 25, which measures the number of plays a player was directly a part of that worked out in his team’s favor, despite playing so few games. Woodson is obviously older and an injury risk at this point of his career, but he still has something left in the tank and would be greatly valuable to the Panthers. Not only could he help solidify their secondary, but he could also serve as a mentor for the younger defensive backs on their roster. Woodson is going to have a semi-hefty price tag on him, but the Panthers have the cap-flexibility to make it happen. In the interest of the future of their defense and even some immediate improvement in that area, Carolina needs to be in all-out pursuit of signing Woodson. He may not directly help for long, but his effect on the defense will be greatly felt. Cody Williams is a Senior Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20 and like his Facebook page.

This is Now an Open Thread!

Probably like most of you, I believed that the only remaining FA's were marginal talents, until I reviewed a 6 week old article at ProFootballFocus.com. Surprisingly, I found 4 very highly rated players at positions of need for the Panthers, and here they are. PFF Grade - Position - Name - Height - Weight - Age - 2012 Team +15.0 (9th best) - RT - Eric Winston - 6'7" - 302 - 29 - Chiefs - a 3rd best +19.4 run blocking grade over the last 2 seasons +21.3 - RG - Brandon Moore - 6'3" - 305 - 33 - Jets - allowed no QB sacks or knockdowns in 2011 +16.0 (4th best) - S - Kerry Rhodes - 6'3" - 212 - 31 - Cardinals - allowed only a 64.5 QB rating against him in 2012 +24.9 (in 2011) - 4-3 OLB - Daryl Smith - 6'2" - 249 - 31 - Jaguars - 166 tackles in 2011, but injured most of 2012 If the Panthers could sign both Winston and Moore for the right side of their O-Line, I believe it would push the Panthers into the playoffs this year. Winston is young enough to play well for the next 3 years, while Moore would be a great 1 year stop gap, to help train rookie RG Edmund Kugbila. Rhodes is a much better S option than Woodson, because he will only turn 31 in September, and is still playing at a very high level. Winston and Moore should be the top 2 targets, with Rhodes 3rd, and I only included Smith in case Beason or Davis injury problems pop back up, but what do you think? Probably like most of you, I believed that the only remaining FA's were marginal talents, until I reviewed a 6 week old article at ProFootballFocus.com. Surprisingly, I found 4 very highly rated players at positions of need for the Panthers, and here they are. PFF Grade - Position - Name - Height - Weight - Age - 2012 Team +15.0 (9th best) - RT - Eric Winston - 6'7" - 302 - 29 - Chiefs - a 3rd best +19.4 run blocking grade over the last 2 seasons +21.3 - RG - Brandon Moore - 6'3" - 305 - 33 - Jets - allowed no QB sacks or knockdowns in 2011 +16.0 (4th best) - S - Kerry Rhodes - 6'3" - 212 - 31 - Cardinals - allowed only a 64.5 QB rating against him in 2012 +24.9 (in 2011) - 4-3 OLB - Daryl Smith - 6'2" - 249 - 31 - Jaguars - 166 tackles in 2011, but injured most of 2012 If the Panthers could sign both Winston and Moore for the right side of their O-Line, I believe it would push the Panthers into the playoffs this year. Winston is young enough to play well for the next 3 years, while Moore would be a great 1 year stop gap, to help train rookie RG Edmund Kugbila. Rhodes is a much better S option than Woodson, because he will only turn 31 in September, and is still playing at a very high level. Winston and Moore should be the top 2 targets, with Rhodes 3rd, and I only included Smith in case Beason or Davis injury problems pop back up, but what do you think? Poll Which of these players do you believe the Panthers should try to sign? RT Eric Winston RG Brandon Moore S Kerry Rhodes OLB Daryl Smith Winston & Moore Winston, Moore, & Rhodes Winston & Rhodes Moore & Rhodes Winston, Moore, & Smith Winston, Rhodes, & Smith Moore, Rhodes & Smith Winston & Smith Moore & Smith Rhodes & Smith All 4 players none of the above Others 3 votes | Results

Hi gang. Today, I’m posting for Anthony Dunn, who isn’t a writer here (although it would be nice if he were – HINT HINT Anthony!), but who submitted a long and thoughtful piece rebuking the New York-centered Jets’ “writer” Adam Schein’s hit job on Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers. I guess some people feel insecure and have to do hit jobs on teams that are FAR better off than the team they write about – again, the New York Jets – to feel good about themselves. Enjoy the following slightly tongue-in-cheek opinion piece below, keeping in mind that Adam Schein’s “team” is best known in 2012 for “The Butt Fumble.” …..article by Anthony Dunn: caution, it is rather long. Enjoy! Nov 18, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) with the ball as Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Da Adam Schein’s Cicada Call Is there a worst time of the sports year? With April passed, it is dawning on us that baseball season is two months too long. With the 2013 NFL draft passed, we have again seen that the draft prognosticators are about as accurate as local meteorologists. And with rookie mini-camps now underway, we will soon be bombarded with endless stories of veterans who are not team players or poor leaders because they declined optional workouts. The NFL season, strangely, seems at its furthest point away. Can it get any worse? Well it certainly can get more annoying. Emerging, along side of the most prolific cicada brood in seventeen years, is an equally loud and maddening group of journalist hacks who know very little about baseball or golf, so they result to making animal noises about the one thing they know even less about–professional football. Last week, Adam Schein showed the sports world he is one of those hacks, whose journalistic career is going nowhere, with his attempt to pass off animal grunts for a critique of the Carolina Panthers and Cam Newton. Reaching the height of his journalistic career as co-host of “Loudmouths,” being dedicated a Facebook tribute page titled “Adam Schein is a Jerk,” and by passing weekly emesis for sports analysis, Schein’s most recent diatribe, “Carolina Panthers going nowhere with Ron Rivera, Cam Newton” shows that he just does not have what it takes to be an elite NFL analyst. Dec 4, 2011; Tampa FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Adrian Clayborn (94) is blocked by Carolina Panthers tackle Jordan Gross (69) during the second half of their game at Raymond James Stadium. The Panthers won 38-19. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports Sure, he graduated from Syracuse’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, won the John Bayliss Award for Excellence in Radio Journalism in 1998 and 1999, and now has a daily radio show on Sirius, which we all know will be overtaken by internet radio in the near future. This run of the mill resume and desperate attempt to seem relevant by drumming up attention through shock journalism, however, indicates that NFL.com fumbled the ball by keeping Schein around for another season. Without Tebow to rant about, Schein who covers Jets football and a co-host of NY based “Loudmouths,” turned his bitter attention to Tim’s former Florida teammate, Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers last week. Schein contests that, with Rivera and Cam at the helm, Carolina will be the worst in the NFL . He claims he arrived at this enlightened forecast by observing the past and looking into the future’s “crystal ball.” It does not take reading of tea leaves or chicken bones, however, to realize that Schein chose to pick on a team with a distant fan base from his media outlet and whose recent GM hire, Dave Gettleman, provides some connections to the NY sports world to make a looming deadline or pay his monthly satellite radio bill. Schein rightfully notes tha

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports Many are questioning why Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith took an unprovoked shot at Mark Sanchez this past week. There was no indication of any previous bad blood between the two, but that’s likely changed after Smith’s pointed comment, “I wouldn’t let Mark Sanchez throw me a paper bag sandwich.” I found the statement to be hilarious, and likely accurate. While Smith shouldn’t have made the comments, what does it really matter? He’s only stating the obvious, Sanchez is a bad quarterback. Until he proves otherwise on the field, he’ll continue to get people like Smith taking shots at him. Smith could care less about a guy like the Sanchize, because it’s very likely he’ll be catching passes from Cam Newton for the rest of his playing days. He seems destined to play his entire career in Carolina, and if he ever did go elsewhere, you can be assured he wouldn’t let a Sanchez-caliber quarterback throw him the ball. The 12-year veteran won’t become an unrestricted free agent until 2017, and all indications are that he’ll continue playing for the Panthers for the foreseeable future. It’s hard to imagine Smith playing 16 years in the NFL, but so far, he’s showed no signs of slowing down. He’s coming off a 1,174-yard receiving season, and there’s no reason to think he won’t hit the 1,000-yard mark again this year. Normally, Smith’s comments would be bulletin board material, but the Panthers don’t play the New York Jets until week 15. Odds are, Sanchez will no longer be the starter at that point. Follow Andrew Fisher on Twitter

Seattle Seahawks pass rusher Bruce Irvin will miss the first four games of the regular season due to a positive test for performance enhancing drugs. One of the Panthers' toughest games of 2013 has become a little easier. While the league hasn't officially announced what the suspension is for, Dave Softy Mahler is reporting that the suspension is for Adderall -- which has become quite the theme for Pete Carroll's team. While the Seahawks have plenty of defensive talent, they're not quite as deep as edge rusher as you may think. Cliff Avril will start along with Michael Bennett, but there are no guarantees that Bennett's 9.0 sack season in 2012 was anything buy an anomaly. If you know much about how Seattle's defense operates you'll know about the importance of the Leo linebacker role -- which is now taken away without Irvin. Obviously it's still a brutal game, but in 2012 the Seahawks only managed to beat the Panthers by four points, and in that game it was Irvin who contributed two of the team's four sacks.

CHARLOTTE – For more than three decades, years before many of his peers, legendary high school football coach E.Z. Smith taught young players the importance of fundamentally sound tackling."We push...

1. It's rosterbation. The details don't have to be fully worked out. 2. Though it's rosterbation, don't get grossly out of hand. Be somewhat reasonable. via www.biggshots.com 1. It's rosterbation. The details don't have to be fully worked out. 2. Though it's rosterbation, don't get grossly out of hand. Be somewhat reasonable. via www.biggshots.com My three moves, in descending order of reality: Dream Move 1: Eric Winston, RT signed for 3 years/$6 million guaranteedWhat it means: This year, we could repair one of our weakest links up front with a guy that fits our system. It also takes us off the hook from having to upgrade both OT spots next off season. Why it could happen: Many potential/interested teams have either already found their RT, or now seem okay with what they have (Chargers, Bengals, Dolphins, Cowboys, Titans) Why it wouldn't happen: Winston wants $$$, we don't have a lot of $$$. Also the Cowboys could make a power move for him. Dream Move 2: Hakeem Nicks signs multi-year deal in 2014 with Panthers What it means: We FINALLY get a #1 WR to pair with Smitty in his final season. Cam gets an experienced longterm weapon to grow with him in Charlotte. We could be free to use our 2014 first-round pick to fill Gross's LT spot instead of being forced to take a WR early. Why it could happen: It's hard to see the Giants giving both Cruz and Nicks the longterm big bucks, especially with Rueben Randle in the fold. Cruz gets the nod because of Nicks's injury history. Also Randle's skill set is closer to Nicks than Cruz, making Nicks a hair more expendable. In a bidding war against other NFL teams, Carolina also could get the vaunted "hometown" discount. Why it won't: Even if they can't work out a deal this year, the Giants could just franchise Nicks. Also I'm thinking Nicks will need at least $8M per year, or at least $20M guarenteed over 5 years. Will the Panthers have that kind of cap room? Dream Move 3: Eric Weddle, S from Chargers for DeAngelo Williams, Joe Adams, and James Dockery What it means: Rivera gets the safety he wants and needs for the defense. The Chargers upgrade their backfield and wideout competition for one last hurrah with Rivers. They also could use another CB, especially since Marcus Gillchrist (2nd round Clemson 2011) is already being moved to a safety spot. Could also help free up the Chargers from Weddle's contract. Why it works: It doesn't really work. Except for in Madden. The Chargers will need to do something with Weddle's contract though. Why it doesn't work: Rules, money, contracts, etc. So that's it for now. With these 3 moves, I think we are a Superb Owl contender in 2014 Your thoughts? Your moves? Poll Your thoughts on the dream moves? Eric Winston is my favorite move, and it's the most feasible Eric Winston is my favorite, but I don't see it happening Hakeem Nicks is my favorite move, and Gettleman could make it happen Hakeem Nicks is my favorite move, but it'll never happen Getting Eric Weddle would be my most favorite move I don't like these/I don't think you have a chance 0 votes | Results