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Nothing new just passing it along. Post Draft Needs

Carolina Panthers: Defensive line, safety


As with division rival Tampa Bay, it's easy to say the Panthers plugged a gaping hole by spending two high picks at a position of need, in this case, defensive/nose tackle. And as with the Bucs, the position in question remains in need of help. South Florida's Terrell McClain and Stanford's Sione Fua, both third-rounders, are nice players, but I don't expect them to turn the interior of Carolina's defensive front into the Seven Blocks of Granite overnight. The Panthers will be implementing more 3-4 looks under new coach Ron Rivera and defensive coordinator Sean McDermott. Rivera's ties to Chicago's Tommie Harris has led to speculation that the tackle would come south to shore up the middle of the line, but the quality of the end play in the new look depends heavily on whether or not Charles Johnson stays in town. (Johnson, who had 11.5 sacks in 2010, would be an unrestricted free agent under the old CBA.) On the opposite side, Tyler Brayton (zero sacks) needs to be replaced, probably by promising second-year man Greg Hardy.



Safety is generally considered to be position of relative strength for Carolina, with corner being a weakness, but on closer inspection, the opposite is true. The Panthers were top 10 in defending the opposing team's first two wide receivers but plummeted to 24th in the NFL against slot receivers and were dead last against tight ends. Local interest is high in acquiring a shutdown corner, like Nnamdi Asomugha or Johnathan Joseph, but Captain Munnerlyn and Chris Gamble did a respectable job (though depth is a concern assuming Richard Marshall leaves via free agency). The secondary's weaker spot is safety, where Charles Godfrey and Sherrod Martin were frequently out of position. The Panthers were also in the bottom half of the league in allowing second-level runs, a fall-off from the defensive line's strong play against the run, suggesting that the safeties weren't quite up to snuff in tackling. Godfrey is a promising ballhawk, however, and could thrive under McDermott, who helped mold attacking safeties in Philadelphia.

 

Not completely on board with their analysis of our safety vs. CB play, but I'd have to put more time into substantiating my claim. Just a general sense from watching all the games. Pugh is a solid player, and I think they may have some plans for him on a more permanent basis. At least, I would.

I think Brayton still has value, for the price, particularly with his versatility. He's not elite, but he's the type that Rivera could plug in at DT, DE, or even have standing up on situational downs. He's been pleasantly productive for us, when healthy.

I saw Johnson eat up both of Denver's tackles in 2008. Since then, he's been steady--then, somewhat dominant in 2010. Keeping him is a priority, as much so now as it was back when Peppers was deemed a priority. Again, if you can get 10-15 sacks a year from an end who is not paid $1 mil per game, do it. Otherwise, cut bait.

 

The Panthers have NEVER covered the tight end

 

It's been an issue.

Not a coach, but I would assume this was due in large part to Foxy's C3 principles--lot of "void" windows with both corners playing deep. With Pep out of the mix, too, I saw a good deal more blitzing last year, which probably helped Johnson rack up those sacks.

Just glad we're working to construct an offense where we can do the same to other defenses.

 

Amen.

I'm sure we'll develop gripes about our new personnel once their "obvious" tendencies become evident to us armchair quarterbacks as time passes. But for the time being, I feel that the Panthers are finally entering the modern era of professional football.

I like 900-page playbooks and aggressive defenses and a quarterback built like a middle linebacker and a tight end with attitude and a roster chock full of young, hungry, players.

It's about time we get a little passion around here.

 

What fucking morons. The "Seven Blocks of Granite" referred to Fordham's offensive line. Idiots.

 

About DeAngelo:

We'll have a better idea of the NFL's free agent landscape once the rules of the market are outlined prior to the opening of the league business year. For now, we're left to speculate whether certain free agents -- those with less than six years of NFL service -- will be unrestricted or restricted when that time comes.

One of the more prominent men in that mix -- partially due to the obsession with skill position players in the fantasy football-obsessed world [Editor's note: Now stepping down off soapbox...] -- is tailback DeAngelo Williams. The Memphis product's entire NFL career has been played for one team, the Carolina Panthers, but there have been rumors that the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins would be interested in him if he were to become a UFA this offseason. The Panthers, however, won't give him up without a fight, according to Dan Pompei of National Football Post.

"The Panthers used their [franchise] tag on center Ryan Kalil instead of running back DeAngelo Williams, but that doesn't mean they don't want Williams, who will either be an unrestricted or restricted free agent," Pompei confirms. "In fact, they believe Williams is their best running back and very much hope he returns. They like the depth they have at the position with Williams, Jonathan Stewart and Mike Goodson, and want to maintain it. The system of new offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski calls for two backs to get a lot of action, so the team believes it needs more than two backs it can count on."

As with many developments, this could come down to the financial figures involved. It is currently unclear whether Williams is willing to offer the Panthers a "hometown discount" for his services, though he has indicated his openness to staying put.

 

I agree

 

As much as I wish DeAngelo would stay, it makes no sense to spend big on him when you have Stewart and Goodson under contract. I'm guessing that he'll be unrestricted whenever they finally have a new CBA, and at that point it seems like Denver would be the most likely suitor.