rashard anderson: a day after the draft

this was scott fowler's column the day after the 2000 draft. the more things change, the more they stay the same.


Sunday, April 16, 2000

PICKS PROVE SECONDARY WAS PRIMARY CONCERN

By SCOTT FOWLER, THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER



Rashard who?

It would be a lot easier for all of us to have a strong opinion about Rashard Anderson, the Carolina Panthers' first-round draft pick from Jackson State, if any of us had actually seen him play a down.


The Carolina Panthers assure us that Anderson ranked in the top dozen players on their draft board Saturday, which made selecting him with the No. 23 overall pick an easy thing to do. They say that Anderson is big enough to play safety and fast enough to play cornerback, which is a nice way of admitting they aren't quite sure exactly where he's going to play.
What is certain: Panthers coach George Seifert was very dissatisfied with his secondary last season. Seifert has been stuffing new folks into the defensive backfield this off-season with the speed and fury of a man who hasn't packed and must catch a flight in 15 minutes.

The Panthers' defense ranked 26th of 31 NFL teams last season. And while much of the blame for that performance has been placed on the defensive front seven, it's obvious Seifert - a former defensive backs coach - wasn't happy with the pass defenders.

Carolina picked up a more well-known defensive back than Anderson in the second round when it selected Deon (not that Deion) Grant. Grant entered the NFL draft a year early and admitted Saturday night he would have gone back to Tennessee for his senior year if he had known he was going to last until the 57th overall pick.

Eric Davis, the Panthers' best cornerback in their brief history, put on a brave face Saturday when ESPN's draft coverage caught up with him minutes after the selection of Anderson. Davis said all the right things about the joys of "increased competition."

But if I'm Davis, or Doug Evans, or Mike Minter, or Brent Alexander, I'm working out at this very moment. No starting job in the secondary is secure.

Carolina had already signed free-agent cornerback Jimmy Hitchcock and now has used its first-round pick on a small-college 'tweener with talent and its second-rounder on a pure safety with speed.

The Panthers' defense has to improve for Carolina to make the playoffs next season, which is why the team's fans should be glad that Carolina went "defense first" in this draft.

Acquiring Atlanta defensive end Chuck Smith was Carolina's best off-season move so far, but the team also lost Kevin Greene. The additions of linebacker Lee Woodall, Hitchcock, Anderson and Grant will help. But this defense doesn't know itself at all right now, and that's a bit scary.

Seifert says it will take awhile for the squad to mesh. To have a good September, Carolina must have a very good August in Spartanburg.

On a less threatening note, what do we know about Anderson?

He may become Charlotte's local version of Charlton Heston.

"If you've ever eaten a wild animal, I've probably been trying to kill it," Anderson said Saturday.

He also loves his dog Sport, a Labrador retriever.

Anderson changed his last name early in his college career - he used to be Rashard Burgess - because he wanted to take the last name of the grandmother who raised him. He is estranged from his father, Ricky Patton, who also went to Jackson State and later was a decent NFL running back for three NFL teams.

Jack Bushofsky, Carolina's director of player personnel, says Anderson is "the epitome of what you look for" in a defensive back and has "unlimited potential." If you're looking for other positive signs, Jackson State also produced Walter Payton.

Nevertheless, the Panthers weren't so sold on Anderson that they didn't try to trade their No. 1 pick away. They wanted an extra draft pick, and ultimately got one by trading down six spots in the second round.

By 9 p.m. Saturday, the Panthers' defensive backfield looked well-stocked.

How it will look Sept. 3 at 1 p.m., when Carolina opens the season at Washington, is anyone's guess.

 

my comments...


DO NOT DRAFT ON POTENTIAL! GET PROVEN BIG-TIME PLAYMAKERS!

 

So true, so true

 

LarryD, if you are referring to Peppers as "potential" I would remind you - young man, that he produced BIGTIME numbers as well. Better than Jammer IMO. If your not referring to Peppers, then I agree.


QUENTIN JAMMER
YEAR TACKLES/INT/PASSES BROKEN UP
Freshman: 13/ 0/ 1
Sophomore: 81/ 2/ 12
Junior: 43/ 3/ 20
Senior: 53/ 2/ 23


JULIUS PEPPERS
YEAR TACKLES/TACKLES FOR LOSS/SACKS
Freshman: 50/ 10/ 6
Sophomore: 64/ 24/ 15
Junior: 55/ 18/ 9
Senior: N/A N/A N/A

BTW: I just realized that Julius Peppers had more interceptions last season than Jammer! 3

Taking Jammer over Pep at #2 would be ignorant.

 

The thing that bugs me about Anderson is that HE STILL HASN"T HAD THE FUCKING SURGERY!!!!!!!!!

If he'd done it in Late February even, which would give him 2 FULL MONTHS TO MULL IT OVER, it would all be a non issue.

I really think he took the time trying to decide whther or not to stay in the NFL.

That ************ has alot to prove. I really dislike his ass, now, and I'd bet $100 he'll be out of the league in 2 years, maximum.

 

You really couldn't tell what team Iam4 follows by reading his posts if he didn't have it in his name...well, you know. Except for "not really".

Iam, Julius is potential. He is inconsistent, he makes great plays and then disappears. He's got the ability to be greater than he is. That's what it says, though the picture is of Jason Peter, not Peppers.

po·ten·tial Pronunciation Key (p-tnshl)
adj.
Capable of being but not yet in existence; latent: a potential problem. (note: I wouldn't call him a problem. However a number of people have said that Peppers has the highest possibility of bust, and I can't completely disagree).

Having possibility, capability, or power.
Grammar. Of, relating to, or being a verbal construction with auxiliaries such as may or can; for example, it may snow.

n.
The inherent ability or capacity for growth, development, or coming into being. ***

Something possessing the capacity for growth or development. ***

 

Well by definition, every player on the draft board has potential, none of them are proven. That's what this whole guessing game is all about, and drafting is a guessing game, an attempted educated guess, but one none the less.

But McKinney is probably the closest IMO of being proven. The thing that stands out to me the most is the sacks he's given up. Zero for career. Not even in practice. Damn. That's like... doing your best every single down.

What I want is "big play" potential. Who can step up and BOOM, turn a game around in one play. Do we want Lawrence Taylor or Charles Woodson?

 

Does it bother any one else that Sims keeps zooming up the draft boards while there seem to be more and more questions about Peppers? Could it be that scouts see Peppers as too dependant on some one else to get him free before he can be effective?

 

NO. Peppers has never been rated below sims.