By Eric Quackenbush
The Panthers have started the 2009 season on what looks to be the right foot. All the rookie draft picks are signed and no one should miss any time at the start of training camp (Peppers possibly being the lone exception).
Now we wait.....
While we wait, let's take a look at a few positional battles we should keep an eye on, starting Monday.
Let's take a look at the most important unit on the field. The big nasties up front, the offensive line. Yeah, I know, a lot of you have differing opinions, and they all bring up good points, but bear with me here. The offensive line is like the heart of the team. If someone's hurt, not lined up where they're supposed to be, too small, too slow, too light, or misses their blocking assignment, it leaves gaps for defenders to exploit. Multiply that deficiency by two, three, five guys, and the team is in for a very long season.
The offensive line is without a doubt, the most important unit on the field. They are what protects the quarterback, and allows him to dissect the defense, while allowing him time to make a complete pass. The offensive line, if they're big like the Panthers' offensive line is, opens up lanes for20the running game.
Our left and right tackles, Jeff Otah and Jordan Gross, do a terrific job of opening the outside for J-Stew and D-Will--Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams for you who are unfamiliar with whom I speak of--ensuring they get the necessary rushing yardage to pick up the first downs and do all that great scoring.
The Panthers are solid up front with last year’s starting five returning. Jordan Gross and the Panthers worked on a new deal during the offseason, assuring Gross will be in a Panthers uniform for the remainder of his career. But beyond that, the Panthers have no backups with NFL experience. One injury up front, and both the running and passing game could be in serious trouble, considering the team lost some of its backup depth on the O-line, including Jeremy Bridges, Geoff Hangartner, and Frank Omiyale.
Looking to take their place are rookie draft pick Duke Robinson from Oklahoma, then veterans Geoff Schwartz and Mackenzy Bernadeau, both seventh-round selections from the 2008 draft who saw little or no game action last season.
At quarterback, we see the return--with a five-year contract extension--of Jake Delhomme. For anyone who's felt like it's time Jake Delhomme was sent packing, put that thought on the back burner. You've had an entire offseason to voice your displeasures with the guy and now it's time for a little reality. Barring any injury, Delhomme will be the Carolina Panthers starting quarterback in 2009.
T he fans have a real love-hate relationship with Delhomme. He's loved when he manages the game properly, and fans hate to love him when he falters otherwise.
Delhomme brings many things back with him this season, most of which are intangibles. He brings leadership, experience, poise u nder pressure, and that fiery cajun competitive nature. Beyond that, Delhomme receives the respect and faith from the coaching staff and his teammates, as well as a handful of fans.
For the quarterback position, there's not much in the way of proven depth behind Delhomme. Josh McCown is penciled in as the No. 2 QB behind Jake; Matt Moore at the third spot, and undrafted free agent Hunter Cantwell rounds out the depth chart for the quarterback position.
Don't look for much of a surprise competition to flare up between any of these three and Delhomme.
In the backfield, the Panthers return Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams as the solid one-two punch duo, commonly known as "Double Trouble." Looking to build on the already lethal running game, the Panthers drafted running back Mike Goodson out of Texas A&M, who will fit in as the third option at running back, while working primarily on special teams as the replacement for Nick Goings and as a kickoff returner. It's been rumored that the Panthers might also try Goodson at the slot receiver position.
In front of them we see an old familiar face in Brad Hoover, who has a fresh set of legs studying under him, in rookie20Tony Fiammetta, drafted out of Syracuse. Fiammetta is not known for his great hands, nor will he dazzle you with any kind of fancy footwork, but he does a great job at blocking for the quarterback. In the meantime, the coaching staff and trainers will work with him on foot drills and make=2 0him a better ball carrier for the inevitable time when Hoover does retire.
The Panthers' depth at the receiver position is loaded. Right now, the two starting slots are assured to go to Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad. The battle for the slot receiver's position will be among Dwayne Jarrett and notables Ryne Robinson, Jason Carter, Kenneth Moore, and Marcus Monk. However, a surprise could be in store with rookie signee Larry Beavers.
Robinson and Carter return this season after rehabbing knee injuries.
Robinson went down five days into training camp, never seeing the playing field after that. He participated in a few practices in September, all for naught. He was eventually place on the Injured Reserve list, ending his 2008 season.
"I think he's ready," Smith told Panthers.com. "He's done it in offseason conditioning. He's coming out here and he's practicing hard."
Carter's 2008 demise was more decisive. He went down with a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during the preseason win over the Washington Redskins, ending what looked to have possibly been a promising year.
"(Carter) could definitely be an impact player," Muhammad told Panthers.com.
At the tight end position, the No. 1 slot has been assured to Jeff King, while the No. 2 spot is up for grabs. Among the competition is Dante Rosario, Gary Barnidge, and rookies Kevin Brock and Andrew Davie. I would venture to say that Barnidge holds the upper hand in this contest, as Rosario's been unreliable for the most part, and while Brock or Davie could impress the coaches, they would benefit from a year of observing from the sidelines and absorbing everything possible.
On the defensive side of the ball is another hot topic, the position occupied opposite Julius Peppers in the defensive backfield, the No. 2 defensive end.
Vying for this spot will be veteran defensive ends Tyler Brayton, Hilee Taylor, and Casper Brinkley, who spent last season on the practice squad. Everette Brown, while penciled in as the favorite to win the No. 2 slot, is up against some stiff competition.
On the plus side, Brown's style of play fits well into Meeks' style of gameplan, which emphasis pursuit over pure power.
Running upfield, running into space, running after ball carriers to knock the ball loose. Just running, and a lot of it. Meeks' defenses in Indianapolis did very well at these tasks, allowing them to force 214 fumbles over the last seven seasons--more than any defense in the league.
That's the difference between Ron Meeks' system, and Mike Trgovac's system. Run to the ball as opposed to waiting for the ball. Meeks' system is less calculated than Trgovac's. It's a=2 0game of reaction more than anything. Going after the ball and ball carrier while keeping pressure on the quarterback.
The battle for the No. 2 defensive end will be more evident between Brown and Brayton, who started opposite Peppers in 2008.
At the defensive tackle position, the20Panthers return all of lat year's starters.
Damione Lewis returns from postseason shoulder surgery, participated in all 12 summer-school practices, and is on track to be healthy by the start of training camp.
That's the good news. The bad news is, if the Panthers have to dig into their reserves at that position, out of the three rookies and two players who spent time on last year's practice squad, comes two games of NFL experience. Among the five, only Nick Hayden has started an NFL game, when he was called upon in Week 17 at New Orleans after Kemoeatu, Lewis, and former Panther Gary Gibson went down with injuries the previous two weeks. In that game, the Saints passed 82.3 percent of the time.
Hayden and Lorenzo Williams are the two returning veterans from last year's reserve players. Williams joined the 53-man roster just two days after Hayden's regular season debut and five days before the regular season finale.
So the Panthers went in search of some more depth, in hopes of solidifying the defensive line, while looking for more moldable youth at the position. For that, they came up with Corvey Irvin, a draft selection out of the University of Georgia, whom I had sai d earlier is very rough around the edges. He will need a lot of work before he can be considered a starting linebacker on any defense.
Battling with Corvey Irvin will be undrafted rookies Marlon Favorite out of LSU and Lonnie Harvey out of Morgan State.
There has been change at the cornerback position, and that's the only position that saw change this offseason, when the Panthers opted to part ways with defensive back Ken Lucas in a salary cap move.
This opened up a new door for No. 2 defensive back Chris Gamble, allowing him the opportunity to come into camp as the undisputed No. 1 defensive back at the position. Lining up opposite Gamble will be fellow back Richard Marshall.
In his first three seasons, Marshall was mainly the Panthers' nickel-cornerback. He started eight games in 2006 as a rookie, and five more in 2007. Nickel duties meant he still played frequently. In that time he intercepted seven passes and amassed 209 tackles in the last three years. He now gets his chance to move up in the spotlight, and become the No. 2 defensive back.
The battle will be at the Nickel position. The Panthers have a lot of depth at cornerback. However, C.J. Wilson, Dante Wesley, D.J. Clark, and rookies Captain Munnerlyn and Sherrod Martin will be among those competing for the last semi-starting position. Those who aren't cut from the roster will have to look for work in Special teams or be "exiled" to the practice squad.
Out of those named, the mo st noticeable battle will be among Martin, Munnerlyn, Wilson, and Wesley.
For the linebacking crew, James Anderson and Landon Johnson return to push the incumbent first-teamers and provide depth. There's really not much to be looking for in terms of position battle, but one never knows who might catch the eye of Ron Meeks.
The defensive line returns Na'il Diggs at Sam, Thomas Davis at Will, and Jon Beason at Mike.
The depth of the line is still uncertain. The Panthers get second year man Dan Connor back on the field after suffering an injury that sidelined him his rookie season, and they also picked up Anthony Heygood out of Purdue and Mortty Ivy from West Virginia. Adding to the line's depth is Jeremy Leman, also.
At the safety position, the Panthers bring back Charles Godfrey and Chris Harris, solidifying the No. 1 and 2 positions. Again, nothing to really watch in terms of who's competing for a starting job, just the depth at the position, which is respectable and seasoned, for the most part. Joe Fields, Quinton Teal, Nate Salley, and rookie Paul Chiara, who likely won't make the final cut, considering the youth and talent already at the position.
The battle for the position of the return specialist is expansive. The Panthers lost return dynamo Mark Jones to the Tennessee Titans via free agency, so the position is wide open for those coming back to or starting their first year in Carolina.
Ryne Robinson and Jason Carter were set=2 0to handle this responsibility until injuries befell them. They'll make their healthy return on Monday and are set to seriously compete with Kenneth Moore and against the new guys Mike Goodson, Jason Chery, Larry Beavers, and Captain Munnerlyn.
Kenneth Moore could find himself in the mix on punt returns, while Chery and Munnerlyn have backgrounds as returners.
The most statistically intriguing candidate however, is undrafted wide receiver Larry Beavers, who set the NCAA's all-time record for combined kick return touchdowns during a dazzling career at D-III Wesley College in Delaware. His numbers as a senior last fall were stunning: eight touchdowns on 30 total returns, a 39.5-yard average on kickoffs and a 29.2-yard average on punts.
Goodson is only one of the lesser-known commodities on Carolina's roster who saw some work on kickoff and punt returns at summer school, giving him a slight edge over his fellow rookie competition.
So there you have it, Panthers fans. Training camp officially begins with the first practice at 9 a.m. Monday morning. Make sure to dress for the heat, stay hydrated, bring sunscreen, sunglasses, and most importantly, make those training camp memories last forever. Don't leave the camera at home.
