Carolina Panthers
Owner: Jerry Richardson
Founded: 1995
Stadium: Bank of America Stadium
2010 record: 2-14
Last playoff appearance: 2008 season, won NFC South (12-4), lost to Cardinals 33-13
General Manager: Marty Hurney (2002-present)
Head Coach: Ron Rivera (2011)
Offensive Coordinator: Rob Chudzinski
Defensive Coordinator: Sean McDermott
Defensive alignment: 4-3
2010 NFL Rankings:
OFF: 12.2 PTS (32nd) 258.4 YDS (32nd) 143.1 PASS (32nd) 115.4 RUSH (13th)
DEF: 25.5 PTS (26th) 335.9 YDS (18th) 212.1 PASS (11th) 123.8 RUSH (23rd)
Pro Bowlers: OT Jordan Gross, C Ryan Kalil
2011 schedule:
1 Sep 11 at Cardinals 4:15 PM Tickets
2 Sep 18 vs. Packers 1:00 PM Tickets
3 Sep 25 vs. Jaguars 1:00 PM Tickets
4 Oct 02 at Bears 1:00 PM Tickets
5 Oct 09 vs. Saints 1:00 PM Tickets
6 Oct 16 at Falcons 1:00 PM Tickets
7 Oct 23 vs. Redskins 1:00 PM Tickets
8 Oct 30 vs. Vikings 1:00 PM Tickets
9 Bye
10 Nov 13 vs. Titans 1:00 PM Tickets
11 Nov 20 at Lions 1:00 PM Tickets
12 Nov 27 at Colts 1:00 PM Tickets
13 Dec 04 at Buccaneers 1:00 PM Tickets
14 Dec 11 vs. Falcons 1:00 PM Tickets
15 Dec 18 at Texans 1:00 PM Tickets
16 Dec 24 vs. Buccaneers 1:00 PM Tickets
17 Jan 01 at Saints 1:00 PM Tickets
TEAM NEEDS: WR, DE, CB
Potential Free Agents:
DeAngelo Williams RB – re-signed – 5 yrs, 43 million
Ryan Kalil C - franchise tag
Charles Johnson DE - re-signed – 6 yrs, 76 million (30 million guaranteed)
Thomas Davis LB – re-signed – 5 yrs
James Anderson OLB - re-signed - 5 yrs
Free agent acquisitions:
Derek Anderson QB (Browns)
Legedu Naanee WR (Chargers)
Jeremy Shockey TE (Saints) - 1 yr, $3 million, $1 million guaranteed
Ben Hartstock TE (Jets) – 2 yrs
Ron Edward DT (Chiefs) -
Matt McCoy OLB (Seahawks) –
Omar Gaither LB (Eagles) -
Jon Beason LB – re-signed – 5 yrs, 50 million, 25 million guaranteed
Sean Considine S (Jaguars) – 1 yr
Olindo Mare K (Seahawks) – 4 yrs, 12 million, 4 million signing bonus
Free agent losses:
Matt Moore QB – Signed by Dolphins – 2 yrs, 5 million
Jeff King TE – signed by Cardinals
Richard Marshall CB – signed by Cardinals
John Kasay K
Trades:
Bears traded TE Greg Olsen to Panthers for 2012 3rd round pick
Picks in 2011 Draft: (overall grade: B-):The Panthers addressed big needs (quarterback, defensive tackle, wide receiver), but with players not valued at where the Panthers were picking. Cam Newton was made the number one overall pick because of his huge upside and countless hours of research done by GM Marty Hurney and the Panthers staff on him. There were runs on defensive linemen because it was such a great year for them, so they had to get McClain and Fua while they could. Brandon Hogan is insurance just in case they can’t get Richard Marshall re-signed and same for Lawrence Wilson from UCONN for Thomas Davis and James Anderson. This draft and franchise depends heavily on Cam Newton now. He’s electrifying and the sky is the limit for him. Their offensive line did improve, so the running game will be there for him, even if DeAngelo Williams isn’t brought back.
(! Indicates draft pick who was interviewed, had a private workout, etc. prior to the draft according to my compiled list):
Rd 1, Pick 1 (1) Cam Newton QB, Auburn! – Newton was college football’s top playmaker last year and he’ll have quite a bit of adjustments to make. When will he be ready? That’s the question right now. I like the pick, but he’s not the best player in the draft.
Grade: B Rated: 11
Rd 3, Pick 1 (65) Terrell McClain DT, USF! – Doesn’t have any elite level skill, but will provide energy, run stopping ability, and pocket pressure up the middle for the Panthers. This was an area of need for Carolina.
Grade: C+ Rated: 135
Rd 3, Pick 33 (97) Sione Fua DT, Stanford - More help for the Panthers up the middle of their defense. It’s another solid pick and Fua plays with a good motor. He’s better against the run than he is at rushing the passer, where he needs improvement.
Grade: B- Rated: 125
Rd 4, Pick 1 (98) Brandon Hogan DB, West Virginia! – A torn ACL and two arrests within one year weren’t enough to prevent the Panthers from taking Hogan at this point. He could prove to be worth it if he stays out of trouble and recovers. He’s got good speed, tackling and kick return abilities.
Grade: C Rated: 150
Rd 5, Pick 1 (132) Kealoha Pilares WR, Hawaii – The start of the fifth round begins the list of names that I was not aware of in my second year of analyzing and projecting the draft. He has 4.4 speed and looks to be a solid slot receiver at 5-10, 199 pounds.
Grade: C Rated: NR
Rd 6, Pick 1 (166) Lawrence Wilson LB, Connecticut – Very instinctive player, has good speed, can play the pass, run, and blitz well. I’m confused why he dropped so far.
Grade: A Rated: 137
Rd 6, Pick 38 (203) Zachary Williams OL, Washington State – will provide some versatility inside for Carolina.
Grade: C Rated: NR
Rd 7, Pick 41 (244) Lee Ziemba OL, Auburn– I liked what I saw from Ziemba when I watched his games last season. His athleticism is lacking, which caused him to fall so far.
Grade: A+ Rated: 145
2010 Panthers’ Draft review:
After watching the post-draft press conference of the Panthers’ here are some interesting nuggets of information I saw: GM Marty Hurney said Jimmy Clausen and Tony Pike were at the top of their board when it was their time to pick in 2010. He also that they go by their board, best available player. There was a “significant gap” of where they had Pike on their board compared to where they drafted him. People at Notre Dame spoke highly of Clausen. There was also a “good bit of space” on their board between Clausen and next player when he fell to them.
Rd 2, Pick 16 (48) Jimmy Clausen QB, Notre Dame – started 10 games, 52.5 completion %, 1558 yards, 3 TDs, and 9 INTs. Tough year.
Rd 3, Pick 14 (78) Brandon LaFell WR, LSU – he paired with Gettis to one of a few nice tandems of rookie pass catchers. 38 receptions, 468 yards, and 1 touchdown.
Rd 3, Pick 25 (89) Armanti Edwards WR, Appalachian State – 1 rush attempt for 7 yards and a fumble. Took his rookie year to learn a new position.
Rd 4, Pick 26 (124) Eric Norwood DE/OLB, South Carolina – 13 tackles and a sack in 15 games played.
Rd 6, Pick 6 (175) Greg Hardy DE, Mississippi – 15 games played, 30 tackles, 3 sacks, a safety, 2 forced fumbles…not bad for a guy who was criticized for not coming out after junior year.
Rd 6, Pick 29 (198) David Gettis WR, Baylor – Gettis was one of the more productive rookie receivers in NFL: 37 receptions, 508 yards, and 3 touchdowns.
Rd 6, Pick 33 (202) Jordan Pugh DB, Texas A&M – started 2 games, 13 tackles, and an interception.
Rd 6, Pick 35 (204) Tony Pike QB, Cincinnati – ended up on IR after coming in against Saints. He went 6-12, for 47 yards, no TD or INT, and sacked once.
Rd 7, Pick 16 (223) RJ Stanford DB, Utah – spent most of season on practice squad. No games played.
Rd 7, Pick 42 (249) Robert McClain DB, Connecticut – started 2 games with 16 tackles and 1 PD.
Looking back at my grades for Carolina after the draft: I gave the Panthers an overall grade of B+, giving Clausen, LaFell, Norwood, and Pike A grades. GM Marty Hurney went best available player in 2010 and it showed in the picks. No one spectacular, but he didn’t reach. People may disagree and say that Armanti Edwards was a reach, but I think it’ll pay off in a couple years after he gets accustomed to playing wide receiver. Looking back, I still think the Panthers should get a B+ because LaFell and Gettis had some decent numbers, despite lackluster QB play. Clausen had a pretty bad year, but he’s a rookie. We were spoiled with the impressive performance of Sam Bradford this year.
Last 5 First Round Picks: Jonathan Stewart RB, Jeff Otah OT, Jon Beason MLB, DeAngelo Williams RB
2010 Stat Leaders
Jimmy Clausen – 157-299 52.5% 1,558 YDS 5.2 YPA 3 TD 9 INT 58.4 RTG
Jonathan Stewart – 178 ATT 770 YDS 4.3 YPA 3 TD
Steve Smith – 46 REC 554 YDS 12 YPC 2 TD
John Kasay – 25-29 86.2% 55 LNG
James Anderson – 130 TCK
Charles Johnson – 11.5 SCK
Charles Godfrey – 5 INT
Out of Season Storylines (because there is no off-season):
Panthers hire Chargers’ defensive coordinator Ron Rivera as new head coach