2008 NFL Preview: NFC South

I just think their key defenders are a year older, the offense doesn’t look much better, and the schedule is tougher. I know they could have finished above 9-7 had they played all their players the last couple weeks, but I just don’t see this team repeating in the division. I think they finish near .500, make things interesting in the division, and compete with Carolina for second place in this always-volatile division.

Tampa Bay’s Record: 8–8 NFC South second Place; No Playoffs 

Carolina Panthers

'07 Record: 7-9
Points Scored: 267 (26th)
Points Allowed: 349 (15th)
Playoff Result: No Playoffs
2008 Strength of Schedule:119-137 (.465) (22nd (t) in NFL)

Strengths: Given the offense the Panthers played with in 2007, the defense did very well to finish 15th in points allowed. While the Panthers’ defense was weaker than previous seasons, they still finished in the middle of the pack in the NFL.
The Panthers added some nice talent in the draft.  Dan Conner is a good linebacker from a solid linebacker program in Penn State that should contribute soon. Charles Godfrey is a defensive back that could also see the field immediately.

The Panthers secondary still has solid corners. Gamble and Lucas are excellent in coverage.  They have to improve on their 31st ranked pass rush, which generated 23 sacks if they want to get the full production out of those guys. They can’t be effective if the quarterback has all day to throw the ball.

On offense, Steve Smith is still a top-flight wide receiver. D.J. Hackett was a good addition. Muhsin Muhammad is well past his prime, but is familiar with Carolina and can help as a possession wide receiver.  Dwayne Jarrett needs to step up in his second year. He had just six catches for 73 yards in his rookie campaign. Jeff King has the potential to put up good numbers at the tight end position.  A healthy Jake Delhomme would go a long way to helping all of these players put up better numbers in 2008.

Weaknesses: The Panthers had a very strange year in 2007. They started off 4-2. Steve Smith is their only really scary weapon. He had 35 catches for 496 yards and six touchdowns in those six games. That would have translated to 93 catches for 1,322 yards and 16 touchdowns for the season.
Then Jake Delhomme was injured in his third game of the season and was lost for the year.  Smith had some good games with Vinny Testaverde, but really struggled to get even a few catches with David Carr and Matt Moore.  He finished with just 52 catches for 506 yards and one touchdown in his last 10 games. As a result, the offense scored only 14.4 points over the final 10 games. The result was a 3-7 finish to the season.

The defense, which had been a staple of this team, did not perform very well in 2007.  They finished only 15th in the league in scoring defense. That was tied for their worst season since John Fox took over in 2002. A lot of that had to do with the offense not being able to give them a lead or keep them in good field position. Still, three-time Pro Bowl and two-time NFL All-Pro first team defensive end Julius Peppers has to have more than 2.5 sacks.  He was awful in 2007.  It was his only season other than 2003 where he failed to register double digit sacks. That was a major reason why the Panthers finished so low in the sack department. He is moving to right defensive end with the retirement of Mike Rucker.

DeShaun Foster and DeAngelo Williams teamed up to be the 14th best rushing attack in 2007.  Foster is gone to San Francisco and Williams has yet to show he can be an every down back.  That factored into the Panthers selecting Jonathan Stewart with the 13th pick. If he can be healthy by the start of the season the Panthers should be more effective running the ball. The Panthers also added massive tackle Jeff Oath to upgrade the run blocking and pass protection from the tackle spot. Jordan Gross is one of the best in the business. If those two can excel in 2008, that will help the entire offense.

Prediction: The whole key to the season is whether or not Mr. Delhomme can stay healthy and whether Peppers can return to 10-plus sack form. Peppers should have a better year. He is not past his prime and has a lot of years left. 

While Delhomme is not among the elite quarterbacks in the league, he has proven that he can lead this team to victory.  He can throw the ball downfield to Steve Smith and manage the offense. He played very well in the Super Bowl back in 2003 and led the Panthers to a NFC Championship appearance in 2005. The only question with him has been consistency and interceptions, until health crept into the picture the last two seasons.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?