All right Panther fans, the time has come: Prepare yourself for my Carolina Panthers '08-'09 preview. I have never done this before, so please bear with me.
2007 Season
Last year was a complete disappointment. The Panthers finished with a 7-9 record and went through four quarterbacks. As a Panthers fan, I was embarrassed.
Quarterback
Obviously, this offense has no chance of succeeding without Jake Delhomme. If he goes down again, or his Tommy John surgery hurts his performance, the Carolina Panthers are doomed.
Last year, in the three games that he played in, Jake Delhomme threw for 624 yards and eight touchdowns, with a 64 percent completion rating. He also had a quarterback rating of 111.8.
His touchdown percentage was 9.3 percent, which means that almost 10 percent of his passes were touchdowns. As opposed to 2.9 percent, which was the Panthers' next leader in that statistic, Vinny Testaverde. The Panthers went 2-1 in the games that Delhomme played in.
He also only threw one interception in those games.
Delhomme should probably throw for 20 or more touchdowns and about 17 interceptions this year. It just depends on how that Tommy John surgery affects him.
It is my opinion that the Carolina Panthers will try to incorporate the passing game more this season, as the receiving corps has been improved immensely through free agency.
Running Back
The drafting of Jonathan Stewart could be huge, as he gives the Panthers the power back that they have needed. Losing DeShaun Foster was actually a good thing, in my mind. Last year, DeAngelo Williams averaged five-yards per carry last year, while DeShaun Foster only averaged 3.5 yards per carry.
DeShaun Foster had only 160 more rushing yards than DeAngelo, and he had 103 more carries. I just don't understand why DeAngelo wasn't named the starting back last year. He finished the year with 717 yards and four touchdowns.
He also didn't have a single fumble all season. While Jonathan Stewart has the potential to make an immediate impact, we will always have DeAngelo to fall back on.
I expect DeAngelo Williams to be the primary back for the beginning of the season, but for Stewart to eventually take over. Look for Jonathon Stewart to finish with about 800 to 900 yards, and six or seven touchdowns. DeAngelo will get about 750 yards and four touchdowns.
Wide Receiver
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4 months ago
A very nice, 5 Starz piece.
4 months ago
i am a panthers fan and i agree 100% and John Fox will keep his job
4 months ago
Nice job. I think I agree...they'll be somewhere around 10-6. But ask me again in a couple of weeks.
4 months ago
I agree with most of your article but I think both backs will have over a 1000 yards running and I don't think Jenkins will be missed plus I am glad we Didn't get Shocky he's a team disrupter and i think he is going to do that to N.O. Lastly i feel like 11-5 is attainable
4 months ago
I think that they will go 11-5. I think you may be underrating them just a bit. Also, Dan Morgan retired only a couple days after signing with the Saints.
4 months ago
Also I think that Toniu Fonoti will start in place of Vincent. Fonoti is a BIG guy, and he suits the kind of lineman the Panthers want on their revamped offensive line.
4 months ago
I dont know...10-6 is a little bit of a stretch, I'd say 9-7 is more likely.
4 months ago
FYI
as of right now Tyler Brayton is the LDE, Charles Godfrey is the starting opposite Chrsi Harris, Toniu Fonoti is the starting right guard "Keydrick may catch him" .
I believe that DeAngelo will likely be the starting running back every game as Jonathan Stewart will be on kick off duty, and though the trend of "leave the bruiser in" is quite popular it will greatly depend on the type of Dline we play against. If you look at the types of defences that DeAgelo beats up on "the BIG strong d lines" vs "small quick ones" there is where the difference will come in. A defence like Dallas has will be pummeled by Jonathan stewart as they dont have the size to stop him, while a defences like Seattle and Chicago will be cut to pieces by DeAngelo. They could both have 1000 yard seasons. Stewart will have more TD's
The key to all of this is a good passing game to keep the field open and spread out so we can pound and sweep as we please. expect a huge season from smith and Moose aswell as Jason Carter who is emerging as the number 4 WR.
4 months ago
It is obvious that no one looks at the situational numbers put up by the running backs last year. If you had looked you would realize that Deangelo Williams numbers are skewed. Williams mopped up in third down situations when the other team played pass defense and also in the fourth quarter when the games were largely out of reach. With the game on the line in the 1st quarter against straight up run defense he was routinely stuffed. This contributed to many three and outs which exhausted the defense in the second half. Anyone who watched Carolina's games last season should have observed that the games were largely played on the Panther's side of the ball. The offensive line and defensive lines must both improve dramatically if Carolina is to have any chance of being competitive.
4 months ago
I wouldn't worry much about Moose not helping you in the future. It's about the 'now" in the NFL and he can help the team this year. The WR's should be significantly upgraded as you mentioned and gives Jake more options than Steve Smith. I have always pulled for DJ Hackett (Not now though since I'm a Saints fan ;) )
4 months ago
I love how you got the Monday Night Football theme in your article, that's legit. But when it comes to the Carolina Panthers having a shot... Not so legit.
The Saints adding Jeremy Shockey clearly makes them the best team in the NFC South, and the Tampa Bay Bucs aren't far behind.
I will say this though, the Panthers are much, much better than the Atlanta Falcons. But even then I'm still expecting another 7-9 season for the Panthers.
from 4 months ago
Thanks for the criticism, but I don't know how you could possibly think that they will only go 7-9, when they are going from Vinny Testaverde to Jake Dellhomme. That just doesn't add up.
from 4 months ago
The thing that concerns me most about the Panthers is the loss of Mike Rucker AND Kris Jenkins.
Delhomme coming back will definitely be an improvement on offense, but it's hard to rely on a QB in he's 30's coming off of shoulder surgery.
from 4 months ago
I'm thinking that Jake Dellhomme is a little bit more important to this team than those two.
4 months ago
Very optimistic, I hope you're right about the Panthers coming up with a winning season at least. Good riddance to Foster. Welcome back, Moose. I love Julius Peppers and wish we had him here in NE. His talent is being wasted. which is a shame. I don't know just what his contract situation is, but I hope that either the cats get a whole lot better or he winds up somewhere else before it's too late, with a winning team. Good luck.
4 months ago
If they don't win the division, they may not make the playoffs. The NFC East had 4 teams over.500 last year and will probably repeat that feat this season. Both wildcards may again come from there.
The key to success is running the ball and playing defense. They look like they will be able to run, but can they stop the run? Big questions at QB and in the secondary, too. I don't see how this adds up to 10 wins.
4 months ago
The question is why wouldn't the Panthers have a chance. They' ve got S.Smith whos one of the top wide outs and their starting QB is returning.
They also don't have any teams in the division that are that much better than them. Just my thoughts.
from 4 months ago
Some Saints fans might take issue with that. Personally, I would love to see the Panthers win the division, but realistically I have to say they've got their work cut out for them.
4 months ago
tampa bay is weak, atlanta is weak. NO is a contender. the Panthers look GOOOOODDD on paper, as usual. the schedule sets up well, so 10 - 6 is possible. The missing ingredient has always been heart and attitude. I wanna see nasty. Go Panthers!
4 months ago
Well losing Kris Jenkins isn't so bad. He never played more than a few games most years, but with the whole Steve Smith incident, you have to think that will mess some chemistry up. Johnathan Stewart is also coming off a bad knee injury so he might not be at 100% this season. I don't think they go better than 8-8. Good article though Brandon. Keep it up there.
4 months ago
It will be tough for Steve Smith to post those kind of numbers now that he is suspended for 2 games, but he should have a solid year if Delhomme is back and is productive. I don't think the playoffs is a stretch for the Panthers. I think they will probably be a wild card, and have a legitimate chance to win their division.
2 months ago
Great article! Very thorough also. I am going out on a limb here, but I think the Panthers—barring significant injuries—have the potential to finish out 12-4. Realistically, looking at stats and strength of schedule from this (Week 5) point of the season, if things go terribly wrong they could finish at 8-8. Between the worst extreme and the best extreme (12-4), I say the Panthers go 10-6 just to be safe.
from about 1 month ago
Thank you very much for the comment eric.
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