NFC South Preview: Carolina Panthers Are No Passing Fancy

(Second in a series-NFC South)

In a league of high-powered offenses, the Carolina Panthers are no passing fancy.

Carolina would have fit in just fine with those Green Bay Packers of the 1960's. By contrast, the Panthers may have made the Packers look like Air Lombardi- a run-and-shoot team.

Said Sporting News, "Given an opportunity to take a chance, (Carolina head coach John) Fox will almost always pass. Not a big believer in going for fourth downs, Fox isn't even crazy about throwing on third-and-long...He's (Fox) John Birch-conservative, and while that's not always popular with fans, he's created teams that always contend-even when they lack top-end talent, which is the case this year."

The Panthers lack top-end talent at quarterback where Matt Moore is the starter for now as Carolina parted ways with Jake Delhomme after the veteran suffered a disastrous 2009 season. Although Moore is 6-2 as a starter, those wins came in meaningless contests late in the regular season.

As one NFL scout told Athlon Sports, "(Moore) showed some good things last year, but if the Panthers really loved Moore, they wouldn't have invested draft picks on Jimmy Clausen and Tony Pike. Defenses are going to continue to gang the line of scrimmage until the Panthers passing attack makes them pay."

Carolina is not without weapons in the passing game.  

Steve Smith seems as old as Methuselah, the biblical figure who lived to be 969 years old. Although he may have lost a step, Smith is still niftier than receivers ten years his junior. He led the team in receiving yards with 982 one year ago.

While former USC star Dwayne Jarrett has been a bust in three NFL seasons, the Charlotte Observer reports that Jarrett is having an excellent training camp.

"He's (Jarrett) been a completely different player, looking more assertive on the field," reports the Observer. "Getting him out there would be huge, and he's showing signs of finally delivering returns on the Panthers' four-year investment. He's catching everything in practice, and with his size, could become a valuable tool for QB Matt Moore."

In an effort to give Moore plenty of options on those rare occasions when the Panthers throw it this year, Carolina used its two third-round picks on LSU's Brandon LaFell and former Appalachian State QB Armanti Edwards, who they plan to utilize at receiver.

But make no mistake, Carolina's offense will rise or fall on the success or failure of their two-headed monster-of-a-running-attack- DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. Williams made the Pro Bowl last year without even leading the Panthers in rushing yards. That honor belonged to Stewart with 1,133 yards and 10 touchdowns.

For those Saints fans 40-plus, Williams and Stewart remind you of the New Orleans Saints' Thunder-n-Lightning- Chuck Muncie and Tony Galbreath- the Saints starting running backs from 1976-1979. Williams is more flash-n-dash. Stewart will attempt to bulldoze his way over defenders. 

The pair co-exist like brothers. No ego problems at all between these two elite backs. 

The Panthers most significant question marks are on defense where Julius Peppers departed for the Chicago Bears. Everett Brown, a former #1 draft pick from Florida State, replaces Peppers at defensive end but doubts abound about Brown's ability to stop the run because of his lack of size- 256 pounds. Brown played mostly as a situational pass rusher in his rookie year of 2009.

A Carolina rival told Sporting News, "The biggest question mark I have about them is their defense. When you replace Peppers with Everett Brown, you give up a good bit there, and who are their guys inside going to be?"

If the Panthers defensive line can not hold up there end of the bargain, it will make linebacker Jon Beason's job that much more difficult. Weak-side linebacker Thomas Davis tore his ACL for the second straight season, necessitating Beason's move from the middle to the outside. It remains to be seen if Dan Connor can be the beast in the middle that Beason was in 2009.

Nevertheless, with Williams and Stewart in the backfield, Carolina's offense should be as potent as ever against a New Orleans Saints offense that seems clueless at stopping the run at times.

Yet, with major question marks at quarterback, defensive line and linebacker and with the off-season departure of Julius Peppers, the Panthers may challenge Tampa Bay as the NFC South's 2010 cellar dweller.

Randy (Savoir-Faire's) Prediction: Carolina Panthers 8-8, 3rd in the NFC South