Bleacher Report - Articles by Benton Anderson

Analyzing Carolina's First Day: Did They Fill Their Needs?

Benton Anderson — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 02:42:04 -0400

Here it is, and there it goes once more. The first day of the 2009 NFL Draft has come and gone, and with it, many surprise picks have been set in stone.

But I'll leave all the pick-by-pick analysis to the people who actually know all the players (or at least pretend that they do).

Instead, I'll focus on my beloved Panthers and their two picks on this fateful first day.

Let's start off with the first one that they got, defensive end Everette Brown out of FSU at No. 43.

Not a bad pickup, indeed, it might be a very good one in the long run. Considered by many to be a first-rounder, it was a surprise to many that he fell so low.

Indeed, it may make you wonder that teams forgot about him.

But apparantly not to the Panthers, whose careful watch on this kid made them pick him up, even trading up to do so, giving up next year's first-rounder to San Francisco for their second- and fourth-round pick.

At the FSU Pro Day in the past few weeks, the Panthers were one of only a few teams that sent their head coach to take a look at their stock. Apparantly, they saw something in him that impressed the scouts and even the head honcho himself.

Some teams saw him transitioning to outside linebacker in the 3-4, much like a certain Demarcus Ware of the Cowboys.

Instead, the Panthers had enough faith in him to draft him so that he might play opposite Peppers, or even replace him when a trade comes knocking.

Oh, and on that topic, a Peppers trade might be worth it. A few NFL Network analysts called this the worst draft in recent memory.

A few first rounders next year might be helpful with all those quarterbacks. Just some food for thought for my "Sack Jake" Carolina brethren.

But anyway, back to the topic at hand.

I liked this Brown draft, he's got very smooth feet, and is definitely one of the better pass rushers in this year's draft.

However, I am dissapointed that Conner Barwin didn't fall to the Panthers. Not only was he a great defensive end at Cincinnati, but he also had a bit of time as a tight end.

His dual role abilities might have been very useful, especially since Carolina doesn't have a truly good tight end. And no, drafting tight ends in each of the past three fifth rounds doesn't always solve one's TE problems.

Which is disappointing, because even if Barwin didn't work as an end, he could fill a need at the tight end position and help stretch the field for Steve Smith.

Ah, oh well, such is how the draft works, and the Texans (one of my favorite AFC teams) have a real gem playing for them.

Now, onto the Panthers first pick that they had from the start. At number 57, they pick up Sherrod Martin, a safety out of Troy.

Not a bad pick, especially since Carolina's main defensive issues came from the backfield.

Martin was known for being a very hard hitting guy, always going after the ball carrier and punishing him whenever possible. I can only imagine how wide receivers will feel when going up Chris Harris and Martin, some of the hardest hitting DBs in the game.

Not only that, but now the Panthers have a very young backfield to grow on. Godfrey was a rookie last year; picked up in the third round and started immediately. PLus they have shut-down corner Chris Gamble and Harris, both relatively young guys in the prime of their career.

But let's be honest. Just because he was drafted as a Safety, it doesn't mean that he'll play as one in the pros. Ever since Lucas was released, they've been left with a rather glaring hole.

Although Richard Marshall has proven to be a decent corner, he's more of a nickle corner who only comes in on certain occassions, and with the Martin pick, they should keep it that way.

However, despite the mostly positive draft choice, I feel that another player might have been a superior choice.

Perhaps another D-lineman or an offensive lineman would have served the Panthers better.

Let us not forget that although Carolina has a great line, they are now terribly low on depth.

Tackle Will Beatty out of Connecticut was taken one pick later, and his presence could be enough to keep the injury bug from plaguing the Panthers O-line.

But alas, what's done is done, and now all we can do is hope that these picks pan out. You can yell at the computer screen all you want, but no matter what you do, the pick won't go away (sorry Lions fans, enjoy your 3-13 season).

And now that day one is done with, now we must go into the second day where only the most hardcore NFL fan can survive. With just a few more picks left for Carolina, it should be a rather uneventful draft.

But hey, that's just how I enjoy my off-season. Not a lot of noise and not a lot of changes: team stability all the way.

Recapping Carolina's Losses: Let's Hope It Doesn't Get Any Worse

Benton Anderson — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 04:48:34 -0400

The Panthers' offseason has been a disappointing one, to say the least.

Not a single new face has passed through Carolina's door for the entire free agency period thus far, but sadly, many familiar faces have walked out.

Of course, this could be the situation of many other teams if they, too, were strapped for cash and one player had a chokehold on their cap room.

It's a terrible situation, isn't it?

A team has dug themselves so deep into a hole that they can't even retain a few basic players who would certainly help them in future should things get tough.

It's sad, but it's true, and it's happening to my very own Carolina Panthers. I never thought it would get to be this disastrous, and it's all because of Julius Peppers.

To name some of the players that they lost, one would only have to look a little bit into the depth chart.

All of the quality offensive line depth is gone. The solid backups who once filled in the holes when needed during the regular season are long gone, off to be starters on another team.

Frank "the Tank" Omiyale was inked to a four-year deal with the Bears worth about $12 million. As I was reading the articles about their new signing, they mentioned his "Tank" moniker, one which I didn't even know existed while he was in Carolina.

Geoff Hangartner, who played the interior line positions, left for Buffalo on a four-year, $10 million contract, and is now the starter at center for the upcoming year.

To the casual observer, this may not seem too bad. Indeed, it may actually be a good sign, because it means that the Panthers' current line is so good, that starters on other teams were backups in Carolina.

Unfortunately, this is the totally wrong idea.

Carolina's line got banged up quite a bit this past year. Not one of the current starters played an the entire 16 games for the Panthers, although they all came pretty close.

All-Pro left tackle Jordan Gross played 15 games. Rookie right tackle Jeff Otah played just 12 games after succumbing to an injury just minutes into his first pro game. Both guards, Vincent and Wharton played 14 games apiece, and center Ryan Kalil played 12.

What does this all mean?

Well, it doesn't seem too terrible, but without quality depth to fill in for the various injuries, I don't think "Smash and Dash" (or "Double Trouble," whatever you call them) would have rushed for as many yards as they did this past year.

Carolina is stuck in an offensive line rut, with only a few inexperienced men left behind their line. I hope they can stay healthy this coming year.

And the terrible irony of it all is that if Peppers goes to the Pats, then it will be the third lineman sent to an AFC East team in the past two years (Kris Jenkins to the Jets, Hangartner to the Bills).

Beside the losses on the O-line, the Cats also lost a quality return man in Mark Jones to the Titans. He returned 39 punts for an average of 11.4 yards per return, good for seventh in the league.

He took over for Ryne Robinson, who was injured in training camp before the season started. He played a key role in helping the Panthers get great starting field position, especially for their victory at Green Bay.

Sadly, there was no money to re-sign him, not when Peppers was hogging it all.

Also, another notable Panthers player is testing the market at the moment: long snapper Jason Kyle.

He's known for being very reliable and solid in his blocking; very important if you want to give the kicker a chance to kick the ball. While it is true that he's rather old at 36, he's certainly no Trey Junkin, and could be a valuable part of the team for a few more years.

Even though it would be hard to blame Peppers' strain on the cap for the possible loss, it would be rather disappointing to see him go after so many years. If he is lost, then don't be surprised to see a few bobbled snaps.

But of all the players that the Panthers might lose to free agency, the biggest name by far is Peppers.

If Carolina loses him, then they lose one of the greatest pass rushers of this decade. Simple as that.

Personally, I think that getting rid of him would be the wisest course of action, but as each day passes, it's becoming more clear that this may not happen.

Despite all of the apparent negatives, I am happy to note that the rest of the team is doing quite well as far as contracts go. 21 of the 22 starters are locked up for at least the time being, most notably Jordan Gross and shut-down corner Chris Gamble.

So I guess it's not all bad, right?

It could get worse, but let's all hope not.

Good Riddance: Why the Panthers Should Send Julius Peppers to the Patriots

Benton Anderson — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:38:04 -0400

I don't know about you readers out there, but I'm getting rather sick of the back and forth nature of the Peppers' situation.

It seems that his past two years in Carolina have been nothing but a roller coaster ride, and he took all of us along for a trip.

In the 2007 season, he had an abysmal 2.5 sack season—a terrible low for a player of his magnitude.

One short year later, he rebounds to an astounding 14.5 sacks, plus a trip to Hawaii and a first team All-Pro selection. A fantastic high for all people involved.

But here we are again, at another very low and very saddening point in his career. Unless, of course, you're a New England Patriots fan.

With rumors swirling about the sports world that the almighty Peppers may be traded away to everyone's favorite dynasty team, many people will once again be thrown for a loop.

For the Carolina faithful, it would be a terrible day if Peppers did indeed leave his only home to head to the Pats. They have enough defensive line woes as is, and having one of the greatest sackers of this decade leave the team would add to the misery.

New England's faithful bandwagon riders, on the other hand, would rejoice if they could get their hands on such a talented defensive end. Bill Belichick is currently building up a defensive team for the ages, even without the help of his beloved GM, Scott Pioli.

If they do acquire this freak of nature, then that astounding offense will be complimented by a defense that would make the 1985 Bears proud.

Obviously, this is a great situation for the Pats and an inconvenient one for the Panthers. But even in this situation, I still want the roller coaster to end, once and for all.

I've seen his monster paycheck hog up Carolina's cap space for far too long. I've noticed his habit of only working hard on half the downs affect the defense's play for long enough.

I've had it with Peppers, and if the Patriots want him, then so be it. They can go off and play their football with him, doesn't bug me.

With new coordinator Ron Meeks to mastermind the Panthers' defense, I'll be perfectly content with allowing him to tinker with them as much as he wants. Meeks had his fair share of great units back in Indianapolis, and I have faith in his ability to do the same in Carolina.

With or without Peppers.

And by all means, take him while only giving his former team a second round draft pick. Carolina has proven to be spot on with their high draft picks in the past, so grabbing another young talent with their pick doesn't bug me one bit.

Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be the case anymore, as Carolina has already confirmed that they haven't spoken to the Pats at all. Of course, this doesn't mean that they won't continue to pursue a trade for him.

In the end, my stance remains firm: "Get Peppers out of Carolina", no matter the team.

Spare us all another round on the Peppers coaster. We'll all be better off in the long run without him.