Carolina Panthers On the Defensive Side of the Ball

Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme hit an open man 22 times in the NFC Divisional playoff game on January 10, 2009. Unfortunately, five of those passes landed in the hands of the Arizona Cardinals, who went on to win 33-13.

"I'm at a loss for words," Delhomme said according to ESPN.com. "Usually I'm not. For one reason or another, I didn't give us a chance tonight."

Despite the fact that Delhomme was the Cardinals' unofficial MVP for that game, offense is actually the strength of the Panthers. In other words, it’s not the 13 that should worry Carolina for the 2009 season, but the 33. While that score is indeed inflated because of Delhomme’s penchant for the pick, it illustrates an underlying flaw of the team, a mediocre defense.

The Panthers' organization has noticed. On April 23, they stayed with the status quo by signing Delhomme to a five-year extension through 2014 which will keep him under contract until he is 94 in NFL years. (He will be 39 according to his birth certificate.) 

Keeping Delhomme makes sense. He made the offensive engine purr to the tune of 25.9 points per game, the NFL’s seventh best scoring offense. Delhomme’s 2008 total of 3,288 yards passing proves that he has at least enough of an arm to get the ball to Pro Bowl receiver Steve Smith.

Running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart gave the team a combined 2,351 yards rushing in 2008. Assuming the 26-year-old Williams puts up similar numbers and the 22-year-old Stewart can avoid a sophomore slump, the Panthers look primed to have another top 10 offense.

However, an offense that is merely good doesn’t win Super Bowls. The Panthers need a strong defense. And in 2008, Carolina’s defense looked like kittens.

Including their lone playoff game, the Panthers defense allowed 30 or more points in five of their last seven games, winning only four of those. Through the first 10 games of the season, they sat pretty at 8-2 as the defense held each team they played under 30. By season’s end, the Panthers ranked 18^th in yards allowed per game, giving up 331 each week.

This off-season the Panthers sought to remedy this situation by selecting defense with their first three draft picks.

"Last year we went primarily offense (in the draft) and I think it was about time we injected some guys in there on defense," said Panthers head coach John Fox according to the The Charlotte Observer.

While this is a step in the right direction, none of these guys can be expected to replace Pro Bowl defensive end Julius Peppers. Peppers was the only player to skip a three-day mini-camp held the beginning of May.

ESPN reports that Peppers doesn’t want to sign a long term deal with the Panthers and would like to play for another team. This may not be terrible for the Panthers. If the Panthers trade Peppers, they will get some talent back. If he stays like general manager Marty Hurney expects, a missed mini-camp will be forgotten with a strong start. Peppers’ teammates say they are fine with his decision. His absence is actually beneficial to part of the franchise’s future.

"Julius is a great player and he's had a great career in Charlotte," said defensive end Everette Brown, the Panthers’ first pick in the 2009 draft, in an interview with the Associated Press. "I'm just coming out here and preparing to the best of my ability as if I'm a starter."

That’s what mini-camps are for. As Michael Strahan can attest, they’re not for the seasoned veteran, but for the green rookie.

Even if the 2009 Panthers regress on offense, the team may be stronger than the 2008 version. It’s up to the defense to turn the Panthers into a Super Bowl contender by silencing opposing offenses.