Panthers May Need Polishing

The Carolina Panthers have never had a problem during the draft.  They never have problems during free agency (partly because they choose not to partake in that portion of the off-season), their problems generally come from loyalty.  The NFL is a business, and sometimes the Panthers choose loyalty to their players over the right direction for their team.  This has happened several times over the years, when the Panthers know they should probably move in another direction but choose to stick it out one more season with the guys they have (Deshaun Foster, Dan Morgan, Steve Beuerlein).  This has a lot to do with John Fox, but just as much to do with GM Marty Hurney. 

The Panthers draft will not be a success until they hit the field in September, however, on paper they look like they filled some major voids going into the season.  The reason I bring up their loyalty to players, is because it seems like they are doing the exact same thing for Jake Delhomme.  MAJOR MISTAKE. 

Delhomme is fresh off signing his new 5-year extension, while a good idea for cap purposes, is ridiculous to think that he will stay the same mediocre quaterback for 5 more seasons.  He's already mediocre at best! He is not going to get better, so that means he will be getting worse.  This is the one area that the Panthers missed in the draft, Matt Moore is not the answer, Hunter Cantwell reminds me of another Louisville draftee who didn't pan out (Stefan Lefors), and Josh McCown, who? 

They should have at least tried to pick up a QB for development.  It is understood that the Fox/Hurney combo is willing to ride the Delhomme bandwagon right out of town but do they really feel that he is the answer for a championship in Charlotte?  There is no way, I just think Delhomme and Fox have some sort of investment together, this goes way beyond football at this point, everyone else sees it, there is something amiss here. 

Other than QB, the Panthers needed depth on both lines, secondary, and tight end.  I felt that trading a first-round pick next year for Everette Brown may have been a reach, but with Peppers in limbo, they had to take a chance and get someone who can be productive now and they grabbed a solid third-round pick in Corey Irvin who can provide some relief at the DT spot.  The Panthers are still a little thin on the O-line however, and should look to find another veteran during free agency because while Oklahoma tackle Duke Robinson played for a very good team and protected Sam Bradford, his weight is still an issue and may not be the immediate backup needed at this time.  As for tight end, they didn't pursue anything at that spot, but Delhomme can't look for more than 1 or 2 receivers on a given play or find his check down receiver anyways, so I don't see that being a big deal.

The two positions that could be dangerous for Carolina this season are the secondary and again, the O-line.  Injuries occur fairly often in the NFL especially in the trenches, Carolina had some great reserves last year who skipped town for more money and left a void, if they can find another veteran lineman and get some decent play from their rookies then this may not be a problem, but with the NFL there are NO guarantees, just ask the '07 Patriots.  The secondary got torched all year, especially in that dreadful game at Bank of America in January (which will not be spoken of!).  So they need to step it up, Lucas is gone, but Richard Marshall seems ready for more of the work load. 

Hopefully Chris Gamble doesn't have another fluke "just signed a major deal so im just going to dial this one in" season.  Plus im predicting a big year from Charles Godfrey, he stepped in like a seasoned veteran last year and only got burnt once that I remember during the game against the Bucs in Tampa.  The Panthers should be good again this year, I dont predict another 12 wins because the NFC south division is the toughest in football, they have the 2nd toughest schedule, Delhomme is still Delhomme, and Fox is WAAAYYY to conservative but i'll say they scrap together 9-10 wins and fight for the wild-card.  However, we've seen the "Cardiac Cats" before, and this is going to be another one of those seasons where Panther fans may need oxygen tanks or heart pills on Sundays, let's hope they pull it together.