Carolina Panthers Purr Defensively? Not with Ron Meeks on the Job

The Panthers haven't had a lot of changes to their coaching staff on the offensive side of the ball. 

Their new QB coach Rip Scherer is replacing Mike McCoy, but without the new quarterback to complement that role, there is doubt that much will change from that position.

One question to pose to GM Marty Hurney would be: Did you watch the Cleveland Browns QBs last season?

They must have gotten Scherer at a discount price considering the problems the Browns QBs have had over the past few years.  However, according to a source, the Panthers QBs are excited to have new practice drills that involve more mechanics and footwork than precision passing. 

With the offense still intact, the most changes to the playbook and most intriguing personnel changes came on the defensive side of the ball.  The Panthers now have a new linebackers coach (Richard Smith), secondary (Ron Milus), defensive line (Brian Baker), and defensive coordinator (Ron Meeks). 

This is exciting to Panther fans because there is new blood in Charlotte and John Fox could use some new insight on D. 

Especially with the addition of Ron Meeks, who took an overachieving Colts defense to the Super Bowl in 2007.  That defense, led by Dwight Freeney, lucked out in the Super Bowl that year when they played a terrible Bears offense in torrential rain in Dolphins Stadium.

Meeks' defensive strategy that year worked through a push on the defensive line led by Freeney, strategic linebacker blitzing that kept the QB guessing, and hard-hitting safeties that cleaned up anything after 10 yards.

The Panthers are more than equipped to run Meeks' system, which places emphasis on speed rather than power.  Meeks will realize his blitzing schemes can be infinite once he realizes the combination of power/speed the Panthers possess at linebacker. 

He just has to convince Fox to "release the hounds" every once in a while.  Thomas Davis, Jon Beason, Nai'l Diggs, and Dan Connor have the skills to reek havoc on opposing offenses.  They just need the opportunity.

There is not a lot of changes that need to occur.  Fox just needs to stick with what works for him.  Clock control and running the ball should be the game plan, as there were too many times last year when he decided to get pass-happy—and it cost the Panthers big games. 

And Fox should switch things up on D. Remember five or six years ago when Fox used to get crazy, and put Peppers at linebacker and send him out to cover TEs?  What happened to that?  It worked—the Panthers went to play the Patriots in the Super Bowl and Peppers was happy.

Bottom line for the Panthers and their new personnel changes?  Watch the Cardinals playoff game at the BOA last February.  Then take every scheme and play from that game out of the playbook itself, and do the exact opposite.

Run the ball and control the clock, play man with Cover 2, blitz hard from either side and send a safety every once in a while (Godfrey is too fast not to), and convince Peppers that his career can be more influential than Freeney in the Meek's system. 

If Meeks can get the largest contract ever to an undersized DE, think of the possibilities he could do with the freak that is Julius Peppers.