Full Carolina Panthers Report Card Heading into Week 12 Bye
After an exhausting 11 weeks of play, the Carolina Panthers head into their bye on a disappointing note. It was bad enough that the team missed out on two opportunities to get back into first place following a home loss to the New Orleans Saints, but the fact that it's experiencing a six-game winless streak has to be unsettling.
The year started off promising despite the off-field issues that occurred prior to the season starting, but that promise has devolved into disappointment.
It would be easy to say that certain units have not played up to their expectations, and nobody would be wrong for saying it. However, this is a team game, and everyone needs to be held to a standard when it comes to playing for a postseason berth.
In a year overshadowed by a lot of negativity and poor play, there have been some positive signs. Whether that promise can take hold before the season ends remains to be seen. Of course, the performances of a few positions leave a lot to be desired. And based on what fans have seen thus far, it's not inconceivable to think Carolina will not win another game in 2014.
Each game Carolina has played has been evaluated and graded upon completion. So how does the team measure up overall during its bye week?
The following slides will break down each position with an analysis and grade for each positional unit based on this year's performance.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Cam Newton's season started off on the wrong foot. He was limited during training camp, as the Charlotte Observer noted in July (h/t NFL.com), and the preseason as he recovered from offseason ankle surgery. Then, he injured his ribs during a preseason game against the New England Patriots.
He missed the first game, but when he returned in Week 2 he played well despite Carolina going 1-2 over that span. He did not thrown an interception in his first three games back, but afterward, things began to fall apart.
Newton has thrown at least one interception in every game since Week 5 and has done so more than once in the last two games. His current touchdown-to-interception ratio is 12:10, and it's possible that number won't improve.
Against playoff contenders, he has only one win—a defeat of the Detroit Lions in his first game back. Since then, the Panthers have gone 1-7-1. While he doesn't deserve to shoulder all the blame for such a record, his performance over the past four weeks hasn't done much to keep Carolina in games.
Issues with accuracy and his health have caused speculation about what is wrong with him and to an extent has limited the offense from being as efficient as it was a year ago. He can still improve over the last few weeks of the season, but his performance and production as of now have been below average.
Grade: C-
Running Backs
2 of 10
There are three words to describe Carolina's running backs this season: battered, bruised and unproductive. All three of the team's top running backs have been injured this season. While DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart have missed time due to various ailments, Mike Tolbert has missed significant time because of an injured left knee suffered against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3.
Tolbert's absence has changed the offensive look and play-running ability of the Carolina offense drastically. His loss has probably hurt more on red-zone and short-yardage opportunities.
Fortunately, he will be back when Carolina returns from its bye.
However, that doesn't negate the production of Carolina's running backs during the year. Williams and Stewart have combined for a paltry 521 yards and two touchdowns. An argument can be made that their lack of production is attributed to missed games, but then there are the replacements to consider.
Fozzy Whittaker, Darrin Reaves and Chris Ogbonnaya have filled in for the veteran running backs when they were on the shelf and have combined for 192 yards and two touchdowns.
That says a lot to the ineffectiveness of the Carolina running back corps in 2014. Some of it could be attributed to the offensive line, which has been an underachieving unit as well this year, but to have that kind of poor production from five running backs three-quarters into the season is beyond comprehension.
Changes have to be made in the offseason when it comes to addressing the running backs. From what this year's unit has shown, an overhaul at the position is more than justified.
Grade: D-
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
3 of 10
Rookie wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin and veteran tight end Greg Olsen have been two bright spots in an otherwise lethargic offense. Philly Brown has started to emerge as a deep-threat weapon Carolina lacked when the season started. For the most part, the receivers are doing better than expected and have more than replaced the number of catches per game from last year's unit.
Benjamin has made a strong case for Offensive Rookie of the Year with his play. He leads the league's rookies in touchdown catches with eight, he's second in receptions with 52 and second in receiving yards.
The only knock on Benjamin would be the number of drops. The Panthers might have a different record and Benjamin could be the clear favorite for an end-of-season award had he caught a few more passes instead of dropping them.
Olsen was the only returning receiver from last year and has been an exceptional target this season. He has 56 receptions for 719 yards and five touchdowns through 11 games and could challenge his personal best in all three categories. His leadership has been valuable to a team that has struggled for much of the season and could very well be on his way to this year's Pro Bowl.
The veterans brought in have done well in a supporting role. Jerricho Cotchery and Jason Avant haven't made too much noise, but their presence has allowed the younger players to emerge.
Avant was cut from the team in order to give Brown more opportunities in the offense. However, there was speculation that the veteran receiver was cut following remarks he made after Carolina's loss to the Atlanta Falcons last week. But as David Newton of ESPN.com notes, Ron Rivera disputed any notion of the sort and simply stated, "This had nothing to do with it. And that needs to stop right here."
Avant's departure shouldn't be too noticeable—as far as production goes anyway. For now, the Panthers have the right guys in place, and the contributions of both the rookie and veteran players have been a highlight for an otherwise low season.
Grade: B+
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
Arguably the worst unit on the team this year, Carolina's offensive line has been through six different line combinations, riddled with injuries and unreliable in pass protection or blocking for the running backs. The only consistent player on the line this year has been center Ryan Kalil. The offensive guard and tackles have been a who's who of linemen on a weekly basis.
Left tackle Byron Bell may not be cut out for the job of protecting Cam Newton's blind side, but unfortunately, he's the only option Carolina has to close out the season. Nate Chandler hasn't been as productive as earlier though, and now his season is done. He was placed on the injured reserve as part of Tuesday's moves that saw the release of Jason Avant.
Replacements for them have come in the form of David Foucault and Andrew Norwell. Neither has done anything to make fans feel optimistic moving forward, but then again, both are young and can still grow with this offense.
Amini Silatolu and Trai Turner were counted on to be the backbone of the offensive line's interior. But each has been seeing the bench more than the field because of injuries, and the impact expected of each man has yet to be realized.
Carolina's offensive line has allowed Newton to be sacked 32 times through 11 games. It cannot block well enough in the rushing attack, as the ground game ranks 23rd in the league. Too many times this season, the unit has been outplayed and overwhelmed by opponents using an aggressive blitz package. This is a shell of last year's line which was able to win the battle in the trenches and help move the offense.
Now, one can only hope it plays well enough to keep the Panthers competitive offensively.
Grade: F
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Fans probably knew this line was in trouble when Greg Hardy was implicated on domestic violence charges over the offseason. He played one game before being benched by the Panthers and subsequently placed on the commissioner's exemption list. Based on the recent chain of events from around the NFL, he may not play the rest of the season.
However, the optimists were quick to point out that Carolina still had Charles Johnson lining up on the outside along with rookie defensive end Kony Ealy. The latter was a second-round pick who was expected to learn the pro game quickly but still be effective in the pass rush.
Entering the bye week, Ealy hasn't exactly played up to expectations as he has tallied nine tackles and one sack. Johnson has felt the effects of not having the talented Hardy lining up on the other side, as he has 29 tackles and five sacks on the season.
This was a unit that prided itself in a stout, aggressive pass rush. Carolina's defense led the league with 60 sacks last year but is on pace for 33.5 sacks for this season. That's a stark contrast compared to last year's team.
On the inside, Dwan Edwards has been a bright spot as he as registered four sacks. His 31 tackles lead the defensive line, while Kawann Short is right behind him with 30.
Unfortunately, this line has not been the dominant unit it was expected to be. Not only has the team lost Hardy, but Star Lotulelei could miss significant time after rolling his ankle in Philadelphia. Overall, the defensive line is not as good as it was a year ago. Teams are running the ball at will against it, and getting into the opposing backfield is not as easy as it was last season.
Still, things could be a lot worse, and one has to consider how effective the line would be if it was employing all of its normal starters.
Grade: C+
Linebackers
6 of 10
Luke Kuechly has 116 tackles and looks to be on his way to another Pro Bowl, but despite another strong season from the Boston College product, there have been games where he has looked out of place or failed to get the tackle. Teammate Thomas Davis has a had a similar year. Both are leading the team in tackles, but when things go bad defensively, attention shifts to them as part of the reason.
This was the case in games against Pittsburgh and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Carolina lost to Pittsburgh and tied Cincinnati, but both teams were able to run the ball with great success against the Panthers. Some of that had to do with Kuechly and Davis not hitting a certain gap fast enough or missing a tackle.
It's not fair to single just these two out, but because they are two of the most notable names on defense, success and failure begins them.
Chase Blackburn was lost to injury after playing six games, and that forced Carolina to move Colin Jones from safety to play the Sam linebacker position. He's growing into the role and even recorded a sack against Atlanta last week.
A.J. Klein has played in nine games and recorded 30 tackles. He does have a forced fumble on this year's list of production and has been a solid contributor on the outside.
It wouldn't appear that the Carolina linebackers have missed a step in pass defense this season, but stopping the run has been a bit of an issue. The unit should get back on track with the leadership of Kuechly and Davis. A more favorable schedule to close out the year should help.
Grade: C+
Secondary
7 of 10
Carolina tried to copy last year's blueprint of signing veteran players to short contracts to mesh with its current stable of young talent. The difference between the two units has been a lot.
Roman Harper and Thomas DeCoud were expected to pick up where Mike Mitchell left off, but they haven't done well this season. It hasn't helped that Harper has let his emotions get the best of him, and that has proved to be a killer during games this year.
It's true that both men have combined for four interceptions, but they have not done enough to keep opposing passing games in check.
The same is true for Antoine Cason. He was brought in to replace Captain Munnerlyn, and while he has two interceptions, he has been picked on by quarterbacks because he either gives up the big play or will draw a pass-interference penalty.
Melvin White and Josh Norman have split time on the other side of the field. White had started out as the starter but lost it to Norman after a bad game. He would reclaim the starting job after Norman went down with a concussion, and ever since he returned, the duo has rotated in and out of the defensive backfield.
Carolina is giving up an average of 254.9 yards a game, and much of that is attributed to the secondary not making enough plays or blanketing receivers to the point where opposing quarterbacks have to either throw it away or get sacked.
Whether retaining last year's veterans would have made the difference is unknown, but what is known is the secondary has not played at the level many expected when the season started.
Grade: D
Special Teams
8 of 10
Philly Brown, Fozzy Whittaker, Joe Webb and Brenton Bersin won't provide any argument for a playmaker in the return game. Of course, the Panthers haven't really had a return threat for a long time. Brown may not stay in the role after this season, but it's alright because he should have a future at wide receiver.
However, Brown does have the distinction of returning a punt for a touchdown this season. His awareness of the ball being live allowed him to scoop it up and return it for six points.
Brad Nortman has put in a lot of work this year and could set a career high in punts after the season is done. He has fallen off last year's pace of average yards with a mark of 46.1 yards per punt. He is counted on to flip the field, while his teammates are counted on to keep the return minimal.
Graham Gano could have been a hero last week against Atlanta, but he missed wide left of his field-goal attempt from 46 yards out and had a 63-yard attempt blocked. However, he is 18-of-22 this season, and considering the frustrating play by the Panthers earlier in the game last week, that loss is not on him.
Much of Carolina's misadventures on special teams seem to have been corrected, and while anything can happen on any given Sunday, this unit is a far cry from being the only reason for a disappointing year.
Grade: B-
Coaching
9 of 10
Ron Rivera has not channeled his alter ego, Riverboat Ron, nearly enough this season. There have been times when Carolina has played very conservatively, and it has been costly. A 3-7-1 record is certainly not what he envisioned going into the bye week, but with any luck he can find a way to finish strong.
Such an ending to an awful season could be beneficial since the NFC South is very weak, and division leader Atlanta has a losing record.
Mike Shula has had to make do with with a patchwork line and an unproductive running game. Injuries to key players haven't helped, but things could be looking up. Finding a way to make the offensive line less vulnerable will be the biggest obstacle for him with five games remaining.
Sean McDermott has seen his once strong defense regress dramatically this year. The Carolina defense has given up a lot of points, a lot of yards, struggled to stop the run and the pass and has not been able to make that critical stop late in the game. He's been following his normal game plan, but the execution isn't there.
The coaches need to end the season on a strong note because a losing record could be all the ammo Dave Gettleman needs to fire his current staff and bring in a coach of his choosing.
Grade: C-
Final Grade
10 of 10
Carolina may be in contention for a divisional title. However, this is not a team ready for the playoffs. Assuming the Panthers somehow find a way to win out and clinch the NFC South, they would be severe underdogs in the first round.
The Panthers made a lot of mistakes this year, and some of them began in the offseason.
Failing to bring in an offensive tackle via the draft or free agency has been huge. It hasn't helped that Carolina was limited in offseason spending due to the salary cap. The lack of aggressiveness or being very conservative during in-game situations has played a pivotal role in where Carolina is in the current standings.
It's a ridiculous notion that a team can be in the mix for both a top draft pick or a division championship. Regardless of how they finish, the Panthers will be making a lot of moves after the season ends.
Grade: D+
Stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and NFL.com.
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