2011 NFL Draft: Carolina Panthers Pass on Cam Newton, Build Around A.J. Green

The Carolina Panthers will always be a revolving door of mediocrity unless they rediscover creativity.

Many people are assuming that Cam Newton has become the obvious choice for the Panthers with the first overall pick. But let’s take a closer look at the franchise.

First of all, owner Jerry Richardson doesn’t like to pay for players. In fact, he doesn’t even like players. He loves his money and his money waved goodbye to Julius Peppers, Kris Jenkins and now DeAngelo Williams.

Another thing to consider, while former head coach John Fox was shown the door at the end of the season, GM Marty Hurney, who drafted quarterback Jimmy Clauson with his second round pick a year ago, along with two other quarterbacks is still there. Do you really think he will pick another one?

Go back to when the Panthers were winning games and got to the Super Bowl, what was going on with the team?

Jake Delhomme was a quarterback playing well enough to get the job done. Steve Smith was in his prime and playing lights out. The team had a strong running game, and a solid defense.

New head coach Ron Rivera took this job knowing one thing for certain, he will never have money to throw around. So he will take his chances this season with Clauson. Who knows? First-year starting quarterbacks tend to play badly, and maybe Clauson is going to show his college-self for the team next year. He will be a lot more affordable than Newton who down the road is going to want big money.

Using manageable quarterbacks is Rivera’s best chance to succeed long term, along with forming a defense that can win games, and adding a player to build around who can't require more money than Rivera has to offer.

So how do they do that? They get creative.

Carolina will never pay to keep a star player. So Rivera must mimic Andy Reid and Bill Belichick. Draft players, use them, plan to say farewell to them in four years and draft again.

He will need a catalyst that keeps this cycle clicking. That catalyst is A.J. Green. Build around him and keep a strong running game, it’s the only chance to have continued success in Carolina.