Delhomme Recovery Going Smoothly
In case you missed all of the previous season of Carolina Panthers football, let’s bring everyone up to speed. The Carolina Panthers started off the 2007 season with a really promising performance from the entire team a whole. Expectations were high, but so were spirits as the year began. Then Jake Delhomme injured his elbow. Then it turned out Jake Delhomme’s elbow injury would require surgery and end his season. And then the Carolina Panthers’ season went into an absolute tailspin, and they missed the playoffs, and everyone was very sad.
But right now, Panthers fans need not be so sad. Today, Panthers fans can be happy to learn that Jake Delhomme’s rehabilitation is going swimingly, with Jake making all the progress he should be making to get him ready to play next season. 2008 will hopefully be a much better season for the Panthers and their fans, and Panthers diehards out there can get all their news on Delhomme’s rehab from the Carolina Panthers web site. If Delhomme is indeed ready to go and better than ever next season, the Panthers will certainly be much-improved as a team.
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Will Rucker Retire?
With things kinda slow, I had to go back a few days to find this story, but I’ve been keeping it in my back pocket for just such a day. It appears that defensive end Mike Rucker has yet to make a decision on retirement. The 32-year-old’s future in the National Football League is still in doubt, though he is still in the thinking through process. Rucker has been a big deal for the Panthers since they drafed him back in 1999, but his knee surgery seems to have had lasting effect on his ability to play the game at the same high levels he reached in the first seven years of his career.
With Rucker’s numbers declining after his knee surgery, there is talk that he would have to accept a backup role for the Panthers next year. This is a tough pill to swallow for any man’s pride, but for a gamer like Rucker, this may simply be too much to ask of him. Rucker wants to be out there every down, starting, setting the example. It remains to be seen if he can accept a lesser role with the Panthers. Whatever Rucker decides, nothing can take away from all he has done for the Carolina Panthers, and he will have the support and admiration of the fans no matter what.
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Panthers Financial Situation
There are some slow news days in which I feel that I have to go out and find a particular story that might not be the most useful or informative story out there. I wonder to myself if what I’m doing is right, but then remind myself that in such dark times as this, when non-Super Bowl teams are in a holding pattern, there is very little news to report. However, today The Herald’s David Gantt has saved me from such a fate by writing this amazing article detailing the Carolina Panthers’ financial situation as it pertains to cap space leading into the offseason.
I can’t actually take the time to detail everything that Mr. Gantt has to say in the article, but I can tell you that is piece is an absolute must-read for Panthers fans. The Panthers were considered dead in the water as far as cap room was concerned in the middle of this season. However, due to some very interesting budget acrobatics, the Panthers are actually in a very good position to pick up a few of the pieces they will need to improve their team and get back to the Super Bowl. This article also advocates cutting David Carr, something I’ve been trumpeting since before the 2007 season began.
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Panthers Need a #2
This Charlotte Observer article, written by the great Stan Olsen, is another true gem from the man who allegedly covers the Panthers. In it, Olsen makes the claim that the Panthers need a second solid receiver to compliment Steve Smith. Now, at this point, Mr. Olsen is not wrong. The Panthers certainly struggled last year to get the ball to Steve Smith, and without a solid playmaker stretching the field, the Panthers saw a significant drop in offensive productivity. However, I believe this drop in productivity was more directly linked to the Panthers’ issues at quarterback.
First of all, Mr. Olsen points out that Steve Smith’s numbers dropped as soon as the quarterbacking controversy began in Carolina. He is correct on this point. However, he then goes on - in the same article - to bang on Dwayne Jarrett for not adjusting to the play at the NFL level. How is it that your veteran leader receiver gets a pass for having a down year because of the QB issues, but your rookie receiver isn’t given the same pass? That makes no sense. The Panthers don’t need receivers. They don’t need a running back either. This team is doing just fine, and making dumb knee-jerk moves in free agency won’t help at all.
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The Lost Panthers QB
Lost in the shuffle of the Panthers’ revolving door of quarterbacks this season has been the fact that the first Panthers QB to be felled by injury was Brett Basanez - the Panthers’ third string quarterback whose season was cut down before it even began, during game three of the preseason. This Panthers.com article talks about the season that wasn’t for Basanez, and his road to recovery and hopes for next season. Basanez comes off as a very articulate and intelligent QB, and the interview will likely spur many Panthers fans to wonder what might have been.
This is a really awful story, when you think about it. Watching the Panthers start an old guy, a rookie, and some dude who had no business being under center while he rehabbed his injured wrist must have destroyed Basanez, but he doesn’t seem to have let this setback derail his career. That’s admirable, considering all the playing time this kid missed out on by losing his season before it ever got started. I’d be pretty disheartened if I were him, but that’s why he’s an NFL quarterback, and I am not. If he gets to see some time next year, the Panthers should be in much better shape with their backup situation than they were in 2007.
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Weigh in on Panthers Biggest Need
Over at Charlotte.com, Stan Olsen has written a short article asking the question “What do you think the Panthers’ biggest offseason priority should be?” and then inviting readers to sign on and give their own opinions. A lively debate has kicked up as Panthers fans from near and far have logged in to put in their two cents on which position need is most pressing for their beloved team. Which position do you believe is the most necessary for the Panthers to bolster next season? Get yourself and screen name and join the debate right now!
The only problem I have with this article is Olsen’s assertion that the Panthers should look for another running back in the offseason, because DeShaun Foster is falling off. If Olsen doesn’t know who DeAngelo Williams is, then honestly, the man has lost touch. How can you say that the Panthers need to waste a draft pick on a running back when you have a back up runner who is averaging more yards per carry than your starter? The Panthers don’t need a new running back. They simply need to start using their best running back more often.
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Panthers Rookie Sets a Record
Let it never be said that I don’t go out of my way to find good news about the Panthers. The season may have ended without a playoff run. There may be some big questions marks headed into the offseason for this Carolina team. Fans may be extremely upset about the way the last two seasons have gone for their beloved team. But you know, this team is definitely still on the right track. I think a lot of the time people get too down on these Panthers, because expectations have been raised for the team since their Super Bowl run. But there is still some good for the Panthers. If you don’t believe me, just check out this story about Caroling tackle Jon Beason setting the single season tackle record for rookies and for Panthers.
Beason had 160 tackles this season, breaking the single season franchise record by two full tackles and destroying the rookie record in the process. The previous Panthers record of 158 was held by Michael Barrow. Barrow’s record was set in 1998. The previous rookie record was 102 - set by Lester Town in 2002. Beason should at least give Panthers fans a reason to smile for a few days during the offseason. And keep your chins up, Panthers fans. All is not lost. With a few minor tweaks, this team could easily be a contender again.
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Panthers Re-Sign Placekicker
The Carolina Panthers have made one of their first offseason moves, though this is more like an offseason staying in place. The Panthers have re-signed kicker Rhys Lloyd to a two-year deal. Lloyd was brought in early in the last season to improve the Panthers’ kickoffs, mostly. Present kicker, veteran John Kasay, is not going anywhere. Kasay is still under contract for two years, but those are likely to be his last two years in the league. Though he hasn’t lost a step as it pertains to his field goals, the length of his kickoffs has been suspect recently, so the Panthers have brought in a young leg.
While this is certainly the kind of story that doesn’t get a lot of run (who really cares about a kicker?), it’s still important. The Panthers are looking toward the future. They have brought in a new promising kicker who will take over for their veteran kicker. This is a solid move. However, the Panthers have more pressing needs to address, and I would hope that they start addressing said needs, or at least doing more than signing kickers, in the near future. Still, it must be noted that it’s early in the offseason and the Panthers are already taking steps in the right direction. This is a very good thing.
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Peppers’ Contract Becomes Lesser Priority
This great little blurb from Pro Football Weekly details Julius Peppers’ contract renegotiation situation with a great amount of objectivity and brevity, I must say. There isn’t a whole lot more I can add to this tiny news article, but I will try. Basically, if you’ll remember, the re-signing of Julius Peppers before he became a free agent was high at the top of Carolina’s to-do list earlier this year. However, negotiations fell through during training camp before this season, and then Peppers went on to have his worst year ever. Now, with some other glaring issues having come to light during this season, Peppers may find himself wishing he’d re-signed last year.
It’s a really tough call on Peppers. On one hand, he’s young enough that you want to lock a guy like that down for the rest of his prime. He’s shown that he can be a play-maker and a game-changer. He doesn’t do anything stupid off the field. However, last year he seemed to be lacking something. If he was playing hurt, what is the extent of his injury? Was it made worse by his playing all year? These are big questions that you need to answer before you go handing out huge contracts. Peppers has one more year to really make the Panthers pay out the nose, so I don’t imagine this deal gets done during this offseason.
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Charlotte Observer Makes another Observation
In light of Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson’s latest statement to the media, the media is now responding. This particular rebuttal basically claims that Richardson’s goals of “running the ball” and “stopping the run” are not going to work. Never mind the decades upon decades of football history that prove this works. Never mind that all the teams in the NFL’s version of the final four (save for the Patriots) have a very solid run attack. Never mind that being able to stop the run makes teams one-dimensional, thereby forcing them to pass and allowing the other team to control the pace of the game.
No, never mind all that. Because Mr. Sorenson wants you to believe that in the modern NFL you only need to be able to blitz and defend the pass. Mr. Sorenson needs to do his homework. The run opens up the pass. The Patriots have one of the best quarterbacks ever throwing to one of the best receivers ever. That’s why they’re so good. Unless Mr. Sorenson wants to pay for Randy Moss in free agency and try to trade for Donovan McNabb, I don’t know what he expects the Panthers to do. Actually, that sounds like a really good idea. I take it all back. If the Panthers pick up Moss and McNabb, then Mr. Sorenson is a genius.
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