Panthers Sign Milford Brown
The Carolina Panthers are still signing free agents. Apparently bothered by the continued insinuation that the Panthers have somehow not been aggressive enough in the free agent market (though I have vehemently defended them against this claim for weeks on this blog), the Panthers signed free agent offensive tackle Milford Brown. Contract terms have not yet been disclosed, but one could once again reasonably assume that the Panthers were not paying top dollar for the services of Brown. They likely got the versatile lineman at a discount.
Though Brown is a bit of a journeyman with his own set of flaws as a player, he is exactly the type of player the Panthers will need for their new-look offensive line this season. After a year in which the team allowed their premiere quarterback to become injured and go down for the season, Carolina has obviously decided they need a better O-line. With all the moves they’ve made, it would appear they have succeeded in their quest to improve their team in the offensive trenches. This should go a long way to helping Carolina get back to the playoffs.
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Panthers might get Robertson
The Carolina Panthers have been extremely aggressive this offseason. While their fans weren’t impressed at first, desiring the big name contract that the Panthers could really hang their hats on, they waited and waited until they realized that their team was quietly filling their roster with talented yet underpriced role players who would fit into the Carolina system very nicely. When the Panthers finally signed D.J. Hackett, the detractors even had the solid name player that they could use when they said, “No, see, we signed D.J. Hackett. We were aggressive.”
Well those people should be very happy to learn that the Carolina Panthers could soon acquire Dewayne Robertson from the New York Jets. The Jets are fielding offers from multiple teams, and the Carolina Panthers are on that list. Robertson was the fourth overall pick in the 2003 draft and would be the big name that the Carolina Panthers fans have been clamoring for all offseason. It hasn’t happened yet, but if the Panthers could pull it off, that would be a huge coup for the Panthers. Here’s hoping they can pick up such a great player without having to give up too much in return.
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Muhammad Rips on His Former Team
There are many different types of breakups. There are breakups that totally destroy your life, where you never really get over the other person for years to the point that your friends are kind of tired of hearing about it. There are breakups that are dirty and hurtful where both parties break each other’s possessions, and it gets really ugly at the end. Then there are amicable breakups, where you realize that it’s just not working out, and the two parties go their separate ways on friendly terms. Well, according to this article, the Muhsin Muhammad/Chicago Bears breakup was not amicable in the slightest.
Muhammad went on a local radio show in his new city and had a few choice words for his old team. In particular he said the Bears locker room had “no class.” You can hear the comments pertaining to the Bears right here. Or you can listen in to the entire interview if you’d like to get the comments completely within context. I’m not really sure what went down between the Chicago Bears and Muhsin Muhammad while he was in Chicago or when he was leaving. However, it is clear that whatever happened left a rift between Muhammad and the team that will not soon be mended.
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Panthers Sign a Fattee
It’s the offseason, in case you hadn’t noticed. It is still that dead period between free agent moves of actual importance and the all-important NFL draft. As such, the good journalists all over this country are forced to come up with nonstories about basically nothing. They give us retrospectives, lists, and any multitude of of other stories that only half-pertain to what is going on with the world of the NFL, be they write-ups on possible pre-draft needs, low level free agent signings of men who might not even make the cut of your team, answers to grumbling players, or just plain lists of all time greats.
The Charlotte Observer is reporting that the Panthers made yet another move in free agency. This time, the Panthers signed guard Tanui Fanoti. Fanoti was a second-round draft by the Chargers a few years ago, but has battled injuries that led to weight issues throughout this career. The Panthers likely got Fanoti at an extreme discount, and they are hopeful that the player can get his weight under control and turn back into the dominant guard he once was. If this gamble plays off, the Panthers will look like absolute geniuses.
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Panthers Hope Free Agent Risks Pan Out
If you’ve been following the Carolina Panthers during the offseason, then you definitely know how busy they have been. The Panthers hit the ground running during free agency, and they have not looked back since. While their moves may have lacked that one definitive marquee free agent signing the Panthers fans were looking for, the team certainly did a lot to help itself in many areas of the game, finding role players and solid pieces to fit their game plan. Now, with free agency on the wane and many people looking ahead to the draft, some pundits are starting to take stock of Carolina’a offseason so far.
This article take a look at Carolina’s offseason and wonders “Will the Panthers’ offseason risks equate to on-the-field rewards?” I have been extolling the virtues of the Panthers’ free agent signings ever since they began. I believe the Panthers have the chance to be one of the NFL’s most improved teams in the 2008 season. I believe that with a solid draft, this team could continue to shore up some of their problem areas, and they’ve already made some moves that should improve the Panthers immediately next season, especially on offense.
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Carolina Panthers 2007 Season Stats Breakdown
The end-all stat for any team is their overall record, so for the Panthers it was a 7-9 season, through and through. They started out with some good offensive flourishes, ran into some quarterback trouble and stumbled through the middle of the season, then steadied the ship and finished winning three out of the last five. Let’s see how the numbers broke down.
The worst Panthers stats were recorded by the passing game (though with all the switching at QB that might be expected). Carolina only managed to accrue 2,735 total passing yards in 2007, good for 29th in the league in that stat. Of course, after the passing game started to decline they turned up the rushing game. However, with only 7 total rushing TDs on the season (24th in the league), the Panthers still struggled to score points. On a positive note, Carolina was middle-of-the-pack in rushing yards per carry (4.0) thanks to DeAngelo Williams’ 5.0 Y/A.
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Free Safety Holt Signed by Panthers
The Charlotte Observer is reporting that the Carolina Panthers have signed free safety Terrence Holt. The Panthers have a definite need at free safety, and they must have felt that Holt would be a good fit in their system. Holt did his playing in college for the North Carolina State Wolfpack, so this is a homecoming of sorts for him. He was recently cut by the Cardinals after failing to perform in his first year in Arizona. The Panthers are hoping that a change of scenery can help revive Holt’s career and bring him back to the level of play he showed in his time with the Detroit Lions.
I feel this is a solid gamble for the Panthers. Holt did not perform up to expectations for the Cardinals, but because of that the Panthers likely got him at a major discount. They can try him out for a year and take a free safety in one of the middle rounds of the draft. The two players can then compete for the starting position, which will mean both of them will have to raise their level of play. This would be a win/win for the Panthers, who will get a solid free safety without having to pay out the nose for him. The Panthers are having a great offseason.
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Panthers Draft Needs
The Carolina Panthers have had an exceptional offseason so far. There are few teams in the NFL who have been as aggressive in free agency as the Panthers. And, rather impressively, the Panthers have managed to be aggressive without overspending. Now, it is time for Carolina to turn their attention to the draft. This article details the Panthers’ draft day needs, in convenient bullet point form. They outline each of the Panthers’ needs at various positions, and then go on to quickly detail the reasons why each position was placed as highly on the priority list as it was.
Without ruining the whole article for you, the list is as follows, listed from highest priority to lowest on their list: offensive tackle, defensive end, free safety, defensive tackle and running back. I could fall in line with that list pretty much top to bottom. The Panthers are in dire need of line help, as they have been getting killed in the trenches the last two seasons. A free safety would provide a very solid anchor to their defense, so I could see them trying to pick one of those up. I don’t really know about running back. I think they have a solid running back, but perhaps bringing in a young backup could work.
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Panthers Scout Top Prospects
You know I say it all the time. It’s a terribly slow time of year in terms of football news. To be honest, whether you’re a pro or college team, right now making the news is not entirely a good thing. It seems lately that the only teams making big news are the teams who are signing big time free agents, and if your team is signing big time free agents, then you’re likely attempting to get better because you weren’t the best last year. Or, you might be making news for other unsavory affairs (like losing half your defense or being embroiled in a cheating scandal, just to cover the two Super Bowl teams), which is never good either.
While the Panthers have fallen into the category of “making news for making moves” after a lackluster 2007 season, they have managed to put a very positive spin on their offseason so far. Now, with most of their free agent signings behind them, the Panthers have turned their attention to the draft. Carolina was among the teams gathered to watch players from Boston College work out. They have also been checking out players from Miami. The Panthers are likely to draft an offensive tackle with their first round draft pick this April.
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Hackett Signs with Panthers
I reported last week that former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver D.J. Hackett had expressed interest in visiting with the Panthers. Apparently the team expressed its interest in the receiver, because now I can report that D.J. Hackett has signed with the Carolina Panthers. Hackett’s contract will pay him 3.5 million dollars over the next two seasons, during which time he should provide an excellent complimentary receiver to Steve Smith. Hackett is a very talented receiver who has been mired in the overabundance of receivers in Seattle as of late. He should fit in nicely in Carolina.
Hopefully, this signing is the one that finally quiets the masses in Carolina. Hackett is certainly exactly the kind of receiver the Panthers needed, and adding both him and Muhammad to their receiving corps should bolster that unit significantly. Jake Delhomme will have plenty of new targets in the upcoming season, and the younger Carolina receivers will have a chance to mature and grow at a slower pace with less pressure and expectation. All in all, this was a great signing for the Panthers. I am really impressed with the way they have handled their offseason business.
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