Meet the New Panthers

The Carolina Panthers are already in the process of rebuilding for next season, and although yesterday’s blog outlined the moves the Panthers will be looking to make once this year’s NFL draft rolls around, the team has already gotten a head start on its restocking by signing (or re-signing) a handful of players to future contracts, which will be active with the start of next year’s league (February 27, officially.) Panthers set to storm the practice field next season are as follows:

•DeCori Birmingham (Running back): Former Arkansas player; was on Carolina’s practice squad last season and has also seen time on the practice fields with the Patriots, Jets, 49ers, Giants and Colts.

•Casper Brinkley (Defensive end): Former South Carolina player; was signed as a rookie undrafted free agent last year by the Panthers.

•Joe Fields (Safety): Former Syracuse player; has been with the Panthers since signing as an undrafted free agent last May.

•Kevin McMahan (Wide receiver): Former Maine player; joined the Panthers practice squad last December and has also been on the practice squads of the Giants and Chiefs.

•Jonathan Palmer (Offensive lineman): Former Auburn player; joined the Panthers practice squad last September and has also been on the practice squads of the Eagles, Steelers and Raiders.

•Lorenzo Williams, (Defensive tackle): Former Mizzou player; added to the Panthers practice squad last December and has also practiced with the Ravens.

Other players said to join the Panthers for next season include linebacker Jeremy Leman, defensive tackle Patrick McDonald and fullback Nehemiah Broughton.

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Anticipating Carolina’s Moves

Now that the Carolina Panthers are out of the playoffs and back to rebuilding for next season, speculation regarding next year’s roster is abuzz in Charlotte. Yesterday’s blog talked about defensive end Julius Peppers possibly leaving the team, but Peppers is not the only player that could leave the Panthers before next season. A few other positions could see new players next year, as well, and these spots that need beefing up are as follows:

•Defensive end: If Peppers does leave the team, Tyler Brayton will take his place, but the Panthers could look to find another pass rusher or two to make up for Peppers’ absence.

•Offensive tackle: The Panthers put a franchise tag on Jordan Gross this season, but they’ll have to pay him more to get him to stay. Rookie Jeff Otah was iffy this year, missing four games total with injuries. How will he perform next year? If Gross leaves, the only other tackle the team will have is backup Frank Omiyale, who has only started one game in his entire career. Look for the Panthers to stock up on offensive tackles if Gross does leave the team.

•Fullback: 32-year-old Brad Hoover is one of the team’s best players, but is he close to retiring? The Panthers may need to get another fullback on the back burner before he does.

•Quarterback: Jake Delhomme will undoubtedly be back next year, but the QB is also nearing retirement. With backups Matt Moore and Brett Basanez doing little to prove they’re worthy of starting, the Panthers are on the prowl for a young QB they can mold into the next Tom Brady.

•Defensive tackle: Ma’ake Kemoeatu is solid, but another 6’5”, 345-pound defensive tackle would be nice to have around, as well.

•Wide Receiver: Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad have it covered for now, but Carolina’s depth (or lack thereof) in the WR pool is thin.

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What’s the Deal with Jake Delhomme?

Saturday’s NFC divisional playoff game was a letdown for the Carolina Panthers and fans. Okay, not just a letdown; it was downright embarrassing. Carolina QB Jake Delhomme threw a whopping five interceptions in the game, leading to a 13-33 loss for the second-ranked Panthers in a shocking Arizona victory. While playing the blame game is never entirely accurate or helpful, fingers have undoubtedly been pointed in the direction of Delhomme, who played the worst game of his entire career in last week’s Panthers-Cardinals matchup.

Despite mixed feelings coming from all sides of Charlotte, Panthers coach John Fox still has faith in the veteran, announcing earlier this week that Delhomme would once again be the starting QB for the Panthers next season. On the whole, Delhomme is still a standout quarterback, having a 55-34 record as a starter for Carolina and getting the team out of several sticky situations this season (he’s ranked fifth in the league with his fourth-quarter rating of 97.8.)

While we know Delhomme will be back next year to throw for the Carolina Panthers, other options that are available in his absence are backup Josh McCown, third-stringer Matt Moore and practice-teamer Brett Basanez, who are already on Carolina’s roster. Other quarterbacks up for grabs as unrestricted free agents after this year are Kurt Warner, Kerry Collins, Jeff Garcia, Rex Grossman, J.T. O’Sullivan and Byron Leftwich, and with the Patriots rumored to put a franchise tag on Matt Cassel, he could be a hot commodity this year, as well.

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Uncertainty Surrounding Peppers

Despite a devastating loss last week to the Arizona Cardinals that knocked the Carolina Panthers out of the playoffs, Julius Peppers is still sitting pretty, coming off a season with a career-high 14.5 sacks in and being hailed one of Carolina’s best defensive players, selected to play in his fourth Pro Bowl. The defensive end’s contract will expire on February 26, leaving his fate with the Panthers in the air as he is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next month. With a disappointing end to the season with Carolina and with other teams scouting him out, one question arises: will Julius Peppers return to the Panthers next season?

If Carolina isn’t able to sign the very pricey Peppers to a long-term contract extension before his contract expires, the team could put a franchise tag on him, which would go for a price tag of around $17 million (he’s expected to make at least $13 million per season – one of the highest-paid defensive players in the league.) If Peppers is franchised, Carolina could either trade him to another team for one or two high draft picks (the Panthers gave up a first-round pick entering last year’s NFL draft to get tackle Jeff Otah from Philadelphia) or have him play under a one-year offer in 2009 as tackle Jordan Gross did this year. As of right now, nothing is for certain, so stick around for the latest news on Julius Peppers and the Carolina Panthers!

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Carolina Gets Manhandled in NFC Divisional Game

Saturday may have been Jake Delhomme’s birthday, but the only party the Carolina quarterback witnessed this weekend was the Arizona Cardinals defense throwing a surprise celebration for him — in the form of interceptions and turnovers. In a devastating 33-13 loss on Saturday, the Carolina Panthers seemed almost defenseless as Cardinals Antrel Rolle, Roderick Hood, Gerald Hayes, Ralph Brown and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie all took turns abusing the Carolina team, each player coming away with an interception. Delhomme was the source for six turnovers (five interceptions and one fumble) in the divisional game, allowing the Cardinals to score 23 of their 33 total points off the turnovers.

Arizona also put a stop to the Panthers’ normally explosive rushing game, holding DeAngelo Williams to 63 yards and Jonathan Stewart to just 12 yards. Receiving stats for the Panthers weren’t any better, as Muhsin Muhammad led the team with receiving yards totaling 55, while Steve Smith had 43, Jonathan Stewart 39, Dante Rosario 28 and Dwayne Jarrett 27. Despite playing a less-than stellar game against the Cardinals on Saturday, the Panthers still had a tremendous year, going 12-4 in the regular season while coming a long way from the days of Steve Smith’s preseason suspension.

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Carolina-Arizona Preview

If history says anything, the Carolina Panthers should be safe tomorrow in knocking out the Arizona Cardinals once again. Earlier this season, the Panthers came back from a 14-point deficit in the second half of play against Arizona to down the Cards 27-23, and that’s not all. In 2007 (with Jake Delhomme out with an elbow injury,) Vinny Testaverde led the Panthers to a crushing 25-10 win over the Cardinals, and in 2005 Carolina came back from behind once again to beat Arizona 24-20 in a Week 5 matchup of NFL play.

When it comes to this year’s Panthers, the powerful combination of DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart and Steve Smith has been a huge challenge for all competitors this season, and it will be no different with the Arizona Cardinals. The Cards, however, have one of the best defenses in the league, having allowed just one run of 40 or more yards all season. This fact may indeed change Carolina’s explosive running game in tomorrow’s NFC divisional game, but Arizona’s offense is shakier than its defense, so look for a tight matchup there with Carolina’s defense. Tomorrow’s game is what Carolina has been playing hard for all season, so stay tuned to all the action at Bank of America Stadium as the Panthers try to make it one step further in their Super Bowl quest!

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Panthers Finally See Healthy Offensive and Defensive Lines

It’s been said that good things come in threes, and this is most certainly true for the Carolina Panthers, who look to have three of their best linemen back in the action on the football field after injuries swept over the team in the latter part of the season. Defensive tackles Damione Lewis and Maake Kemoeatu as well as offensive tackle Jeff Otah have all been spending significant time on the sidelines lately, but Panthers coach John Fox has recently released a statement saying the team should be at full strength for Saturday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, meaning these three key players are expected to return.

Lewis suffered a shoulder injury during the Panthers-Giants game on Dec. 21 and has been confined to riding the bike for practice since then, calling it “road rage.” Kemoeatu suffered an ankle injury in the team’s Dec. 14 game against Denver and has been sitting out ever since, while Otah injured his toe on Dec. 28 in Carolina’s game against New Orleans. All three players have had time to heal (thanks especially to last week’s bye,) and the three anxious players all practiced with the team yesterday, which is good news to all Panthers fans.

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A Season in Review

The Carolina Panthers are enjoying time in the spotlight as the playoffs continue, and they should. They’ve earned the recognition this season. As Saturday’s game draws closer, the Panthers could be out of the Super Bowl running in less than three hours, yet some of this season’s plays and memories will stick in the minds of Panthers fans the rest of the year.

The Charlotte Observer and Carolina Panthers Jake Delhomme, DeAngelo Williams and Jon Beason all selected a list of top 10 plays of the season that got them to where they are today, including (from number five to number one):

•Kicker John Kasay’s redemption shot of a 42-yard field goal with :06 left in the game against New Orleans one week after missing a similar one against the Giants, this time allowing the Panthers to win, 33-31.

•Jon Beason’s interception against Arizona’s Kurt Warner, leading to the Panthers’ 27-23 win over the Cards.

•Steve Smith jumping over two Packers in a nearly impossible 54-yard catch that ultimately took Carolina to a scoring run by DeAngelo Williams.

•Smith reenacting his play in Green Bay four weeks later, when he had a similar 39-yard catch against New Orleans.

•Dante Rosario’s one and only touchdown of the season, which came at a highly opportune time in the season opener against the Chargers, when Rosario held onto a 14-yard touchdown pass in the final play of the game.

And the Panthers aren’t finished with the big plays yet.

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Glancing At the Super Bowl Path

As the path to the Super Bowl keeps becoming clearer and clearer for the Carolina Panthers, just three teams now stand in the way of this Jake Delhomme-led team to stand atop the NFC, guaranteeing a spot for the cats in Super Bowl XLIII. The Arizona Cardinals and either the Philadelphia Eagles or the New York Giants will be the final forces in whether or not the Panthers go all the way this year, and things are looking good for this tough Carolina pack.

This weekend, the Panthers will take on the Cards in an NFC divisional game, and all odds are on Carolina to come away with a victory. The pass-happy Cardinals have been a threat to the Panthers so far this season, but with receiver Anquan Boldin looming as a big question mark as of right now, it gives Carolina an edge over this weekend’s Panthers-Cardinals matchup. Should the Panthers win this weekend, they will play either the Giants or the Eagles next week for the NFC championship. Carolina has already battled the Giants this season, just barely taking a loss after losing 34-28 in overtime. Ready for revenge, these Panthers are definitely in the running to be Super Bowl contenders.

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Next Up: Arizona

The Carolina Panthers have blazed a trail through the NFL this season, and after earning a bye last week in the starting round on the playoffs while sitting as the number two seed in the NFC, the Panthers are gearing up for next week’s game against the recently-determined Arizona Cardinals. After fending off the Atlanta Falcons Saturday in the NFC Wild Card game, the Cards will take the week to lick their wounds and prepare for the upcoming game against the Carolina Panthers on Saturday at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium, and all looks well for the Panthers in the upcoming battle.

Last time the two teams met this season, Carolina rallied to beat Arizona 27-23 at home despite Kurt Warner’s 381 yards. On top of this, Arizona Pro Bowler Anquan Boldin may be sitting this week’s game out after injuring a hamstring in the second quarter of Saturday’s game against the Falcons. The Cardinals haven’t been in the playoffs since 1998, but the Carolina Panthers are hungry for a postseason win as well, so this upcoming weekend’s NFC showdown will be one memorable and exciting game for both Carolina and Arizona fans both. Stay tuned for more as the game draws nearer!

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