CAROLINA PANTHERS

Five Important questions going into the 2010 season

Desmond Johnson

            Welcome, Panthers faithful!  Many of you know me as your fearless reporter for SportsCarolina Monthly.  This is a monthly column that will track our home state Panthers with Five questions for each month based on where we are record and moral wise.  High hopes are running wild with this year’s young team.  So without further ado…

1. Can Matt Moore run this offense and be a leader of the team???  Maybe the REAL question should be why we didn’t let Moore run the offense after week 1 of the 2009 season.  Moore started 5 games at the end of the 2009 season, helping beat the stuffing out of the Vikings in a very important game for them, the Giants in the last game ever in the Meadowlands, who were also fighting for a playoff spot, and the World Champion New Orleans Saints.  Moore went 4-1, yet the Panthers still drafted QB’s Jimmy Clausen and Tony Pike.  Clausen was a value pick but Pike?  Plus 2^nd year QB Hunter Cantwell appears to be performing better this year also.  Make no mistake, its Moore’s job to lose.  Moore throws a tighter ball than Jake Delhomme and it has a funny habit of hitting actual receivers instead of defensive players.  Look for Moore to be the breakout player of the year. Not for the Panthers, for the entire league.
2. Who will start in the backfield, Deangelo Williams or Jonathan Stewart?  My money is on Deangelo.  He’s my favorite of the two backs, due to his speed.  Williams reminds me of Marshall Faulk in terms of open field speed.  Stewart is a grind it out back that can also break a long run.  Both backs rushed for 1100 yards last season, a NFL record.  Teams will gear up against the run when playing the Panthers, sometimes even putting an unheard of nine guys in the box to protect against “Double Trouble”.  You know the cool thing about it?  The Panthers don’t care.  I’ve watched them do draw plays on 3^rd and 10 and get 13 yards on it.  They believe.  The running backs and the offensive line are top five in the NFL, talent wise.
3. Who will replace Julius Peppers?  The quick answer is no one.  Defensive Coordinator Ron Meeks will use a rotation of players including DE Tyler Brayton, DE Charles Johnson and DE Everette Brown.  Brown will be used primarily for passing downs though.  Look for most of the pressure to come from the linebacking group and the secondary on zone blitzes.
4. Why would the Panthers move LB Jon Beason to outside linebacker even though he wants to stay in the middle?  This was done not by choice.  When OLB Thomas Davis went down a few months ago with an injury to the same ACL he hurt in 2009 it left a spot on our roster that was deep incredibly thin.  Beason moves to weak side linebacker.  In Meeks’ defense the weakside linebacker makes the “plays” .  Think Derrick Brooks from Tampa Bay.  Former All-American Dan Conner will move to middle linebacker and James Anderson will man the strong side position.  An injury here could be devastating to this unit.
5. What happens to John Fox after this year?  Who knows?  Probably depends on the outcome of the season.  If we have another lackluster, subpar season…Fox is probably gone (my theory is that he wants the New York Giants position and will take it when they fire Coughlin).  Fox wants top five coach money and Owner Jerry Richardson hasn’t tipped his hand to whether or not he will get it.  Fox is the third longest tenured coach currently in the NFL and people seem divided on his future.  But its not just Fox…the ENTIRE coaching staff is in their final year of their contracts as well.  Richardson is on the committee that is negotiating to avoid a lockout in 2011 and didn’t give out any large contracts to any players or coaches during the offseason.  It remains to be seen if Fox stays, but my gut says he’s out the door at the end of the season and wants to end on a good note.  Bill Cowher fans, wait one more year….

BONUS QUESTION!!!  Who will start opposite WR Steve Smith as the #2 receiver?  My money is still on 4^th year receiver Dwayne Jarrett getting the nod first, but words out of camp are encouraging for rookies Brandon Lafell and Armanti Edwards.  Appalachian State WR Dexter Jackson has also made a good impression.  It remains to be seen, but Im willing to bet that its either Jarrett or Lafell.  Remember the years Moore was 2^nd string, so was Jarrett so they have had a lot of snaps together…

Schedule 2010

Sunday 9/12/10 Away NY Giants 1:00pm (FOX)

Sunday 9/19/10 Home Tampa Bay Bucs 1:00pm (FOX)

Sunday 9/26/10 Home Cincinnati Bengals 1:00pm (CBS)

Sunday 10/03/10 Away New Orleans Saints 1:00pm (FOX)

Sunday 10/10/10  Home Chicago Bears 1:00pm (FOX)

Bye Week

Sunday 10/24/10 Home San Francisco 49ers 1:00 (FOX)

Sunday 10/31/10 Home St Louis Rams 1:00pm (FOX)

Sunday  11/07/10 Home  New Orleans Saints 1:00pm (FOX)

Sunday 11/14/10 Away Tampa Bay Bucs 1:00pm (FOX)

Sunday 11/21/10 Home Baltimore Ravens 1:00pm (CBS)

Sunday 11/28/10 Away Cleveland Browns 1:00pm (FOX)

Sunday 12/05/10 Away Seattle Seahawks 4:15pm (FOX)

Sunday 12/12/10 Home Atlanta Falcons 1:00pm (FOX)

Sunday 12/19/10 Home Arizona Cardinals 1:00pm (FOX)

Thursday 12/23/10 Away Pittsburgh Steelers 8:20pm (NFL Network)

Sunday 12/30/10 Away Atlanta Falcons 1:00pm (FOX)