No more pity for Smitty

For the past few years, Steve Smith has had the burden of the entire Panthers offense on his shoulders. In 2008 however, that looks to change for the better.

No more are Keary Colbert and Drew Carter the guys supposed to help scare opposing defenses. Both were let walk in free agency in the offseason, and the Panthers signed old friend Muhsin Muhammed and newcomer D.J. Hackett to replace them. Muhammed and Smith teamed up in 2002 and 2003 as the Panthers’ starting wideouts and combined for 259 receptions, 3642 yards, and 16 touchdowns as well as 33 catches, 756 yards, and 5 scores in the 2003 postseason. Moose is also a great blocking receiver.

Hackett was signed to a low-risk, 2-year deal in the offseason and will compete with Moose for the second starting receiver gig.  After being placed on IR his entire rookie year, Hackett compiled 105 catches for 1394 yards and 9 touchdowns in the three injury-plagued seasons that followed. As of now, Hackett is healthy and looking to show the NFL what he can do.

And with Jonathan Stewart replacing DeFumblin’ Foster in the backfield to pair with DeAngelo Williams, Smitty shouldn’t have to worry about being the entire Panthers offense again. Here’s hoping for a vastly improved Carolina offense in 2008.

A game of numbers

I believe it was the Charlotte Observer website that did a bit about this topic, but it stuck with me so I’ll talk about it as well.

Whenever a high-profile player joins a new team through the Draft or free agency, they normally will try to keep the same number that they’ve been known by throughout their career. Generally, if another player on the new team already wears that number, the two strike some sort of monetary deal for the transfer. But twice this offseason a new Panther found his number being worn by another, and twice that number was given back freely.

When Mushin Muhammed returned to the team after spending three years in Chicago, his career number of 87 was on the jersey of tight end Jeff King. So when Moose gave King a call about the number, I’m sure he was surprised to learn that the third-year player was completely willing to give up the number, no strings attached. King will wear 47 now instead.

Throughout rookie minicamp, first-round pick Jonathan Stewart took the number 29 after wearing 28 his entire career at Oregon. But once again, when Stewart asked the man wearing his old number, reserve safety Quinton Teal, it was given to him without cost. Teal simply switched with him and is now wearing 29 with Stewart owning his comfortable 28.

These types of happenings may not be breaking news or huge headline material, but i love to hear things like this because it just means that there will be great chemistry in the locker room between the new guys and those returning. And strong player chemistry is one major ingredient of any championship team.

Rhys’ Pieces

While the last original Panther, kicker John Kasay, is probably in no way fighting for a job, he might find himself one of two placekickers to make the final roster this year.

Rhys Lloyd (pronounced “reese,” for those of you who didn’t get the title), a kicker born in Dover, England, could very well earn a roster spot in 2008 due to his powerful leg. The son of a former pro soccer player, Lloyd moved to Minnesota in 1997 and at first participated in only soccer and track at his high school. His potential as a football kicker was discovered by his school’s football coach during his sophomore year. He chose to continue to play football at the University of Minnesota, where he was best known for his game-winning kick against Oregon in the 2003 Sun Bowl. Lloyd went undrafted in the 2005 NFL Draft, but has spent time with the Ravens and Packers organizations.

During the 2007 season, John Kasay sent only two of his kickoffs into the endzone for touchbacks, a number that Lloyd equaled in his one game appearance in the season finale at Tampa Bay. He has since signed a two-year contract with the Panthers.

While I’m sure some would dislike using up three roster spots on kickers (the third being punter Jason Baker), Lloyd stands a great chance of making the team as a kickoff specialist, with Kasay continuing to kick field goals until he chooses to retire. I wouldn’t mind both being on the roster, as I love Kasay, but Lloyd could be the future longtime kicker for Carolina. This will be an interesing story to follow during the offseason.

Jarrett pleads guilty to DWI charges

Dwayne Jarrett has pleaded guilty to DWI charges stemming from an April 11 arrest in which police registered Jarrett’s blood-alcohol level at .12, above North Carolina’s legal limit of .08.

As punishment, Jarrett has surrendered his driver’s license, owes over $400 in court fees, and must complete 24 hours of community service. He also is now entered in the first level of the NFL’s substance abuse program, which makes him susceptible to more frequent random testing.

Had Jarrett had a rookie season closer to what Panthers fans were hoping for, this story would merely be an “okay-that’s-bad-now-forget-about-it” type story. However, with Jarrett now under the microscope this story will sadly only provide more ammo for fans to use against him. I hope he has learned his lesson and realizes how lucky he is to have not physically harmed himself or anyone else by driving drunk. Time to get it together, Dwayne.

Matt has no Moore to prove

 

To the coaches at least.

Matt Moore currently sits comfortably as the No. 2 quarterback on the Panthers depth chart after Carolina chose not to sign a veteran backup or draft another young arm to back up sure starter Jake Delhomme. It’s rather amazing that the undrafted signal-caller proved so much to the Panthers coaching staff in such little time last season. In only three starts and some garbage time at the end of games where I’m sure he was told to go in and just sling the ball around, Moore apparently showed them that he was capable of coming in and leading the team if Delhomme were to be injured or slowed by his reconstructed elbow.

It’s no secret that Moore is easily the biggest love/hate thing to go through the fanbase in a long, long time. Some point to his 85.6 passer rating in those three starts and the fact that he led the team to victories in two of those starts against three playoff-bound teams. Others point to Tampa Bay playing their backups and the defense stepping up for a change in those three games. The argument can go back and forth for as long as the two sides are willing to participate, but neither the love nor the hate sides determine the backup spot, or any other spot for that matter. Ultimately, Moore has shown what needs to be shown to the guys who actually make the decisions, and apparently his showing is good enough to get him a firm footing at his position on the depth chart.

Some positive predictions

WhatIfSports.com has been releasing division-by-division predictions and rankings for each NFL team over the past couple days as “part of a broader endeavor with FOXSports.com’s Fantasy Football.” The NFC South division was previewed yesterday and, surprisingly, the Panthers were the team selected to win the division. Click here to view their full analysis of the NFC South. Their simulations of the 2008 season gave Carolina the 7th overall ranking in both total offense and total defense. An interesting read.

Godfrey really a Godsend?

Charles Godfrey, the first of the Panthers two third-round selections in the 2008 NFL Draft, is facing some extremely high expectations as a rookie. After being switched from safety to cornerback during his sophomore year at Iowa, Godfrey is being switched back to the free safety position for his new NFL team. Terrence Holt, a sixth-year veteran with three years of starting experience, signed a one-year deal in the offseason and seemed to be penciled in as the starter beside Chris Harris at safety. But even as soon as the Panthers minicamp and OTA’s, Godfrey has been inserted into the first-team defense - and even has drawn praises from figures such as Steve Smith and John Fox. Godfrey runs the 40 yard dash under 4.4 seconds and allowed no touchdowns to be scored against him as a senior cornerback at Iowa. But is it really fair to expect him to hold down the fort at free safety from day one in the NFL? Not to be the pessimist, but that just seems like a lot to ask of a guy who hasn’t played the position as a starter his entire college career. But, given John Fox’s natural tendency to play the veteran over the youngster, Godfrey must’ve really impressed the coaching staff to some major extent. I for one thought that Holt would be the starter this season at the position due to his experience, not necessarily should be, but would be the starter.

Here’s hoping to another young defensive cornerstone emerging in Charles Godfrey.

It really makes ya wonder…

Amid all the quarterback uncertainities the current Carolina Panthers face are the questions such as: will Jake Delhomme be fully recovered from Tommy John surgery? how many more years does he have left? is Matt Moore really the future? or even a capable backup? why didn’t the Panthers sign a veteran backup? or draft a youngster to groom?

But, had owner Jerry Richardson had his way back in 1998, the only question about the Carolina quarterback situation would be about soon Brett Favre’s all-time records would fall at the hands of the Panthers’ signal-caller.

Back in 1998, Jerry Richardson and the Panthers coveted Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning. The Panthers held the 14th overall pick in the Draft and had seemingly worked out a trade with the Indianapolis Colts for the No. 1 overall pick - and the shot at drafting Manning. But for some reason or another, the trade fell through at the last minute. The Panthers wound up taking defensive tackle Jason Peter out of Nebraska. If you’ve never heard of him, that’s exactly the point. Now, I love Jake and all, but it really makes you wonder that oh-so horrible question of “what if?” What if that trade had gone through and Peyton Manning donned the black and blue every Sunday? How much different would this team be?

Just some food for thought.