SEASON RECAP
Courtesy of FoxSports.com
Start of the year: The Panthers 2014 season was filled with ups and downs, as they finished with a final record of 8-9-1. The Panthers started out of the gate hot, beating the Bucs and Lions in the first two weeks of the season.
Courtesy of NYDailyNews.com
The Doldrums: Then they began a 2 month long struggle that saw losses against the Steelers, Ravens, Packers, Seahawks, Saints, Eagles, Falcons, and Vikings, with only 1 win against the Bears and a surprising tie against Cincy. That put their record at 3-8-1 and even the most die hard Panthers fans were looking at the 2015 NFL Draft with a month left to go in the year. In those games they looked sluggish, out of rhythm, and in the case of the Vikings game, their Special Teams looked absolutely abysmal. The Baltimore game, which forever will be known as the Steve Smith Blood and Guts game, was a 1 man show, with Smitty making Dave Gettleman look foolish for releasing him. Smith finished that game with 7 catches for 139 yards and 2 TDs.
Courtesy of Fan Sided
The Turnaround: Most fans and analysts looked at the Panthers Week 14 match up with the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome as a blowout waiting to happen. Well, it certainly was, but not the way most people expected. The Panthers went into the dome and absolutely dominated the Saints for 60 minutes coming out with a 41-10 victory. J-Stew had 20 carries for 155 yards and a TD, and Cam threw for 226 and 3 TDs along with rushing for 83 yards and another TD. That gave Panthers fans some hope, but they were still sitting with a 4-8-1 record and looked to drafting early come Spring.
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The Accident: Unless you were oblivious during the month of December, you are well aware that Cam Newton should hire a driver to carry him to and from Bank of America Stadium. On December 9, 2014 Cam Newton was involved in a serious accident in Charlotte that left the top of his Ford pickup completely flattened and the Panthers in doubt as to the health of their star QB. Luckily, Newton was only out for 1 week, and Derek Anderson took care of business coming off the bench, as he did earlier in the year against the Bucs, and the Panthers won back to back games for the first time in 3 months.
Courtesy of NFL.com
Wild Regular Season Finish: The Panthers took care of business against the Browns in Week 16 winning 17-13 and in the process potentially started and ended Johnny Football's short tenure in Cleveland. The biggest game of that week though was the Falcons-Saints game, that saw Atlanta steal a win in NOLA and would leave a week 17 winner take all game between the Falcons and Panthers for the NFC South crown. The Falcons were the heavy favorite playing at home, where Carolina has not had much success. However, the Panthers scored early and often in their final regular season game, while making Matt Ryan's day a complete nightmare. The final score was 34-3 and the 7-8-1 Panthers became the first NFC South team to win back to back titles since the division realignment in 2002.
Courtesy of The Chicago Tribune
Playoffs: Carolina drew Arizona in the Wild Card Round and trailed 14-13 at the half, though that was due largely to gifts from the Panthers as their defense refused to let Arizona get anything going on offense. Cam and the running game took off in the 2nd half while the defense continued its dominance and gave up a total of 78 yards, a playoff record, and the Panthers won 27-16. The Panthers traveled to Seattle where they played the defending Superbowl Champs well for 3 quarters, but Wilson and the Seattle secondary proved to be the better team with Kam Chancellor putting on a display of pure athleticism that led to a 31-17 victory for the Seahawks.
OFFSEASON OUTLOOK
Courtesy of Chatsports.com
Cam Newton: It has been looming all year, but this is the first thing the Panthers need to address in 2015. Let's clear up one thing first, outside a major injury or scandal, the Panthers are not letting Cam Newton walk out of Charlotte anytime soon. Since Cam was a first round pick 4 years ago, the Panthers have the option to pick up the 5th year of his rookie contract that would pay him $14.7 million in 2015. The two other options are that they can franchise him, which would cost about $17-18 million, or they can offer him a new contract which would probably cost them about $18-22 million per year. Seeing as how Gettleman knows how to manage his cap space, he'll likely exercise the 5th year option and try and work out a long term deal as the 2015 season progresses, but Cam should remain in Charlotte for the foreseeable long term.
Courtesy of Rantsports.com
Running Back Corps: It pains me to say this, but yesterday's game in Seattle was probably the last game Deangelo Williams will play in a Carolina Panthers uniform. Williams will be 32 in April, and that's ancient in running back years. Williams has been a great running back for Carolina and I for one will be sad to see him go, but it's the right move for the franchise. Williams played in 6 games this year, carried the ball 63 times for 219 yards at 3.5 yards per carry, and scored 0 TDs...all career lows. Williams is set to make $6.3 million in 2015, while Jonathan Stewart who will be 28 in March will be making $8.3 million. That having been said, expect Gettleman to attempt restructure Stewart's deal. Stewart saw a major resurgence in the 2nd half of the season and being that he is 4 years younger than Williams, it makes the decision an easier one as which RB to keep going forward. Fozzy will be 26 next month, and was on a 1 year contract at $495K. The Panthers could bring him back with a slight raise and still get a deal for a No. 2 RB, but expect them to bring in another RB via free agency and/or the draft. As for Toldozer, he'll make $3.425 million next year in the final year of his contract. Tolbert is 29, so it's likely 2015 will be his last year in Carolina.
Courtesy of the News and Observer
Receiving Corps: Kelvin Benjamin played very well this year, with one caveat...drops. He had over 1,000 yards receiving in his rookie year and was clearly the No. 1 WR for the Panthers. However, he also was among the tops in the league in drops. Ricky Proehl will work with Kelvin in the offseason to limit those drops. As for Cotchery, he played like a veteran No. 3 WR. He had 48 catches for 580 yards but only managed 1 TD. He'll be back for 2015, and his salary is low, so it's a decent bargain. Expect Philly Brown, who was undrafted, and will only make $515K next year, to see a bigger role in this offense. He'll be a big X-factor next season. Brenton Bersin never fully reached his potential this year, but he was on a 1 year deal and is only 24. Ideally, he's a No. 4-5 WR and he'll have to earn his spot back for 2015.
Greg Olsen had a phenomenal year, and very deservedly is going to his first Pro Bowl. He lead the team in receptions and along with Benjamin had over 1,000 yards receiving. Olsen will make $7.8 million next year and he's worth that type of money. Ed Dickson was on a one year deal, and while he didn't put up big numbers, did have some big plays down the stretch. I wouldn't be surprised if the Panthers brought him back next year.
The biggest thing the Carolina Panthers need to do to help their receiving corps in 2015 is very simple...Sign Larry Fitzgerald. Larry may not be an elite WR, but he's still a legit No. 1 WR and will help Kelvin Benjamin get better the same way Mushin Muhammad did with Steve Smith. A 3-4 year deal would allow Fitzgerald to finish out his career in Charlotte and give Kelvin Benjamin a great compliment while providing another weapon for Cam.
Courtesy of Bleacher Report
Offensive Line: It was a patchwork group for the Panthers all season. Byron Bell actually did better than expected, but he was still not the caliber of player you expect from your starting left tackle. The Left Tackle free agent market isn't ideal this year, so the Panthers will likely look to the draft to address that need. Ryan Kalil stayed the course as one of the best Centers in football, and will definitely be back next year. Rookie Trai Turner also did a great job at Guard this year, and expect him to remain in Charlotte for quite some time. The line played better than most people thought they would, especially down the stretch, but this team really missed Jordan Gross.
Courtesy of SB Nation
Defensive Line: Regardless of the outcome of Greg Hardy's domestic violence case, it's highly unlikely he'll suit up for Carolina in 2015. While they definitely missed his pass rushing talents, it's not Jerry Richardson's style to bring someone charged with that offense back to the team. Gettleman realized he wouldn't be able to keep Charles Johnson and Hardy at their present salaries, so that made the decision to keep Johnson easy. Johnson will earn an unbelievable amount of money next year, so expect the Panthers to ask him to restructure his deal again. Star's injury certainly hurt against Seattle, but he has been a great DT in his first 2 years. Short and Edwards both had 40 tackles this year and were solid on the D-line. Short has 1 more year on his deal but Edwards is a free agent, so it will be interesting to see if Carolina tries to resign him. The Panthers have Kony Ealy locked up at a discount rate for the next 3 years, which will give him some time to improve after his rookie year.
Courtesy of Panthers.com
Linebackers: Kuechly and Davis were both fantastic this year. It's pretty safe to say Kuechly is officially the best LB in football. Thomas Davis's recorded 100 tackles this year and along with Kuechly helped make up arguably the best LB tandem in the NFL. A.J. Klein rounds out the LB corps, and can more than hold his own. The Panthers are pretty set in this area for the time being.
Courtesy of The Charlotte Observer
Secondary: If there was an Achilles heel to the Panthers defense it was the secondary. Josh Norman and Bene Benwikere are more than capable NFL corners. Norman, despite his personal foul troubles, has stepped up this year. Benwikere did not start out as the team's No. 2 CB, but he certainly ended the season as it. That's the good news. The bad news is that the free safety situation with Thomas DeCoud and Tre Boston leaves a lot to be desired, but with Boston being a rookie, some of that may just be growing pains. Roman Harper had some bright moments this season, and he'll be back in 2015 to play out the remainder of his contract. I have been impressed with Colin Jones hitting ability to truck WRs, but his coverage skills could use some work. It's likely Gettleman will do what he's done his first two years regarding the secondary, build through the draft and bring in established veteran free agents on short term contracts and let them compete for the position.
Courtesy of Yahoo Sports
Special Teams: Graham Gano's job is safe; so is Brad Nortman's. The problem is on the return side of the ball. The lack of a viable Punt and Kickoff Returner like Ted Ginn, Jr. was glaring. Bersin is not a viable punt or kickoff returner. He's just not, and all season that was clear to anyone who watched the Panthers play. The field position the Panthers garnered last year with Ginn was not anywhere close to being present this season. This is a major position of need Carolina needs to address in the Spring.
Courtesy of Zimbio.com
With the 2015 NFL Season officially underway for the Panthers, let's hope they do something to address their positions of need and 3-Peat as NFC South Champs. Keep Pounding!
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