Yes. The Carolina Panthers are for real, and I'll explain why.
CAM NEWTON
Experts and analysts have been saying Cam Newton is having a MVP caliber season. If you look solely at the numbers, he's not. He ranks 26th in Passing Yards, 30th in Completion Percentage, 28th in QB rating, and he has 9 Touchdowns to 7 Interceptions. Those numbers aren't even close to being a mediocre QB, let alone someone in the category of being a considered the Most Valuable Player in the league.
Here's where he is shining though. He's rushed for 245 yards, averaging 4.5 yards per carry, with 4 Touchdowns. Those 4 TDs are tied for 4th in the league. That's not among QBs, but all players. Here's a list of Running Backs Cam Newton has more rushing touchdowns than this year, and keep in mind the Panthers have already had their BYE week: Frank Gore, Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson, DeMarco Murray, Doug Martin, Marshawn Lynch, and Matt Forte.
If you're looking for gaudy passing stats, here's some information you may find interesting, the No. 1 QB in the league based on Passing Yards is Philip Rivers, and his team is 2-5. The top QB in the league in terms of Completion Percentage is Brandon Weeden, who is 0-2 in his two starts this year, and recently got replaced by Matt Cassel. The point being, while yards and completion percentage are nice, those numbers can be skewed by garbage time yards, when the game is already over, and the QB has to throw the ball to come from behind. Cam had his best statistical season in 2011, his rookie year, and that team was 6-10. In contrast, the Panthers are 6-0 right now.
So, why is Cam part of the reason the Panthers are winning?
He's playing in a Run-First system, and he's a weapon running and throwing the football. I can't believe I'm about to write this, but Mike Shula was a better Offensive Coordinator than Chip Kelly on Sunday Night. His play calling was far better. The Panthers won the game by 11 points, and if it hadn't been for a Ted Ginn fumble (that was not an Interception, as Ginn had the ball wrestled away from him after maintaining possession and taking multiple steps, not to mention he was arguably down before he lost possession), they'd have won by 18 or more. I've watched every Panthers game this season, and it's evident that Mike Shula has gotten far better at calling plays than the previous years. He's been great at mixing up the run and the pass.
Secondly, he's the best QB in the league at the read-option. When you've got Cam Newton 6'5 245 lbs, Jonathan Stewart 5'10 235 lbs, and Mike Tolbert 5'9 245 lbs in the backfield, that's a lot of weight to account for. His ability to read the defense and hand it off or keep the ball himself is second to none. Additionally, his ability to play fake on play action pass is phenomenal. Take a look at this reverse play. Newton drifts up field as if it's a designed QB run, and both linebackers bite and come up to stop the run, and he pitches it to Ted Ginn, Jr. and the Eagles are caught completely out of position. Kalil, Tolbert, and Olsen are all out in front to block and Ginn takes off for a huge gain.
Lastly, he's been playing with a receiving corps that isn't exactly elite. Greg Olsen is the 2nd best TE in the NFL behind Gronk. I feel comfortable saying that. He's better than Jimmy Graham, and he's better than Gary Barnidge, Travis Kelce, and Jason Witten.
But, after Olsen his top 2 receiving targets are Ted Ginn, Jr. and Philly Brown. Those wide outs would be No. 3s on just about any other team in the NFL, and they are the starting No. 1 and No. 2 WRs on a 6-0 team. I'm not even going to go into detail on Devin Funchess, who drops 3 passes for every 1 he catches. He's clearly a rookie and has a long way to go.
There's been a lot of talk about the Panthers trading for Anquan Boldin, but I'm not sure it's good to mess with this team's chemistry right now. They have their identity and it's based on a run-first offense with a strong defense.
RUNNING GAME
Do the Panthers have the best offensive line in the league? No, but it's vastly improved from last year. Ryan Kalil might be the best center in the league, and Michael Oher, while not an elite Left Tackle is better than Byron Bell and has been serviceable this year. Trai Turner is a very good Right Guard, while Mike Remmers and Andrew Norwell have been solid all season. Cam hasn't been pressured like he was last season, and he has the guys up front to thank for that.
This offensive line play has resulted in the Panthers being 1st in the league in rushing yards per game. Jonathan Stewart is 11th in the league and Cam Newton is 33rd in the league in rushing yards per game respectively. On top of that Mike "Toldozer" Tolber is a short yardage and goal line threat based on his size and elusiveness. Go watch the Touchdown against the Eagles on Sunday Night. Here's the link....
https://fansided.com/2015/10/25/mike-tolbert-bulls-his-way-to-td-video/
Look at how many players had a shot to bring him down. It's like trying to stop a 245 lb wrecking ball covered in grease.
Every Defensive Coordinator in the league knows the Panthers will run the ball first, and they still can't stop them because of their versatility. They have 3 players in the backfield who can run the ball effectively, and I'm not even talking about Fozzy Whitaker and Cameron Artis Payne.
DEFENSE
This defense is elite. They are No. 1 in the NFL in overall Team Defense. They have arguably the best defensive player in the league, not named JJ Watt, in Luke Kuechly. This guy is going to end up in Canton. He's a Hall of Fame Linebacker right now. His instincts, pass coverage ability, and run stopping make him a human highlight reel. He averages nearly 10-11 tackles a game, and it seems like he's in on every play.
Secondly, his counter is Thomas Davis. If you watched the game Sunday Night, Thomas Davis was lighting people up like Deebo in Friday.
He was an absolute beast. Davis is 11th in the NFL in tackles and his story of coming back from 3 ACL surgeries on the SAME DAMN LEG is unparalleled. This guy shouldn't be able to walk normally, let alone run and keep up with WRs. He's a human cyborg.
Welcome to J-No Island. Josh Norman is going to get paid this off-season. He's a top 5 NFL Corner right now. Opposing QBs aren't even throwing the ball anywhere near him in recent weeks. He beat New Orleans with his last second interception, and his tipped pass against Zach Ertz kept Philly out of the End Zone on Sunday night.
The best part about Norman: He's a complete trash talking, swagger hound, shut down corner. Every team needs a guy who runs his mouth and can back it up. You need that intensity and confidence that says, COME AT ME BRO AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS! If you have a bunch of choir boys on your team that never get under anyone's skin, good luck winning a championship.
I don't care if the Panthers franchise tag Josh Norman, or sign him to a long term deal, but every Panthers fan in the world right now is sitting like Teddy KGB in Rounders after he loses the poker game to Matt Damon.
The Defensive Line, while not elite, has been very good. KK Short has been wreaking havoc on opposing QBs the last 2 weeks. He has 5 sacks and a forced fumble in the last 2 games as a Defensive Tackle. That's a good season for most defensive tackles, let alone 2 games. Look at this play he made against Sam Bradford Sunday Night. He brings Bradford down with one hand while being blocked by Allen Barbre. That's some serious strength.
Jared Allen came over in a trade from the Bears earlier this season, and what is it with the Bears and just giving the Panthers awesome players? Greg Olsen, Charles Tillman, Jared Allen, jeez, Panthers fans should send the Bears General Manager Christmas Gifts until the end of time. Allen showed up late against the Eagles to stop their final drive, and secured the win for the Panthers. With Charles Johnson out, he's done a phenomenal job so far, and was definitely worth the 6th round pick. By the way, the Bears are still paying for the vast majority of Allen's contract, $11.5 million, while Carolina is paying him $823,529.00. He's already earned that much if he never plays another down this year.
The old cliche is offense wins games, defense wins championships. The model has already been proven. San Francisco, Baltimore, and Seattle in recent memory have shown you can win big with an elite defense and a serviceable QB. Are Colin Kaepernick, Joe Flacco, and Russell Wilson elite? Absolutely not. You know why they got to the biggest game in the world? Because they had an elite defense, and were serviceable enough to get their team to the Super Bowl.
DAVE GETTLEMAN
Dave Gettleman was the least popular man in Charlotte in 2014. He released Steve Smith, Sr., an ICON in Charlotte, and looked to give his franchise QB Cam Newton, a rookie wide out and Greg Olsen as his receiving options. He took a 2013 12-4 team to 7-8-1 and was being lambasted by analysts and the local media. In hindsight, he did the right thing.
I for one, hated when the Panthers let Smitty go, but in the long run it was the right decision. This team has to be Cam Newton's. On top of that, he realizes, if you don't have Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady, you can still win a championship, but you have to have an elite defense. You build your team from the lines out and focus on a strong running game to limit your QB's mistakes. Cam Newton can throw INTs, because he has a defense that can bail him out of tough situations and hold teams to Field Goals instead of Touchdowns.
On the salary cap, he's been a wizard. He inherited a disaster from Marty Hurney, and he has been brilliant in making sure to structure contracts the right way, so that it doesn't hurt the franchise going forward. Is he going to have to let some top name players walk? Probably. But he's done a great job drafting talented players. He's a fantastic General Manager, and Carolina is lucky to have him.
The Panthers face a Colts team on Monday that is 3-4 and hasn't looked impressive all season. Skeptics will point to the fact the Panthers haven't beaten a winning team all season, and that is important, but they've beaten every team they've played and the Packers and Bengals have not beaten a team with a winning record either. This team looks headed for the postseason and defense travels well in the NFL. If there's a team that can go up to Green Bay and compete with the Packers, look to Carolina. It should be an interesting journey going forward for Carolina. We'll see how they do on the road to the playoffs.
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