Cutdown Day

It's Trivia Time!

Let's take a moment, the day after cutdown day, to celebrate some of my favorite bits of Panthers draft trivia regarding now-departed players:

- In the 2005 draft, Seattle traded up in the second round, giving the Panthers their pick (54th overall) in exchange for our pick (45th), and they used that pic to take... Anybody? Anybody? Yes, you in the back of the room with the pimples... ? That's right! Pro bowl linebacker Lofa Tatupu! Sure glad we don't have to deal with having that guy on our team!

- Okay, so everyone knows that we picked Eric Shelton with that star-crossed 54th pick. Quick, without looking, who was the next running back taken after Eric Shelton in the 2005 NFL Draft? Here's a hint: he was the 65th overall pick, first pick of the third round. I can see the little wheels turning in your noggin, you're trying to remember who had the first overall choice in that draft, then wondering if they kept their third rounder... ahh, but I'm spoon-feeding you, and I'm ashamed of myself for doing it. The answer's at the end of the post, but don't skip ahead. Wait for it. Marshmallows come to those who wait.

- For one brief, shining moment, the Panthers were a team of destiny. Or, at least of near-consecutive draft picks. In the 2001 draft, the Panthers' best draft ever (thanks, George Seifert!), the team selected Dan Morgan with the 11th pick in the first round. Then the Rams selected current-Panther Damione Lewis at 12, the Jags chose all-world DT Marcus Stroud at 13, and the Bucs put their faith in current-former-Panther Kenyatta Walker at 14. Who went 15th? Very-former-Panther, Redskin, and Clemson Tiger (and if you've been watching the best football show on television that's not named NFL Matchup, you'll know he's now a former Chief too), Rod Gardner. So we had four out of five draft picks in a row on our team at one time or another. What does that mean in the larger scheme of things? Not much.

What's It All Mean, Man?

The list of Panthers cuts surprised me not at all. I feel good about Chris Horn making the team, but I can't envision that lasting. Someone's got to go when Jeremy Bridges comes off suspension, or when we pick up one of those safeties now roaming the waiver wire, and it'll either DB Curtis Deloatch or Horn. We need the quality depth everywhere else, and those two seem to be the most expendable. I tend to doubt either of them will even make the active 45 each week, but I'm glad for them that they made the final 53. Both of them outplayed their competition, especially in the fourth exhibition game.

Speaking of the fourth exhibition game, that was a painful game to watch if you, like me, were rooting for Taye Biddle to claim that final receiver spot. Throughout the game, I kept poking my wife and saying things like 'It's like he doesn't even want to make the team!' and 'Awesome, they're going to give him a chance to show what he can do as a returner! Maybe he'll take Ryne's spot ... (pause) ... (groan) ... Has he ever watched someone return a kick before? Does he know what you're supposed to do? Because he ain't doin' it. You let the blockers run in front of you, not beside you!' and 'Oh, right. Fumbling. That's how you make the team. Damnation, he's on the fast track to Michael Gaines-ville.' Then she would say 'Am I supposed to care about this?' and go back to reading her book. Then Chris Horn would make a tough catch and I'd say 'Now there's a guy who wants to make the team!' and she'd say 'C'mon. Really. Trying to read, here.'

The Dave Ball/Otis Grigsby choice was clearly a tight one, but Grigsby made plays in the games, and that always counts for more than making plays in practice, and I don't care what you say about it. Look here, pal, if practice were all that mattered, we'd have a bunch of spindly receivers on the first team, because there's always one or two doing great things in camp every year (see: Donald Hayes, Anthony Bright, Walter Young, Drew Carter, Taye Biddle). And if you had your way, we'd cut a proven quarterback in favor of an unproven quarterback who'd made a few plays in practice. Well, we had that coach, the one who believed in the power of practice performances over game-time execution, and we went 1-15 with that guy. So you're not allowed to talk anymore, bucko, until you get your head screwed on right.

My last point about the final exhibition game is that Charles Johnson really showed me something in that game: that boy is country strong! I counted five times where he pushed his blocker straight back into the Steelers' running back, four yards deep, and single-handedly quashed their running game when he was in there. He played the run very, very well. Now, his pass-rush moves consisted of a bull rush and not much else, but with a year to learn from Pep, Ruck and even from Sick Dog (really, last time ever), he should improve his rush techniques and become extremely solid. Now, if he can just keep his hands to himself instead of getting into silly slap-fights with tight ends....

Oh, and in case I don't post between now and the start of the regular season, make sure you take some time out next Sunday after the St. Louis 'football' game to catch the friendly 'futball' match between the US and Brazil. God will be playing, so it's worth the time to watch. Ronaldinho is like... well, imagine the way that, say, Steve Smith or (more accurately) Michael Jordan can take over a game and make defenders seem irrelevant. That's how Ronaldinho plays. Really, take the time to watch that instead of whatever's being tossed out on NBC.


* - and the answer to the trivia question from earlier, the next running back taken after the Panthers selected Eric Shelton was.... Frank Gore. So our options were Eric Shelton and Frank Gore. Super choice on that one.

Fresh Biscuits: Quick hits on the Panthers

I haven't yet had a chance to sit down and devour the first pre-season game against the Giants, but here are a few thoughts on what I was able to watch from the first quarter:

This was not a very good example of what our offense will look like, because their linebacker play was as bad as any I've seen. Their defense looks nightmarish. I feel sorry for all of the Giants fans that will be forced to watch this defense play every week. I don't think they've got a single position that couldn't use an upgrade. Still, before Giants fans start flinging themselves off of their structurally sufficient bridges (umm... right.), it's always crucial to remember that this is just the pre-season. It's not real yet. Give them time. Maybe they'll be able to salvage something and they will suck somewhat less in the future.

Osi Umenyiora is supposed to be a good defensive end. That's what I read on the interwebs, anyway. But he appears to be another internet creation, because I couldn't detect anything I would describe as 'good defensive play' while watching him on the field. Again, I haven't watched it all, but what I did see was the 260-some-pound defensive end being stoned by 190-some-pound run-blocking bulldog possession receiver fragile speedster Drew Carter on a cutback run. One of the great things about the replays on NFL Network is that they use the homer broadcasters, alternating between halves, and the Giants broadcasters ruled the first half of this game. Their description: "Umenyiora was able to hold his ground on the play." Well. Good for him.

I like receivers who can block. Much to my consternation, Drew Carter was not able to blow Umenyiora off the ball, but I don't think we should cut him just yet. Let's give him another chance. (I will get to go home tonight and watch the game on my TiVo, checking for down-field blocking by the speedy types. I hear good things in this regard about the rookie, Ryne Robinson.)

I don't mean to make this a post belittling the hapless Giants, but I've got one more thing to say about why this game was maybe less than a fair example of how the Panthers' offense will look against a real defense. Sooooo..... that long run by Nick Goings? You know, the one around the right end? The one where Nick magically looks like he's real, real fast? Yeah. Mathias Kiwanuka does not seem either fast enough or experienced enough to play at this level right now.

Speaking of feeling bad for the Giants, and feeling good for blocking wideouts, how about Steve Smith (the REAL Steve Smith) on that long run by Foster? That's poor Sam Madison being man-handled by Smitty some 30 yards downfield, before being absolutely destroyed by DeShaun Foster. That sort of hit is precisely why I love Foster as a runner. I forget how strong a runner he is until he breaks off a run where he not only punishes grown men, but fights through a half-dozen tackles in order to have the chance to do so. So feel free to ignore all those bobbleheads who tell you that DeAngelo will replace DeShaun in the battle of the De-fixes. If you want a short list of things that will NOT happen this season, here are two: ¹A statue of Keyshawn Johnson will not be erected outside of Bank of America Stadium. ²Barring injury, DeAngelo will not replace DeShaun. Those are free, take 'em to the bank.

The blocking by the line looks great. We were able to execute cutbacks all day, with downfield blocking by the linemen (nice job on Foster's run, Mike Wahle). We were able to execute an effective screen(!!!) that gained ACTUAL YARDAGE(!!!!!). We were able to execute a power run off right guard that looked like the glory days of Dan Henning's offense. This is actually exciting. Who'd have guessed?

I don't want to say I'm a genius, but I kind of figured he'd play well. And he played very, very well. He could have stuck to the back out of the backfield on that zone blitz where he dropped into coverage on the Giants' first possession, but he did eventually make the tackle. Only slip-up I saw. (Also: Yay for the zone blitz where we drop someone other than Peppers!)

I'll write more once I've watched the game. And I've got a few things to say about the great Mike Minter's retirement. Those shall come, hopefully, before the next game. However, judging from what I saw in last night's game, the Eagles game might be just as inconsequential a showing of our offense. We'll see.

Last-Round Players

All this talk about my latest favorite last-round player reminds me that we've had a whole gaggle of solid players that we've culled from the steaming wreckage of the draft's final round. Observe:

1995 -Chad Cota- Probably our best 7th-rounder, he was a hard-hitting playmaker from the safety position who spent several years making Carolina the envy of professional expansion franchises before bolting for the greener pastures of Indy. Sorely missed when he left, too.

1997 -Kris Mangum- Ahh, the man I affectionately call Hands. Whenever he made a catch, you'd hear a whole group of my friends scream in unison, 'HANDS!!!' He was a glorified blocker who knew his role on offense, but when he'd get that brief shot at glory he always came through. Sort of like a football version of Samwise Gamgee. Retired this year, and he'll be missed.

2000 -Lester Towns- As a rookie, he was inserted into the starting Mike linebacker role, and he stayed there until John Fox came along and re-made the defense in his own image. Stout hitter, traditional run-stuffing linebacker lacking sideline-to-sideline speed (hello, Dan Morgan). Responsible for the most impressive hit I've ever seen in person when he went straight through Brad Hoover on his way to the quarterback in LB-RB blitz-pickup drills during the 2002 training camp.

2004 -Michael Gaines- Okay, less impressive here, but he started a number of games at TE, was the only significant receiving threat at that position last year (sorry, Hands), but is losing ground to Jeff King and might not even make the active roster much this season. The guy's got boatloads of raw talent that he can't seem to refine. One thing he should stop doing: producing unfunny comedy shows.

2006 -Will Montgomery- One of the three(!) Hokies we drafted last year, he provided solid depth for an offensive line that had otherwise been mugged, shanked and left for dead in a back alley in Phnom Penh. But with the additions we've made, can he even find a roster spot of his own this year? Hard to say, but he's certainly been worth his slot in the draft thus far.

2006 -Stanley McClover- Last year's second last-round guy, he didn't play much in his rookie season, only managing spot duty in the last couple of games, but he's running with the ones in camp and I like him a lot. I'm looking forward to seeing him in action in the pre-season.

2007 -CJ Wilson- Obviously, he's not one of the stars of the defense (ya know, since we just drafted him), but I felt obliged to give you someone to watch, since he's got a chance to get some playing time at safety this year. I mean, with our safety situation what it is, I think a blind grandmother would have a shot at playing time if she could just get on the roster. Well, CJ's already accomplished more than any blind grandmother I know by doing that, and he ran with the ones at Saturday's scrimmage (through no fault of his own), so he's someone you can keep an eye on this pre-season to see how our most recent last-round guy is doing.

As a side note on CJ Wilson, my initial feeling about him was decidedly not good, especially following on all the Pacman Jones silliness. (Draft party for a guy that's not even a lock to be drafted, and on the first day of the draft? With an afterparty until 2am?) I don't know what this Furious Studios is, but it's clear he's affiliated with them in some way, and I don't like any group that has a "Glamour Network". But, that said, nobody's yet hired me to run their life, I don't think I made the short list of people vying to run his, and since he's a grown man he gets to do what he likes.

I just hope this cornerback-turned-safety from Baylor pans out for us. One very smart thing he did was to hire another former safety from Baylor as his agent. Vann McElroy spent nine seasons in the NFL, made the Pro Bowl twice, and collected a Super Bowl ring with the '84 Raiders. Smart move on CJ's part to hire a well-respected guy who's good at his job and can act as a resource since they have so much in common. Oh, and you probably want to listen to "the best interview on the Panthers". I did, and I feel much better about the kid, now.

Likely nickname for CJ: Waterboy.

Stanley McClover Consumes Brodie Croyle Whole

We're still the better part of a week away from actual on-field competition against another team, so this is the time I shall refer to as The Dead Zone. What's that mean for you? Well, it just means I'll be throwing out random bits of randomness that've been accumulating in the furthest folds of my noggin all off-season.

Let's start with a guy who's about to become my new favorite Panther, Stanley McClover, aka Sick Dog! (...hmm. Sick Dog. That's not a good name. I'm going to have to work on that...)

I ran across this video (big ups: SMQ) of the entire Auburn defense placating their hunger by tearing 'Baman Brodie Croyle into little pieces and eating him (translation: Sacking him 11 times. In one game.) How in the world is this relevant to this little edge of the intertubes? Well, li'l Sick Dog (really, seriously, gonna have to find another name for him... suggestions are welcome) was a key cog on that Auburn defensive line. Here, watch for yourself:

Interesting video. Well-edited, but I can't for the life of me tell the allegiance of the person who compiled it. Auburn fan? BC-hatin' 'Bama fan? Either way, they take perverse pleasure in the denigration of Brodie Croyle. (In all fairness to Brodie and the 'Bama offense, they had just lost my favorite college receiver ever to a hideous injury just a few weeks before.) Anyway, if you're a Panthers fan, you've pretty much seen this before.

So let's start off by noting a couple of things that led to this 11 sack total. First, Bama's interior linemen do not understand either A) what defensive line stunts are or B) how to handle them, and that accounts for almost half of the sacks (see: I'll go easy and just say sack #2). Next, Bama's tackles are not fleet-of-foot enough to get out on speed rushers that line up outside and come wide (see: sack #8). Finally, on those rare occasions when Auburn did something other than simply rush four down linemen, Bama's line was completely unprepared (see: zone blitz on sack #4). I don't think I'll even mention the backs' lack of blocking, except to mention that I'm not mentioning it.

But let's get back to talking about our latest 'great 7th round draft pick'. He spent the entire game alternating between collapsing the pocket, sacking Croyle, or being the second set of hands on Croyle. Unbelievable performance by that defensive line, and McClover in particular. He's credited with sacks 7, 8 and 9 all by his lonesome, but I'm going to give him a half-sack on #6 because he came around the edge and got there about a quarter-second after the guy that went untouched up the middle.

His game at this point was mostly the speed rush around the edge, very Simeon Rice, and his back-to-back-to-back sacks started when he mixed it up with that inside move on sack 7. The O-tackle was on his heels and completely vulnerable to those next two outside rushes ("..never got a hand on him.."). Reminds me of Peppers' game against the Lions in his rookie year, when he just had the speed rush and not much else, but he still racked up three sacks in the first half. If McClover has learned anything from his year+ behind Pep on the depth chart, it's that he'll need a variety of moves to get past NFL linemen. He might even develop some power moves since he finally weighs something close to an undersized defensive lineman. His linebacker-esque bulk has been the biggest knock on him, especially since that usually translates into poor run coverage. But apparently he's playing the run well, so we can expect a big year from him.

If, as I suspect, Rucker only takes about half the defensive snaps this year, then you can look for Sick Dog (really, I'm serious this time, I won't use that name again) to get a lot of snaps, and in the NFC South where Michael Vick 37-year-old Jeff Garcia is the most mobile quarterback around, there's a good chance he could push double-digit sacks. Now, if he can keep contain when the offensive line pushes right and the back cuts-back wide left (I'm staring directly at you, Mike Rucker), then he's got a starting job and a new contract extension in the works.

Welcome, Carolina Panther fans!

I decided it was time to go ahead and start with a proper Carolina Panthers blog. I've been a fan since 1997, and have suffered through great heartache and experienced wonderful joy. I'm downright fanatical about the team, and the NFL in general. I do my best to learn everything I can about the game, and I'll try to bring a level of insight that I don't often see reflected in the online coverage of the team.

Let me know what you think, and I'll try to make your visits here worth your time.

--Ray

(oh, and I know the site looks terrible right now. I'll try to fix that over the next few days.)