Can the Panthers improve in '09?
By SBGGlobal.com
The Carolina Panthers had an excellent 2008 regular season, tying the New York Giants for the best record in the NFC at 12-4. Unfortunately for the Panthers that regular season success didn’t carry over to the playoffs as they were humiliated by the Arizona Cardinals. In the off-season the Panthers gave quarterback Jake Delhomme a new contract and they put the franchise tag on defensive end Julius Peppers. Carolina is really not given a great deal of respect in Super Bowl odds as they are 20-1 heading into the 2009 season.
Carolina did a lot of things right last year, especially on offense with running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. The Panthers were third in the NFL in rushing yards thanks to that tandem. That took the pressure off of Delhomme and when he didn’t make mistakes, the Panthers won. In the playoffs he made a ton of mistakes and they lost. Is Delhomme a quarterback you can win with? The Panthers better hope so because they didn’t do anything in the off-season except sign him to an extension.
Delhomme still has one of the best receivers in the NFL to throw to in Steve Smith. And the Panthers have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. The Panthers have very little depth as there is nothing behind Delhomme or Smith so if either of them get injured the Panthers are in trouble. If Delhomme can avoid making mistakes and stay healthy, then the Panthers could have another very successful season in 2009.
Carolina’s defense slipped somewhat in 2008. They were not a top 10 defense and there are concerns again heading into 2009. The defensive line is good though led by Peppers. They also made a nice draft pick getting Everette Brown. The linebackers are solid but the secondary is suspect. There just are not a lot of big names back there. The starters at cornerback look to be Chris Gamble and Richard Marshall since the team let Ken Lucas go in the off-season, while C.J. Wilson will play in the nickel. The safeties are decent with Chris Harris and Charles Godfrey but they are not superstars.The kicking game is in good shape with veteran John Kasay.
The Panthers made very few off-season moves from a team that finished 12-4 last season. Carolina could have a difficult time matching that record since they have the second toughest schedule in the NFL Betting in 2009. The Panthers have very little depth and Delhomme has not proven he can win consistently. The NFC South is a very tough division and the Panthers could fall to a .500 record if things don’t go well this season.