Carolina Panthers Season Preview

(Courtesy of My Sportsbook) - A 7-9 record compiled one year after a trip to the Super Bowl might be considered a disappointment to some. But to any objective observer that took a wide view of Carolina's 2004 season, the Panthers' 7-9 record would have to look like an act of magic to make David Copperfield stand up and applaud. It wasn't just the injuries. Every team has those. It was the significance of those injuries, and the way they conspired to send the Panthers to a 1-7 abyss, only for the team to win five straight games and give the franchise a chance to make the postseason going into the final week of the year. The late-season run was achieved without many of the key pieces that had celebrated an NFC title just one year before. Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, game-breaking wideout and return man Steve Smith, and just about every running back employed by the club - DeShaun Foster, Stephen Davis, and Rod Smart - were all gone before the calendar had flipped to November.

Obscure names like Nick Goings, Keary Colbert, Kindal Moorehead and Vinny Ciurciu were among those holding down key roles in the lineup for long stretches of the year, and though a couple of heartbreaking losses in their final three games ultimately left the Panthers on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, the fact that the team was even in a position to feel that heartbreak was downright amazing. Which begs the question: If John Fox and the Panthers can put up such a formidable showing without a wide cross-section of their stars, what can they do when reasonably healthy? Logic dictates that the question will be answered with a serious challenge to the Falcons for the NFC South title, a return to the postseason, and with a little of the luck that was missing during the first two months of 2004, a possible trip back to the Super Bowl stage. Below we take a capsule look at the 2005 edition of the Carolina Panthers, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

RB: One of the major questions for the Panthers is in the backfield, where injury problems helped squash the team's postseason hopes in 2004. DeShaun Foster (255 rushing yards, 2 TD), who missed the final 12 games of last season with a broken clavicle, was listed atop the depth chart as the season began. Foster has suited up for just 18 games in three NFL seasons due to various injuries. Also remaining in the picture is 31-year-old Stephen Davis (92 rushing yards), who missed 14 games with knee problems a year ago and is seen by many as a prime candidate to be excised at the final cut. Carolina would probably like to see second-round draft choice Eric Shelton (Louisville) emerge and take the starting job sooner rather than later, but in the short term the 246-pounder may act as "thunder" to Foster's "lightning." Nick Goings (821 rushing yards, 45 receptions, 7 TD) performed admirably as an emergency starter last season, but is not considered an NFL-quality starter by most around the league. The same goes for Rod Smart, who missed 13 games with a knee injury last season but remains in the mix for return duties. At fullback, Brad Hoover (246 rushing yards, 21 receptions, 2 TD) is back for his sixth season in a Panther uniform, but could face a tough challenge from second-year man Casey Cramer.

WR/TE: Gone from this unit is longtime Carolina staple Muhsin Muhammad (93 receptions, 16 TD), who took advantage of Steve Smith's leg injury to post his finest pro season and second career Pro Bowl appearance. Muhammad parlayed that campaign into a big free agent deal with the Bears, a move that brings Smith (6 receptions), who had 88 catches in the Panthers' Super Bowl season of 2003, back into the spotlight. The team needs him to return to form, and for second-year pro Keary Colbert (47 receptions, 5 TD) to continue progressing after a solid rookie season. The Panthers went out and traded for former Redskin Rod Gardner (51 receptions, 5 TD) to occupy the third receiver slot, meaning 15-year veteran Ricky Proehl (34 receptions) will have to settle for being the fourth receiver. Karl Hankton (2 receptions), a valuable special teams commodity, was trying to beat out 2004 fifth-round pick Drew Carter for the fifth wideout job in training camp. At tight end, Kris Mangum (34 receptions, 3 TD), Mike Seidman (13 receptions, 2 TD) and Michael Gaines (4 receptions) all return to the fold.

OL: Gone are tackle Matt Willig and guards Doug Brzezinski and Rich Tylski, all of whom started games for Carolina in 2004. In an effort to get more production up front, the Panthers signed free agent and former Packer Mike Wahle to man the left guard slot. Wahle has started 16 games in each of the past four seasons. At left tackle, Carolina is hoping that second-year man Travelle Wharton can make an easy transition to the full-time job at left tackle. Elsewhere up front, the Panthers are solid, as center Jeff Mitchell, right guard Tutan Reyes and right tackle Jordan Gross were all regulars a year ago. Veteran tackle Todd Fordham started seven games in spot duty last season and is a quality backup. Rookies Evan Mathis (3rd Round, Alabama) and Geoff Hangartner (5th Round, Texas A&M) are expected to serve as backups at guard, and Hangartner can also back Mitchell at center.

DL: The Panthers were dealt a serious blow when Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kris Jenkins (11 tackles, 1 sack) was lost for the final 12 games of 2004 with a shoulder injury. Jenkins is back in 2005, and expected to regain his dominant form. At the other interior slot, Brentson Buckner (41 tackles, 3.5 sacks) should benefit from Jenkins' return, and Kindal Moorehead (38 tackles, 2 sacks) should re-assume his backup role. The Panthers used a third-round draft choice on Aatiyah Ellison (Missouri), and will attempt to work him into the rotation as well. At end, they don't get much better than Julius Peppers (64 tackles, 11 sacks, 2 INT), who rebounded from a slow start to make his first Pro Bowl appearance. After averaging more than 10 sacks per season from 2001-03, right end Mike Rucker (38 tackles, 3.5 sacks) fell well off his former double-digit sack pace last year, and will be seeking to get back on track. Al Wallace (25 tackles, 1 sack) is the Panthers' top reserve at end, and Kemp Rasmussen (9 tackles) also saw time there as a backup last year. The club used a sixth-round draft choice on Jovan Haye (Vanderbilt), who is likely a year away from making an impact.

LB: There are changes here, as two-time Pro Bowler Mark Fields (62 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 INT) was cut loose following a recurrence of the Hodgkin's Disease that forced him to miss 2003. Brandon Short (53 tackles) and former Falcon Chris Draft (57 tackles, 1 INT with Atlanta) were expected to compete for the vacancy on the strong side, but Short's injured foot and Draft's struggles with asthma during the preseason forced the club to move first-round draft choice Thomas Davis (Georgia) from strong safety to linebacker. Even if Short and Draft return to 100 percent, the long-term job likely belongs to Davis. Dan Morgan (101 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 INT) is back in the middle following a Pro Bowl 2004, and Will Witherspoon (103 tackles, 4 INT, 3 sacks) will again take his spot on the weak side. Vinny Ciurciu (37 tackles) started four games when Morgan was injured last season, and should again provide depth along with the two odd men out in the competition on the strong side. Fifth-round draft choice Adam Seward (UNLV) will have to beat out holdover Sean Tufts for a place on the active roster.

DB: The Panthers have upgraded at cornerback, acquiring free agent and former Seahawk Ken Lucas (67 tackles, 6 INT with Seattle) to play one spot, with 2004 starters Chris Gamble (74 tackles, 6 INT) and Ricky Manning (66 tackles, 4 INT) duking it out for the other job. Gamble, who is seen as less of a liability than the 5-8 Manning, should win that battle. Depth behind that trio should be provided by holdovers Dante Wesley (20 tackles) and William Hampton, with former Ram Dwight Anderson also trying to win a position with the team. At safety, Mike Minter (81 tackles, 2 sacks) and Colin Branch (55 tackles, 3 INT) both return, but Branch's occasional lapses at free safety may necessitate a switch to strong safety, with Minter moving to Branch's former spot. Offseason acquisitions Marlon McCree (24 tackles, 1 INT with the Texans) and Idrees Bashir (58 tackles with the Colts) will add safety depth, as will fifth-round draft choice Ben Emanuel (UCLA).

SPECIAL TEAMS: There is turnover at punter, as the team had seen enough of talented but troubled Todd Sauerbrun (44.1 avg.) and shipped him off to Denver in exchange for Jason Baker (38.8 avg. with Chiefs and Broncos) and a seventh- round draft choice. Baker will have to beat out veteran Tom Rouen (42.0 avg. with the Seahawks) in order to find a spot on the roster. John Kasay (19-22 FG, 27-28 XP) will suit up for his 10th season as the Panthers' kicker. Steve Smith had six returns for touchdowns during his first three seasons as a pro, but last year's injury may force the team to be cautious about his touches. Rod Smart (21.1 avg.) has experience as a kickoff return man, and Chris Gamble (7.7 punt return avg.) did a solid though unspectacular job on punt returns in '04.

PROGNOSIS: The Panthers have quality talent and impressive depth throughout the two-deep, which spells trouble for the rest of the NFC South. If healthy, Carolina should be very good, and there is reasonable suspicion that the Panthers can be dominating. Yes, the team will have to find a reliable running back, and yes, the left side of the offensive line and safety positions are something of a concern, but Fox and his staff have shown a penchant for pushing the right buttons and finding a formula that will work. Expect it to come down to Carolina and Atlanta in the NFC South, and for the loser of that battle to earn a wild card berth and be especially dangerous come playoff time.

CAROLINA PANTHERS BETTING AT MY SPORTSBOOK