SB Nation - Keydrick Vincent

New York Jets Run Defense vs. Carolina Panthers Run Offense

John B — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 13:15:40 -0000

by Patrick Semansky - AP

Like the Jets, the Panthers own one of the best rushing attacks in the league. Unlike the Jets, they lean on two different backs instead of one. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart might be the best tailback tandem in football. Williams has 982 yards, 7 touchdowns, and a 5.1 average. Had the Panthers not snatched him up in the 2006 Draft right before the Jets went on the clock, there's a chance the Jets may have grabbed him instead of Nick Mangold. Stewart has 509 yards, 6 touchdowns, and a 4.6 average. Williams is the complete package as a runner. Stewart only really lacks breakaway speed. Stewart has been battling an Achilles injury but participated in practice fully on Friday and should be ready to go.

The Panthers are a great run blocking team. Ryan Kalil fights with Nick Mangold and Miami's Jake Grove for the title of best run blocking center. Sione Pouha and Howard Green will have their hands full. David Harris and Bart Scott had better be comfortable working in traffic. The Jets have shown more four man fronts since the Kris Jenkins injury. I wouldn't be surprised to see that trend continue. Carolina will miss Jordan Gross on the left side. Travelle Wharton represents a major downgrade at left tackle. The rest of the Panthers line is full of solid blockers from Jeff Otah to Keydrick Vincent to MacKenzy Bernadeau.

Carolina also has an excellent lead blocking fullback, Brad Hoover, although they do like to run a lot of three receiver and double tight sets so Hoover, who is battling an ankle injury may not see much time. It's going to be really important for the secondary to assist in run support. Muhsin Muhammad in particular is an excellent blocking receiver. Lito Sheppard might be called on to get off a block and make a key tackle when the Panthers send Williams outside.

Carolina Panthers Depth Chart Breakdown: Guard

Revshawn — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:00:15 -0000

First things first, I was on a radio show last week known as Cat Crave Radio, run by John White. Real good guy, loves his sports and doesn't back down from arguing with bloggers from other teams in the NFC South. Be sure to visit his radio show at www.catcraveradio.com where he runs his weekly podcast. It's an interesting listen every week and you can fill yourself with all the latest Panther news in two ways at once. While you're reading our articles, you can listen to his podcast. Double the information in half the time! Hurrah for the Internet!

And with that being said, onto the article!

The offensive line has been a position that most fans overlook. Let's be honest, most people in Charlotte are either ragging on Jake Delhomme, talking about Steve Smith, or boasting to other teams about the emergence of Double Trouble. And it's true, our running game was the thing that carried us through the year and helped us get triple the amount of wins over losses.

However, somewhere along the line someone has to do the dirty work to keep our running backs from being flattened by 300+ pound tackles. Though unwatched by a majority of the fans, they share a position that may be the most important of all. They are the Offensive Tackle, Guard, and Center positions that make up the offensive line. Today, I shall be reviewing the Guard position, and I shall list all of the players that have a chance to play in that position.

Travelle Wharton - Projected starter - 6,4 312 pounds ((6th year, South Carolina))

Travelle Wharton is a pretty big guy in the middle of the line. He's proven his worth time and time again, and he was rewarded in 2008 with a 6 year extension to lock him in till 2013.

The most important aspect that Wharton has in his game is the versatility to move around. He can play both tackle and guard, so if Jeff Otah was to go down from injury we could move Wharton over to tackle and throw Duke Robinson into the game and we'd be set to go. Sure, Wharton is better at Guard than tackle, but we don't take a huge dip in the effectiveness of the O-Line either. There are many teams in the NFL that don't have that luxury. The Panthers are not one of them. Barring injury, he will start.

Possibility of starting 100%

Keydrick Vincent- Projected Starter - 6,5 325 pounds ((9th year, Mississippi))

Believe it or not, Keydrick Vincent is a guy that went undrafted in the 2001 NFL Draft. He was picked up in UFA by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and a few years later he was able to win the starting job and play a full season at guard in 2004. From there, he was cut and spent years on the Ravens and the Cardinals squads before joining the Panthers in 2008.

Here, he lasted almost a full season before going down to injury in Week 15. One of the biggest knocks on him is that he's an injury risk. Once you count out 2004, he has never managed to start a full year. For the time he is on the field however, he is a capable player. And with the drafting of Duke Robinson in the 5th round, the aging veteran has a player to tutor under him. Vincent has a few years worth of football left in the tank, and he will contribute to a strong rushing attack this year.

Possibility of starting 80%

Duke Robinson - Projected Backup - 6,5 330 pounds ((Rookie, Oklahoma))

Duke Robinson has a good group of effective tools to use coming out of college. He hails from the college of Oklahoma, whom has created some of the best players currently in the league right now, including Minnesota's RB Adrian Peterson. After being projected to go as high as the late first-early 2nd round, the Carolina Panthers managed to grab him near the end of the 5th round. He has brilliant potential. A nice tall guy, good bulk on him. This year he's going to be a capable backup, and by next year he may be ready to start.

He does have a few knocks on him though. One of the reasons he fell so far was his lack of speed to run forward and take on blocks in the 2nd level. He has to get better. Let's say Ryan Kalil takes care of the DT while Jeff Otah pushes the DE wide and out of the play. If the linebacker is there, he has to be able to run forward and get a good block in order to give Diangelo Williams a decent lane to turn a small play into a big one. He also has that injury tag on him, that kept him out of the Senior Bowl and Combine.

But if he can improve his speed, there is no reason that Duke Robinson can't develop into a starting guard. He may have to drop a few pounds to do so, but he has plenty of weight to play already. Keydrick Vincent's contract expires next year, so don't expect to see him resigned if Duke proves he can handle the job. If his growth goes well, he will be indispensable piece to an already talented O-line.

Possibility of starting 20%, Possibility of making roster 100%

Mackenzy Bernadeau - Projected Backup - 6,4 308 pounds ((2nd year, Bently))

A 7th round pick for the Panthers in 2008, Bernadeau signed an uncharacteristically long 4 year contract to seal him as a player for years to come. He's on his second year, and judging by his contract he will probably make the roster as a project in development. He will continue his work in training camp and on the practice squad, training his skills enough so that perhaps he could take some time in games in the near future or prove to be a good backup.

The biggest thing he can do right now to help his case is continue to work out and put on some meat. He had a very fast 40 time, but some weight would do him wonders like it did to the rest of the O-Line. He's the first player to be drafted from Bently, and in Division II football he never really had that much of a challenge coming at him from out of college. He's pretty much a 'wait and see' player. The Panthers will need him this year for depth, and will probably keep him since he can also play tackle. Still, if he shows no signs to progressing into a capable backup or a starter, the idea of taking him off the roster in the final cut will cross their minds. His chances of staying on the team are just over a coin-flip. He could use a strong camp.

Possibility of making roster, 65%

Justin Geisinger - Suspected cut - 6,2 315 pounds ((4th year, Vanderbilt))

He is a player that has never started a game in his career. A 6th round pick out of Vanderbilt, it will be incredibly tough for him to stay on the roster ahead of Bernadeau. Like Bernadeau, he will need to have a strong camp to stay on the roster. And the Panthers have not invested anything in him other than a contract, so he will probably be cut at the end of training camp.

Possibility of making roster, 10%

C.J. Davis - Suspected cut Cut - 6,2 308 pounds ((Rookie, Pittsburgh))

With the loss of Hangartner, C.J. Davis was picked up as an interesting FA after the draft in order to serve and help players develop in training camp. Irregardless, it may be worth keeping an eye on him in training camp. He had eye-catching statistics during his stint with Pittsburgh, and he was projected as going as high in the 4th round in the draft before he fell like a log. Don't make any mistake, he was picked up as camp meat but he has the capability to perhaps find a place on the roster. He looks more like a center than he does a Guard, which contributes to him being placed at the bottom of this list.

If he has a strong first impact in training camp, he may have a chance especially with his versatility to play multiple positions. Otherwise, expect him to be cut during the first wave. He is a longshot, at best.

Possibility of making roster, 15%

Final thoughts

I imagine we can take one good injury and not have any worries if Duke Robinson is ready to start. However, we'll have to be careful this year to keep our line healthy. With the loss of Bridges, Hangartner, and Omiyale stretches our talent along pretty thin. However, our starting five guys are pretty solid. If they can remain healthy, expect the return of Double Trouble for another decent showing.

Panther Paw Prints - June OTA's Edition

Jaxon — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:34:50 -0000

More photos » by RICK HAVNER - AP

Browse more photos »

With the June OTA's wrapped up here are some recent articles of interest. MP already pointed out this first one but I think its worth mentioning again.

Darin Gantt's Panthers Blog - OTA Day 7 | The Herald - Rock Hill, SC
Small note, but an interesting one as they worked on two-minute offense against nickel defense Thursday. Even though he's a starter this year, CB Richard Marshall will maintain his inside responsibilities when they go to three corners. C.J. Wilson will cover an outside receiver when they go to an extra DB. Second-round pick CB Sherrod Martin's also getting a look at the nickel spot, as the converted safety is working to learn a new position.

Hopefully this is more a vote of confidence in CJ Wilson more than anything else. It the Panthers could find even a starting nickel back or even outside corner in the 7th round would be quite a find.

The Associated Press: Panthers' Beavers hopes to make small-college jump
"I think I can get faster," Beavers said. "Hopefully I'll get a chance to prove myself."

If this guy goes any faster he'll have to get a license plate. I'm sure he will get the chance he is looking for but even if he shines he is still longer odds than the horse that just finished last at the Belmont last weekend.

Godfrey seeks breakthrough second season | The Herald - Rock Hill, SC
"Now is kind of the time, I'm looking at it as ‘No excuses,'" Godfrey said. "You're not a rookie anymore, you've played a year, there's no excuses, you go out and play and make plays, and that's the bottom line."

This article points out one of my questions about Godfrey from his rookie season, where was the 'ball-hawk'? A single INT and a handful of PD's was not too impressive over 16 games. Godfrey does seem to have the skills to get a lot better so combined with Meeks influence hopefully we'll see some FS play we haven't seen in years.

Panthers' run game gets a key cog back - RG Keydrick Vincent | CharlotteObserver.com
"What they do on offense is what I'm built for," he said. "I'm a run blocker. I can pass block a little bit, but we're going to out-physical you. That's what I'm made for. That's what I do. I'm not a finesse guy."

"I'm not a finesse guy", I LOVE it. Vincent had to be a 'non-fit' in Arizona's passing offense but he was a great fit here. I think those predictions that rookie Duke Robinson might unseat Vincent are baseless. He's healthy again and given how well he and Otah dominated on the right side I think the motto "If it ain't broke don't fix it" fits here well.

Panthers rookie QB hopes to shake last year's struggles | cantwell, think, quarterback - Sports - The Star Online : The Newspaper of Cleveland County
(Concerning Hunter Cantwell) "I think he's shown some maturity and shown he can deal with the veteran pressure," Muhammad said. "He looks comfortable. I think he's out here throwing the ball well. I think every rookie is going to make some mistakes and that is a given, that's expected. But what you want is a guy who can eliminate some of those mistakes and learn from the coaches and not make the same mistakes over and over again. I think he's a guy who can probably do that."

He'd have to set the world on fire to make the team buthe could hold up for a season on the practice squad. He's the kind of guy if things go well might get a shot down the road when Jake retires.

Otah says Panthers rookie DE Brown has 'unexpected strength' | brown, otah, right - Sports - The Star Online : The Newspaper of Cleveland County
"Playing against a guy like Jeff is going to put me ahead of the learning curve," Brown said. "He's not only big, but he's good at what he does. He's been in the league. It's really making me work on my technique because some of the things I did in college don't necessarily work. He's making me work and sharpen my tools."

For a guy like Otah to say Brown is strong is a pleasant surprise though he may be referring 'leverage' strong and not necessarily 'bench press' strong. Hey, thats how the smaller DE's survive in this league, by using leverage versus pure braun. Add in some strength and you have the next coming of Dwight Freeney (I know, the analogy is over-used). If Brown can play the run too then pencil him in on the left side for years to come.

Week 15: Panthers @ Giants Defensive Preview

LittleKing — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 04:17:07 -0000

We all know what's at stake this Sunday, first place for the NFC playoffs, but for the Panthers there's even more on the line. The Giants have already clinched a playoff spot, the Panthers have not. If the Panthers lose out and Dallas, Tampa, and Atlanta win out, we would miss the playoffs because of tie-breakers. While I see the chance of that happening at less than 5%, I would rather step through the front door instead of sneak in the back. Yet again, since we don't play until Sunday night, we may already know our playoff future, meaning since all three of those previous teams will have played, if any one of them lose we clinch at least a playoff spot.

Getting back to the Giants. Our opponent this week can be a monster on the field, with their strength being the ground game. Stat wise, while the Giants have the edge, for the majority we are closely matched. The one glaring difference-Panther rushing defense at 18th and the Giants rushing offense at #1. For the Panthers' defense this will be the biggest challenge.

Giants Team Stats - Game Averages

	Pts	Yrds	Pass	Rush
Off	26.7	348.5 (9th)	199.8 (18th)	148.7 (1st)
Def	17.6	285.8 (6th)	195.4 (10th)	90.4 (4th)

Panthers Team Stats - Game Averages

	Pts	Yrds	Pass	Rush
Off	25.2	341.0 (12th)	194.9 (21st)	146.1 (4th)
Def	18.9	315.9 (10th)	204.4 (12th)	111.5 (18th)

Not considering any inactive players (Plaxico mainly), both teams do have some concern at injury. The Panthers DT Maake Kemoeatu was seen using crutches and a boot after Monday's practice. Also, RG Keydrick Vincent had to leave the game early against Denver. For the Giants, Brandon Jacobs is uncertain, and during the Dallas game RT Kareem McKenzie and LG Rich Seubert both left with injuries. It to early to tell if any of them will be able to play. Both teams are saying very little about their situations right now.

My gut feeling is that Kemo has less than a 20% chance of playing, but pure speculation. For the Giants, I have no idea about their O-linemen, but for Jacob's my gut is telling me 75% chance of playing right now. If Jacob's is out, the impact of Kemo missing a game is reduced but still significant. And vice versa, if Jacobs plays and Kemo is out, that could be the difference in this game.

We are not sure how the Panthers will adjust for Kemo being out. Anything from rotating DT Darwin Walker and Gary Gibson, to moving over either DT Charles Johnson or Tyler Brayton, or a combination of these options. The good news is that we have played 3 DE at times in passing situations but we will have to see how they fair against the run.

These two teams are built very similarly as well, power running game to setup the pass. Both Jake Delhomme and Eli Manning are more game managers and both have very similar stats.

	Jake Delhomme	Eli Manning
Games	14	14
Att	375	433
Comp	221	261
Comp %	58.9	60.3
Passing Yards	2853	2938
Yards / Att	7.6	6.8
TD	14	20
INT	12	10
Comp for 1st down	133	151
Sacked	19	23
Passer Rating	82.0	86.4

For the Giants, missing two starters on their o-line could be trouble. The Giants are better at run blocking than pass blocking and if either or both of their starting line is out could spell trouble. They gave up 8 sacks to the Cowboys and now 23 for the season. With the high likelyhood of the Panthers need to use a 3 DE set, keeping Eli upright would be that much harder.

The keys for the Panthers on stopping the Giants is pressure on Manning when they have to throw and limit the ground attack (unless a miracle happens, we are not doing to shut it down). Regardless of who is starting on our defensive line, Jon Beason is going to have to play his best game of the season and dropping eight in the box is not out of the question.

This means Chris Gamble and Ken Lucas will have to work a lot of single coverage with only one safety up top. Before Plaxico Burress was suspended this was causing teams major problems. While the Giants still have quality receivers losing their best receiver changes the way you have to defend against them. Just imagine the consequences to the Panthers if we lost Steve Smith.

Defensively this game has loads of challenges. The Panthers offense have been hitting their stride and hopefully that continues but without getting into their challenges, let just say they cannot do it alone this week. Against the Broncos the defense had one of it's best days in quite a few games, but was it because the Broncos had no running attack or that our defense actually stepped up. Probably some of both, but we will find out Sunday for sure.

Correction: Incorrectly listed Travelle Wharton as leaving the game against Denver Updated to Keydrick Vencent.