SB Nation - Travelle Wharton

A Conversation with Geoff Schwartz

Ryan Basen — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 03:37:31 -0000

Keydrick Vincent (68) and Travelle Wharton (background) are two of only three Panthers offensive linemen who began the season as starters projected to start Sunday against Minnesota. They are helping Geoff Schwartz prepare for his first career start at tackle this week. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

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In the 2008 NFL Draft the Panthers selected three offensive linemen among their nine picks. The plan was for Jeff Otah, a first-round pick, to start immediately at tackle. Seventh-round selections Geoff Schwartz and Mackenzy Bernadeau were viewed as projects who could add to the Panthers' depth eventually.

Less than two full seasons later Bernadeau and Schwartz are preparing to start for Carolina, and Otah is out. Otah is the second Panthers tackle to succumb to a season-ending injury this year, after injuring his knee in last Sunday's loss at New England. Jordan Gross broke his ankle Nov. 15 against Atlanta. Travelle Wharton slid over from guard to replace Gross, with Bernadeau replacing Wharton.

Now it is Schwartz's turn to fill in. The 6-foot-6, 331-pound 23-year-old is expected to make his first career start Sunday night against visiting Minnesota. It's a heck of a way to launch an NFL career. He will line up against the NFL's No. 4-ranked run defense (and 6th overall), anchored by standouts in defensive tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams, and end Jared Allen.

Schwartz spoke about the challenges he faces Sunday, and about relishing the chance to start:

Schwartz, a three-year starter at the University of Oregon, may feel familiar in the Panthers huddle. Tailback Jonathan Stewart and tight end Dante Rosario both played with Schwartz at Oregon. Schwartz suffered a back injury as a junior, which scouts say made his draft stock slip last year. He was complimented for his size and strength, but draft experts questioned his quickness and athleticism -- although he was a good enough athlete to play football, basketball and baseball in high school.

Schwartz spent all of last season on the practice squad, learning to play a pro style offense after lining up in the spread at Oregon. He has been active this season.

Schwartz is excited about and prepared for Sunday's game, he says. "I'm as ready as I can be. It's a good opportunity...Any opportunity you get in this league, you've got to relish."

Schwartz is a "much different" player than he was when he came out of Oregon. He called last season a transition season, "more like a redshirt year." He has since learned to play the Panthers' system and added strength, in part by lifting weights with Gross and center Ryan Kalil nearly every day in the offseason. "I used (last year) to get ready," he said. By the time he was participating in OTA's during the offseason, he felt comfortable enough to play.

The criticism from draft experts and scouts last year does not motivate Schwartz, he says. Instead, "I want to prove to myself more than anybody else" that he can play in the NFL.

Nor is Schwartz playing with his career in mind, although the way he plays over the next three games could determine where he ends up next season. "I'm not really looking at it right now," he says. "I just want to play and show what I can do."

So how badly does he want to play? Well, badly enough the the specter of playing in prime time, against the 11-2 Vikings, does not up the ante. "It doesn't matter when we actually play -- Thursday, Saturday, Sunday," he said. "I'm just hungry for the opportunity. It just happens to be Sunday night." ...

Schwart's teammates also spoke of the changes on the offensive line, and of the urgency that they hope Bernadeau and Schwartz play with. "Any time you have a chance to start in this league, you have a chance to put yourself on film," tight end Jeff King says. "That's your resume."

"It's going to be exciting to see what they can do," guard Kendrick Vincent said. Vincent, in his 9th season, gave this advice to the two green linemen: "Just go out there and have fun." ...

Other teammates had fun with Schwartz. As he faced the media horde in the Panthers' locker room after practice Wednesday afternoon, teammates walked by and dropped one liners. A sample:

--"Fresh haircut."

--"School pictures."

--"The next Anthony Munoz." ...

Two final notes on Schwartz: He once carried the ball in college, when Oregon Quarterback Dennis Dixon ran a play the wrong way and flipped the ball to Schwartz. Dixon thought Schwartz was a back. He caught the pitch and ran for three yards. See the play here.

Schwart'z father once kept a Web site about his son's athletics exploits. It has not been updated since 2005, but it is still active.

New York Jets Run Defense vs. Carolina Panthers Run Offense

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

by Patrick Semansky - AP

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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.

New York Jets Pass Defense vs. Carolina Panthers Pass Offense

John B — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:02:32 -0000

More photos » by RUSTY KENNEDY - AP

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There are a lot of similarities between the Jets and the Panthers. One of them is both teams have talented quarterbacks capable of taking over a game or losing it by constantly throwing it to the opposition. It's been more of the latter this year for Carolina. Jake Delhomme has only 8 touchdown passes against 14 interceptions on top of his all time horrific Playoff start last year against the Cardinals. His passer rating right now stands at 66.

Steve Smith will draw Darrelle Revis. Smith is one of the top deep threats in the game and owns great speed. He leads the Panthers with 45 receptions, 599 yards, and 4 touchdowns. With Donald Strickland and Dwight Lowery out, Lito Sheppard will rejoin the starting lineup. He'll spend much of his day covering Muhsin Muhammad. This seems like a decent matchup for Lito. Muhammad is not a deep threat. He does a lot of his work underneath, runs good routes, and battles. I like the matchup between the starters.

The Panthers are a better running team than passing team, but there are some areas they can try to exploit the Jets if they are willing to open up their playbook a bit. Then again, that requires putting it into Delhomme's hands instead of their excellent running backs. In any event, Drew Coleman will be the nickel. Coleman is coming off one of worst performances in NFL history against Wes Welker (and that is not hyperbole). In four years, Drew hasn't really developed any cover skills or shown he should be on the field in anything other than extreme passing subpackages. Carolina's third receiver, Jersey product Dwayne Jarrett, has only 10 receptions on the year, but the Panthers could look to exploit this matchup. We could also see them target tight ends Jeff King and Dante Rosario, who split time. They have combined for 31 catches.

The key will be bringing pressure and forcing Delhomme to make decisions quicker than he wants. This is how opponents approch New York's mistake prone quarterback. It's how the Jets should go after Carolina's. The Panthers are playing without Pro Bowl tackle Jordan Gross, who is on IR with an injured ankle. Travelle Wharton will start in his place. He had some struggles against the Dolphins last week. The overload blitzes this week could go primarily to his side.

Panther Paw Prints - Dolphins Loss Edition

Jaxon — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:12:43 -0000

by Chuck Burton - AP

27 days ago: Miami Dolphins' Tyrone Culver (29) knocks down a desperation pass in the end zone as Carolina Panthers' Dwayne Jarrett (80) reaches in vain at the end of the Dolphins' 24-17 win in an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

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This edition of Paw Prints has the sour taste of a loss all over it. Let's take our medicine Panther fans.

Key Moments - CharlotteObserver.com
Facing third-and-goal from the Miami 7, the Panthers fail to convert a third consecutive pass play, leading to a field goal. Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter beats left tackle Travelle Wharton to sack Jake Delhomme, who's previous two passes from the 7 were incomplete.

This is the series causing all the heat on OC Jeff Davison. 1st and goal and we attempt to throw the ball three times? He will be hearing abouth this one for a while. My second biggest concern from this loss was the continued poort play from our kick coverage, which gets an unearned 'C' grade from the Observor.

Panthers Report Card - CharlotteObserver.com
SPECIAL TEAMS Grade: C Comment: Miami's superb kickoff returner Ted Ginn Jr. had a big day against a Carolina kickoff unit that has struggled much of the season. Ginn had returns of 37 and 48 yards. Panthers punt returner Captain Munnerlyn let a punt go without a fair catch that wound up costing the Panthers quite a few yards. Punter Jason Baker appeared to shank a low punt near the end of the first half. It went only 34 yards and resulted in a 22-yard return. Baker bounced back and later had a punt downed at the 7. Carolina rookie Tyrell Sutton looked sharp as a kickoff returner. He had returns of 31 andd 29 yards.

Munnerlyn has let too many balls hit the ground this year resulting lost yardage; another issue I blame on coaching.

The players lost to injury is being felt too.

Dolphins outplay both Panthers' lines - CharlotteObserver.com
On Porter's second sack, Wharton appeared to be interfered with by fullback Tony Fiammetta. Wharton angrily stalked off the field after the play. "Early on, we were a bit of a new offensive line in there," said Panthers coach John Fox. "Once, we got picked off by our running back, our left tackle (Wharton) did. "But we settled down and our protection got a little better as the game wore on. Unfortunately, we came up a little short."

From the land of the obvious here's another one:

Delhomme, Smith not the same duo - CharlotteObserver.com
Jake Delhomme and Steve Smith were once one of the NFL's telepathic quarterback-wide receiver duos, seemingly able to read each others' minds on the fly. That ability comes and goes nowadays, like a cell phone call with inconsistent reception.

Inconsistent reception? More like the call was never completed period... Scott found five things from this loss he didn't like...only five?

Scott Says ...: 5 things I didn't like in loss to Miami
. Defensive pressure and tackling. The Panthers’ defense gave up three touchdowns to Ricky Williams, who is a good back, yes. But he’s also 32 years old and wasn’t good enough to start in Miami until Ronnie Brown got hurt. Yet Williams was nearly unstoppable and broke off a 46-yard run that was the play of the game with 3:55 left in the fourth quarter. Plus, Carolina never sacked Chad Henne.

Fox speaks:

Playoff hopes dashed for Carolina Panthers? - CharlotteObserver.com
"I think there's a lot of fight in that room," he said, speaking of his players in the locker room. "There's still a lot of football left to be played and we're in no way or stretch out of it." But there's no doubt this one hurt the Panthers deeply. "Those guys fought hard," said Fox. "I'm disappointed for them."

Mathmatically we are still in it sure, but just like going 0-4 int he preseason, 4-6 doesn't give us much confidence they can pull it off.

Tom Talks: Marriage proposal at BofA Stadium? - CharlotteObserver.com
Third-and-1 from the Carolina 41 and the Panthers go deep to Steve Smith? What are they thinking? They're thinking that Smith will get single coverage from rookie cornerback Sean Smith. Both Smiths played at Utah. Jake Delhomme throws a nice pass and Steve Smith reaches for the ball and gets his fingers on it and - the ball falls incomplete. Sometimes a good call fails. It fails here.

2nd and 1 sure, give it a shot. 3rd and 1 on your own 40 run the ball and get the 1st down. Dumb....So even the players most optimistic outlook is 8-8?

Third-downs fin-ish off Panthers in 24-17 loss
"This is the fourth time we could have been .500 and we didn't execute enough to get there," said Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams. "I think we play well under pressure, but we can't continue to do this. Eight and eight doesn't sound like it will get us into the playoffs." "Playoff talk is something that is not even brought up," added quarterback Jake Delhomme.

Where is he getting 4 more wins I wonder?

We got another week to shake off this funk and get up to NY to shoot down the Jets!

Carolina Panthers defeat Atlanta Falcons 28-19

James The Aussie — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:03:22 -0000

More photos » by Mike McCarn - AP

about 1 month ago: Carolina Panthers' Jonathan Stewart (28) runs past Atlanta Falcons' Mike Peterson (53) for a touchdown late in the second half of the Panthers' 28-19 win in an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009. (AP Photo/Mike McCarn)

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Charlotte, NC- The Carolina Panthers proved there was life left in them yet with a definative 28-19 victory over the now 5-4 Atlanta Falcons.

Jake Delhomme had his best game of the season statistically throwing for 195 yards, 2 TDs finishing with a QB rating of 115.9. Coupled with a combined 173 yards and 2 touchdowns by DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart there was a remarkable improvement from the Panther offense seen in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, the Panthers' defense played well against a high powered Atlanta offense keeping Matt Ryan to 224 yards passing and intercepting the young QB twice.

It was a bright day in Charlotte, NC- except for one dark cloud.

More after the jump...

Midway through the second quarter all-pro LT Jordan Gross was hit awkwardly on a block resulting in a broken right ankle leaving a major hole in the offensive line with Travelle Wharton filling in, but doing a less than mediocre job throughout the second half. Though there is no official diagnosis on how much time Gross will miss, it's my guess he will be put on IR in the morning as the Panthers look to sign an OL with very little cap space.

On the field, however, the Panthers as a whole shone brightly over Charlotte. The Falcons struck first with a field goal on their first drive, but the Panthers quickly answered with a dominant drive in which Jake Delhomme threw for 75 yards and was capped off by a 1 yard Jonathan Stewart TD run. Panthers 7 - Falcons 3

After stopping an Atlanta drive the Panthers struck again with Delhomme leading the Panthers down the field and throwing a perfectly placed pass to Steve Smith in the right corner of the endzone for the Panthers' second touchdown of the day. Panthers 14 - Falcons 3

Atlanta weren't going to take this game laying down driving down the field and scoring on a 1 yard Justin Snelling run. Snelling was in the game due to a high ankle sprain to RB Michael Turner early in the second quarter. Panthers 14 - Falcons 10

Carolina excecuted a perfect 4 minute drive with Jake Delhomme again finding Steve Smith on a 4 yard TD pass squeezed between two defenders. Smith was hit hard on the play and was slow in getting up, but it didn't limit the WR who merely left the field for halftime early. Panthers 21 - Falcons 10

After the halftime break it was clear Mike Smith's Falcons made some adjustments on both sides of the ball, similarly it seemed the Panthers made adjustments, being forced to scheme their blocking differently with the loss of Gross on the left side. The aforementioned replacement in Travelle Wharton was not reliable as the Falcons pass rush looked much better in the second half.

The third quarter only saw one score, a 24 yard FG by Jason Elam. Panthers 21 - Falcons 13

In the forth it appeared that the Panthers were reeling as the offense could not effectively move the ball continually punting to the Falcons. The Falcons scored on a 3 yard pass to TE Justin Peele, but failed to convert the tying 2 pt conversion. Panthers 21 - Falcons 19

Again the Panthers offense failed and after a 3 and out the Falcons had the opportunity to take the lead on a Jason Elam field goal, but the combination of a bad snap and poor kick caused Elam to kick the ball wide left and the score stayed unchanged.

The Panthers were not going to let another game slip through their fingers as quickly after the missed FG Jonathan Stewart barelled though the Falcons' defense for a 45 yard TD run. Without a timeout the Falcons were forced to throw deep and the Panthers managed to close out the game 28-19.

The 4-5 Carolina Panthers face the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night football, and hope to keep their hopes of a wild card alive, against the odds.

Poll

Who deserves the game ball from the Panthers' victory vs. the Falcons?

Jake Delhomme

166 votes

Jonathan Stewart

50 votes

Steve Smith

55 votes

Muhsin Muhammad

22 votes

Other (please specify in comments)

13 votes

306 votes | Poll has closed

Week 5 Offensive Matchups: Carolina's offense vs Redskins Defense

Revshawn — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:00:52 -0000

I still can't believe that the Panthers are 0-3. The playoffs seem like a far-off dream by now, and the Panthers are entering their 3rd must-win game in month. This game we're either going to see a team that has found its soul during the Bye week, or a team that has returned to break the spirit of Panther fans everywhere.

The good news is that this is a very winnable game. The Redskins are 2-2 against a fairly easy schedule, with one of their losses against the Detroit Lions, the undesputed worst NFL team in the league last year. We have the Redskins, the Bucs, and the Bills in three straight games in an easy stretch of our schedule. We could very well win all three of these games and even out our schedule at 3-3. Could that be enough to build momentum and get us to play inspired football again to get us into the playoffs?

I hope so.

LG Travelle Wharton/C Ryan Kalil vs NT Albert Haynesworth

What is there to say about him? Albert Haynesworth is a beast. He's one of those defensive tackles that absolutely demands that you double team him each and every play or else he'll make you hurt. Expect Wharton and Kalil to be on him all game, with our fullback Brad Hoover having added responsibilities in the backfield to pick up the linebacker blitz if it comes. He'll also force us to use more TE sets than we usually use, so you won't see as many 3 WR formations as you usually do during the game.

Jake Delhomme vs The Bye Week

Oh the dreaded Bye Week. Jake Delhomme threw 9 interceptions last year in the two games following his week off of football. It hasn't stayed with him his career or anything, but it was very weird for the fans to see him go off on vacation off a good game and return in the next playing like Jamarcus Russell. The fans don't like him, and he's not going to get their respect for the rest of the year. He needs to get back to making smart decisions, and get the ball to his playmakers in Steve Smith and Daunte Rosario. If he does that, he can fight off the critics for another week.

Deangelo Williams vs Redskins Defense

If Deangelo Williams is given the ball, he should be able to have a good game against these guys. The Redskins rank bottom half in the league against the run after facing three of the worst teams in the NFL in their schedule in the Rams, the Lions, and the Bucs. The most important thing is that the coaches run Williams to the outside and keep the ball away from Albert Haynesworth. Keep pounding away, and eventually someone will make a mistake or Williams will make a play and break out on a large run.

Panthers Coaching

The Panthers need to get back to running the football. Give Jake Delhomme some help. Deangelo Williams needs to get his 20 touches, regardless of whether you're losing the game or winning. That's the strength of this team. That's been the strength of this team ever since our team came into existence. Start blitzing the QB if your D-Line isn't providing any pressure. You can hope that Julius Peppers makes a play all day, but if he doesn't actually get off his rear and do it then nothing is going to happen. If we play by the strengths of our team, we should be fine.

Prediction

I expect the panthers to win this game, and easily at that. The Redskins will be successful in running the football, but Jason Campbell will have a problem completing passes on third down. Meanwhile, John Fox gives the Redskins a heavy dose of the run and shuts down Albert Haynesworth with constant double teams. Deangelo Williams gives the fans hope by running for over 125 yards and two touchdowns, bringing down the Redskins 27-14.

Taking a Look at the Panthers Blue Chip Players

Jaxon — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:53:00 -0000

More photos » by Chuck Burton - AP

3 months ago: In this Aug. 3, 2009, photo, Carolina Panthers' Jon Beason is shown during the team's NFL football training camp in Spartanburg, S.C. Beason left Saturday's exhibition loss to Miami with a left knee injury. Unlike the torn Achilles' tendon suffered by defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu in training camp, Beason insisted after the game he had not suffered a season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligament. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

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Darin Gantt ran across a post by Michael Lombardi with National Football Post in which he identifies the blue chip players by team. Gantt lists the six (6) blue-chip Panther players and the two almost blue players from the post and then adds the following:

Only New England and Minnesota had as many as the Panthers, with Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, San Diego, Philadelphia and Green Bay with five each. What does it mean? Maybe not much. But for all the freaking out locally, it's still a talent-laden roster.

Though I could argue with some names on the list and not on the list I think it does put in perspective that the Panthers have as many top notch (blue chip) players as any other team in the league. The list follows after the jump...

From the original post here's the list of players:

BLUE: RB, D. Williams; WR, S. Smith; OT, Gross; DE, Peppers; ILB, Beason; CB, Gamble.

ALMOST BLUE: OT, Otah; DT, D. Lewis.

I'm with Gantt in the only name I question is Damionne Lewis but its nice someone else thinks he's almost blue. Give me 6 sacks this season Lewis and I might agree. Gantt also suggests G Travelle Wharton should be on the Almost Blue list. No argument there from me. Additional Almost Blue players could be RB Jonathan Stewart and LB Thomas Davis. Question: Would you put DT Maake Kemoeatu on either of the lists. Notice too that 7 of the 8 are Carolina draft picks with Lewis being the only FA acquisition.

I shoud also point out the list for our NFC bretheren:

Atlanta (5):

BLUE: RB, Turner; TE, Gonzalez; WR, R. White; DE, Abraham.

ALMOST BLUE: QB, Ryan.

That's a pretty short list for the team everyone is picking to win the NFC South. BTW, only 2 are Atlanta draft picks.

New Orleans (4):

BLUE: QB, Brees; ILB, Vilma.

ALMOST BLUE: WR, Colston; WR, Moore.

I might argue with WR Lance Moore (I keep wanting to say Kenny). He's good but I think we've seen the best he has to offer. Only one of these is a Saints draft pick.

Tampa Bay (5):

BLUE: WR, Bryant; ILB, Ruud.

ALMOST BLUE: TE, Winslow; OT, Penn; S, T. Jackson.

I'm sorry but Antonio Bryant has had one good season after being mediocre for years. Honestly Winslow and Ruud are the only two I would consider for either list. Penn and Jackson are servicable but blue-chippers? Jackson may have some upside but Penn? On the other side I'm surprised not to see RB Derrick Ward at least as Almost Blue.

So the lists may be subjective regarding certain players but emphasizes very well that the Panthers have the most talented roster in teh NFC South and one o fthe top talented rosters in the NFL as a whole. Nice job Mr. Lombardi. Anyone diagree?

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.

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.

Official Carolina Panthers/Minnesota Vikings Injury Reports

Gonzo — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 00:14:45 -0000

Well, folks, it's Friday, and that means it's time for a check of the injury reports for both of the teams involved in this Sunday's clash at the Metrodome. Oh, and there's one name on the injury reports that Vikings fans probably aren't going to like too terribly much.

We'll start with the visiting Carolina Panthers.

Player	Position	Injury	Friday Practice	Game Status
Matt Moore	QB	Fibula	DNP	Out
Travelle Wharton	G	Knee	DNP	Out
Ryne Robinson	WR	Knee	Limited	Doubtful
Chris Harris	S	Thigh	DNP	Questionable
Tyler Brayton	DE	Ankle	Limited	Questionable
Na'il Diggs	LB	Shoulder	Limited	Questionable
Chris Gamble	CB	Shoulder	Limited	Questionable
Ma'ake Kemoeatu	DT	Illness	Limited	Questionable
Richard Marshall	CB	Thigh	Limited	Questionable

That's a LOT of folks to have listed as "Questionable." I'm trying to find a little more information on which of those guys are going to play and which are going to sit out, and as soon as I can find something I'll pass it along to everybody.

Now, on to the Beloved Purple. The injury list is significantly longer than it has been over the past few weeks, and that's never a good sign when you're preparing to play a team as physical as the Panthers.

Player	Position	Injury	Friday Practice	Game Status
Madieu Williams	S	Neck	DNP	Out
Adrian Peterson	RB	Hamstring	Limited	Questionable
Sidney Rice	WR	Knee	Limited	Questionable
Maurice Hicks	RB	Foot	Full	Probable
Ellis Wyms	DT	Concussion	Full	Probable
Aundrae Allison	WR	Foot	Limited	Probable
Bernard Berrian	WR	Foot	Limited	Probable
Artis Hicks	OL	Elbow	Limited	Probable
Darren Sharper	S	Shoulder	Limited	Probable
Tarvaris Jackson	QB	Coaching Ignorance	Limited	Doubtful

Hey. . .any names stand out to anybody there? (Besides that last one, which I may or may not have made up.)

Yes, folks, Adrian Peterson is going to be a game-time decision with a hamstring injury that he got in last week's loss to Indianapolis. If I were a betting man, I would guess that he was going to play and that they're just being cautious with him, but at this point I know just as much as you do.

More on this game over the course of this evening and into tomorrow. Until then, enjoy the rest of your Friday, and we'll see you back here again soon!