SB Nation - Muhsin Muhammad

Mike Holmgren's Greatest Managerial Achievement

John Morgan — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:45:48 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

Even in red, a Seahawk.

Mike Holmgren selected Steve Hutchinson 17^th overall in the 2001 NFL Draft, seven picks after selecting Koren Robinson and 23 picks before he selected Ken Lucas. If Robinson could have kept off the bottle, that would have been a hell of a start to a draft. He swapped first round picks with Green Bay for Matt Hasselbeck, drafted Heath Evans, Alex Bannister, and John David Booty's older brother, Josh.

Holmgren built the 2005 offense that weekend. He won the draft. In a draft that produced someday Hall of Fame candidates: Richard Seymour, Drew Brees, LaDainian Tomlinson, Steve Hutchinson, Casey Hampton, Steve Smith, Reggie Wayne and Adrian Wilson, Holmgren won. The Panthers picked Dan Morgan, Kris Jenkins and Steve Smith with their first, second and third round selections, but still Holmgren's was better. He built the unit that would lead Seattle to its first and only Super Bowl.

Well, not quite.

The Bears cut Bobby Engram August 29 and Holmgren signed him August 31. Engram signed a two-year contract that paid him less than $500,000 annually. He was the 101^st highest paid receiver in 2001.

Engram received a 60k raise his second season and took on punt return duties to compensate. He averaged 10.7 yards per return and returned one to the house. That was the season Engram became the darling of Football Outsiders metrics. Targets to Engram ranked 26^th in total value and 13^th in value per target. He was ninth and second in 2003.

Holmgren struggled to fill out a roster and his teams were notoriously thin and talent poor defensively, but man did that man know early 21^st-century offense. He squeezed maximum value from slot receivers. Engram wasn't some schlub. He won the first ever Biletnikof trophy in 1994 and still holds most of Penn State's receiving records. Unlike Deon Butler, Engram wasn't a steady four-year starter with time to burn. Joe Paterno suspended him for the entire 1992 season after he was caught burglarizing an apartment and stealing a stereo with teammate Ricky Sayles. All charges were dropped against Engram after police determined Sayles convinced Engram the two were allowed to take the stereo.

The 1996 draft class included Keyshawn Johnson, Terry Glenn, Eddie Kennison, Marvin Harrison, Eric Moulds, Terrell Owens, Muhsin Muhammad, Amani Toomer and Joe Horn. Engram was the eighth wide receiver selected, behind Johnson, Glenn, Kennison, Harrison, Moulds, Alex Van Dyke, Bryan Still and Muhammad. Engram never broke through with the Bears, struggling to receive for 38 year old Dave Krieg, Eric Kramer, Rick Mirer, Steve Stentstrom, Cade "AIDS" McNown and Shane Matthews, but he was good. Engram ended his career with Chicago with consecutive seasons of over 900 yards receiving before an ACL tear ended his 2000 season.

Holmgren didn't cash in a high pick or find a serviceable safety in the second, the kind of feats any GM can stumble into, he did that thing that separates the best general managers from the merely competent: found freely available talent and turned it into a long term asset.

Engram is a free agent after Kansas City cut him earlier this season. His time with the Chiefs was a tornado-obliterated double wide in a Rolls Royce career. Or maybe an efficient Elise is more Bobby's style. His short stop in the nation's dust mite might and probably will end Engram's fourteen-year career.

But maybe week 17, should the Tennessee Titans be out of it, Seattle can IR Patrick Kerney and sign Engram for one last perfectly-timed, Hasselbeck-to-Engram curl route for eight and the first.

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.

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:00:20 -0000

Happy Tuesday, friends. It's a short week, with another game on Thursday night, so there's no time to mope or feel sorry for ourselves. In their scheduling wisdom, the NFL took away our right to do so - and I, for one, am glad. The Giants can be beaten, with sound play, but we'll get to that eventually. For now we'll put this week to bed and move on quickly. Ready.... BEGIN!!!!

1. I am approaching one full year as a staff contributor to MHR, having joined at the beginning of December 2008. It's been quite an interesting year, and my relationship to the team has kind of changed in an unexpected way during that time.

I first discovered MHR in April 2008, right before the draft. It, and SBNation, have come a long way since then, but the basics were the same; MHR is a respectful, knowledgeable community which discussed all things about their team. I was inspired to join such a community, and I started posting some FanPosts (which were still called Diaries only a year and a half ago).

Unlike a lot of staff members, I wasn't asked to fill a specific role, so I had to figure out what mine would be. I had always done some around the league stuff, but I wanted to find a delivery formula that would work well on a Broncos site. I debuted ST&NO on January 12, 2009, with the following opening:

As we enter the re-loading season, I felt like I needed to establish a fun new recurring feature. HT has MHR University, and Broncobear has the always excellent Tales from the Sunny Side. Styg is heading up some great draft coverage, which has a fun name, which you'll be hearing about very soon. Nick has some statistical analysis pieces which will be coming, and Zappa will continue to be Zappa, intermittently unleashing jolts of Broncos fan brilliance. And the Guru, when we form like Voltron, the Guru is the head.

So where does that leave me? Well, I was thinking a couple days ago, as I listened to Enter The Wu-Tang and shoveled a foot of snow, that two things I can consistently provide are shallow thoughts, and nearsighted observations. Since this is a Broncos blog, I'll focus on our team, but I'll also include some league-wide thoughts, for keeping-up-with- the-Jones purposes. Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. What else could be needed on top of that? Maybe just some more cowbell.... Did anybody bring a cowbell?

Well, ST&NO has grown, and I have too. As I was sitting on my couch Sunday, watching the debacle against the Chargers, I realized that I wasn't yelling and cursing as much as normal. I didn't get that excited, and I have to say, upon some reflection, that I have been less excitable about the Broncos this season than ever. For the first 6 games, I had a hard time finding new ways to express my pleasure with the situation, and for the last 4, I have had trouble doing the opposite thing.

All I can figure is that my role in writing for this site has subtly and gradually forced me to become more of an objective analyst, and less of a passionate fan. I think the change largely has to do with my relationship with and attitude toward reporters.

I like to beat up on NFL reporters, because I think that most of them only have a surface-level knowledge of what is going on in a football game. The Broncos have a couple of good reporters, in Lindsay Jones and Jeff Legwold, and I never take any shots at them. I actually have tended toward staying away from taking deserved shots at the Denver-area Woody Paige bloviator class, because I don't want to spend the site's goodwill with the Denver media; it's John's to spend, not mine, after all. (Woody going after Kyle at BroncoTalk made me briefly lift my moratorium in the comments section of Horse Tracks the other day.)

Here's a summary of my general attitude toward football reporting. I think there is relatively little value in the reporting of news, at the national level. When Lindsay Jones reports on what happened at the facility every day, there is value in that. When Chris Mortensen hears 10 minutes before Jay Glazer that Chris Simms will start, who cares? Everybody was going to find out soon enough anyway, so what's the difference who had it first?

The real value, to me, is in the analysis, which is why I devote my time and effort to being a good analyst. While I am not a journalist, I do admire the journalistic principle of objectivity, and I think that in reconciling my criticism of national NFL reporters with my long-held policy of non-hypocrisy, I have become more objective. If I am going to beat them up for not knowing the technical aspects of the game as well as me, I can't be less objective than them. Something like that.

I remember last spring sitting in a bar with some co-workers for a happy hour, and seeing Woody's face come on Around The Horn. I told this girl I work with, Trudy, that I competed with him in the marketplace of ideas, and that I kicked his butt, on the merits. Well, I really don't think of Woody as my competition anymore, for a lot of obvious reasons. (Like, for example, he can't compete with me.) Due to the established nature of my content, I feel like I am competing with national guys, like Peter King and Gregg Easterbrook, even if this platform is Broncos-specific.

So, the point of this is that I was struggling with what to say in a general way about Sunday's game, when I don't have the deep feelings that most of you do, and that I would have had a year ago. I feel like I imagine Tom Jackson to feel; I'm very disappointed at the result for my affiliated team, but at the end of the day, I have the rest of the football landscape to worry about, too, and I have to get on with the business of being an objective analyst. I am still coming to grips with this change, and I am not really sure what the ancillary implications are for me. This may be one of these existential crises like we're seeing with Team Edward or Team Jacob. (I have a lot of 20-something women among my Facebook friends, so, trust me, I know.) See here for a funny breakdown of that Twilight sitch-ee-ation.

(Big up my man Justin Dazet for finding that. Justin writes a blog that gets into gaming and other stuff, and a San Diego area column on Geek Culture. Check him out if you're into that sort of thing.)

Momentarily, I will get back to the business of breaking down the game details, like I always do, but I thought I should at least explain why there was no impassioned, emotional screed today about the Broncos.

2. Information From My Eyes - Chargers at Broncos

a. First things first. I am going to tell you why Kyle Orton didn't start the game. He couldn't take snaps from under center and drop back effectively. It's that simple. The injury that he has prevented it. If you can only play in the shotgun, your running game is severely limited, from the perspective of the direction you can run. Josh McDaniels said this without really getting detailed, but this is what he meant.

Orton took a few snaps under center, but he really labored with his footwork, and it hindered the timing of the running game, and the Broncos could only really run to the A and B gaps. When the QB is playing slow, it makes the whole offense play slow, unfortunately.

b. The Broncos came out running the ball like they meant business. They could do that with Chris Simms under center, but Simms obviously never held his end of the bargain as a passer. When Orton came into the game, it wasn't conducive to running the ball, and neither was Orton's ability to retreat from center.

c. Knowshon Moreno scored a Touchdown, and ~~Ron~~ Nuclear Winter's crew blew the call. When I saw who the referee was, right after kickoff, I tweeted;

I am sure Moreno's play was a TD by virtue of relative positioning. To wit, Russ Hochstein's knee was across the goal line, and if his knee caused the fumble, which it clearly did, then the ball had to be across the goal line. That play was an absolute killer, because with a TD at the end of the half, the Broncos are right back in the game at 13-7. The energy of the game had momentarily shifted to the Broncos, and just like that, it was gone.

d. I was very disappointed with the defensive scheme, as I have been the last several weeks. The Broncos have really changed from an aggressive defense to one which is reading and reacting, and I don't like it at all. In the game at San Diego, the Broncos had great success pressuring the A gaps, and I saw very little effort to do that Sunday. They also got Elvis Dumervil in favorable matchups against the terrible Jeromey Clary, and again, there was none of that. Clary was even injured, and they didn't seem like they wanted to go after him. The Broncos need to get back to what made them tough on defense.

e. A little noticed good thing about Sunday was kickoff and punt coverage. The Broncos never let Darren Sproles hurt them in the return game, and both Josh Barrett and David Bruton made outstanding plays in downfield coverage.

f. The Chargers defensive backs got away with playing through the bodies of Denver receivers several times. The Broncos were a lot sloppier than San Diego, but not to the point where the penalty disparity should have been as wide as it was. It seems to me that teams which have "physical" labels like San Diego, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore get away with mugging a lot of WRs, and not just with crappy officiating crews like Nuclear Winter. It's like how you might call a foul playing an indoor basketball game at the Y, but you wouldn't call the same thing playing streetball.

g. Speaking of penalties, I want to know what the unsportsmanlike conduct was against Marcus Thomas and Ronald Fields on those two kicking plays. It seemed to me that they just hit the long snapper, though it was hard to tell from the TV angles on the recorded Short Cut. Those seemed like Nuclear Winter ticky-tack calls.

h. Andre' Goodman had a hard time dealing with the size of Malcolm Floyd on Sunday. Chris Chambers has done very well in Kansas City, but Floyd is a much tougher matchup for a guy like Goodman.

i. I put a great deal of the Broncos' recent offensive struggles on the absence of Ryan Harris. They haven't been able to protect nearly as well as they did in the first six games. That's not exactly meant to be an indictment of Tyler Polumbus, who is fine as a backup OT and special teams player. It's just recognizing the fact that Harris is one of the best RTs in the game. The timing of the offensive struggles aren't coincidental. It looks like Harris is still hurt, but let's hope he can play on the other side of the Giants game.

j. Again, the gap discipline took a vacation in the second half of the football game. Peter King thinks the defense of the first six games was a mirage, which is dramatically oversimplifying the case. They have still been quick and active for big stretches during the losing streak. It's just been less common to see them sustain it for 60 minutes lately. D.J. Williams (again) and Andra Davis both had pretty bad days in the gap discipline department.

k. I was fine with the onsides kick call, even if it didn't work. It was a good situation for it, because the Broncos were going to lose anyway without a big play.

3. Information From My Eyes - Other Games

a. Again, Thursday seems like it was a long time ago. I was very impressed with the play of Ricky Williams in the absence of Ronnie Brown. I haven't liked the play of Williams so much, maybe ever. The Dolphins didn't do much of their Wild Cute Marine Mammal stuff, but they ran very well from traditional formations, against a Carolina defense which is usually stout against the run. The direct snap stuff is good because of Brown, who has a rare instinctiveness for the options it provides. The Dolphins were smart to go back to the handoff game with Williams.

b. I still don't like Chad Henne's tattoo, but he had a very steady game. He's improving as a player every week, and I give the Dolphins a lot of credit for taking it slow with him, and developing him in an intelligent way. Tony Sparano doesn't receive a lot of acclaim, but I have been very impressed with the coaching job his staff has done for two years now.

c. The Dolphins have started ST&NO Favorite Sean Smith at RCB all season, and are now starting Vontae Davis at LCB. They have done a great job, and they really more than held their own against Muhsin Muhammad and Steve Smith last Thursday. Both guys are very talented, but again, it's a testament to the coaching they are getting from Todd Bowles, the Dolphins Assistant Head Coach and Secondary coach. I fully expect Bowles to get a head coaching job this offseason, even though nobody in the reporter-o-sphere is talking about him.

d. I criticized Joey Porter's play last week, but the benching seems to have motivated him. He was dominant, with two sacks and two other tackles for losses. It helped that Jordan Gross was hurt, but Porter looked much better than I have seen him this season, regardless of the matchup.

e. I watched a great deal of the Green Bay-San Francisco game, and I came away thinking that Aaron Rodgers has it better than Alex Smith from a protection standpoint, which isn't saying much at all, obviously. San Francisco has a pretty good LT in Joe Staley, but he's been hurt for a few weeks now. Smith couldn't do anything at all for most of the game Sunday, because he was getting hit the second he got to the top of his drops.

In the second half, with the score getting lopsided, the Niners smartened up and just put Smith in the shotgun, where he is most comfortable. He responded with 3 TD passes and made the game look like it was closer than it was. I continue to think that Smith is more than good enough to win with, if he gets protection. When you evaluate what he does in a vacuum, he's doing the right things way more often than not.

f. I have heard a lot of criticism of Aaron Rodgers lately, but he continues to look like a top-notch passer to me. He is gaining 8.2 yards per pass attempt, with 19 TDs and 5 INTs this season. He has also run for more yards than any QB in the NFL, and 3 TDs. I also tend to think you have to evaluate Rodgers in a vacuum, and other than holding the ball a little too long sometimes, he doesn't do much wrong. The last couple weeks, he's been getting the ball out quicker, too.

g. The loss of Al Harris is really going to hurt the Packers badly. It severely limits their ability to use Charles Woodson in the wide variety of roles that they liked to use him in. Woodson has often covered TEs and is a great blitzer. He's played as well as any defensive player in the NFL this season, and now the Packers may need to use him more on the outside.

I actually think the loss of Aaron Kampman is pretty negligible for them, despite his big name. He hasn't adjusted well to playing OLB, and his tallness has hurt him. By coming from a standup position, Kampman hasn't gotten the leverage he used to play with. He needs to move on to a 4-3 team where he can play on the strongside again. He's about the best in the NFL at that, after Mario Williams.

h. I can't believe the Jaguars are 6-4, but they are. When they win, they have been getting good play from David Garrard and Mike Sims-Walker, which they did on Sunday against Buffalo. Garrard is an interesting guy, because he seems young, but he isn't. He's actually 31, and he's probably reached the prime of his career. He's good enough to take a team to the playoffs, obviously, but do you build around him? I kind of feel the same way about Garrard as I did about Jake Plummer at the end of 2005, though I think Garrard is a little better player than Plummer was.

i. A guy who has been an outstanding player for a few years, without getting any credit, is Kyle Williams for the Bills. He was dominant on Sunday. Williams is kind of a short, stout DT, who does a great job getting penetration from a 3-technique position. He's never been a big sack guy, but his ability to shoot gaps has disrupted a lot of running games.

j. It's funny how many ST&NO favorites become really good players in the NFL. Percy Harvin hasn't gotten a lot of credit, because the media is busy loving on Brett Favre, but he's become a good NFL receiver quickly. A lot of Mel Kiper's said Harvin didn't run a lot of routes at Florida, but he was always open when he did. It was clear to me that he'd be able to separate with quickness as he learned NFL technique. His technique is improving quickly, and he's a handful. Along with Sidney Rice and Bernard Berrian, he's part of a really dangerous receiving corps. I can't think of a lot of groups I'd take over them, actually.

k. Joseph Addai has never been a favorite of mine, but he's playing better than ever lately. I still think that Donald Brown is going to be the better player, but Addai seems to have found some confidence and toughness that I never perceived in him.

l. The AFC has had a lot of outstanding safety play this season, but if I had to pick two starters for the Pro Bowl, they'd be Melvin Bullitt and Bernard Pollard. Bullitt got some notice for stopping the 4th and 2 last week, but he has been terrific in replacing Bob Sanders. Tampa 2-teams need a quick safety who can get from a cover-2 shell to the box very quickly, and Bullitt has done it as well as Sanders ever did.

Pollard was cut by Kansas City, and I just didn't get it. Maybe Scott Pioli was paying him back for last season's hit on Tom Brady? Pollard has been spectacular at times for the Texans, and has really been the star on the back end that they've never had. (No, Dunta Robinson is not a star; he's only paid like one.)

Brian Dawkins, Ed Reed, Jairus Byrd, Antoine Bethea, Kerry Rhodes, Brandon Meriweather, and Reggie Nelson would be battling it out for the last Pro Bowl spot, but I am sure about the top 2, as of today.

m. Laurence Maroney is doing a decent job of re-establishing his reputation as a solid RB. He has had the knock of not being particularly tough, kind of like Addai, but Maroney has been picking up a lot of tough yards lately. Take away the goal-line fumble against he Colts, and he's been really good.

n. Mark Sanchez looked confused almost the whole game on Sunday, against a New England team that knows how to confuse a QB. Sanchez is a classic example of what happens when teams get some film on you and know what you're going to do. I don't think it's time to bench him, like the average Peter King is calling for, but it would definitely behoove the Jets to figure out what Sanchez is comfortable doing, and sticking to only that stuff.

o. I can tell you right now, the Lions had a fantastic draft in 2009. Matthew Stafford, Brandon Pettigrew, and Louis Delmas all look like future Pro Bowlers. MHR favorite Sammie Lee Hill has been a solid starter at DT, and DeAndre Levy has been solid starting at WLB, since Ernie Sims as lost for the season, too. The guy I might like best, actually, is sixth-rounder Aaron Brown, a RB from TCU. He caught a TD pass on Sunday, but where he looked really dangerous was on kickoff returns. He's very explosive looking. I think Derrick Williams will eventually be a useful player too, and that makes 7 hits in one draft class. It's exactly the kind of performance that their opponents from Sunday (the Browns) need.

p. Speaking of he Browns, I have some thoughts. It sucks to lose like that, on an untimed down, but if I was a Browns fan, I would feel a lot better than I did a week ago. Brady Quinn had his best day as a pro, with 4 TD passes, and a 5th one dropped. Sure, he wasn't pressured a lot, when Detroit didn't blitz, but he looked like he was in command, and the offensive game plan looked like Brian Daboll trusted Quinn, finally. Mohamed Massaquoi and Chansi Stuckey did a very nice job making plays down the field.

I mentioned that the Browns need a good draft; they have 11 picks as of right now, and they need to hit on the majority of them. If I were their new football czar, I wouldn't draft a QB in the first round. I would give Quinn a full year with better talent (and coaching), and see what I have. My target would be Russell Okung, an OT from Oklahoma State, who I'd play on the right side. The Browns' current right side is flat-out awful. I'd be bringing in 2 good RBs, since they have zero right now. They need a Correll Buckhalter-type of free agent, and a second-round pick like a Jonathan Dwyer from Georgia Tech. One of their 3rd-round picks would go for a TE who can catch, like Ed Dickson from Oregon. With 2 new RBs, a TE, and a RT, all of a sudden, you have a solid group of players on offense.

Offense has to be the priority, because their 5 TDs on Sunday matched their previous total in 9 games. They aren't really that far away from being league-average, and I only used 3 of 11 picks in this hypothetical situation. The Browns could be 8-8 or 9-7 next season, if they make the most of their offseason opportunities. I can see it now; Todd Bowles wins coach of the year for them, after going from 2-14 to 9-7.

q. The Texans just continue to lose heartbreakers. Matt Schaub made plays, again, and gave his team a chance to win, again. And then Kris Brown blew it, again. I feel really bad for guys like Schaub, Andre Johnson and Mario Williams, who bring it every week. I'd hate to see these circumstances cost Gary Kubiak his job, but they just might.

r. I was going to talk about how everybody needs to slow down on the Vince Young hype train, but he justified the hype Monday night. Repeatedly, he picked up 3rd downs with his legs, and his throwing was pretty good too. He particularly threw a pretty ball that Nate Washington didn't come down with. He looked like he did at the University of Texas. You heard it here first; the Titans are going to beat San Diego by 2 TDs in a few weeks.

s. Trent Dilfer is a really terrible analyst, and I don't get the Steve Levy and Matt Winer combination with him. Usually, there's one anchor type to serve up softballs to the analyst. It's a weird setup. Back to Dilfer, I think the guy is just about always wrong.

t. Right after I typed that, ESPN went back to the Stuart Scott-Matt Millen-Steve Young set, and they proceeded to blame Matt Schaub for Kris Brown's missed field goal. Epic FAIL. All the guy could do was what he did. He moved his team down the field in 45 seconds, and set them up with a shot at a makeable kick. How in the world does that fall on the QB that they lost the game? That is just too idiotic for words

4. As promised, here is the rationale for why the Broncos can win on Thursday night. The Giants are extremely susceptible to getting beaten down the field, since they lost their starting Free Safety, Kenny Phillips. They are getting Aaron Ross back into the swing of things at CB, but he hadn't played all season, prior to this past Sunday.

With their shakiness on the back end, the Giants have blitzed a bit less than in past years, particularly in the A gaps. Tyler Polumbus will need some help on Justin Tuck, when they're matched up, but I expect the Broncos to be able to protect Kyle Orton reasonably well.

The Giants, meanwhile, aren't getting much from their running game lately. I also believe that their WRs don't pose a huge threat against Champ Bailey and Andre' Goodman. David Diehl will almost certainly struggle against Elvis Dumervil, because he's a natural LG playing LT. I feel pretty good about the defensive matchup, really.

This game is no lock, obviously, but it's one which the Broncos can win if they execute, stop taking bad penalties, and take care of the football. John Bena had it exactly right Sunday night. The Broncos can't beat good teams if they make mistakes, and the Giants are a good team. A victory is very plausible, though, if they do what they need to do.

5. I have cited several reasons lately for cutting ST&NO a little short, and I have another one. I got a bit sidetracked from writing, because of some big news in my family, which led to some calling, texting, and emailing, but not much writing.

On Monday night, my brother Chris911's wife Ana gave birth to their first child, Elizabeth Danielle Bartlett, at 7:36 Pacific Time, in Los Angeles, CA. Elizabeth weighed 5 pounds, 12.5 ounces, and was 17 1/4 inches long. Mother and baby are doing well. It occurred to me that I was in a good position to write the first birth announcement. Please join me in congratulating Chris and Ana on the birth of the newest little Broncos fan.

Since I am decidedly not in the having kids business, I took some time to live vicariously through them, and try to feel their excitement. Now, I am going to get back to living vicariously though myself, though. Y'all know how I do...

6. I am hitting the road for Connecticut on Tuesday, right after this story posts, to go eat some turkey, take a hellified tryptophan nap, and find a bar with NFL Network. My main reason for going, though, is to play in the 38th Annual Erb-Orsini Bowl in my hometown of Norwich, CT. I am only 32, so it predates me, but I have played in a number of them over the years. I said I would try to go back east for it last year, but it was snowing all across Pennsylvania, and I decided at the last minute to stay in Cleveland. I wasn't feeling 600 miles of driving in snow. This year, I wanted to show up and play, and the weather is cooperative. I have too much work to do to take the time, but I am going to work on Wednesday from a Tim Horton's restaurant.

The Erb-Orsini Bowl is a touch game, but it's been pretty physical and competitive in the past. The picture below is from the 2004 game. I am on the left. On the right is my brother John. He laid out for a pass early in the game, and was shaken up. His shoulder hurt, and he said that he didn't want to catch any more passes, and that he'd just stay in and pass-block, so he did just that. Thirty-six hours later, after not saying anything more about the topic, he decided to go to the hospital. Turned out, he had broken his shoulder. It's kind of the Bartlett way to suffer in silence, really, which is owed to being half Irish.

The keeper of the flame is the guy in the midde, my long-time friend Tony Orsini. Tony, as it happens, is a huge Giants fan. He's such a huge fan, actually, that he and his dad spent thousands of dollars to go to Arizona and get tickets for Super Bowl XLII against the mighty Patriots. Against that 16-0 team, i would have never spent that kind of coin, but he did, and he was rewarded. (To me, when I heard about it, it sounded like that time in 7th grade when I bet Pete Lacombe 5 bucks that Denver would beat San Francisco, straight-up, in Super Bowl XXIV, even though my allowance was $2 per week at that time. That was an all-time dumb call.)

On Thursday morning, I am hoping for a good Erb-Orsini Bowl, where I make some big plays, and on Thursday night, for our Broncos to beat Tony's Giants. Do any of y'all have good Turkey Bowls to play in? Let's hear some tangential Thanksgiving football stories. You might as well get with me on this meandering, because you never know where we might end up when the carousel stops.

7. Retired for John Elway.

8. The Buffalo coaching search is interesting. We know they've reached out to Mike Shanahan, and word materialized Monday night/Tuesday morning that Bill Cowher was contacted, and that he declined to be considered. Ralph Wilson is 91, and he wants to win now. Unfortunately for Buffalo, he is relatively cash-poor, and the team probably doesn't stay in his family when he dies, due to estate taxation. If it leaves his family, it almost certainly leaves Buffalo, which is a rapidly declining city.

If I were a coach looking for work, I would consider Buffalo unattractive for those reasons, as well as for the fact that they don't have a QB or any real quality on the O-Line. They have 2 good RBs, the fantastic Lee Evans, some good CBs and a good young safety in Jairus Byrd and pass rusher in Aaron Maybin. Paul Posluszny is solid, and Kyle Williams is very good, as I mentioned. The cupboard is not totally empty talent-wise, but it's a serious personnel challenge in a boring, economically depressed cold-weather town. The only thing they have on Cleveland, in terms of attracting free agents, is marginally better-looking uniforms. I expect that the Bills end up hiring a first time Head Coach, after being spurned by Shanahan and others.

That's all I have for this week, friends. I am off to get on the road for the East Coast. I won't see any comments until 10 or 11 hours from now, but I will check them out when I get where I am going, and will answer the ones that need answering. Have a great week, a great holiday, and a great Football Thursday. Go Broncos!

Arizona Cardinals vs. Carolina Panthers: Injury Report

Hawkwind — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:55:38 -0000

While the Arizona Cardinals still have some players battling through some nagging injuries they are still in a much better situation than most teams in the league seven weeks into the season. The team had just three players who sat out of yesterday's practice, but Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was able to participate in the full practice. DRC, who estimated himself at about 85%, said that he was surprised at how well he felt after injuring his ankle against the Giants. The biggest name who missed practice was Antrel Rolle, who's dealing with a foot injury, but he is expected to play on Sunday. Kenny Iwebema (knee) also missed practice although it's not considered serious and Stephen Spach is still being held out as well. Steve Breaston (knee) and Anquan Boldin (ankle) were also limited and Reggie Wells is still listed on the injury report (broken thumb) but he participated fully.

Here's quick look at the Carolina Panthers report:

Landon Johnson (LB) - Shoulder - DNP
Jonathan Stewart (RB) - Achilles - DNP
Dante Rosario (TE) - Knee - DNP
Muhsin Muhammad (WR) - Knee - DNP
Charles Godfrey (S) - Ankle - DNP
Thomas Davis (LB) - Hamstring - LP
Rhys Lloyd (K) - Ankle - FP
Brad Hoover (FB) - Back - FP

Godfrey, Davis, Muhammad and Hoover are all starters and we all know that Jonathan Stewart is a big part of that offense as their backup running back. Godfrey, starting free safety, hurt his ankle last week and showed up at the team facilities on crutches and a cast although head coach Jon Fox said that there isn't anything broken. He would be a significant loss for this Panthers' defense is he can't go on Sunday. Muhammad is still a starting wide out but at 36 he's slowing down very quickly but he's one of only two wide receivers with over three receptions so far this season. Davis, an underrated linebacker who's leading the team in tackles, would be a significant loss but he's expected to play. Hoover has been dealing with back issues all season so his status could change at any time.

Disecting Dallas - a Good Example of What's Wrong in Carolina

Cyberjag — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:32:37 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

Browse more photos »

The Carolina Panthers are 0-3 after suffering defeat to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football. It's almost comical how message boards and pundits have reacted. Those who hate the quarterback blame Jake Delhomme and his two interceptions for the loss. Those who are disappointed with Ron Meeks blame the defense. It's easy to point fingers at Julius Peppers, who earned his million dollars with a single tackle. But what really went wrong?

The first half reflected a game plan to beat the Cowboys. Carolina ran nine rushing plays and 17 passing, surrendering a sack. That's not exactly Panther football, but in the end they got a touchdown lead over the Cowboys. Dallas, incidentally, ran 14 times and passed 20 in the first half in a more balanced attack that was in keeping with their offensive style.

By the end of the game the Panthers had run 14 rushing plays and 38 passing plays. That means that after the half Carolina attempted just five rushes against 21 passes. Dallas, on the other hand, finished with 27 designed rushing plays and 40 passing plays. After the half they ran 13 times and rushed 20. They stayed consistent with their game plan, while Carolina panicked.

To be fair, 11 of Carolina's passes came after Dallas took a 21-7 lead. But take those away and from the time the score was 7-0 Panthers through 7-3 and 7-10 and 7-13, Carolina ran five times and passed 10. That's an unexpected ratio for the Panthers.

Jake Delhomme played well. Detractors will point to his two interceptions on the stat line, but losing a bomb where your receiver doesn't fight for it and getting picked on a quick slant where the receiver changes his route at the last second doesn't necessarily reflect poorly on the quarterback. He completed 66% of his passes and made some good decisions out there. He made bad ones as well, but on balance he played as well as he has in a ton of previous Panther victories against better opponents.

The offensive line did a mediocre job opening holes in the running game, but they did ok in protection. Given the number of times Carolina passed, Dallas was bound to break through a couple of times and did. But overall the line did it's job giving Delhomme time to throw. The Panthers seemed to be ok in run blocking, but they really didn't run enough to find out.

DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart both played well, both in the running game and in protection.

The wide receivers had a rather poor game, Muhsin Muhammad in particular. He blocked well, but drew a costly penalty on his touchdown run that was called back. It can be argued that he allowed the long interception--he was bodied up against the cornerback and could have fought for the ball. He also let several passes go through his fingers. Steve Smith had a stupid mistake late on the interception thrown his way, but to be fair he was double-covered the entire game. That's when you expect the other receiver to step up, and it didn't happen.

Dante Rosario was the only visible tight end in the game, and he was just as noticeable for his poor blocking as his catching. He also let a few well thrown balls slip through his fingers, notably the first pass attempt of the second half on a short route in the flat. That led directly to Carolina's first three-and-out situation in the second half.

Dallas had a nice possession that ended in a field goal in their opening series of the second half. On that drive they mixed up the pass and the run well, and the Panthers did a nice job keeping them out of the end zone.

The next offensive series started with a ten yard sack of Delhomme. Then Williams ran for a yard before Jake threw an pass to Smitty that got 15 when they needed 19. The Panthers had another three and out, this time with two passes and one rush.

Then Dallas started the defining drive of the game. Special Teams gave the Cowboys a short field at their own 42. Dallas ran five plays, four of them rushing, and they punched it in the end zone on a Tashard Choice run.

And that was it. After that score the Panthers simply fell apart on their play calls. It was 10-7, which is nothing to be ashamed of on the road. There was plenty of time to come back, and the Panthers had proven able to move the ball. But from this point forward the game plan changed, and the run was all but abandoned.

On the Panther's next possession, Jake Delhomme threw three times, completing two. The second completion was a deep route to Muhammad for a touchdown, which got called back because of offensive pass interference. So the Panthers threw again, completing a 14 yard pass to Kenny Moore when they needed 16. Once more, Baker had to punt.

Then Dallas put together a nice drive, mixing short passes with runs, that stalled in field goal range. The Carolina defense held up, and the Panthers were still within a touchdown.

This time the Panthers tried to run once, sending Jonathan Stewart up the middle. He was dropped for a loss, and after two more passing attempts with one five yard completion the Panthers had to punt again. Fortunatly for Carolina, the Panther defense held on the next drive, forcing a Cowboy punt.

Then the Panthers gave the ball to DeAngelo Williams, who got a first down on a 12 yard run. That was his last rushing attempt of the game. Jake threw an incomplete pass, then crossed wires with Smith on a slant, and the Cowboys intercepted and ran to the end zone.

After that score the Panthers managed 11 more offensive plays in the game, with every one being a pass.

Carolina likes to promote itself as a running team. They have a quarterback who's proven time and again to be a capable game manager, but not someone around whom an offense can be built. Carolina runs a lot of play action with two receiver sets, and generally use the tight ends to block. It's not a wide open, quarterback-friendly system like a West Coast offense, and most plays don't offer a lot of options for the quarterback like the offenses in Dallas and New Orleans do.

What the offense does offer is the ability to run or pass out of most sets. It doesn't give the defenses a lot of clues as to what's coming, and it allows for multiple options on any given play. It's a good offense, especially for a team that wants to run the ball.

That offense is particularly well suited for a team with running backs of Williams' and Stewart's caliber. Both of them are capable of turning in hundred yard games with regularity, and each has a style that complements the other. The Panthers' starting receivers are both strong blockers in the running game, which is good because outside of Steve Smith, Carolina really doesn't have any solid receiving options.

So why would an offense that's so obviously geared up to run instead choose to rely on the arm of an aging game manager quarterback? In 2008 the Panthers ran an average of 32 times a game and passed 26 times. That resulted in the league's third best rushing attack and a 12-4 record. This year the Panthers have passed 36 times a game and only rushed 24 times. Not only have they flipped their winning formula on it's head, they've actually increased the passing ratio!

It's easy to blame the quarterback or the defense for a loss, but when your team's identity makes such a fundamental shift from one season to the next, there has to be another element at work. Had these two teams played in 2008, it's likely that the Panthers would have tried to run all over Dallas. They were averaging 153 yards per game on the ground. But in 2009, the Panthers are barely getting more than 100 rushing yards per game. This is despite having all of their 2008 starters back on offense.

For some reason, Carolina has abandoned their run and at the same time, lost their mojo.

Somewhere in the Carolina locker room a game plan is being drawn up for the Washington Redskins. Perhaps over the bye week the coaching staff will rediscover the skill they had in calling plays in 2008. If they do, expect to see a lot more of Williams and Stewart, and hopefully a Panther victory. If they don't, don't be surprised at an 0-4 start.

And if they continue to put more stock in Jake Delhomme's arm than DeAngelo Williams' legs, it's going to be a long and disappointing season in Carolina.

CSR Interviews the Catman - Panthers HoF Fan

Jaxon — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:07:08 -0000

After the world famous Catman announced his membership to this site I had a number of questions for him and thought I would share them with you.

1. How did you become the Panthers HoF fan? What's the best part about being the Panthers HoF fan?

I won a contest sponsored by VISA & the NFL & I was chosen as the winner in Dec. 2003, then the Panthers continued to win in the Playoffs that year. VISA called me before the Eagles vs Panthers, Championship game & asked me if I could attend the Superbowl & endorse visa, a week prior to the game, provided the panthers won. I was inducted in a ceremony at the HOF in Aug. 2004, in the same room the new inductees meet in after their induction. That was the best part of that experience, giving my speech, in the HOF! And having my photo displayed in the Hall!

Sweet, must have been too cool.

2. What is the most memorable Panther game you have attended to date? Describe what you were feeling at the time of the game or after the game.

The game I'll never forget is the SuperBowl, I did the game, after a week of pampering by VISA and showing me off to the media as the number one fan during the number one event on the planet and I represented my Panthers as the number one fan!! It was surreal in the 4th qtr when we took the lead because previously it felt like an away game with the sea of patriot fans around me, drowning my efforts out. When we took the lead with minutes left; I thought: "This is the Super Bowl!! we're gonna win the last game of the season, as Champs!!" Then it all fell quickly as the patriot swell began again and ended in their favor. My highest high, down to my lowest low ever. I catch a lot of flack in our stadium when we lose, from the few fans there in my section, but this was away and I represented the losing team with all that damn glitter falling! I'll never forget it, I was a Panther player that lost too, it hurt me, seems like, as much as a player! My second game would be the pre-season game where I was the target of a media joke (you can read about it here) and it culminated in me getting a brand new Ford F150

I would have been pissed about that joke as well, but hey it worked out big time.

3. Which other NFL teams' fans have left the worst impression on you based on their behavior at a Panther game? What did they do to earn this distinction?

The worst fans come from 1. Patriots 2. Pittsburgh 3. Dallas; I had a patriot fan to tell me he was a hockey player that lead in penalty minutes in his league. I told him if he gestured near me I would "bury him in his penalty box". Dallas brings the most fans they talk the most junk but patriot fans think they're invincible, pitts fans run a close second to stupid behaviors.

This has been my experience as well.

4. Who's your all time favorite Panther? Why? Favorite Panther on the current team (if different)? Why?

My favorite all time Panther is Mark Carrier and Muhsin Muhammad, they each gave me game balls which are links to friendships. I wear Muhsin's number out of respect and I wore it when I was inducted and it graces my Bobble Head Doll! I must mention Reggie White whom I prayed to God to deliver him to us out of retirement. I had cool chills when he signed w/us, later in the season he gave me a glove but without talking. I had closure with his son, Jeremy, who told me that his Dad did those type of things. RIP Reggie White and Sam Mills, who also talked with me 10 mins during a Bobcats game.

5. Do you have any pre-game rituals that you do to ensure a Panther victory?

When a player chats with me before a game, we win! I noticed the difference when they did or didn't. So I'm always reaching out to somebody that can handle a pregame discussion.

Can we just schedule these chats prior to every game? Moose? Smitty, make it happen.

6. What are your predictions for the Panthers 2009 season?

I think we will make the playoffs even with this tough schedule, but with less wins than last year. I foresee either a 11-5 season or 10-6 at least. Our division must be respected.

Thanks for asking me for this interview, I'm off today for the HOF ceremonies where I will join the other Superfans for the induction Parade and tailgate. Then we'll do the HOF game 2gether and talk smack all weekend. Let your readers know I will be on the lookout for future fans I can Draft to our HOF list of prospects next to join us!

Thanks for the answers Catman and we'll be looking for you at the HoF game and every Panther home game. Welcome!

Projected Panthers 2009 Depth Chart: Receivers

Revshawn — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:00:20 -0000

The Carolina Panthers boast one of the best receivers in the league, and also one of the shortest in Steve Smith. You look at the rest of the top receivers in the league, and they all hover around a height of 6-2 or 6-3. Meanwhile Steve Smith is only 5 foot 9, and he's playing among the best of them like it's no big deal. Until he retires, he's going to be one of the top receiving threats that the Panthers have, while the rest of the guys are just fighting to keep up with him. That's the way you describe our receiving core, and this year will be no different.

Steve Smith - Projected 1st receiver - 5,9 185 pounds (9th year, Utah)

Steve Smith was drafted in 2001, the year the Panthers had possibly the best draft in their history. Taken in the 3rd round, all of the draft gurus had already pinned him as a return specialist, for there was no way a person at his height was going to be able to be a productive receiver in the NFL right? 40 times, college production, and all of the statistics all thrown out the window they took one look at his height and his draft stock flew down the drain.

Steve Smith set out in his career to prove them wrong. 4 Pro Bowls, 5 years with 1000+ yards, and all in a career that isn't hardly half over yet. Steve Smith is a deep ball threat on every down with his speed, yet he has the possession skills to make shutdown corners look silly in the short game. If the game is on the line and the Panthers are behind then you no problem. Steve Smith has shown time and time again that he has the ability to catch balls in double coverage and save the game for you in the end.

Steve Smith 2008 Highlights (via AMadden13)

With a six year contract extension signed in 2007, Steve Smith looks to be a Panther for life. It goes without saying that he will be the starter in Week 1. No one will question that. He is a natural leader whose presence cannot underestimated in the locker room or on the field.

100% Possibility to start

Muhsin Muhammad - Projected 2nd receiver - 6,2 215 pounds ((14th year, Michigan State))

Moose is a household name in Carolina. He is our current record holder in almost every career record in the receiving category we have as a team, and besides a 3 year stint in Chicago he has played in Carolina his entire career. He hasn't been exceptionally awesome. He's only had 3 seasons with 1,000+ yards in the regular season, one Pro-Bowl appearance. However, he has been consistent, and the blocking skillset he brings to the table is something a lot of other people don't catch onto when they look at Moose. Breaking off a big run is much easier when there is a big physical receiver to take out a safety or a corner out of the play. He's a good part of the reason that Deangelo Williams had his breakout year, and one of the reasons he will stay a starter on the Carolina offense in spite of being 36 years of age.

Does Moose stand to break 1,000 yards this season? Probably not. In spite of his rapport with Jake Delhomme, our running game is just too great to figure Moose getting much over 60 receptions again in his career. Deangelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart will get the ball early and often with our coaching staff in remembrance of that fateful 5 INT day by Jake Delhomme. Their success sets up the deep ball game perfectly with Steve Smith once the safeties get sucked up in the running game, and Moose is left with possession catch duties when the Panthers are stuck in crucial 3rd down situations as well as the odd pass here and there.

I would imagine a 55+ reception year for the aging veteran in which may be his final year with the Panthers, depending on whether or not the following receiver is ready to take over.

80% possibility to start, 95% possibility to make roster

Dwayne Jarrett - Projected 3rd receiver - 6,4 219 pounds ((3rd year, USC))

While his USC teammate Steve Smith has went on to win a Super Bowl in his rookie year with the Giants, Dwayne Jarrett has yet to nail down his starting roster spot even though he was hyped as a tough, physical that could have went in the 1st round if he had a better pro-day showing and a faster 40' time. So far, he's been a disappointment. Dwayne Jarrett didn't get the start over Keary Colbert in his rookie year, and since then he has been reduced to slot receiver duties until further notice. In 2009, it's going to be even harder for him to hit the field thanks to the success of Double Trouble keeping the 3 WR set off the field.

However, there is some reason to hope.

Dwayne Jarrett is entering his 3rd year, which is the traditional time for receivers to break out and have a big year. Dwayne Jarrett is not without talent and playmaking ability, as he flashed last year with a couple of 3rd down receptions in the game against the Chargers, leading to a dramatic conclusion we all remember and treasure deep in our hearts. Finally, he will not have D.J. Hackett stealing snaps from him on 3rd down so he will be able to see the field more and finally start flashing those physical catches in traffic that we drafted him to see.

This is a make or break year for Jarrett. If he has a strong showing, the Panthers will take him under their wings as the 2nd receiver for now and for the future. If not, except the Panthers to work harder to sign that contract extension for Julius Peppers so that they can free up some cap space to search for Dwayne's replacement in FA. Dwayne Jarrett will make the team this year, but what happens after that is up for his play on the field to decide.

Dwayne Jarrett has an outside chance to start if he shows signs of improvements and Moose takes a heavy step back. If not, expect John Fox to go with the longtime veteran.

20% chance to start, 100% chance to make roster

Ryne Robinson - Projected in 5 WR set/Kick Returner - 5,9 179 pounds (3rd year, Miami)

Like Dwayne Jarrett, Ryne Robinson is at a crossroads with the Panthers. Drafted in the 4th round of the 2007 NFL Draft, he was taken in hopes that he would provide a reliable return man for the Panthers. Instead, he was inconsistent in his rookie year and suffered an injury the following year that put him on IR. With Mark Jones leaving via free agency, Ryne Robinson has one more chance to prove that he can contribute to the team.

As a receiver, Ryne Robinson is a small, speedy guy. He's not going to win many jump balls, but he has that speed that can stretch the defense and give defensive backs some trouble. However, he needs to improve his hands and hold onto the football better, as he was the result of two fumbles in his limited time as a rookie. With a little work he can be a contributor in the 5 WR set.

He is also expected to return to his kick return and punt return duties in 2009. Don't expect for him to keep them long though if he struggles early in the preseason. Jonathan Stewart has experience in kickoff returns and did well in the Pac-10, and Jason Carter along with a few other receivers have the skills needed to try out as well. Ryne has flashed the skills to do his job well near the end of his rookie year, but he needs to prove that he can be more consistent for the Panthers to commit to him long-term.

95% chance to make roster

Jason Carter - Suspected in 5 WR set/Kick Returner - 6,0 205 pounds (3rd year, Texas A&M)

Jason Carter started his career with the Vikings in 2006. He stayed on their practice squad and made it onto the active roster near the end of the year before being cut at the 07 training camp. Then he came to the Panthers, and Jason Carter turned some heads and amazed the fans in training camp. It would have been enough for him to make the team, but then he blew out his knee and ended up on IR for the year. In 2009, it looks to be another developmental year for the young receiver, and he may develop into a long-term answer at slot receiver if Dwayne Jarrett takes the #2 spot later on.

Jason Carter made his mark in training camp with his speed. Excellent hands, he'll soar up and make some circus catch that makes you scratch your head and wonder how he did that. And once again, he has that 3rd year breakout label working for him too. I'd be very surprised if he's cut at the end of training camp, Jason Carter should continue to rise into the roster and make the team through one reason or another, whether it be Punt Return, Kick Return, or another man on the 5 WR set. He is a playmaker, and it would be a waste for him to ride the bench.

80% chance to make the roster

Kenny Moore - Suspected WR - 5,11 195 pounds (2nd year, Wake Forest)

With Mike Goodson being tried out for the slot receiver position, Kenny Moore's roster spot has been put into doubt. He will have to fight hard to prove worthy of being kept by the Panthers. The ceiling of our other wideouts are far too high, and if Mike Goodson can prove himself to be a capable receiver it would make Kenny Moore obsolete, and he would be cut so the extra spot could be used at other positions. Depending on how Goodson performs, it's a virtual coin-flip on whether or not he makes the final roster. Will the Panthers go with 5 wideouts and accept Mike Goodson as a 6th? Or will they elect for 6 wideouts like they have in the past? The job of Kenny Moore hangs in the balance.

50% chance to make the roster

Larry Beavers - Suspected cut - 5,10 167 pounds (Rookie year, Wesleyan)

Averaged 39.5 yards per kick return and an amazing 29.2 yards per punt return as a senior at Wesley. He has a chance to make the team as a kick and punt returner. Though at 5.10 and 167 pounds, he is extremely tiny for his size. He's going to have to bulk up a bit to withstand the pounding he'll receive from other teams, one good lick will knock this kid out cold.

25% chance to make the roster

Jason Chery - Suspected KR/PR - 5,11 185 pounds (Rookie year, Louisiana-Lafayette)

A fellow Rajun Cajun from the same school as Panthers Jake Delhomme, Jason Chery declined offers from the Steelers and the Saints after the draft to sign an offer with the Panthers. A little-known player that was on the rise as the draft approached, he didn't manage to crack the 7th round. He listed Carolina as his choice mainly because he believed that Carolina would be his best bet to make the team as a Punt or Kick returner. He will attempt to do this during training camp, but with more skilled players ahead of him the chances of him making it are very little. He seems destined to make the practice squad on some team.

20% chance to make the roster

Kevin McMahan - Suspected cut - 6,2 196 pounds (2006 Mr. Irrevelant, Maine)

After being thrown around from team to team, practice squad to practice squad, the 2006 Mr. Irrevelant makes it to Carolina with a interesting skill set. He's 6,2 and runs a 4.4, yet he's never been able to put it all together to be a starter in the league. His desire to play the game is questionable, he once left a game while playing with the Raiders because he had bit his tongue. Seems like just another camp body.

5% chance to make roster

Marcus Monk - Suspected cut - 6,4 222 pounds (2nd year, Arkansas)

Monk is a big body, but he doesn't have the speed to provide for anything other than an endzone possession receiver. Never latched onto a practice squad during his rookie year, which is worrisome. He has a high ceiling as a possession receiver, but not enough to justify keeping him around. Expect him to be cut.

0% chance to make roster

Panther Fans Heart WR Torry Holt

Jaxon — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 16:19:38 -0000

Ever since last training camp when S Terrence Holt mentioned that he would love to play on the same team as his brother Torry in Carolina, many Panther fans have held out hope that Torry could come back to his roots in NC (They both are from NC and played for NC State). Of course the Panthers ended his hope of playing with his brother when they cut Terrence but we have still held out hope of getting Torry.

That hope turned into down right excitement when the Rams cut Torry just a few days ago. So the Panthers must certainly be interested in signing Holt now that he is free to choose right? There's just one little problem with that, the Panthers have absolutely no free money to go after Holt due to the huge chunck of money tied up in the Julius Peppers franchise tag. For the first time I actually do feel like Peppers has 'crippled' this franchise, preventing them from playing in the free agent game.

Let's for a moment ignore that reality and instead consider the Panthers could use a player like Torry Holt and actually had the money to pursue him. Here's what I envision. Holt would immediately be the #2 receiver capable of stretching the field on the opposite side of Steve Smith. Would that upset current #2 receiver Muhsin Muhammad? Hardly, he is the consummate team player.Moose will play wherever the Panthers need him to play.

Would that upset the Panther offense? Err...just the opposite. The Panthers prefer Moose in the slot anyway as he essentially serves as another TE in the running game. He's a possession receiver adept at going over the middle and converting 3rd downs. Yet the biggest contribution would obviously be in the passing game. It was obvious Panthers QB Jake Delhomme had eyes for Smitty only at the end of last season, a big reason for his playoff game meltdown. If a QB focuses on one receiver too much in this league, as Jake has been guilty of for oh...what 5 out of the last 6 seasons you will get picked as we saw. With Holt on the other side Delhomme would finally have another speedster he could trust to throw the ball too when the game is on the line or the Panthers need a big play.

I know there are a lot of fans out there that would love to see the Panthers obtain Holt and I am with you on that. Hell I'd even put his brother on the roster just to make it happen. But I've avoiding talking about it too much because there doesn't seem any way for it to happen. Yet as long as he remains unsigned there is still hope right?

Poll

How disappointed are you the Panthers are unable/unwilling to sign WR Torry Holt?

Not at all, let's move on

209 votes

Mildly disappointed but I'll get over it

193 votes

Fairly pissed off because of the $ situation but I understand

292 votes

Extremely $&#^%&&^(%&^$@# pissed!!!!

390 votes

1084 votes | Poll has closed

Fantasy Football Sleepers and Busts: Week 17

mgrex03 — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:22:59 -0000

Editor's Note: Be sure to get your picks in for the Stampede Blue Prediction Contest. You have until 1:00 ET Sunday. Last week of the year, so get your picks in.

Welcome to Week 17 of your Fantasy Football Sleepers and Busts. Some of you may be like me, and be done with all of your Fantasy Football leagues for the year, so this won't mean much. I'll review last week before going into this week's studs and duds.

Sleepers:

Dan Orlovsky: 125 passing, 0 TD/2 INT = 1 pt. Epic Fail. 0-16 is going to happen.
Ricky Williams: 34 yds rush, 1 TD, 50 yds rec, 1 FL = 12 pts. Nice week for Sticky Ricky, as the Dolphins won their 4th straight, and 8 of their last 9 games.
Jerricho Cotchery: 81 yards = 8 pts. Decent week, but probably not good enough to count as a win, as the Jets blew yet another game.

Busts:

Philip Rivers: 287 yds passing, 4 TD, -3 rush yds = 35 pts. Tampa now, at the most critical time of the year, decides to not play defense for the third week in a row. Rivers went nuts.
Chris Johnson: 69 yds rushing, 1 TD = 12 pts. Johnson had a decent week against the Steelers, and the Titans as a whole were the first team to go over 300 yards against Pittsburgh.
Terrell Owens: 63 yards, 1 TD = 12 pts. Even in the loss, Owens caught a TD against the Ravens. Always high drama with the Cowboys.

Bonus Pick: Drew Brees: 351 yards, 2 TD = 26 pts. The only thing the Saints are playing for is Brees to break the yardage record for a season. I think he needs over 400 this week to do it. We'll see.

So I was 2/7 last week, and 47/101 for the season. I'm ready for this fantasy season to be over. Here are you fantasy nuggets for Week 17: