SB Nation - Dan Connor

New York Jets Run Offense vs. Carolina Panthers Run Defense

John B — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:13:24 -0000

The Panthers do not stop the run particularly well. They give up 130.7 per game on the ground, 26th in the league. Opponents are picking up 4.7 yards per carry against them. Ricky Williams went for 119 against the Panthers last week. Nose tackle Hollis Thomas is the best run defender on Carolina's line. Tyler Brayton is solid. It is a struggle for everybody else. Under tackle Damione Lewis has been nursing a shoulder injury but had full participation in practice on Friday. It hasn't been great for Lewis or backups Tank Tyler and Nick Hayden this year. The same goes for ends Julius Peppers and Everette Brown. The pair rotates at right end. They are both very athletic and good pass rushers. That athleticism doesn't help them play the run well.

Jon Beason is very good in the middle for the Panthers at linebacker, but the situation outside is in flux. Carolina has three outside linebackers on injured reserve. That will leave a lot of inexperience at outside linebacker in Dan Connor and James Anderson. They could really use injured Thomas Davis in this one.

I think the Jets do what they do best, try and pound the power right side of the line, attacking Lewis and Connor, staying away from Thomas if possible. The Jets can very easily avoid asking Mark Sanchez to do too much. They have a big edge in this department. Defensive coordinator Ron Meeks does not have anybody in the secondary great in run support. He surely misses Bob Sanders.

Heavy Drafting at Other Positions Leaves Panthers Thin at Linebacker

Ryan Basen — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:51:53 -0000

More photos » by Dave Martin - AP

By drafting so many defensive backs such as safety Sherrod Martin (23) in the first four rounds of the John Fox era, the Panthers have left themselves thin at linebacker -- where Jon Beason, here recovering a fumble in New Orleans Nov. 8, is the only starter still healthy. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Browse more photos »

With Nail Diggs injured and questionable to play, it's possible the Panthers could start a trio of Job Beason, James Anderson and Dan Connor at linebacker Sunday against the Jets. That would be one regular starter -- Beason in the middle -- and two players who have made a combined two starts on the outside when the Panthers face the NFL's No. 2 rushing offense.

Carolina is in this predicament in large part because of injuries to Thomas Davis and Landon Johnson, who are both out for the season. But the Panthers could also blame a history of not building depth at linebacker.

The club's strategy in eight years under general manager Marty Hurney and coach John Fox has been to build through the draft, re-sign its own players and patch holes through free agency. But while the Panthers have used numerous high- and mid-round picks on defensive backs, and have used two first-round picks on linebackers, they have neglected to build good linebacker depth.

First-year defensive coordinator Ron Meeks employs a scheme that asks linebackers to be playmakers. It's no surprise then that Carolina has been run over since Davis suffered a season-ending injury in the fourth quarter of a loss to the Saints Nov. 8. Carolina has given up 330 yards on 60 carries (5.5 yards per carry) in two full games without Davis. Johnson stepped in but was then injured for the season himself in a loss to Miami Nov. 19.

Two injuries to the same position is unlucky, but it happens all the time in the NFL. As the adage goes, injuries are not an excuse -- they are part of the NFL game. The best teams are prepared with genuine depth. Connor and Anderson could prove me wrong, but it appears the Panthers were not well-prepared for this rash of linebacker injuries. Here's how:

In the eight drafts under Hurney and Fox dating to 2002, the Panthers have selected 65 players -- 30 on defense. Carolina drafted 12 defensive backs, 10 defensive linemen and eight linebackers. That dispersal actually makes sense because Carolina runs a 4-3 defense, meaning the Panthers on most plays use four linemen, four defensive backs and only three linebackers.

Hurney and Fox deserve credit for rebuilding a defense on the fly. The Panthers have only one defensive starter remaining from the 2003 Super Bowl team (defensive end Julius Peppers) and just two from the 2005 team that reached the NFC Championship game (Peppers and corner Chris Gamble). Six of the 11 projected starters on the first day of training camp this season were Panthers draftees who had six or less years of experience.

The problem is that Carolina has missed on many of its linebacker picks, scrambled to replace a good player who left in free agency and watched a standout retire unexpectedly at age 28. In addition, since 2002 the Panthers have used only five picks in the first four rounds on linebackers -- compared to eight on defensive backs.

Starting in 2002, the Panthers have drafted the following linebackers: Will Witherspoon (Third round, 2002), Sean Tufts (Sixth, 2004), Davis (First, 2005), Adam Seward (Fifth, 2005), Anderson (Third, 2006), Beason (First, 2007), Tim Shaw (Fifth, 2007) and Connor (Third, 2008).

That's two first-round picks, three third-rounders, two fifth-rounders and one sixth-rounder. Only four of those players are still on the team: Beason, Davis, Anderson and Connor.

Tufts has been out of the NFL since 2006, Seward played in 40 games -- starting two -- for the Panthers between 2005-2008. He played briefly for Jacksonville this season but the Jaguars cut him Tuesday. Shaw played in 14 games for Carolina in 2007, spent last season with the Jaguars and has played in nine games as a backup for the Bears this year.

Witherspoon started 47 of 48 regular season games between 2003-2005 for Carolina, but signed a big free-agent deal with the Rams in 2006. He was recently traded to Philadelphia and now starts for the Eagles. He has missed only two games to injury in his eight-year career.

Dan Morgan, a 2001 first-round pick, retired in 2007 after sustaining multiple concussions. He was 28.

The Panthers hit on Davis and Beason, but have not drafted enough linebackers in rounds two-four to complement them. You can't expect every mid- and late-round pick to work out, so it's hard to blame them for Shaw, Seward and Tufts. But you can blame management for relying too much on free agency and not enough on the draft to acquire good linebacker depth.

Look at the other linebackers on the roster now: Connor, Anderson, Diggs, Johnson, Kelvin Smith and Jordan Senn. We know how they acquired Connor and Anderson.

Diggs is a 10-year veteran whom the Packers decided they no longer wanted after the 2005 season. He is a 31-year-old former fourth-round draft pick. Johnson is only 28 and a former third-round pick of Cincinnati, but he has been a backup since signing a three-year, $10 million deal with Carolina last year. Senn was picked up by the Colts after not being drafted last year. He played in two games this season before the Colts cut him in October; the Panthers signed him Tuesday. Smith played in four games after Miami drafted him in the seventh round in 2007. He was cut after last season, before the Panthers signed him in August.

This is what the Panthers are left with at a key position. Even if Davis returns next season, they will not have much quality depth (based on what we have seen so far). They have plenty of depth, meanwhile, at defensive back. That is one reason why Carolina is No. 4 in the NFL in pass defense but only No. 26 against the run.

This column is not meant as an indictment of Carolina's front office. The Panthers have largely stuck to their strategy of building through the draft and have had above average success since 2002. But one mistake, failing to draft enough skilled linebackers, could haunt the team Sunday and perhaps the rest of the season.

New York Jets Pass Offense vs. Carolina Panthers Pass Defense

John B — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:14:53 -0000

More photos » by Greg Trot - AP

Browse more photos »

The Panthers enter this game with a top five pass defense, giving up only 185 yards per game under first year coordinator Ron Meeks. Meeks is a disciple of Tony Dungy and favors the Tampa 2 defense. This scheme depends a lot on the front four to generate a pass rush. There is very little blitzing. In fact, the Panthers only have 2 sacks all year from non linemen. It is primarily an execution based defense. You more or less know what is coming, but it is not all that easy to beat.

Julius Peppers is Carolina's best pass rusher. The 6'7" 283 pound end could probably fit on the line in either a 4-3 or a 3-4 system. He leads the team with 7 sacks on the year. He is being slowed by an undisclosed hand injury, which has limited his playing time recently. His play has been somewhat up and down this year. Tyler Branton also plays end for the Panthers. He has 2.5 sacks and 16 pressures. Rookie Everette Brown from Florida State will also see time at end. He spent a lot of time subbing for Peppers last week. Charles Johnson, a part of Carolina's nickle package on the pass rush, is battling a pectoral injury. His status is unclear. No Carolina tackle has a sack this year. Based on this, the key matchup will be Peppers against D'Brickashaw Ferguson. Peppers has 7 of his team's 18 sacks this year. If D'Brickashaw does his job, there's a good chance the Jets will keep Mark Sanchez clean.

Linebackers and secondary players in a system like this play a lot of zone coverage. The middle linebacker in particular must be very athletic and cover a lot of ground. The safeties are playing Cover 2 deep, which means everything in front of them in the middle of the field falls to him. Jon Beason mans this role for the Panthers. He's been good near the line, leading the team in tackles and been solid in coverage. Carolina is thinner at outside linebacker. Standout Thomas Davis, who was excellent this year in zone coverage, is on injured reserve. So in backup Landon Johnson. Another starting outside linebacker, Na'il Diggs, is banged up with injured ribs and quite possibly could be out Sunday. That could leave young players James Anderson and Dan Connor outside. They both have been adequate against the pass, but it could leave Dustin Keller opportunities to find seams.

Carolina will likely start Richard Marshall and Chris Gamble on the outside at corner. They comprise a solid tandem. Gamble had a rough game against the Dolphins last week, but he has good cover skills. Marshall has been a solid performer all year. At safety Charles Godfrey is battling an ankle injury for the Panthers. If he can't go, he'll be replaced by rookie Sherrod Martin. Martin has started the last 4 games and arguably played better than Godfrey, who has struggled. Chris Harris, the other safety, has also had some lapses. Still, this defense is a Cover 2 with an emphasis on safeties playing conservatively to prevent big plays. I'm not sure I'd count on Braylon Edwards or David Clowney as vertical threats. A good route runner like Jerricho Cotchery will probably be the primary target working to find holes in the zone.

Ten Players to watch during the Pre-Season

Revshawn — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:00:17 -0000

Through the Pre-Season, there are ten players I am going to be keeping an eye on. Five on offense, and five on defense. I thought that today I would share them with you, so that you can keep an eye on them too.

Matt Moore

Until the Panthers decide otherwise via the NFL Draft, Matt Moore is the future of this franchise. He has shown at times that he can get the job done, especially during the latter half of the 2007 season when he started three games for us, winning two of them. He followed that up with a horrible 2008 Pre-Season showing, but he will get another chance in 2009 to show us that we can depend on him to lead this franchise. He has the arm strength, but can he be accurate?

Dwayne Jarrett

All eyes are going to be on Jarrett throughout the whole game. His confidence has been reported to be rising during training camp, and his play along with it. Can Dwayne Jarrett push Moose to start at flanker? A good showing would help him, especially if he stops dropping those easy passes. We don't need a Braylon Edwards on this team, we need an Andre Johnson. Jarrett has two strong veterans in Moose and Smith to train him into the player we know he can be, but he needs to step up in Pre-Season and show us that he has potential.

Jason Carter

Another wideout that you will need to keep an eye on. For those that don't already know, Jason Carter is one of the kings of training camp. He showed tremendous potential during the 2008 training camp, but we lost him for the season due to injury. This year he seeks not only to make the roster as a 4th or 5th receiver, but to secure a position at slot receiver once Moose retires and Dwayne takes over at flanker. We'll see how far he has come.

Ryne Robinson

3rd receiver in a row I know, but we need to see how Ryne is doing in his kickoff return duties. He has been inconsistant in previous years, and in 2008 due to Ryne's injury in Pre-Season the Panthers were forced to bring in Mark Jones whom performed pretty well. He averaged 24 yards a kick return, and every now and again he would break off a big return to start the Panthers off in their opponents territory. Had the Panthers not had the Julius Peppers situation, they may have opted to resign Jones and cut Ryne altogether. But because of it, Ryne has another opportunity to step up and take the job. He will not get it without a fight, he faces competition in newly signed Jason Chery, and Larry Beavers, as well as our 3rd RB Mike Goodson.

Tony Fiammetta

Hoover finally has some competition, and he's only the best fullback in the 09 draft. The Panthers could save some money by cutting the Hoov, but it's a shame considering how long he has been with our team. I suppose times change, and people grow older. It's rare for a team to carry two fullbacks, so if Tony performs well expect for Double Trouble to have a new guy clearing up the running lanes in front of them.

Corvey Irvin

With Kemo out for the season, Corvey is going to be pushed into a much bigger role than he would be before. Never mind Nick Hayden, I still don't believe that he'll start over him. At worst, Irvin may slowly take the role bit by bit as the regular season progresses as John Fox slowly works him into the role. He'll need to improve quickly if we're going to make up for the loss of Kemo.

Dan Connor

With a strong need at DT and our LB core loaded, Dan Connor may end up as trade bait if he performs exceptionally well in the Pre-Season. Even if he isn't traded, if he manages to overcome Na'il Diggs and take over at OLB we may have the best crew of linebackers in the league. Jon Beason is an absolute beast, Thomas Davis is the best player at our team at blitzing the QB, and Dan Connor reading the mind of the QB to pick off his passes. If it happens, it's going to stink of awesome.

Richard Marshall

With Ken Lucas being signed by the Seahawks, Marshall is going to have a big target on his back. Gamble on the other side is being portrayed as a shutdown corner, so expect Marshall to be tested early and often. He needs to prove that he is able to stand his own as well, or else you'll see QB's pick on him in the regular season.

Sherrod Martin

Expects to convert to corner and serve the same kind of nickel DB role that Marshall served in the previous seasons. How good will he be, and how fast is he going to develop? He's been a rather quiet and unwatched player during training camp, and his play remains to be seen by many fans.

Charles Johnson

In his limited play last year, Charles Johnson did something that Tyler Brayton failed to do the entire season even though he was the starter: Get to the QB. Despite Tyler starting all 16 games, Charles still beat him in the sack category by 1.5 sacks. I read a little more into this than most people. Charles Johnson will compete against Tyler Brayton for the starting DE spot beside Julius Peppers, with Everette Brown the rookie thrown into the fray as a wildcard.

Those are the players I will be keeping an eye on when the Pre-Season kicks off this Monday Night at 8PM. You should keep an eye on them too.

Panther Paw Prints - Week 1 TC Wrap-up Edition

Jaxon — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 12:08:51 -0000

Lots to choose from now. Let's start with Andrew Mason's report that includes lots of juicy stuff:

Beavers had the longest gain of the team scrimmage period, grabbing a 16-yard pass from Hunter Cantwell on the last play of the practice.

If Beavers can show he can handle both the PR and KR duties his stock goes up.

Dan Connor continued working with the first team at middle linebacker and had some solid stops, including one where the force of his hit sent Jamall Lee's helmet flying ...

Conner is going to be a special teams beast!

... The most acrobatic catch of the day belonged to Kenneth Moore, who hung on to a pass from Delhomme during seven-on-seven work in spite of being hit by cornerback C.J. Wilson. Moore, however, was out of bounds, nullifying the acrobatic catch.

Who cares if it was out of bounds if it's a scrimmage? They still count in the reviews. Moore has an outside chance of sticking.

Inside the Panthers: Observations from Fan Fest
- New long-snapper J.J. Jansen looked good snapping the ball on John Kasay's 42-yard field goal, the only scoring of the day.

The more confidence builders the better.

Fox at Fanfest:

Foxhole: Fan Fest
On what the players get out of Fan Fest: It's a first little taste. It's a little sliver of what it's going to really be like. It's a good way to ease into it. They get to come into a stadium with fans here and kind of see what it's like - the pressure of a real game, partially. So from that standpoint it's more game-like.

A guy from Bleacher report went to Panthers TC and offers this assessment of the WR competition:

Notes From Carolina Panthers Training Camp | Bleacher Report
# I don't think it'll be hard for Fox to pick which receivers to release. Kenneth Moore, Marcus Monk, Kevin McMahan, Jason Cherry, and Larry Beavers will all be released. They had some flashes, but nothing great. # Ryan Robinson and Jason Carter are looking great, at both kick returning and receiving. But will Fox keep both of them on the team? I hope so, because they both have huge potential.

I want to see this Beavers kid in action before agreeing with that.

Mason's Minutes: 'D' dominant at Fan Fest
With Williams and Stewart watching, rookie Mike Goodson carried the load, picking up 14 yards on three carries, including a seven-yard, second-and-7 pickup that moved the offense onto the defense's side of the field for the first time in the period.

Nice to see the D take care of business.

Last season the running game was very impressive but looking at this list of accomplishments now seems surreal to a degree. I need to see some more.

Panthers returning the perfect rushing combination | GoUpstate.com | Spartanburg Herald-Journal | Spartanburg SC
The duo helped lead the way to a franchise record for rushing yards in a season, accounting for 2,351 of Carolina’s 2,437 yards, besting the former high, set in 2003, by 346 yards. The Panthers also tallied 30 rushing touchdowns, 13 more than the record, set in 2005.

Williams established individual highs for season rushing yards (1,515), single game rushing yards (186), 100-yard rushing games (eight), average per rush (5.56 yards), rushing touchdowns (18), total touchdowns (20) and consecutive games scoring a touchdown (eight), including a record four in one game.

Stewart set new rookie standards with 836 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns (the third highest overall total in team history).

Here's a guy with a lot to prove this season:

Panthers CB Marshall ready for increased role
"Oh man, his intensity level has picked up," safety Chris Harris said. "Richard, I think he's going to be a great starting corner for us. I always felt we had three starting corners on our team last year and the year before. But now he gets his time to shine."

He better be ready to get picked on.

Panther Paw Prints - Peppers Signing Deadline Edition

Jaxon — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:15:17 -0000

This edition of Paw Prints focuses on today's signing deadline at 4pm for the Panthers and PB DE Julius Peppers to agree to a long term contract. If they fail to do that then we will most likely go through this entire franchising process yet again after the 2009 season. The consensus appears to be that it is not going to happen:

Inside the Panthers: No long-term deal likely for Peppers
The Panthers will have three primary options in January: Try again to sign Peppers to a long-term contract, put their franchise tag on him again at a one-year price of more than $20 million (there's a mandatory 20 percent increase over his '09 tender amount), or let him become an unrestricted free agent without receiving any compensation from another team.

So will the Panthers really pony up $20+M in 2010 for Peppers? I imagine his performance in '09 will be the deciding factor. Why is this important at this point? As pointed out in the Team Report I've linked up next, it has essentially prevented the Panthers from signing any FA's (as we have discussed many times), such as back-up offensive linemen.

Panthers Team Report - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
As it stands now the Panthers are less than $1 million under the salary cap meaning they haven’t had a chance to re-sign any players or add any free agents this offseason.

Now if you are looking for someone to blame in all this fiasco I've always felt Peppers agent Carl Carey should shoulder most of the blame. Darin Gannt gives us all the ammunition we need to point the finger squarely at him:

Darin Gantt's Panthers Blog | The Herald - Rock Hill, SC

But the timing makes this deal complicated. With an uncapped year looming and a stack of minutiae which makes doing deals difficult, it's not the time for inexperienced help. The Panthers have smart people working on it, but the reality is, Peppers' agent Carl Carey has never negotiated a contract on his own. He's smart, and obviously loyal, just green. Peppers trusts the guy, so who am I to question him, but there are a lot of people in the business (football, not media) who wonder if Carey's inexperience is the holdup here.

You have to be kidding me right? He's never done it on his own...I'm speechless on that nugget of info.

Things are looking up for LB Dan Conner and our special teams:

Connor's knee: 'Better and better' each day
"Once we started opening it up, it started coming back," Connor said. "It's more getting the strength back in my hamstrings. But the knee feels secure as it's ever been. "This is what kept me motivated through the season, having to watch and rehab. I didn't miss a day for probably six months straight. It's all for getting back on the field and feeling how you felt when you first got here. I've been looking forward to this. "It gets better and better each day."

CB CJ Wilson says new DC Ron Meeks reminds him an uncle:

Wilson leaps at opportunity
"(Meeks) is like that uncle that sits on the porch when you're out playing football in the front yard. He's going to tell you every little move," Wilson said. "I love it. It's good. We all love it."

At least he's not talking about the 'crazy' uncle we all have, right?

Former Panther Mike Minter continues to give back to the community. Here's my favorite Q&A from this post:

Mike Minter, former Carolina Panther, is a role model on and off the field

CC: You are an athlete, philanthropist, and businessman. People think they know you based upon what they read in the media. In your own words, describe Mike Minter—the man.

MM: Mike Minter is a motivated person who wants to bring out the best in people. People are my passion. I’m not perfect and I don’t have it all together. I sometimes make bad decisions, but, it is just part of the learning curve as I try to figure it out just like everybody else.

Projected Panthers 2009 Depth Chart: Linebackers

MichaelProcton — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:56:50 -0000

Recently, the Panthers have had one of the deepest LB corps in the league, full of guys with speed and ability. It's clear that the team values the position, as they've not only had up to eight roster spots used on the position (nine if LS Jason Kyle is counted), but also have shown they're willing to pick up talent there even if the depth chart has them blocked initially. Both Jon Beason and Dan Connor were drafted early with no regard for the fact that neither seemed to have a starting spot available to them. Beason, however, took the reins early in his 2007 rookie season after a Dan Morgan injury, and Connor showed he could be a valuable contributor on special teams even if he wasn't getting defensive playing time, leading the team in ST tackles prior to a torn ACL while covering a kickoff in the third game of the season against the Vikings. After the jump, we'll take a look at how this year's LB depth chart is shaping up.

LOLB	MLB	ROLB
Na'il Diggs	Jon Beason	Thomas Davis
Landon Johnson	Dan Connor	James Anderson

Last season, the Panthers carried seven linebackers on their 53-man roster (not including Jason Kyle, who was listed at the position, but was exclusively a long-snapper). All six of the players listed above were members of the opening day roster, but the Panthers also saw a couple players who were on the active roster leave in the offseason. Adam Seward, a backup MLB who played exclusively on special teams in an injury-riddled '08 season, signed a one-year deal with the Colts and is currently listed as their top backup at MLB. Donte' Curry, a special teams ace who found a roster spot after Dan Connor's season-ending knee injury, was second on the team in special teams tackles in just 13 games, but was not resigned by the Panthers and is currently a free agent.

Now, a look at the players on the current 80-man roster.

Jon Beason (3rd year, University of Miami) - 6'0", 237: Beason has been a sensation since he entered the league. He set a Panthers record for tackles in his rookie season and engaged in a very close Defensive Rookie of the Year race with Patrick Willis of the 49ers. In his second year, he showed an even more diverse range of skills, increasing his interceptions from 1 to 3, including two important picks that helped close out wins against Arizona and Green Bay. He also had an interception in the playoff loss and total of 9 PDs on the year, showing he is primed to be a force in coverage under Ron Meeks, who has shown a willingness to let his linebackers get involved in the passing game in the past. Perhaps most impressively, though, he played most of the season with a torn labrum suffered in the week 8 win against the Cardinals, an injury that occurred just two plays before the aforementioned INT. As Beason put it,

I was basically playing with no strength. When I tackled someone it was almost like throwing a pillow at them. I had no grip in that arm, no way to stop someone. I played like that the rest of the season, just fighting to get the job done. It took away my range of motion. But I know my teammates would do the same for me.

Impressive willpower and drive on his part. He's only 24, and should only continue to get better as Carolina's rock-solid MLB for years to come.

Thomas Davis (5th year, Georgia) - 6'0", 240: Davis was moved to the third position of his NFL career last year, and he may have finally found a home at weakside linebacker. He was able to establish new career highs in tackles, sacks, and PDs as the coaching staff found a way to take advantage of Davis' speed and reaction instincts while finding a way to minimize his occasional struggles in coverage which were more apparent at safety and LOLB. This coming year will be an important one for Davis, as the Panthers have allowed him to reach the final year of his rookie deal. With a young gun in Dan Connor likely ready to take over next year, Davis will be playing for a job one way or another.

Na'il Diggs (10th year, Ohio St.) - 6'4", 240: Diggs arrived in Carolina before the 2006 season as an affordable veteran who could add depth to the position and perhaps compete for a starting spot, but Diggs had other ideas. He's started 35 of the last 45 games at OLB for the Panthers, and is currently the starter at strong-side LB. Last season, he fought off a challenge by Landon Johnson, a free agent with a much bigger contract than Diggs, and he will likely have to fight for this job against both Johnson and Dan Connor, but at this point, his steady play likely makes him a clear favorite to win the position. Diggs is a solid player and a good special teams contributor, if not a flashy, big-impact player (involved in just two turnovers in his three years here.) I'd say he'll probably win this job unless Johnson or Connor very clearly outplay him during the preseason or camp, but even if he doesn't, he'll likely be kept around, as he's under contract for a very cap-friendly average of $1.25 million over the next two years.

Landon Johnson (6th year, Purdue) - 6'2", 232: Johnson was the Panthers' biggest free agent signing of the '08 offseason, but was largely a disappointment in his first year as a Panther following a successful start to his career in Cincinnati (average of 13 GS and 100 tackles.) He had shown the ability to start at all LB positions, but struggled to pick up the defense here, and made most of his contributions on special teams, including a forced fumble on KR Skyler Green of New Orleans which was recovered and returned for a TD by Dante Wesley, points that proved crucial in a 33-31 victory that secured the division crown. Johnson was considered a candidate to be released this offseason, but restructured his deal in a way that allowed the team to keep him and save the same amount. He will continue to be a special teams stalwart and will compete with Diggs and Connor to start at LOLB.

Dan Connor (2nd year, Penn St.) - 6'2", 231: Connor was a surprising third-round draft pick by the Panthers in 2008, who already seemed to be set at the linebacker position. As a projected first round pick by some, though, his value was simply too high to pass up when the Panthers pick came at #74 and Connor was still on the board. Connor rewarded their diligence, too, leading the team in special teams tackles as a standout on both kick and punt coverage through the first two-plus games. However, during the third game against the Vikings, Connor tore his ACL while covering on a kickoff and required season-ending surgery, although he actually covered one more kickoff after the injury. Connor was profiled as a solid, instinctive player with the ability to play any of the LB spots, and there was actually some talk early last summer that he could take over the MLB spot and the team would move Jon Beason to the outside, where he began his career before a Dan Morgan injury moved him to the inside. Connor should continue to be a presence on special teams and will compete to start at LOLB.

James Anderson (4th year, Virginia Tech) - 6'2", 235: Anderson is a former third-round pick who has never quite lived up to expectations, although the talent in front of him has had much to do with that. He was retained with the low RFA tender offer ($1.01 million) which would have returned a 3rd-round pick to the team had he been signed away, but received no interest on the FA market. Anderson only played defense in two games last year, and has started just three games in his three years here, so he is the most likely of our veteran linebackers to be cut, to which his non-guaranteed salary also contributes. Still, he should have a leg up on the remaining candidates to make the roster, who are all undrafted free agents with fewer than two years of experience in the league.

Jeremy Leman (2nd year, Illinois) - 6'2", 240: Leman is a former college All-American who went undrafted in 2008 and spent the preseason with the Vikings before being released in the final round of cuts. He was regarded as an instinctive player with high football IQ who lacked the physical attributes to be an NFL player. Chance of making team: 3.75%

Anthony Heygood (rookie, Purdue) - 6'1", 225: Heygood is a former running back who converted to linebacker and started for two years. He was considered a draftable prospect by some sources, and despite his inexperience at the position, he was a productive player due to his athleticism and instincts, and was voted the team's MVP by his teammates this past season. His future in the NFL--if he has one--is likely as a special teams demon and at the weakside LB position. Chance of making team: 6%

Mortty Ivy (rookie, West Virginia) - 6'1", 239: Ivy was another possible late-round pick who was a three-year starter. He likely projects as an OLB in the pros, but he also got some experience in the middle, and could conceivably play there in the NFL if he improves his football awareness. He was a first team All-Big East player for the 2008 season, and once came back from a torn ACL in April to play in 11 games for WVU. Like Leman, and unlike Heygood, he is considered a player who has used his intangibles to overcome a lack of extraordinary physical abilities. Chance of making team: 4%

EDIT: A girl I work with who's a WVU fan says, and I quote, "He's good." So I think that tells me two things: relatively casual fans of the team are aware of his existence, which means he was making plays, and they don't hate him. So those aren't bad things. :)

EDIT: These next two guys have been cut as of 6/30, but I'll leave their profiles for posterity's sake.

Brit Miller (rookie, Illinois) - 6'0", 243: After playing alongside Leman on the outside, he took over the MLB spot last year and was incredibly productive, leading the Big Ten in tackles per game at 11+. He is an experienced (38 career starts), huge LB, but there are concerns about his tackling technique, conditioning ("He's one of the only LBs in FBS with a gut"), and work ethic. A message board post compared Leman and Miller thusly:

J (Jeremy) was just a very emotional and smart player, but he has physical limitations. Brit is built better, he's much faster, he's better in coverage, and he's more versatile.

Chance of making team: 3.5%

Mike Juergens (rookie, Wyoming) - 6'3", 230: Juergens was a two-year starter at OLB who led the Cowboys in sacks last year. He posted decent numbers in the agility tests at his pro day with a 7.16 three-cone drill time, a 4.27 short shuttle time, and a 12.00 in the long shuttle. Chance of making team: .01%

Poll

Will we see any of the rookie linebackers make the team in favor of a veteran?

Yes

64 votes

No

154 votes

218 votes | Poll has closed

Top 5 starters in danger of losing their job next season

Revshawn — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 05:03:14 -0000

1. Brad Hoover FB

Don't get me wrong, in spite of his mistakes during the season Brad Hoover had this job locked up. Then in round 4 of the NFL Draft the Panthers picked up Tony Fiammetta, whom most scouts had declared the best fullback in the draft. He's a solid player with strong blocking, rushing, and pass catching abilities. I believe that if he impresses in camp that the Panthers will go for the younger, cheaper talent. Brad Hoover will be 33 in November, and by cutting him the Panthers will save 540k against the salary cap.

2. Tyler Brayton DE

With Everette Brown being taken in the 2nd round as a result of a trade, Tyler Brayton is going to have to put his rear in gear in order to keep his spot. Unless he pulls off a miracle in training camp and turns himself into a modern day Rocky, the Panthers are going to go with the smaller rookie in an effort to turn him into another Dwight Freeney.

3. Richard Marshall CB

Richard Marshall will start Week 1 with Ken Lucas gone, but other teams are not going to be impressed with him right off. Until he proves himself, he's going to be a guy with a big x on his back. Teams will throw to his side of the field early and often, and I wouldn't be suprised if the team yanks him in favor a bigger corner like Sherrod Martin if he struggles on a consistant basis. We might even see the two corners splitting time on the field, who knows?

4. Na'il Diggs OLB

Here's where things start to get a bit iffy, but irregardless this is a Top 5 article. We have arguably 5 starting caliber linebackers. Jon Beason and Thomas Davis are two young locks right off the bat, and Na'il Diggs is your old, experienced veteran. The two wildcard players that could be starters are 2nd year player Dan Connor, and Landon Johnson. Dan Connor has a chance to rise up and prove to everyone that he is the next Dan Morgan (minus the injuries). If he can do that, he just might take down Na'il Diggs and secure his spot. He might have done so last year, but he was injured for the season in Week 3 so we never got a chance to see if he could do it late in the year.

Dan Conner is pretty much the successor of Na'il Diggs in the future, but it's a matter of time. Diggs is still a tremendous player and he still produces, it's only a question of whether he can maintain it or not over a 16 game schedule. If he cannot, then Connor might sneak in there late in the year and get some playing time.

5. Dante Rosario TE or Muhsin Muhammad

Arguments can be made on both sides. Moose is getting old and Dwayne Jarrett is in his 3rd breakout year, so he might rise and take control. On the other hand TE Gary Barnidge was known as a great pass-catcher coming out of college, and if his skills have matured in the next level we might have another target on the field for Jake Delhomme. I'm going to open this one up for a poll. Your thoughts please!

Poll

Which player has the better chance of being replaced?

TE Dante Rosario

715 votes

WR Muhsin Muhammad

187 votes

902 votes | Poll has closed