2013 Carolina Panthers Preview

-By: Al Walsh – @AdotWalsh

Carolina had a great close out to 2012 and will look to build on that momentum going forward this season. While they seem outmatched in arguably the toughest division in the NFL, they definitely had the upper hand on the Atlanta Falcons. Can they take that same approach to the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

OFFENSE

Cam Newton means everything to this offense, and he is pretty much the running back in the red zone. His rookie campaign showed the former Heisman winner rush for 706 yards and 14 TDs, as well as a solid 2012 rushing the ball for 741 yards and 8 TDs. But this guy can throw the ball as well. Last year, he threw for 3,869 yards/19 TDs/12 INTs. One thing that stands out are the turnovers. In both of his professional seasons he has turned the ball over 22 times in both of those seasons (2011: 17 INTs/5 fumbles- 2012: 12 INTs/10 fumbles). He will need to hold on to the ball for this team to take the next step, but when he does, who is he going to get the ball to?

Once again, the prime candidate as it has been for many years, Steve Smith. In both years with Newton as his quarterback, he’s posted 70+ catches/1,000 yards/11 combined TDs those years. He’s getting up there in years at 34, but he still has the talent to do the things that few receivers can. Brandon LaFell was a popular choice for a sleeper breakout last year but that didn’t go as planned. He did have 677 yards and four TDs but obviously didn’t win anyone a championship. As for wide receivers, they added Ted Ginn, Jr. this offseason and he’s looked great in the preseason. Ginn hasn’t really been able to put it together receiving-wise during the regular season but he is an explosive player in the return game. Greg Olsen (the Jersey native, big ups) had a nice year in 2012 pulling in 69 grabs for 843 yards for five TDs. He and Newton need to stay on the same page in order for this team to succeed.

The running backs are pretty talented but were dealt a huge blow when Jonathan Stewart went down with his ankle injury. That opens the door for DeAngelo Williams to be the primary back. He didn’t have a 100-yard game until the final week of the season when he had 210 yards and two TDs against the Saints, but let’s be honest, I can have that kind of performance against their defense. Mike Tolbert now has a bigger role with the Panthers. He can spell Newton some of those tough red zone carries, and don’t be surprised if he takes the RB role right out from under Williams. Fun fact of the preview: Since 2010, Tolbert has more TDs (28) than Frank Gore, Chris Johnson and Matt Forte.

The O-Line could have been upgraded a little bit this offseason. Newton was sacked 36 times last year and the running backs had nothing to write home about. Jordan Gross is the stud up front and Ryan Kalil is coming back healthier this year.

DEFENSE

Luke Kuechly led the NFL in tackles in his rookie campaign with 164, and he was the first rookie to do that since Patrick Willis- certainly elite company. He’ll be a major ball hound this season again and they added Chase Blackburn, formerly of the Giants, should anything happen to him. They got Star Lotulelei at a great position in the draft so he and Kuechly should make waves in the future for this team.

Charles Johnson had a team-high 12.5 sacks last season to lead Carolina and is the team’s leading pass rusher. He’s had 33.5 sacks over the last three seasons and had seven forced fumbles ranked second in the NFL.

And now for the “Ridiculously In-Depth Analysis” portion of the 2013 Carolina Panthers Preview…..this secondary sucks. Back to you in the studio…

CONCLUSION

After a 1-6 start, the Panthers were able to wrap up 2012 with a 6-3 record which included four straight wins at the end. Don’t get me wrong, I think this team is ready for the big stage, it’s just a shame that they play in the NFC South. In that 1-6 start last year, five of those losses were by an average of 3.6 points. The other loss was on a short week Thursday game to the then-defending Super Bowl champion NY Giants, 36-7.

Look, these guys can play. A 7-9 record for them last season really doesn’t tell their story because of the closeness in most of their losses. One bounce here, one bounce there, they could have been a .500 team or better. There’s no mistaking that Cam Newton is a star, but a team is only as good as the pieces they put around him.

I like what they’re doing on the defensive side of the ball to get better for the future, but another sub-.500 season should get this team a great draft pick again next season (maybe Marqise Lee, Sammy Watkins or Brandon Coleman) and then they can make some real noise.