Just earlier this week, Philly Brown scrubbed his Twitter account of Panther ties after Gettleman indicated they would not be re-signing him. Brown wasn’t a highly touted prospect like Ginn had once been. Brown went undrafted. Carolina gave him a shot and injuries afforded him opportunity. He wasn’t bad. He capitalized on some opportunities, struggled in other moments, but outperformed expectations for the most part. His didn’t play his way off the team anyway.
Ginn’s time in Carolina has been even better. He’s gone to the Pro Bowl, made some game-changing plays in big moments, but he’s had his share of struggles too. He’s been a bright spot in Carolina’s offense, however. It may not be clear if Ginn has outperformed expectations, but it is clear that he hasn’t fallen short those expectations. Could he have been better? Sure. He also was much better than many.
Gettleman has had some hard moments with players like Ginn in the past. These are guys who have positively contributed to Carolina’s success. These players, like Steve Smith, Jordan Gross, or even Philly Brown, haven’t been part of the problem. Gettleman, however, hasn’t viewed them as necessary to the solution either. In other cases, like Charles Johnson or Thomas, Gettleman has acknowledged their larger role in the team's success.
We’ll be watching anxiously to see how negotiations progress between Ginn and the Panthers. He’s been their deep threat, even though it’s the deep ball he struggles most with. If Carolina and Ginn do part ways, the Panthers will need to find a way to replace that threat and perhaps add even more production.
By the Professor, aka Tony Dunn
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