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Luke Kuechly probably feels like he's had another concussion after being beat with concussion related questions dating back to last season. He's missed nine game games in two seasons over it. Six of which he was actually in the concussion protocol. The others last year were after he was cleared and mainly precautionary due to the teams playoff chances and risk of other injury.
Read MoreHope's are high once again for the Carolina Panthers heading into 2017 following a slew of strong free agent signings in the off-season and bolstering up the offense in the recent draft with play makers and protection for franchise quarterback Cam Newton.
The media has taken notice as well and some are liking a bounce back year for Cam Newton and the Panthers new-look offense. Big free agent signings such as bringing back home Julius Peppers and Captain Munnerlyn have many seeing this defense getting back into the top ten after being one of only two teams to be there for three consecutive years before dropping back last year.
In a recent rankings article, Gil Brandt has the Panthers ranked 9th on his top ten list of most talented teams in the NFL heading into 2017. Only the Atlanta Falcons (3rd) also made the list, although I imagine the Buccaneers weren't far outside of the top ten. Here's what Brandt had to say. You can read the full article here.
It can sometimes seem as if quarterback Cam Newton is perpetually at a career crossroads, but I think he'll have a big year this year. He's certainly not lacking for weapons, with rookie matchup nightmares Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel joining running back Jonathan Stewart and tight end Greg Olsen on offense. Signing Matt Kalil to protect Newton's blind side was a key improvement. This team looks capable of scoring 500 points. On defense, Carolina helped itself by bringing back defensive end Julius Peppers and cornerback Captain Munnerlyn and signing safety Mike Adams. If healthy, linebacker Luke Kuechly is one of the best at his position, while there's no reason defensive tackle Kawann Short shouldn't perform.
It was clear following a highly anticipated 2016 season with a losing record that Carolina had to make some changes. They did just that in one the busier off-seasons Panthers fans have seen in years.
If everyone pans out and can stay healthy, the Panthers could be right back playing again in January for the fourth time in five years.
Written By Tripp Morgan
Follow @TrippMorgan6 and @Cat_Chronicles for the latest surrounding the Carolina Panthers.
It's only May, but is that really to soon to start eyeing potential Panthers fantasy star? I don't think so, and these fantasy sites don't either. So I jumped in to get an early look at where some of the experts have our offensive rookies Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel ranked.
SCOUT.COM-"FANTASY STUDS"
RB CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY, CAROLINA PANTHERS
McCaffrey brings a much-needed dimension to the Panthers that they have lacked for years. He is a unique pass-catching back with an ability to run the ball as well. I don’t expect him to blow anyone away with his rushing numbers. However, he has the potential to be PPR gold. His presence should also help Cam Newton out immensely forcing the defense to focus more underneath so he can blow the top off when the opportunity presents itself.
Curtis Samuel did not make this list.
NFL.COM'S TOP 20 FANTASY ROOKIES
12. Curtis Samuel, WR, Carolina Panthers
Samuel is a player to watch during camp, as the Panthers don't have much at wide receiver behind Kelvin Benjamin (who is reportedly overweight) and Devin Funchess. A versatile player in the mold of a Percy Harvin, Samuel could etch out a role in the Panthers offense as a potential slot receiver who also sees a handful of carries. The Ohio State product will have some late-round appeal in most fantasy leagues.
Projection: 21 carries, 113 yards, 0 TDs, 47 receptions, 506 yards, 4 TDs
2. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers
McCaffrey isn't considered a good fit for the Panthers offense in the minds of some analysts, but has this unit ever had a runner with his skill set? You don't draft someone eighth overall and not use him to the best of his abilities, and he fills a need in an offense that lacks playmakers. McCaffrey can do it all on the gridiron, and I think he'll be a better fantasy option than veteran Jonathan Stewart as a rookie.
Projection: 153 carries, 677 yards, 4 TDs, 54 receptions, 433 yards, 2 TDs
FOX SPORTS TOP 15 FANTASY ROOKIES
Like Christian McCaffrey, Samuel is a collegiate RB/WR playmaker for Cam Newton. With Kelvin Benjamin and Greg Olsen running vertical routes, Samuel can be used in a variety of ways underneath like Julian Edelman.
The combination of McCaffrey and Samuel paired with Cam Newton’s talents is scary. For my initial thoughts on McCaffrey, please check out my post-first round feature.
SPORTING NEWS FANTASY ROOKIE RANKINGS
We already have the "Run CMC" T-shirts, but the question is, just how much will Carolina let McCaffrey run?. It's selling him short as a five-to-10-carry change-of-pace guy, as McCaffrey is underrated as a physical finisher and even better as advertised as an open-field receiver. Given he's behind aging and worn Jonathan Stewart (30), he must be drafted as an RB2. The Panthers were short on dynamic difference-makers last year, and McCaffrey should get every chance to be a consistent one.
Curtis Samuel didn't crack their top 17.
As expected, it sounds like a lot of the fantasy gurus are high on McCaffrey out of the rookie class this season. He could be especially valuable in PPR formats.
It seems many are also liking the potential value of the Panthers second round draft pick Curtis Samuel out of the 2017 rookie class. His best value could be in the mid-rounds based on these early rankings (unless your draft has defensive players).
Written By Tripp Morgan
Follow @TrippMorgan6 and @Cat_Chronicles for the latest surrounding the Carolina Panthers.
Article Thumbnail Photo by Jesse Fraetis.
There has been a lot of scrutiny thrown Kelvin Benjamin's way the last couple months. The Panthers former first round pick showed up overweight once again this off-season, something he also struggled with in college.
Read MoreIt's taken forever, but we can all finally start making arrangements for those must-make games for the 2017 season. We personally suggest you joining your nearest Roaring Riot Chapter and tagging along with them this season. This via Panthers.com
October consists of four out of five games on the road and December has three out of four at home. The good news is the Panthers have a better chance closing out the season strong in December. The bad news is October could be tough.
Panthers will end the season on the road against a NFC South opponent again, only this time they will heading to Atlanta instead of Tampa.
Written By Tripp Morgan
Follow @TrippMorgan6 and @Cat_Chronicles for the latest news and updates surrounding the Carolina Panthers.
Article Thumbnail Photo by Jesse Fraetis.
I reported back in March that the Panthers staff, including wide receivers coach Lance Taylor, had a private workout with Jones at ECU.
"The Panthers are showing great interest," Jones said back in March. "I had the opportunity to work out for them and hopefully hear good things from them. But other than that, I'm just going to keep doing what I do best, go out here on this Pro Day, perform well, and we'll see where it goes from there."
It has now been reported from Hoist The Colours and 247Sports Panthers writer Stephen Igoe that Jones has now been confirmed as one of the Panthers top 30 visits.
Jones was already reported having visits with the Titans and Panthers NFC South rival Tampa Bay.
Jones is added to the Panthers list of wide receiver visits along with Fred Ross of Miss. St. Kendrick Bourne, and Malachi Dupre of LSU. The Steelers have also shown interest in Jones as ECU heach coach Scottie Montgomery used to be the wide receivers coach with the Steelers. Montgomery was also a rookire free agent with the Panthers in 2000.
Jones broke the NCAA single season record with 158 receptions last season. Many analyst have him going towards the end of round one and early round two. If he were to somehow fall to 40, the Panthers could certainly look to scoop him up in hopes to get more production in that slot position. Jones can play out wide and in the slot, which makes him even more intriguing to NFL teams.
Written By Tripp Morgan
Follow @TrippMorgan6 and Cat_Chronicles for the latest news and updates around the Carolina Panthers.
One word has summed up the Carolina Panthers off-season for fans, media, and analysts alike... "EVOLVE." Ever since Rivera muttered the phrase in regards to the offense at the end of the season, the outside world has been trying to figure it out. As we have gotten closer to the draft, we may be getting a pretty good idea judging by a few of the prospect visits the Panthers have brought in.
Each season NFL teams are allotted 30 draft prospects to bring in for visits and/or workouts at the team facilities. In most cases, in the Panthers case anyway, these are the players you can start getting the best judge of interest in. There have been three particular players the Panthers have shown interest in that fit roughly the same mold and could help "evolve" this offense and give Cam Newton another weapon. They are RB/WR Christian McCaffrey, RB/WR Curtis Samuel, and RB Alvin Kamara.
In a year where Jonathan Stewart is turning 30 and has battled injuries, seeing Dave Gettleman and Ron Rivera hosting running back prospects isn't surprising. But each of these running backs offer something new to the Panthers offense, and that's the ability to line up outside or in the slot at receiver.
Having a running back with the ability to line up as a receiver can create all kinds of mismatches for opposing defenses. Many question whether offensive coordinator Mike Shula can properly use a player like this, but who really knows as the most versatile player he has had with Carolina was Ted Ginn, who now resides with NFC SOuth rival New Orleans. Between Shula and Cam Newton, Ginn has had the best years of his career in Charlotte. During the 2015 season Shula constantly used Ginn's speed to create mismatches. Like the one here (fast forward to 1:55) where a linebacker was covering Ginn. Good times.
With Ginn in the slot and the Falcons sending a blitzing safety from the left, it left Ginn matched up alone with the linebacker. There was one safety left up top, but Ginn is the only receiver on the three wide set who crosses field, leaving the safety in no man's land with two other receivers to his right. As soon as Newton realizes the safety doesn't adjust, he lofts it up downfield for Ginn to use his speed to go get it.
Now, I'm not comparing Ginn to prospects like McCaffrey, just simply showing what the use of proper mismatches with players who create separation can do. The hottest name surrounding the Panthers draft right now, Christian McCaffrey, has been a master of this in college. You can look up highlights all day, but here's one where he runs a route out of the back field and breaks a linebacker down one-on-one and takes it all the way after finding the seam.
Alvin Kamara shot up teams boards after posting explosive combine numbers. His versatility in both the running and receiving game is what helped land him at Tennessee. That along with his combine performance is what will help him in the NFL as well.
This isn't the big play like McCaffrey's above, but it's a good example of the mismatch caused by the running back motioning out of the backfield. Tennessee scored twice in this game on this exact same play. You'll notice two defenders on one receiver near the back of the end zone leaving Kamara wide open.
Chances are you saw Curtis Samuel of Ohio State play at some point last season. He dominated the final drive in double overtime that propelled the Buckeyes over arch rival Michigan.
Another play where the linebacker matches up with the running back coming out of the back field. The quarterback slightly under-throws the pass here causing a contested catch that Samuel still comes down with. A little more on the pass and it's an easy touchdown catch.
The Panthers have visited with all of these running backs along with Leonard Fournette, who is another hot name associated with the Panthers. These takes here are not a spite to Fournette and his game. I still like Fournette and think he can be successful in the NFL. I also believe he has better hands than many anticipate, but the Panthers need versatility if they are going to truly "evolve" the offense. Having another power running back wouldn't really do that.
With that said, it's also entirely possible Carolina brought in the likes of Curtis Samuel and Alvin Kamara in case they chose not to go McCaffrey at eight. It seems pretty evident the Panthers like Fournette just as much as they do McCaffrey and if he falls to eight, we could see them take him and get either Samuel or Kamara later. They could also go defense at eight if a guy they really like is still there and get one of the two later. The only problem with that is McCaffrey is much more polished in running, receiving, and returning than the other two. Not to mention you are then tying up two draft picks on running backs.
When it all boils down to it, we can only guess what Rivera meant by "evolve." Hell, Gettleman said in his post season presser that it wasn't really the proper term to use, so who knows? Nobody but the people in the front office really know what direction they want to go a week out from the draft. Even they probably still don't know. It could all come down to who falls and who doesn't.
Written By Tripp Morgan
Follow @TrippMorgan6 and @Cat_Chronicles for the latest news and updates on the Carolina Panthers.
Article thumbnail photo by Jesse Fraetis.
Striking a deal with one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL in Kawann Short has been a priority for Carolina and they have finally locked that in according to sources.
Read MoreThe Panthers will meet with top running back prospect Leonard Fournette out of LSU next week.
Things started stirring on Wednesday when neither head coach Ron Rivera or Dave Gettleman showed up at LSU's pro day. It seems now that's because they knew they would be bringing him to Charlotte to meet. Running backs coach Jim Skipper and offensive coordinator Mike Shula both made the trip to Louisiana for the pro day.
Fournette made another impression when he weighed in at 228 pounds, down from 250 at the combine and back to his college playing weight. When asked about the weight at the combine, Fournette said it was "water weight" and he would be losing it. Fournette commented on this to Charlotte Observer's Jourdan Rodrigue later.
“I think some (teams) wanted to see if I could get down to that size. I think it was a plus for me. ... I might be 250 playing, so I just wanted to show them that I can do what I need to do to get my business in order.”
It seems the closer the draft gets, the chances of Fournette being around at eight are getting slimmer to many. Carolina has stated all off season that they want to be able to run Cam less to help preserve him for the long haul. Jonathan Stewart's recent one-year extension was more of a cap space move than anything else and Fournette could be a bruising replacement when Stewart is gone. But then again.
Then with all of this you have the Christian McCaffrey rumors at an all-time high and he could be a big help in "evolving" the offense and be a key weapon to Cam Newton as well. Buckle up Panthers fans, the next few weeks are going to be interesting.
Written By Tripp Morgan
Follow @TrippMorgan6 and @Cat_Chronicles for the latest news and updates surrounding the Carolina Panthers.
Article photo by Jesse Fraetis.
The last few weeks have been full of mock picks by analysts and fans alike for who the Panthers will take at pick eight. A popular name lately has been Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey.
McCaffrey was being mocked in the late first, early second round before the combine but has steadily gained steam since his combine and pro day. Visits and talks with teams have certainly also played into that.
Stats like how he had more yards per carry versus eight man boxes than any other running back in the nation, including LSU's Leonard Fournette, have also pushed it.
More and more mocks seems to be following Josh Norris' and Jourdan Rodrigue's early prediction of him fitting in with the Panthers at the eighth pick. Now NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah has him to Carolina in the same spot with his mock draft released Wednesday. Then this tweet later on the night from Peter Schrager really got the tweets flowing.
Sure, McCaffrey could go to one of the seven teams before Carolina, but the fit here just seems to perfect for a team looking to "evolve." Throw in the fact that Panthers recently wide receivers coach Lance Taylor was McCaffrey's running back coach during his tenure at Stanford and it makes even more sense.
McCaffrey would bring versatility to a Panthers offense that needs another weapon for Cam Newton. His running and receiving ability being used the right way could be tough to plan for on opposing defenses. I know what you're thinking, "Would Shula know how to use him correctly?" I believe so, and that's also where his former coach Lance Taylor comes in. If anyone know how to use him, it should be him.
This will likely grow the closer we get to the draft and could even change between now and then like it has drastically since the combine, but one things for sure, whatever name is announced at pick eight should be one we've all heard.
Written By Tripp Morgan
Follow @TrippMorgan6 and @Cat_Chronicles for news and updates surrounding the Carolina Panthers.
Article Thumbnail Image by Jesse Fraetis
The Carolina Panthers have finally made the move everyone's been waiting...
April fools. Don't be too mad with us. Have a great weekend!
More news of work outs from top draft prospects continue to roll as we near the draft. Another one for the Panthers is scheduled with Wisconsin's LB T.J. Watt, brother of NFL star defensive end J.J. Watt according to NFL.com.
You're probably thinking we have enough linebackers, but Watt is actually believed to be an effective edge rusher in a 4-3 defense like the Panthers according to many scouts.
Watt battled knee injuries for two years before finally getting healthy in 2016 and breaking out with 63 tackles, 15.5 for loss, and 11.5 sacks. Scouts also said he already looks stronger than he did on tape during 2016 and they expect that to improve.
He posted a 4.69 40-yard dash, 37" vertical, and a 10.5" broad jump. Most analysts have him going late first round or early second as a projection. With that, the Panthers are probably getting a look at him in case he were to fall to them in the second round. He's not an option at pick eight.
Written By Tripp Morgan
Follow @TrippMorgan6 and @Cat_Chronicles for the latest news and reports on the Carolina Panthers
Article photo by Jesse Fraetis
Arguably the best tight end in the 2017 draft and fan favorite, O.J. Howard, is scheduled to work out with the Panthers.
Howard went into the combine at 6'6" and weighed 251 lbs, but was able to push out an impressive 4.51- 40 yard dash. Howard is almost assured to be a top 20 pick in the draft with his talent level. According to a report from NFL.com's Connor Orr, Howard is expecting to do a lot of in-line blocking drills with the Panthers, who happen to be his first private workout. Howard has also said he takes pride in blocking, which would play a big part if he were to be on the Panthers offense.
Many want to see the Panthers take Howard with the eighth overall pick, allowing for the offense to get back to 2011 form with the Olsen and Shockey duo while also grooming him behind one of the best tight ends in the NFL in Greg Olsen. This may sound good, but recent Rivera statements have hinted otherwise in a presser with Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer.
“You look at what we’ve got, it’s a very deep position for us right now,” Rivera said. “We like the young guys that are trying to be developed. They’re all young guys that fit what we do, know what we do. They’ve been around. So we feel pretty good about that ... but you never know.”
There's no doubt Howard would be a great addition to the Panthers and have some impact immediately, but the fact is there are more needs, some bigger, at other positions.
Written By Tripp Morgan
Follow @TrippMorgan6 and @Cat_Chronicles for the latest news and updates surrounding the Carolina Panthers
Article photo by Jesse Fraetis
According to Panthers.com writer Max Henson, Cam Newton is now expected to miss OTA workouts due to surgery on a partially torn rotator cuff.
Read MoreJust before the combine it seemed every analyst knew where the Panthers were going at pick eight, that was with LSU RB Leonard Fournette. Since the combine and free agency has taken place, there has been a lot of shifting gears (as there is nearly every year) as to where they think Carolina will go with high first round pick. Here are the latest pics we've seen.
CBS SPORTS- DE JONATHAN ALLEN- ALABAMA
SB NATION- RB LEONARD FOURNETTE- LSU
WALTER FOOTBALL- DE DEREK BARNETT- TENNESSEE
BLEACHER REPORT- CB MARSHON LATTIMORE- OHIO STATE
ROTOWORLD, JOSH NORRIS- WR COREY DAVIS- WESTERN MICHIGAN
Some other picks include Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com with RB Leonard Fournette, Pro Football Focus' Steve Palazzolo with WR Mike Williams, and Sporting News with TE OJ Howard out of Alabama.
As you can see the general consensus has changed right much since the combine and mainly free agency. Two of my favorite picks right now on this list are O.J. Howard and Corey Davis. Both could be an immediate impact on offense and are certainly possible at number eight. Howard could be a great complement and future replacement for Greg Olsen, while Davis could be an explosive, play making wide receiver the Panthers missed in '16 and elevate the passing game to a new level along with Kelvin Benjamin.
Written By Tripp Morgan
Follow @TrippMorgan6 and @Cat_Chronicles for news and updates surrounding the Carolina Panthers.
Article thumbnail photo by Jesse Fraetis.
