Ascension of Clausen Signals Panthers Preparing for 2011

Jimmy Clausen

            Technically it is still summer, but you can pretty much eliminate the Carolina Panthers from postseason contention.  The final nail in the coffin was placed Monday when Head Coach John Fox announced that rookie Jimmy Clausen will start at Quarterback for next week’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.  Thus the Mat Moore era in Charlotte has ended after two miserable losses to the New York Giants and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

            The Panthers problems go much deeper than whether Clausen or Moore should be under center.  Offensively the main problem is that there is no capable wide receiver opposite Steve Smith.  Panthers General Manager Marty Hurney joined the “Primetime with the Packman” show during this past off-season and stated that the team’s main goal was to find better receivers to help relieve the pressure off of Smith.  Hurney’s so called solution to the problem was to add talent through the draft by selecting Brandon LaFell, Armanti Edwards, and David Gettis. 

Throughout training camp and the preseason it was blatantly obvious that the rookies would be hard pressed to fill the void at the receiver position.  LaFell showed some flashes, but has been plagued by a propensity to drop passes.  Armanti Edwards (who was converted to WR after playing QB at Appalachian State) “flunked” his initial tryout for the punt returner position by fumbling twice during the second preseason game against the New York Jets and has been inactive for the first two regular season games.  Gettis was inactive the first regular season game but earned a starting spot during Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers.  Gettis’ promotion into the starting lineup is more of an indictment on 2007 draft bust Dwayne Jarrett who has yet to make an impact entering his fourth season in the league. 

What is a bigger disappointment this year has been the Panthers inability to run the football which has been the team’s bread and butter the last two seasons.  Entering the 2010 season, the Panthers returned two running backs (DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart) who rushed for over 1,100 yards the previous season.  The offensive line was also seen as a potential strength as it returned Pro-Bowl type talents in Jordan Gross, Ryan Kalil and Jeff Otah as well as the steady Travelle Wharton.  So far this season, the Panthers’ running game has struggled due to teams stacking the box to stop the run because they are not scared of the Panthers anemic passing game.

Another problem has been the lackluster play of the offensive line.  Over the first two games of the season, the line has allowed eight Quarterback sacks which helped lead to Matt Moore suffering a concussion in the Giants game.  Some of these problems could be attributed to Otah’s absence due to injury.  Schematically though, the Panthers are not built to come from behind due to a lack of weapons and without the threat of a run game, opponents are able to tee-off on the Quarterbacks when the offense is forced to pass.

The biggest disappointment for Panther fans has been the play of the defense.  The defense was among the best this preseason by registering 20 sacks and by stifling the Titans and Jets at Bank of America Stadium.  Fans were hoping that these trends would continue onto the regular season.  However through two games, the defense has allowed 31 points to the Giants and 20 points to the lowly Buccaneers.  Some common themes have been miscommunication in the secondary (notably Charles Godfrey), critical penalties resulting in first downs (that’s you Richard Marshall), and a lack of a consistent pass rush.  The only bright spot has been the play of the linebackers most notably All-Pro Jon Beason and first year starter Dan Connor. 

Schedule wise, the Panthers are staring at 0-4 with the Bengals at home and the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints on the road as their next two opponents.  That is what made last Sunday’s game against the Bucs so crucial.  Entering the season fans/experts alike agreed that the Panthers should beat the Bucs, while the Giants/Bengals game could be seen as toss-ups.  With arguably the easiest game on paper already penciled in as a loss, what does that say about the Panthers prospects for this season?

John Fox

What adds to the chaos has been the “lame duck” status of Head Coach John Fox.  Fox has been the most successful coach in franchise history leading the Panthers to three playoff appearances, two berths in the NFC Title Game and one Super Bowl Appearance.  What Fox hasn’t been able to do is build a consistent winner in Carolina.  The Panthers have failed to qualify for the playoffs in back-to-back years which most certainly bothers owner Jerry Richardson.  Fox is currently on the final season of his contract and is certain to leave after he was not offered an extension by Richardson.  Fox figures to be one of the most sought after coaches at the conclusion of the season and will likely price himself out of the Panthers range (if the Panthers even want to keep him).  It is expected that Richardson will try to find a coach much like Fox was when he was hired in 2002, a young assistant waiting for his first shot as a Head Coach.  One candidate who fits that bill would be Vikings Defensive Coordinator Leslie Frazier. 

What hurts is that Fox’s status as a “lame duck” coach could lead to the season spinning out of control if the team’s fortunes continue to slide.  Fox could lose some of the amount of authority he has in the locker room since the players would realize that he (Fox) will not be their head coach next year.  It also hurts young players such as Clausen because even though they will be gaining experience, they will be doing so under a playbook and philosophy that most assuredly won’t be there next year.

To make matters worse, many fans are upset with Richardson for cutting payroll and for not adding anyone significant in free agency.  Richardson has been revered in the Carolinas as the Panthers owner since he helped bring NFL football to the area in 1993.  Nowadays, Richardson seems more concerned with the precarious labor situation involving the expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement.  Richardson is the main voice of the owners in these negotiations and delivered a passionate speech in March to his fellow owners in which he pleaded that they (the owners) stick together.  He vowed that they should “take back our league” by creating a better CBA that is more favorable to the owners.

With Richardson as an important figure in these negotiations is it a coincidence that the Panthers didn’t spend much in the offseason?  Many fans feel that Jerry has put the NFL and its labor situation above the fortunes of the Panthers and its paying customers.  Richardson was interviewed by the Roar Magazine (an official publication of the Carolina Panthers) and stated that the team’s offseason moves have nothing to do with the NFL’s labor situation.  Then Richardson had the audacity to raise ticket prices after an 8-8 (and non-playoff season) and an offseason when the team didn’t add any free agents and lost valuable veterans such as Julius Peppers, Jake Delhomme, Chris Harris and Brad Hoover.

Jerry Richardson

            Expect another major overhaul for the Panthers if and when a new collective bargaining agreement is signed.  Pat Yasinskas (of ESPN) rationalized the Panthers offseason by saying that the team dumped veterans such as Delhomme because 2010 is an uncapped year.  By releasing these veterans (many of whom have high cap figures) the Panthers would be able to have no cap consequences for these actions.  If a salary cap is in place under the new CBA, the Panthers will have only 70 million dollars committed towards the cap.  Only the Chiefs, Raiders, and Buccaneers would be below the Panthers.  Some of this money would be used to resign current players such as Beason, and Kalil.  Either way, the Panthers would have mass amounts of money to spend prior to the 2011 season.  Fans hope that when the labor situation is settled, Richardson will once again push for success on the football field.

Quick Recap and Tidbits from Panthers Preseason Game #1

Football season has arrived and it seems to be a complete 180 from last August for Carolina Panthers fans.  After the first preseason game last year, confidence in Panther nation was imploding after they were dismantled by the New York Giants.  Usually fans do not put much in stock in preseason affairs, but for the 2009 Panthers the loss was just a hint of what was to come during the regular season.  The Panthers lost all four games in the 2009 preseason and sleepwalked through a 0-3 start in the regular season (though Jake Delhomme was mainly to blame) that effectively killed their chances for a playoff berth.

Last night the Panthers opened the 2010 preseason with a tilt against the Baltimore Ravens.  The Ravens are a trendy Super Bowl pick this season and proved to be a solid test for the young and inexperienced Panthers.  Sure enough, the Panthers made a few mistakes and lost 17-12, but there are plenty of positives from preseason game number one.  ESPN, which broadcasted the game, marketed this matchup as the debut of Panthers rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen.  Contrary to the belief of the “worldwide leader,” Clausen will not even be the starting quarterback of the team.  That would be Matt Moore.  Overall the team looked good but as should be expected, there were numerous bright spots and a few disappointments. 

Pluses:

Quarterback Play: Both Moore and Clausen looked effective in their short time on the field.  Even though the two combined to lead the team to only three points, three other potential scoring drives were thwarted by penalties, a fumble by running back Tyrell Sutton and a bad snap ona field goal attempt before the end of the first half.  Their stats may not look impressive, but a couple nice completions by Moore were negated by penalties on offensive linemen (namely Jordan Gross) and Clausen’s lone interception happened during a monsoon in the second half when his receiver (Dexter Jackson) slipped on the wet turf.  The offense was also missing star receiver Steve Smith and running back Jonathan Stewart.  It will be interesting to see the two quarterbacks with their full arsenal of weapons.

Defensive Line: The line produced six sacks on the night led by Tyler Brayton and rookie Greg Hardy with two each.  Baltimore had limited success on the ground as well.  The line was a huge question mark coming into training camp with the loss of starters Damione Lewis and Julius Peppers.  But at least for one game, Brian Baker and the D-line surpassed many fans’ expectations.

Minuses:

Offensive Line: The O-line struggled with penalties and constant pressure from the Ravens pass rush.  Panthers fans should not be too concerned though, the O-line is going to be the strength of the team and starting right tackle Jeff Otah did not suit up Thursday night.

Special Teams: The missed extra point and the bad snap on the field goal attempt probably can be attributed to the poor weather.  The coverage units are another story.  Many fans thought former special teams coach Danny Crossman was the reason for poor special teams.  Guess not.