2011 Offseason: Carolina Panthers

The Panthers were pretty sorry in 2010, but with Ron Rivera in house as the new head coach, things shouldn’t be as dismal in 2011.

Unfortunately, just a month after hiring Rivera, Jerry Richardson, Carolina’s owner, made himself seem less fit as an owner by bad-mouthing both Peyton Manning and Drew Brees when they were talking about player safety.

All that aside, the Panthers have some serious concerns to face this offseason. Right now it appears the Panthers are prepared to stick with Jimmy Clausen since Stanford’s Andrew Luck opted not to declare for the 2011 NFL Draft. However, I won’t be too surprised if the Panthers choose to take a QB with that first pick anyway. I like Clausen but don’t think he’s the kind of player who can be expected to do much early in his career. Brady Quinn comes to mind as a good comparison to Clausen.

A huge problem for the Panthers was turnovers; they had a (-8) T.O. ratio. In addition, their defense was atrocious. While their offense scored seven rushing touchdowns and nine passing touchdown, their defense gave up 20 on the ground and 19 through the air.

Despite the high number of rushing touchdowns allowed, their run defense wasn’t too terrible during the season. They gave up fewer than 2000 rushing yards, which is a pretty decent mark to aim for. But they gave up a lot of passing yards. Their secondary needs a serious overhaul.

Nearly every mock draft I’ve seen has Carolina picking a defensive lineman. I think they need to go cornerback with that top pick. It’s a dangerous position to go after in the draft, especially in the first round because cornerbacks are perhaps the commonest position to become a draft bust, especially if they are placed in a scheme that doesn’t fit them. But they have plenty of time, and a luxury no one else has, they can have any player they want. They don’t have to worry about another team picking the guy at the top of their board. Take advantage of that, and next year could be much better than 2010. An unwise pick, on the other hand, could put the Panthers in a deeper hole than they are already in.