2010 NFL Predictions: Carolina Panthers

July 26, 2010

The Carolina Panthers have the potential to be one of the surprise teams of 2010. Jake Delhomme is finally gone, and the Panthers offense should flourish in his absence. Matt Moore will have the starting job this season and even though he hasn’t proven himself to be an elite quarterback in this league, he should certainly run the offense more efficiently than Delhomme did in 2009.

Delhomme made it extremely difficult for the entire offense last year. His receivers had to deal with his inaccuracy, and his poor completion percentage. This translated into defenses loading up the box to stop the run, which in turn made it harder for the running backs to find space to run. This season will be different. Matt Moore did a mediocre job in his 5 starts to end the season in 2009, but if you look at his stats overall he has the capability of being a very good quarterback in the NFL. He has a lifetime 60% completion rate, and has thrown 11 touchdowns to just 7 picks. He will finally get to lead this Carolina offense with rookie Jimmy Clausen waiting in the wings. He has a multitude of weapons at wide receiver, and one of the best running back duo’s in all of football. Only time will tell if he is up to the task, but one would have to believe that he’s in a position to succeed.

Steve Smith had a horrible year statistically in 2009, but most of that was due to who was throwing him the ball. His 982 yards receiving and 65 catches were far below his expectations and averages over the last few seasons. However, he should find his way back to Pro-Bowl status this year as he will be the recipient of good passes from a quarterback that is capable of delivering the ball. Smith will not have the luxury of having Muhsin Muhammed lined up on the other side of the field this year as he was let go in the off-season. Carolina will need a few of their young receivers to step up this season in order to make life a little easier for Moore. Dwayne Jarrett and rookie Brandon LaFell are the top candidates to fill that roll. Jarrett was highly touted out of USC 3 years ago, but has never lived up to his expectations. LaFell is a 2nd round draft pick out of LSU that is expected to contribute immediately.

The tandem of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart may be the best running back combination in the NFL. They combined for 2250 yards last season and 17 touchdowns. The most impressive stat they had was the fact that they both ended the season with a yards per carry average of over 5 yards. It will be much of the same in 2010 as they fill up the stat sheets for all of their NFL Fantasy Football owners.

Defensively, the Panthers did far better than the average fan might think. They finished the 2009 season ranked 8th in terms of yards allowed. Linebacker Jon Beason led the defense with 142 tackles last year. While the linebacking group will be back at full strength, the defensive ends will have to step up with the departure of Julius Peppers. The defensive backs are solid with cornerback Richard Marshall leading the group.

The Carolina Panthers may create some waves in the tough NFC South this year. The Saints and Falcons both look to be contenders once again in 2010, but do not look past this Panthers team. If the quarterback situation is even slightly better than it was under Delhomme, the Panthers may have a shot at making the playoffs and doing some damage. Many NFL picks have them finishing 3rd in their division, but in my opinion this is underestimating this team greatly. We will see how it all shapes up over the first few weeks, but if the Panthers get out to a fast start, it could propel them to a 9 or 10 win season.

Written by Glenn Andrew · Filed Under NFL

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