Five Things to Watch: Panthers vs. Eagles

Several key players returned to practice on Tuesday, most notably Dwayne Jarrett, DeAngelo Williams, and Nate Salley. I would expect for them to see their first action of the preseason against the Eagles. Preseason game two is typically where you see the first team get more playing time and the word is that the starters will play the whole first half.

This will be a game to evaluate those players trying to earn their way into the starting line-up. With that in mind, here are five things to watch in the first half of Friday nights Panthers’ vs. Eagles preseason game.

The WR position
This is obvious for many reasons, but what I think is relevant for this game is how many passes Kerry Colbert gets versus Drew Carter. Of course we’ll all be counting the drops as well. I’m sure Jarrett will get in the game but I don’t expect him to be in there for long. The Panthers won’t risk aggravating that hamstring tweak he suffered last week. Also, keep an eye on how well each one does blocking. The Panthers are using a WR in motion to chip the DE on the cutback runs. Miss that block and the RB can be tackled for a loss. The Panthers place a premium on WR blocking which was a strength of former Panthers Muhammad and Keyshawn. This may end up being the deciding factor that determines which one starts game 1 vs. the Rams. Also, if either Carter or Colbert, in my book especially Colbert, drops catchable balls, they could be looking for a new team.

Kick-Off Coverage
This was the biggest weakness from last weeks Giants game. Look for the Panthers to eliminate the mistakes and prevent another long run back. Eagles return specialist Jeremy Bloom is trying to make a name for himself so this will be a good test.

The Offensive Line Performance
Based on some changes seen during practice this past week, we should see Ryan Kalil starting at center and Justin Hartwig shifted over to RG. If the Panthers are again able to establish the run against what should be a tougher Eagle defensive line, then the Panthers will know they have something working. The key will be how the rookie Kalil handles his responsibilities against the Eagles tackles and strong LB corps. He may even be matched up against Eagles rookie and 1st round pick Brodrick Bunkley at times. On the other hand, the Eagles were not happy with the performance of their run defense against the Ravens last week so they’re looking for a rebound.

The Safety Position
The word is that Deke Cooper will start and Nate Salley will play on the second team. For some reason the Giants didn't challenge the Panther safeties much early in the game. It’s been announced that Donovan McNabb will start so we know he won’t hesitate to chuck it deep and test the Panthers safeties. Let’s see who, if anyone gets beat deep.

Weak Side Linebacker
Na’il Diggs will start but I bet we see Beason early. He played well last week and it appears the Panthers want to give him as much live action as possible. If he makes some plays against the run and doesn’t make mistakes in coverage he will take a big step towards taking the starting spot from Diggs. I don’t expect Diggs to roll over but since he’s coming off a minor injury they may not risk too much action. All the better for Beason to make another good impression.

=============

You can check out what the Eagles will be focusing on in this game at SB Nation affiliate Bleeding Green Nation.