One of the few bright spots from the 2007 season was the play of nickel corner Richard Marshall. The 2nd year CB from Fresno State has established himself as a starting caliber CB who the Panthers need to get on the field as much as possible. He came in 3rd on the team with 89 total tackles trailing only starters Jon Beason (140) and Chris Harris (98). Quite an amazing number for a guy who didn’t play every down.

So, what should the Panthers do?

The easy solution is simply to promote Marshall and bench either Ken Lucas or Chris Gamble. I’ve already posted that CB Ken Lucas has a high cap value this season so unless there is a restructuring he may be a cap casualty. Cut Lucas and problem solved. Yet I hesitate because starting caliber CB’s are hard to come by and I thought Lucas brought a sense of fire and spirit to the defense. I remember him being very vocal during camp and is never afraid to deliver a hit. Lucas struggles in man coverage at times but is the better tackler between him and Gamble.

Chris Gamble is a former 1st round pick who would not take kindly to being benched. His cap value is surprising low given he’s a first rounder but I’m sure will get a better offer should he test free agency. He may have some trade value and given his zero interceptions this year he may have peaked in just his 4th season. Me personally, I'm no tready to give up on Chris Gamble.

A third and more radical option is to move one of these guys to free safety, a glaring need (yet again) for the Panthers going into the off-season. So who should we move to free safety? Let’s consider the key characteristics of a Pro Bowl free safety in the NFL:

• Needs to be fairly intelligent in order to read defenses and properly react to the offensive changes at the line of scrimmage
• Needs to be a ball-hawk, meaning the player tends to make good reads and isn’t afraid to go up for the ball
• Needs to have decent speed but not elite
• Doesn’t necessarily need to be a good tackler like the strong safety but should be a big hitter in order to jar the ball loose
• Needs to have good hands as this person ideally would lead the team in interceptions

Truthfully it’s the intangibles that really make a good free safety. There’s not a real difference in height or weight requirements between CB and free safety. I think any of the three are capable of handling the position physically.

Usually when I start a post like this I already have my mind made what my preference is but in this case I find myself...well...in a quandary. Here’s my best thinking:

1. Ken Lucas – He’s the more experienced player in his 7th season, is the biggest hitter of the three, and has the best hands. He is also probably the slowest of the three too meaning we keep our speed at CB.

2. Richard Marshall – He’s a better tackler than Gamble and is willing to throw his body around. Being the youngest he has the least amount to "unlearn" if you will.

3. Chris Gamble - Though I’ve got Gamble listed third I think he could make this transition as well as anyone. Gamble is not known for being a sure tackler or a big hitter though I think he reads defenses well. He is third all-time in Panther team history for interceptions with 16. Gamble could excel at free safety interception wise but could be a liability tackling as sometimes he is covering tight ends.

Well there you have it. What is your opinion?