Panthers Free Agent Decisions Are Looming

Jake’s salary is $11 million next year but his cap hit is $6 million dollars. I am trying to find the link where I found that but I can’t find it. Maybe I imagined it. Either way, I don’t really care for Haynesworth or Berry. I guess if we got Berry cheap I could go for that, but I also don’t think anyone on the roster is the current answer to the DE position. Maybe Charles Johnson, but that is not a chance I would want to take using him for an entire year, with/without Peppers. I am interested to see what the team will do.

would be a great idea if, and only if, the new defensive coordinator/Trgo actually decide to let the corners play their position and not an 8 yard cushion zone defense. We are completely wasting the talents of Gamble and I would not want to waste Ashaoamaoaoaoaaguggu’s (its spelled difficulty) talents either. Zone defense is great and all but when you have corners that are capable of man you need to at least let them play closer to the receiver or play man. Great idea…though I would want a DT as well added to the team because getting pressure on the QB would be really, really helpful.

I just think with Gamble having the potential to be a shut down corner, taking away his athleticism is not the wisest choice. Even though Arizona was not going full speed ahead in the second half, when Gamble played closer on Fitzgerald, he has less success. The formula for beating the Cardinals was to not allow the receivers to get a free release and get pressure on Warner, yet our defensive gameplan did not include doing either of those things. I think we should put our players in a position to succeed and those 8 yard soft zones are not always the answer to that.

I have faith in John Fox but every once in a while, I wonder if he has lost his mind and wonder what he is doing. We have to remember the only reason Beason started last year was because Dan Morgan got injured, otherwise he would be a backup or a weakside linebacker. He was Morgan’s backup last year at the beginning of the year. I am not 100% in love with his ability to judge talent and put that talent to its best available use. He played Kalil as a Guard last year, partly out of necessity, but he doesn’t always put his players in the best position to succeed. I go on on and on, like trying to make Thomas Davis a safety his rookie year and letting DeShaun Foster start almost the entire 2007 year. I begin to wonder sometimes if he pays attention at practice. This year a big deal was made when Thomas Davis was put in position to make more plays, as if the coaching staff was really excited they had finally figured it out when this should have been done a year before that. I realize I am being critical but Fox makes me nervous when he sticks with veterans until the bitter end and the same thing goes with game plans. He used the exact same game plan in the first game against the Cardinals as he did in the playoff game. I almost wonder whether it will matter who we draft and who our defensive/offensive coordinator because I am not sure he puts his players in position to succeed.

I have ranted enough, I am not going to even get into the complete lack of ability for the offense to show some originality in getting Steve Smith the ball.