Ten Players to watch during the Pre-Season

Through the Pre-Season, there are ten players I am going to be keeping an eye on. Five on offense, and five on defense. I thought that today I would share them with you, so that you can keep an eye on them too.

Matt Moore

Until the Panthers decide otherwise via the NFL Draft, Matt Moore is the future of this franchise. He has shown at times that he can get the job done, especially during the latter half of the 2007 season when he started three games for us, winning two of them. He followed that up with a horrible 2008 Pre-Season showing, but he will get another chance in 2009 to show us that we can depend on him to lead this franchise. He has the arm strength, but can he be accurate?

Dwayne Jarrett

All eyes are going to be on Jarrett throughout the whole game. His confidence has been reported to be rising during training camp, and his play along with it. Can Dwayne Jarrett push Moose to start at flanker? A good showing would help him, especially if he stops dropping those easy passes. We don't need a Braylon Edwards on this team, we need an Andre Johnson. Jarrett has two strong veterans in Moose and Smith to train him into the player we know he can be, but he needs to step up in Pre-Season and show us that he has potential.

Jason Carter

Another wideout that you will need to keep an eye on. For those that don't already know, Jason Carter is one of the kings of training camp. He showed tremendous potential during the 2008 training camp, but we lost him for the season due to injury. This year he seeks not only to make the roster as a 4th or 5th receiver, but to secure a position at slot receiver once Moose retires and Dwayne takes over at flanker. We'll see how far he has come.

Ryne Robinson

3rd receiver in a row I know, but we need to see how Ryne is doing in his kickoff return duties. He has been inconsistant in previous years, and in 2008 due to Ryne's injury in Pre-Season the Panthers were forced to bring in Mark Jones whom performed pretty well. He averaged 24 yards a kick return, and every now and again he would break off a big return to start the Panthers off in their opponents territory. Had the Panthers not had the Julius Peppers situation, they may have opted to resign Jones and cut Ryne altogether. But because of it, Ryne has another opportunity to step up and take the job. He will not get it without a fight, he faces competition in newly signed Jason Chery, and Larry Beavers, as well as our 3rd RB Mike Goodson.

Tony Fiammetta

Hoover finally has some competition, and he's only the best fullback in the 09 draft. The Panthers could save some money by cutting the Hoov, but it's a shame considering how long he has been with our team. I suppose times change, and people grow older. It's rare for a team to carry two fullbacks, so if Tony performs well expect for Double Trouble to have a new guy clearing up the running lanes in front of them.

Corvey Irvin

With Kemo out for the season, Corvey is going to be pushed into a much bigger role than he would be before. Never mind Nick Hayden, I still don't believe that he'll start over him. At worst, Irvin may slowly take the role bit by bit as the regular season progresses as John Fox slowly works him into the role. He'll need to improve quickly if we're going to make up for the loss of Kemo.

Dan Connor

With a strong need at DT and our LB core loaded, Dan Connor may end up as trade bait if he performs exceptionally well in the Pre-Season. Even if he isn't traded, if he manages to overcome Na'il Diggs and take over at OLB we may have the best crew of linebackers in the league. Jon Beason is an absolute beast, Thomas Davis is the best player at our team at blitzing the QB, and Dan Connor reading the mind of the QB to pick off his passes. If it happens, it's going to stink of awesome.

Richard Marshall

With Ken Lucas being signed by the Seahawks, Marshall is going to have a big target on his back. Gamble on the other side is being portrayed as a shutdown corner, so expect Marshall to be tested early and often. He needs to prove that he is able to stand his own as well, or else you'll see QB's pick on him in the regular season.

Sherrod Martin

Expects to convert to corner and serve the same kind of nickel DB role that Marshall served in the previous seasons. How good will he be, and how fast is he going to develop? He's been a rather quiet and unwatched player during training camp, and his play remains to be seen by many fans.

Charles Johnson

In his limited play last year, Charles Johnson did something that Tyler Brayton failed to do the entire season even though he was the starter: Get to the QB. Despite Tyler starting all 16 games, Charles still beat him in the sack category by 1.5 sacks. I read a little more into this than most people. Charles Johnson will compete against Tyler Brayton for the starting DE spot beside Julius Peppers, with Everette Brown the rookie thrown into the fray as a wildcard.

Those are the players I will be keeping an eye on when the Pre-Season kicks off this Monday Night at 8PM. You should keep an eye on them too.