Carolina Panthers’ Monday Morning Optimist- 1/4/2010

Good morning Panther faithful! Welcome to the last ‘Monday Morning Optimist' of the 2009 season. The column will be back for the 2010 season with all your optimistic needs. It's been a great journey thus far, and I look forward to bringing it again to you guys. I honestly never thought my little format would prove so popular with the CSR community, and I thank all of you for reading, commenting and helping me improve the style throughout the season.

In the last game of the 2009 season the Carolina Panthers closed out their rather unimpressive year 8-8, which is nothing to be sneezed at in the modern NFL. A lot of talk this previous week has been about momentum, mostly directed at the New Orleans Saints and their 3 game losing streak. When I talk about momentum, however, I'm talking about the roll the Panthers are on right now, closing out the season winning four out of the last five games, taking care of the ball on offense and dominating four of the NFL's top offenses on defense. There is a lot to look forward to in 2010, which I will look at extensively today.

So please, join me as I break down the performances from the Panthers Sunday win and as we look forward into 2010:

After the jump...

As quiet and mundane as the 2009 offseason was for the Panthers (punctuated solely by the Julius Peppers' saga) the 2010 offseason proves to be its polar opposite. It will be very dangerous for the Carolina Panthers- an offseason that could either set the franchise up for long term success over the next 5 years, or set the Panthers back. While at first it may seem like a statement like this is hyperbole laden, in reality there are some very big and tough decisions for Jerry Richardson, and/or Marty Hurney.

These decisions are:

• An extension for John Fox: It's gone from mere speculation, to bonafide reality in my mind. Though Fox is known to dodge questions about others, he typically doesn't avoid questions about himself. Now Fox is dodging the question whether he will return to the Carolina Panthers with 1 year remaining, or whether he will leave if a guaranteed long term offer is available. It's clear Fox wants to remain Panther long term, but I also think he's upset ownership don't have the confidence to get a deal done now. This is one of those moments that will set the Panthers up for years to come. This team is simply too good to be put into ‘rebuilding' status, as it just needs minor tweaking. Should a new coach arrive and want to clean house and instill his own system then it could be a long few years for Carolina Panther fans.

• An extension for Julius Peppers: The saga continues in 2010. Peppers is an anomaly when it comes to NFL players. He doesn't seem to be solely driven by money, or winning, but his own personal agenda. While that sounds worse than it is, Peppers has made no qualms in the past discussing how he wants to be in a city where he can remain anonymous. That won't happen in Charlotte where despite the drama last offseason Panther fans love #90. Last year Jerry Richardson was prepared to make Julius the richest defensive player in the history of the NFL, and he declined. Now Albert Haynesworth and the Washington Redskins have wrecked the scale for defensive lineman and it will take a lot of money without a sweetheart discount to secure Pep long term. The decision the Panthers need to make is whether Julius is worth Jared Allen money and should be paid like the top DE in the NFL? Should they trade the ProBowler pre-draft and possibly net a high pick? Should they let Pep leave outright and use the saved money to pursue free agents? When Peppers is on him game he's as unstoppable as any DE in the NFL, but much like the team he plays for, Pep is wildly inconsistent.

• Is Matt Moore the long term answer? The Carolina Panthers currently have a 3^rd string QB playing amazing football. The long time justification as to why the Panthers failed to address the QB position was that Matt Moore was being groomed to be the heir apparent. Whether Moore is the long terms solution at the position remains to be seen, but what I do know if the Panthers can't afford to lose Moore outright, nor can they franchise him and be locked in to paying Moore like he's Tom Brady or Peyton Manning for one season. Locking up Moore to a long term, low guaranteed, high incentive based contract should be one of the Panthers' top offseason priorities.

• Will Moose be cut loose? With every catch ‘Moooooose' is heard throughout Bank of America Stadium, it's clear that Panther fans love WR Muhsin Muhammad. Moose believes he still has plenty left in the tank, as do most fans. However, it may be time to step down Moose's snaps and move him to the slot and cause matchup issues in 2010. Will Muhammad accept a diminished role? What kind of money will it require? It proves to be another interesting element to the offseason.

• A new deal for Thomas Davis: Prior to his injury Thomas Davis was having as good an NFL season as I've ever seen from an outside linebacker. I know that seems like a lofty statement, but look at what his projected stats would have been: 139 tackles, 109 solo, 4.5 INT, 3.5 sacks. Along with working out the Coaching situation I think Thomas Davis should be the first priority of the Panthers. We lost an excellent OLB in Will Witherspoon in the past, and in Meeks' offense Davis could be better.
  
  

Of course there are myriad other focal points for the Carolina Panthers, but I see these as the 5 most important factors that are in the Panthers' hands. Now, let's go back to Sunday's game to break down the performances.

OPTIMISTIC

Matt Moore- Extremely Optimistic: After an incredibly rocky start Moore righted the ship on Sunday and put forward a solid performance. I didn't have a lot of hope for a good game from Moore, not because I don't trust him, but that I put a lot of stock in Steve Smith's importance. Moore was solid again, cementing the notion that he needs to be looked at very strongly to take over the QB mantle in 2010.

Jonathan Stewart- Extremely Optimistic: An unremarkable season, but a remarkable performance from Double Trouble in 2009. Stewart finished the season the Carolina Panthers' leading rusher (by 16 yards) and got his longest carry of the season on the second play of Sunday's game. The Panthers are now the first team in NFL history to have two running backs exceed 1,100 yard in the same season. This is a remarkable record, and bodes to be very long standing.

Jon Beason- Extremely Optimistic: Beason was robbed blind by his ProBowl snub. He's not even the 1^st alternate should Vilma and the Saints make the Superbowl, that distinction goes to Redskins' LB London Fletcher. Beason played with a giant chip on his shoulder, and for good reason. Great game from Beast.

Julius Peppers- Extremely Optimistic:  Peppers turned in another solid performance capping off a day of pressure with a late interception. Peppers looks like he's having fun on the sideline, and enjoying life in the Ron Meeks' defense. Let's hope this carries over to when it's time to sign on the bottom line.

Dwayne Jarrett- Extremely Optimistic: This could be the only time Jarrett ever garners this distinction, but he played great yesterday. While it could very well be too little, too late (Darin Gantt previously said he doubted Jarrett would make the 53 in 2010) yesterday's performance coupled with a good offseason could mean we haven't seen the last of Jarrett as a Carolina Panther.

Brad Hoover- Extremely Optimistic: I could give him this award for his great blocking on the Jonathan Stewart TD run, or for the eagerness to carry the load in the 4^th quarter, but ultimately this goes to Hoover for one of the funniest Panther moments of 2009: Hoov carrying the ball out of the wildcat for a 3 yard gain. Hoover looked surprised his number was called, and then got up with a smile on his face that seemed to indicate just how bizarre the play call was.

Muhsin Muhammad- Extremely Optimistic: Moose, you're still as great as ever. I want you to remain a Panther.

Richard Marshall- Somewhat Optimistic: A solid game from Marshall capped off how solid the Panthers' secondary has been in 2009. While they may not be household names, they turn out performances that everyone talks about around the water cooler.

PESSIMISTIC

Mike Goodson- Somewhat Pessimistic: After a solid performance against the Giants in limited time, I hoped Goodson would show more with the ball in his hands. He looked like a rookie on Sunday, which isn't a wholly bad thing, but he needs to work on more moves to get the ball into the second level.

Overall Analysis

You can't be upset to see the Panthers' backups and reserves play like they did as a unit on Sunday. Without DeAngelo Williams, Steve Smith, Jeff Otah, Jordan Gross and Jonathan Stewart (for much of the 2^nd half) the Panthers beat the Saints' backups. Its games like these that set you up for the ensuing season and give the team a lot of positives to really build on. The last month of Carolina Panther football has been a quite optimistic affair, and the team has made optimists out of the most pessimistic of fans due to their recent play.

Provided Jerry Richardson and Marty Hurney are able to make prudent, smart and beneficial decisions there is no reason the Panthers shouldn't be prepared to have a very special season in 2010. Sure, we don't have the flash of some other teams- but we have the toughness, and more importantly the defense; defense wins championships. Am I saying the Panthers will win the Superbowl in 2011? No, but what I am saying is that over time the Panthers improved from having the 30^th ranked defense to finishing with the 8^th ranked defense, and over the last 5 weeks the Panthers had the no.1 defense in the NFL against some of the best offenses. The future is very, very bright for the Big Cat's team- provided they handle the team with kid gloves.

150% Optimistic about the future as we head into the offseason.