2010 Carolina Panthers Position Review: Linebackers
by James Dator on May 20, 2011 10:39 AM EDT
in Panther Player & Position Reviews
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A couple of days ago we looked at the horror which was the QB position, a cadre of players all of who failed in one way or another. Today, however, we turn out sights to a much happier aspect of the Panthers' 2010 campaign, a deep and highly productive linebacker corps.
Entering the 2010 season it seemed like the Panthers were going to have major issues at a normally reliable position. Between Thomas Davis tearing his ACL yet again, the the decision to move Jon Beason to outside linebacker to compensate it seemed the season at the position was going to be rocky, and it was to a degree. However, as the season progressed the unit looked stronger and stronger ultimately giving us a positive element to look forward to in 2011.
After the jump we'll look at the group of linebackers we had in 2010 and evaluate their performance.
Jon Beason
Season stats: 121 tackles, 1 sack, 2 FF
Beast is reliable as always in the center, but he did struggle early at the OLB position. It's not that Beason was terrible, per se... he just wasn't as dynamic on the outside as he was in the middle. It's hard to really downgrade Beason due to circumstance- but regardless we wasn't quite as good in 2010 as we've seen Beason in the past. This was especially prevalent vs. Chicago where he was out of place a lot in a manor we hadn't seen before.
Letter grade: A-
Season stats: 130 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 2 FF, 1 INT
There's almost nothing not to like about James Anderson's season at strong-side linebacker. He took the LB position with the least chance for play making and did nothing but make plays all season. This was the first time since Will Witherspoon that I can remember having dynamic play from the position, and hopefully the Panthers are able to keep him moving forward.
Letter grade: A+
Season stats: 47 tackles, 1 sack (8 starts)
Carolina fans have been waiting a while for Dan Connor to get an opportunity to start, and he got that early in the 2010 season. In the end he showed that he is a reliable, jack-of-all-trades middle linebacker who could easily be starting for 80% of teams in the NFL. It's just an unfortunate situation that Connor is destined to sit behind Jon Beason on the depth chart. I hope they find more ways to use Connor in 2011.
Letter grade: B+
Season stats: 37 tackles, 1.5 sacks (4 starts)
This could be one of the more underrated performances of the 2010 season. Nic Harris proved that he can be a dynamic blitzer, and make plays in the backfield but where he was underwhelming was in the bread and butter of the OLB position. He tended to over pursue plays a little, but Harris proved he can find a place on this team as a reliable ST player and maybe play linebacker in some pass rush situations.
Letter grade: B+
Season stats: 13 tackles, 1 sack, 1 FF (No starts)
I wasn't quite sure what Eric Norwood would bring to the table in 2010 not really knowing whether he would play at OLB or DE, but ultimately he played more as an OLB in pass rush situations. Norwood got almost only a few opportunities, but did pretty well when he was in there. It was nothing outstanding, and hopefully his move to DE in 2011 with help change that.
Letter grade: B
Season stats: 19 tackles, 1 FF (2 starts)
The former Dallas Cowboys player is the inverse of Nic Harris. Where Harris is dynamic, but not necessarily reliable Williams has the ability to hold his own for three downs but isn't really someone who can factor is pass rushing situations. He did show flashes though of ability that could help him ease the departure of James Anderson should he leave.
Letter grade: B+
Season stats: 15 tackles (No starts)
With Jordan Senn it's important to understand his role on the team, and understand why he is being graded accordingly. He's a player who will never figure into starting for this team, but in 2010 Senn was the most reliable ST gunner the Panthers had and did his job well.
Letter grade: B
Season stats: 5 tackles (No starts)
Nothing special from Hodge. He figured into special teams in 2010, and was decidedly mediocre doing it.
Letter grade: C
Season stats: 2 tackles (No starts)
Despite missing almost the entire season with injury, Williams never lived up to his billing even during training camp. At the time of the Chris Harris trade Bears' fans believed he was a player who could start at LB... but in the end he just never found his footing.
Letter grade: D
Summary
The linebackers for the Carolina Panthers look to be in really good shape for 2011 provided they're able to resign some key free agents in Thomas Davis and James Anderson. It's a position of depth for the Panthers and under Ron Rivera and Sean McDermott I think this group will play dividends for the team in 2011.
Letter grade: A-
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One of the cores to this team and with RR at the helm i don’t see that changing. He played the position himself and knows how to get his guys in the best position to make plays. The drafting of the DT’s cant be overlooked and the impact it will have if it frees up Beason,Davis,and whoever else lands the starting role
"I have opinions of my own -- strong opinions -- but I don't always agree with them." - George Bush
"I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant." - Robert McCloskey
Please oh please let it be Connor
I have no problem with letting Davis go because I believe Connor can be just as good if not better with lesser chance of recurring injuries. I say Beason, Anderson, and Connor.
As the great philosopher Yoda said "Try not! Do you must!"
Sometimes it seems like James Anderson is the forgotten man among the great LB corps.
whoever else lands the starting role
James has him properly graded in this article. A+ He wasn’t JAG playing at the SAM position, he was a consistent playmaker and should have gone to the probowl. There aren’t many athletes like Anderson playing the SAM: 4.47 (Pro Day); 40-inch vertical jump (NFL Combine); 10’04" broad jump (NFL Combine)
IMO, he should be our 2nd priority (behind CJ) to re-sign, but neither will be cheap.
Has anybody seen Otah. What, did he just fall off the planet, or become a new one?
I wasn’t forgetting James or discrediting him. IF he hits the FA market he will garner big bucks. We may choose to resign Davis who at this point would likely be cheaper. If you would of told me that a few years ago id said you was insane.
"I have opinions of my own -- strong opinions -- but I don't always agree with them." - George Bush
"I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant." - Robert McCloskey
James Beason and Davis in the starting line is sick with Connor as a rotational player would be one of the best LB corps in the league with coaches who could make the most out of the talent.
"I have opinions of my own -- strong opinions -- but I don't always agree with them." - George Bush
"I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant." - Robert McCloskey
That's cool, MMA. It is true he may get an offer our FO can't reasonably match...
This uncapped crap is crushing my cranium!
Has anybody seen Otah. What, did he just fall off the planet, or become a new one?
If Thomas Davis’ knee doesn’t ever get back to being healthy I really think that Lawrence Wilson could be starting for us in a few years at WLB. I really liked that pick. There were several analysts that said if he was 3 inches taller and weighted 20 more pounds he would have been a first to second rounder.
by JStewart28 on May 20, 2011 11:28 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Nice assessment.
Beason definitely belongs in the middle. At least to me, it seemed like he couldn’t get out of the MLB mode mentally. It felt like he tried too hard to laterally cover the field from one side to the other, like the MLB, versus mostly sticking to the weak side.
I’m guessing there’s a 50/50 chance Anderson stays. If he doesn’t, Connor may become the SAM. I would like for Anderson to stay, because he was dominant. But at the same time, depending on the FA statuses with the CBA, he may cost too much for a position where we have so much talent. In that case, I’d welcome Connor at that position, because I do think he’s too good to be relegated to Beason’s backup.
I do think it would be wise to keep Jason Williams as TD insurance. I actually was pretty impressed with him based on the limited time he played. I particularly remember the deflection he made that led to Munnerlyn getting an INT (if I remember correctly, it was the pick-six in the Browns game).
Senn isn’t a liability at LB, but he’s not as strong/flashy as some of the others. But he is a beast on ST. Recovering two onside kicks in one game (Arizona, IIRC) caught my attention.
"One play can win a game, but one play cannot lose a game." - Coach Peterson, Boise St.
"When you get into coaching, you strive to be a Super Bowl-winning head coach. That’s what my goal is, to come here and become a Super Bowl-winning head coach and to sustain an atmosphere of winning." - Ron Rivera
Reviewing the season, I am cautiously optimistic about Anderson
Yes, he played phenomenally, but I saw a bit of a drop-off when Beast moved back to the middle. I noticed that early in the season, teams were game-planning around Beason being stuck on one side of the field and kept running plays towards the strong side to keep away from him. Were his stats inflated because he saw a majority of the plays? Maybe. Did he also benefit by being positioned behind our best DE often? Probably.
That said, they planned the game right between his numbers and he definitely took advantage of it early in the season. That’s what it means to be a playmaker. The guy is definitely a starting quality SLB and I expect great things in the future.
Why doesn’t this team try and run a 1-5-5 type of system every now and then? They definitely have the personnel in the LB corps to pull a few plays off. Imagine having Beast, Anderson, Norwood, Davis, and Connor (or Jason Williams) all on the field at the same time?
I think it is worth a shot at least.
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I'd love to see us run the Bear package every once and a while. We certainly have the LBs for it
Here’s to hoping Rivera implements it in one form or another for our defense.
Don't think Beason deserves an A-
He was above average for sure, considering the position change and what not. However, only 1 sack and 2 FF is pretty mediocre. He gets a B at best.
I'd rate him A for his career, B for last year.
He missed a lot of tackles, was out of position often – MLB is his natural position, though, and if TD is back, and Beason moves back to MLB, he’ll be optimizing his talents.
Umm...
James Anderson played strongside LB this year, Will Witherspoon played the weakside LB with the Panthers..I think he got moved to middle in StL.. So they didnt play the same position.
by Ryan439 on May 21, 2011 10:51 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
linebacking core is fine
This is the area of the team that I would say i have the least concern over. Jon Beason is a beast, regardless of where he plays. I like him more in the middle so if we can get either thomas davis or another body to fill the outside spot that would be ideal. I hope that thomas davis will be signed and will remain effective for the team. we know what he was able to do when he was healthy. anderson was a pleasant suprise last year and I expect big things from our linebackers this year as well
I'm certain they'll bring Davis back, and I'm very optimistic he will still have what we saw
in the first half of ‘09. Beason will be back in the middle.
James Anderson may get an offer the FO feels is just too high to match, in which case I do hope the RFA status would net us a 1st and 3rd (depends on CBA). If we keep Anderson, our LBs will be the most elite, badass unit in the league. Seal Team Six of the NFL. No knock on Connor, but I don’t think his skills translate that well to either OLB position. He’s a very, very good ILB though; but that just puts him on the bench unless Rivera/McDermott get creative.
Has anybody seen Otah. What, did he just fall off the planet, or become a new one?
I think his instincts would serve him well at the SAM
He wouldn’t be as dyamic in coverage as Anderson, but I don’t think he’d be any worse than say Nai’l Diggs.
Yes I'm a dude.
by Flowing Willow on May 21, 2011 6:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Hate to say it but I would definitely entertain player swap scenerios involving Connor.
Glad he’s here in Carolina, but the time is coming when being back-up will not be his best option and he will move on. Better to listen to offers now while we are not in a contract time crunch and can be selective. I would prefer player swap options to draft picks (so we get production from the transaction this season).
by GooseCreek on May 21, 2011 7:08 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I hate to agree, but you're exactly right. Next year's draft is loaded with linebackers,
but a good young MLB / ILB is a hot property right now. I would not be surprised to see Dan be traded, perhaps paired with Smitty.
Has anybody seen Otah. What, did he just fall off the planet, or become a new one?
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