The week after a playoff loss is a time for reflection. To meditate on what went right, the things that were wrong and how the team improves from here. Carolina doesn't have a lot of problems entering the 2015 offseason, but there are five key questions they need to have answers for in order to compete again in the fall.
1. How do the Panthers construct their offensive line?
Finding guys like Mike Remmers and Andrew Norwell solidified a shaky group on the back-end of the season, but the Panthers need to find a reliable, long-term unit in order to truly compete next season.
This starts at left tackle. Byron Bell felt he played "well" in his first season guarding Cam Newton's blind side, but there's no evidence this is true. He allowed over 50 pressures in 2014, which places him firmly among the worst left tackles in the league this season, and he had a knack to falter the most at critical moments.
The Panthers should re-sign Bell to a cheap contract as a rotational lineman, but this offense is in trouble if the plan is to have him start 16 games again.
It's unclear what the team will do a left guard also. Norwell played well enough to justify being part of the conversation in camp, and it's easy to forget that Amini Silatolu was playing very well before his season-ending injury. A position battle in camp should sort that out.
The right side of the line looks to be in good shape. Trai Turner had ups-and-downs as a rookie, but Mike Remmers played very well after being called up to fill the void. Some seasoning will help the strong side, now it's about getting the weak side fixed.
2. Will Mike Shula be back?
Ron Rivera was very complementary of Shula in his press conference Tuesday, which means we should all expect him back ... like it or not.
There's a fine line between treading water and regressing. Shula's second season as offensive coordinator was certainly better than his first, but the Panthers were still a problematic, middling team with the ball in their hands and at times this was due to sub-optimal playcalling.
Faith was placed where it didn't belong at times, while occasionally we saw inexplicable plays being called from the booth that moved away from the Panthers strengths. There's simply no excuse for asking Newton to throw a fade on 3rd and 2 when a team has tens-of-millions invested in its running backs and has a mobile quarterback like Cam.
The Panthers were 16th in yards and 19th in points scored, but had one of the worst red zone offenses in the NFL this season. Before we point the finger at personnel it's important to note that under Shula the Panthers are averaging red zone touchdowns on 50.1 percent of attempts, while with Rob Chudzinski the offense (comprised largely of the same players) had a red zone TD rate of 58.5 percent.
That's the difference between a Top 10 offense and a bottom-third one.
3. Release the Kraken?
Greg Hardy's off-field issue critically hurt the Panthers' pass rush in 2014, and his legal troubles have yet to be addressed. Purely as an on-field talent there's no doubting that Carolina should retain his services, but if Hardy is found guilty by jury of domestic violence then there's no way he can remain with the team.
Where this gets problematic is if Hardy is acquitted. At this point the Panthers have brought along young players, drafted Kony Ealy and have more pressing places they could use their funds then securing a second defensive end long-term. It's not as simple as signing him to another deal given the forces at play, and especially when the defense proved it was good enough to win games even without Hardy.
Would the Panthers have been better with him? Absolutely, but if the money spent on his franchise tag was applied to the offense there's a chance we're preparing for another playoff game right now.
4. How much does Cam get paid?
It's time to get Cam Newton a new deal, and negotiations will be one of the most fascinating things to watch this offseason. The fourth-year quarterback struggled in 2014, but every party involved understands that he had very little help around him.
Russell Wilson will get a new deal, both Colin Kaepernick and Andy Dalton got new contracts in 2014 -- now it's time to tread the same ground. Of those three young passers only Wilson is a Top 10 quarterback, but it will be impossible for Dave Gettleman to try and get Newton's agents to accept much less than Kaepernick (6 years, $110M) or Dalton (6 years, $115M) received.
A realistic deal would be for six years at around $120 million, possibly with lower base money and a lot of performance escalators. Gettleman likes to offer lean contracts, but that wont be enough to secure Cam.
5. Will the Panthers be forced to find a new defensive coordinator?
There are less quality coaches in the NFL right now than positions open. This could lead to Sean McDermott finding a job somewhere else. It's unclear if he's ready to take over a team, but organizations are calling, and after assembling one of the league's best defenses for the last three years it's easy to see the appeal.
The problem comes in finding a replacement for McDermott. There are guys inside the building like Steve Wilks or Eric Washington -- but it's unclear if either is fit for the job.