Carolina Panthers 2016 Preview

No more street clothes for Kelvin Benjamin, how will his team respond to his return?

Carolina Panthers

Previous Season Record: (15-1) 

Key Acquisition(s): Paul Soliai

Key Loss(es): Jared Allen, Brad Nortman, Josh Norman

What a year the Panthers put together.  They begin the season without their best wide receiver because of a camp injury, and proceed to have the best offensive season in Carolina Panthers history.  Cam Newton won MVP and was the League’s most dominant offensive weapon.  It all ended in tears in the Super Bowl. There wasn’t much turnover on either side of the ball, this will essentially be the same squad as last season’s.  Kelvin Benjamin will be back, and Ted Ginn Jr. will become the number 2 receiver again.  TE Greg Olsen had a career year, becoming a welcomed security blanket after Benjamin’s injury.  The offensive line made dramatic improvements, particularly at the LT position.  Michael Oher was a dramatic improvement for Cam’s blindside, despite the way the last game played out.  And despite Newton’s star power, this is still a running team—they ranked 1st in rushing touchdowns and 2nd in yards. Look for Cameron Artis-Payne to have a few breakout performances over the course of the season.

New faces in new places, Norman is gone. What will that look like for the Panthers?

This side of the ball had one large change, with the surprising departure of cornerback Josh Norman. The team responded by drafting 3 defensive backs.  Bene Benwikere has been returning from injury most offseason, and will be ready to take on the number one corner responsibilities.  The team added defensive line talent with Olivier Vernon, which will perhaps allow more pressure without the need of blitzing—the team blitzed more last season to makeup for a lack of pass rush, even scooping an elder Allen midway through the season.  With fewer blitzes, the secondary will have more bodies to overcome deficiencies.

Prediction: This team should be good (not 15 win good) but should win the division and be on the short list of Super Bowl contenders. It’ll be interesting to see how, or if, the Super Bowl hangover will affect this team as it has past champion runner-ups.

Why You Hating? NFL Edition

We get this matchup at least twice this year, tell me God isn't a sports fan

Think about the person you really don’t like; not the barista that routinely fouls up your name, or the co-worker that laughs at all their own jokes, I’m talking about that person you really can’t stand.  Is it your boss that passed you up for that promotion you deserve? Is it the jerk who hit your car and didn’t even leave a note? Whoever it is, you more than likely seethe whenever you see or think of them.  Sadly, your life doesn’t allow for you to physically assault that person free from repercussion.

That is, unless you’re a football player.

With the 2016 NFL season nearly upon us, it seems like an apt time to get personal. These entities will have more than a passing animosity towards one another.

RGIII vs Washington

No one outside of Dallas will be pulling harder against the football team in the Nation’s capital than RG3.  He may not have been the easiest guy to get along with at his former place of employment, but there definitively seemed to be two sets of rules for how he was treated vs how his successor has been. Watching Washington crash and burn (especially due to poor QB play) will certainly inspire some thinly-veiled, shade-filled meme about perseverance.

There's no real caption needed here. (Getty Images)

And don’t you dare think that guys in that building (particularly ones that made the decision to move on from RG3) aren’t hoping Griffin talks and plays his way out of the good graces of the fans of Believeland.  Remember, Kirk Cousins got franchised—meaning he is only under contract for a year. So a bad season out of the new incumbent starter could mean that a) the team would fail to make the postseason and b) the team would have to get back into the QB market. Both would mean that head coach Jay Gruden could replace Griffin as the most hated Washingtonian, and chopping block resident.

Philadelphia vs Chip Kelly

Chip Kelly came into town like a conquering hero.

And left with the Philly folk trailing him with pitchforks.

His time in Philly gave Kelly plenty of reason to be angry via @JClarkCSN

In his three years in Philly, LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson, and Jeremy Maclin all left or were traded (remember, Kelly fought to get personnel power added to his position). Additionally he brought in Kiko Alonso and Byron Maxwell (both of whom were jettisoned soon after Kelly’s departure. Somehow the mess he made in Philly didn’t deter another squad from scooping him up, as the 49ers made sure the coach wouldn’t be unemployed for more than a few weeks.   If he has success in San Francisco while Philly is still rebuild from Kelly’s mistakes, the public vitriol will exceed Donovan McNabb levels.

Chip Kelly allegedly didn’t like people in Philly while he was there. You KNOW he wants to watch the people who fired him struggle as mightily as possible. Plus his success at a franchise that has had so much talent walk out recently would mean that it was his former venue that held most of the fault, and not him. Essentially setting up the most , “It’s not me, it’s actually you” sentiment since Spanglish.

Mario Williams vs Rex Ryan

There’s no way to have a post about NFL beef and not mention Rex Ryan once.  When these two got together last season, the general consensus was that Ryan would be able to get the most out of the former Pro Bowler. Instead the Bills fans were treated to Williams’ least effective year as an NFL player, and some surprising criticisms of Ryan’s defensive schemes. Now Williams is in Miami and will get the opportunity to go against a Ryan-coached team.  It’ll be interesting to see a personally invested Williams against a guy that has never been shy about expressing himself; about Williams or anything else.

Finding an angry picture of Rex Ryan was super easy (USATSI)

It’s Rex Ryan. If you don’t think the 50 cent of NFL coaches enjoys a good scrap, you haven’t been paying attention.  I’m sure their October 23^rd meeting will be good for a few soundbytes, if not a few big plays.

Josh Norman vs Odell Beckham Jr.

It looked like the lone meeting between the cornerback and wide receiver would have to be enough for burgeoning rivalry. God and Free Agency felt differently, and now we can look forward to two meetings a year between the starting DB for Washington and the number one WR for the Giants. We all remember the first time these two got together, I’m sure both will play hypeman and talent in their upcoming rematches.

Both Norman and Beckham have had plenty to say since their original matchup. For what it’s worth, Beckham got off easy the last time they played, launching himself like a missile at Norman’s head was dangerous and could have resulted in catastrophic injuries or worse.  Let’s hope that their future confrontations will be spirited, but much safer.