Can The Carolina Panthers Take The Next Step?

Many experts figured that Rivera and Newton would be at a
disadvantage due to The NFL’s Lockout in which players were prohibited
from using team practice facilities until late July. To be a quarterback
in The NFL, a player generally needs all the work possible, but it
didn’t take Newton long to prove the theory wrong.

Newton came into the regular season as The Panthers starting
quarterback. In the season opener against The Arizona Cardinals, Newton
became the first rookie quarterback to throw for over 400 yards in his
first career game. The Panthers lost the game and finished 2011 with a
record of 6-10, but they gave their fan base in The Carolinas hope for
the future. For The Panthers that future could be now.

The Panthers offense is one of the more explosive offenses in The
NFL boasting two potential 1,000 yard running backs in DeAngelo Williams
and Johnathan Stewart. Wide receiver Steve Smith is still “the little
big man” as he is on of the toughest wide receivers in football. Smith
returned to his Pro Bowl form with 1,394 yards receiving last season.
Carolina got a bargain last year when The Chicago Bears decided to put
Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen on the trading block giving Newton a
dependable receiver on third down.

With a dynamic offense in place, Rivera and Panthers general manager
Marty Hurney know that they will have to improve the defense going in
2012. The Panthers finished 2011 28th in total defense. Carolina only
sacked opposing quarterbacks 31 times last season which was 25th in the
league. It will be imperative for The Panthers to put pressure on
opposing quarterbacks, especially in The NFC South where Drew Brees (New
Orleans Saints), Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons), and Josh Freeman (Tampa
Bay Buccaneers) take up residence. Rivera has made his living by
improving defenses.

In 2008, Rivera became the defensive coordinator of The San Diego
Chargers. In three seasons with The Chargers, Rivera’s unit went from
being 25th in football in 2008 to being the top defense in 2010. The
Panthers paid defensive end Charles Johnson handsomely prior to the
start of last season giving him a six-year $72 million contract. Johnson
tallied 9 sacks last season, but he will need to improve to the range
of 15 for the upcoming season for Carolina to be playoff contenders.
Rivera and Hurney chose not to select pass-rushing specialist such as
Quinton Coples or Melvin Ingram in the first round of the draft in favor
of middle linebacker Luke Kuechly from Boston College. Kuechly is an
instinctive linebacker that will lead the defensive unit as Carolina
needs a defensive player with the ability to cancel out Brees and Ryan.

For The Panthers to make the playoffs, they must contend with the
likes of The Falcons, Saints, and the defending Super Bowl Champion New
York Giants for a postseason spot in The NFC. The Panthers open the
season on the road in Tampa Bay. They will follow that up with
consecutive home games against The Saints and Giants followed by a road
game in Atlanta. After that The Panthers will back in Charlotte for a
game against The Seattle Seahawks.

Like The Panthers, The Bucs are a young team trying to get their
footing going into the season. The Panthers might be able to catch The
Saints napping in wake of the ongoing Bounty Scandal. Teams tend to play
the defending Super Bowl Champions really tough which means that
Carolina will bring their A+ game against The Giants. The Falcons will
be a tough test as they will enter the season as the favorites to win
The NFC South. You never know which Seahawk team will show up under head
coach Pete Carroll so that will be an old school “pick ’em” game. If
Carolina can emerge from this stretch with at least three victories it
will set the tone for the rest of the season.