Why the Carolina Panthers can make it to SuperBowl XLIII

Sure the NFC has several great teams that are considered better than the Carolina Panthers. The Cowboys, Vikings, Eagles, and SuperBowl Champion Giants are a few teams that are considered superior to the Panthers. However, in the NFL any given team can win on any given day as evidenced by the outcome of SuperBowl XLII when the Giants beat the then “undefeated” Patriots. All the Panthers need to do is make it to the playoffs and then anything can happen. Here are some reasons why I believe the Panthers can make it to the SuperBowl this season.

What qualities must a NFL Championship team have?

1) Veteran leadership- Jake Delhomme, Steve Smith, Muhsin Muhammad, and Julius Peppers are all veteran players that played in SuperBowl XXXVIII against the Patriots. Notice that the best defensive player and a majority of the starting offensive players are mentioned in this example. Having that type of leadership is crucial in the playoffs if a team is expected to advance to the SuperBowl.

2) Chemistry- The aforementioned players Delhomme, Smith, and Muhammad will be reunited for the first time in two years after the Panthers acquired Muhammad from the Bears this offseason. The coaching regime is still in tact for the most part. The defense has new faces at the defensive line and linebacking core but those were needed changes due to the lack of production from the d-line and repeated injuries from the linebacking core. Now the defense is younger and stronger led by Julius Peppers, who should return to dominance after a poor showing last year. Also, second year standout LB Jon Beason will anchor a solid core of linebackers. Their secondary is deep and effective with a great mix of veterans and young upstarts. Rookie Safety Charles Godfrey has gotten rave reviews from the Panthers players and coaches during mini-camps. It will be fun to watch this defense gel as the season progresses.

3) Balance- Great teams have a good mix of veterans and young players as well as strong defense, offense, and special teams. The Panthers are in great shape as far as age is concerned, they are not too young and inexperienced nor too old and slow. They don’t have a “weak” position on the team with the exception of the defensive line. Julius Peppers will have a lot to do with the success of that defensive line. I am not one to bet against Julius Peppers. On paper their d-line is subpar but there young rookies and free agent acquisitions can surely change that. The fact that they were 31st in the league in sacks last year indicated that they had to make a change up front. Look for an improvement of the Panthers defense across the board in 2008-2009.

4) Physical- The Carolina Panthers hurt people, plain and simple. Tampa Bay’s QB Chris Simms suffered internal bleeding after playing against the Panthers, while several games later their RB Cadillac Williams missed the entire season after he was hit on a play during a match-up with Carolina. Andre Johnson missed half the season because of a hit he took in a Carolina game. Terrell Owens missed a few games last season and even was ailing into the playoffs after a hit by Panthers LB Jon Beason during their Saturday night game last season. This is one physical team and in the NFL it is important to garner a reputation as a physical team in order to force your opponents to gameplan accordingly and to basically get into their heads. This forces QBs to get rid of the ball too quickly so they avoid a big hit or making wide receivers get alligator arms when they go across the field because they fear being blindsided by a massive blow from the DBs. The Panthers are a dangerous team, in many ways.

5) High Character Guys/Playmakers- Rarely does the media have the opportunity to report negative stories about the Carolina Panthers. This group is well coached and focused on the tasks at hand. No individual player on this team believes that they are above the team but instead they all realize they are apart of the overall success of the team. Carolina has some playmakers as well. On offense they have one of the leagues top playmakers in WR Steve Smith. On defense they have two playmakers that should both have incredible seasons. DE Julius Peppers should have a strong showing after a lackluster 2007 while second year LB Jon Beason should build on his rookie success and continue to punish opponents this season. Jon Beason was third in the entire league in tackles last year as a rookie with (140), a fact that often gets overlooked. Also RB Jonathan Stewart has a great opportunity to be a playmaker this season with a revamped offensive line and more weapons on Carolina’s offense.

6) Playoff Experience- As stated above the Panthers played in SB XXXVIII and they have many key players back on the team from that SuperBowl. This team knows how to win in big games and they have proven their resolve in overtime and even double overtime playoff games when they have come out victorious. Carolina WR Steve Smith has an impeccable playoff career record. Steve Smith has the best career playoff stats per game out of all the WRs in the entire NFL. When it is time to play and the stakes are high, Steve Smith is at his best. His fiery attitude and big play ability serve as an inspiration to his teammates and should help propel this team to the next level. On defense, Julius Peppers has made his share of game-breaking plays as well and that will probably continue going forward. The Panther’s coaching staff realizes the importance of having Peppers at his best so they will move him around and give the offenses different looks to make it tougher to gameplan against him. This will be a dangerous team to play during the playoffs if they can stay healthy and avoid serious injuries.

Of all the teams in the NFC, why the Panthers?

1) Distractions- The Panthers do not have any distractions, they just signed Jonathan Stewart to a five year deal and they do not currently have any contract issues.

The Green Bay packers certainly have some distractions right now. Even when the Favre situation settles down, it will not go away any time soon.

The Cowboys signed Adam “Pacman” Jones and they still have Terrell Owens. That is a delicate situation right there and Dallas needs to be very careful. They have great talent but they cannot seem to win a playoff game despite all of their apparent talent. Just because they have a lot of weapons on the team it does not automatically qualify them for a SuperBowl appearance.

The Vikings have an awesome defense, no doubt about that, but lets talk about their quarterback. Tarvaris Jackson is not a QB that will be capable of leading this team to the SuperBowl with or without Adrian Peterson. Their receiver options are below average and it is no guarantee that All Day will stay healthy ALL Year, he is injury prone lets not forget that.

The SuperBowl Champion Giants lost Michael Strahan to retirement, he was the cornerstone of their d-line and all-time sack leader. Eli Manning had a great playoff run, however, his defense was the ultimate reason for his success last season. I am not sold on Eli yet and have some doubt about his ability to repeat his success.

The Eagles will be the most dangerous team in the NFC if they can stay healthy and make the playoffs. That is a huge “if” because of the fact that McNabb rarely stays healthy an entire season.

New Orleans improved their defense this offseason but they did not do enough to secure their secondary which can really get exploited by good passing teams. Reggie Bush had an unimpressive season in 2007 and he will really need to improve this season to help the Saints. The addition of Shockey helps this team but it will not be enough. Other than Colston they do not have any other viable wide-outs, meaning Shockey will have a lot of pressure to produce this year.

2) Division- The Panthers play in the worst division in the NFC and have a very forgiving schedule. Not to mention the fact that the best DB in that division was sent to Oakland.

3) Offseason Acquisitions/Draft- The Panthers drafted OT Jeff Otah and RB Jonathan Stewart in the first round of the draft. Considering all of the offseason acquisitions the Panthers got on the offensive line they now have just officially garnered a power running game. The additions of Muhsin Muhammad and D.J. Hackett will require defenses to focus on other receivers and not just load DBs on Steve Smith. In addition, Jake Delhomme had successful offseason surgery and he now feels he is in top form.

On defense, Carolina drafted Safety Charles Godfrey and LB Dan Connor, the 2007 Chuck Bednarik Award winner and all-time leader in tackles at Penn State to replace the likes of Mike Minter and Dan Morgan. Those are tough players to replace but these two rookies seem to be a promising pair. The signing of unrestricted free agent Landon Johnson was a great pickup. He played for a bad defense in Cincinnati so most people deem him as a bust pickup, but that is certainly not the case. He is a great tackler that works well in space, he is fast, and he has good fundamentals/awareness at that position. They added depth through free agency and the draft for both the defensive and offensive lines. They strengthened their wide receiver core and running backs. They filled the holes left by the retirement of Mike Minter and Dan Morgan as well.

4) Under the Radar- Carolina also has the added benefit of being “under the radar.” They do not have a target on their backs. They will be able to lull teams to sleep with their low expectations and then they can emerge as a sleeper powerhouse with a relatively easy schedule mostly because they reside in the NFC South.

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