State of the Panthers

[DMD]

The State of the Panthers

 

The Panthers had a great season in 2008 thanks to DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart combining for the top rushing attack but the schedule is not nearly as kind this year and Williams has surprisingly tumbled from being #1 in many leagues for last year and yet sometimes is drafted 10th or deeper in leagues this summer.

 

Steve Smith had a decent year with yardage but his TD totals really fell thanks to all those rushing touchdowns of last year. What happens this year when the Panthers need to pass more? Muhammad is 36 years old now - can Steve Smith do it alone? Who will replace Muhammad when the time comes?

 

What will Stewart do in his second season? His draft stock suggests that many feel like he is going to take a big step up this year at the expense of Williams.

[dirtdickens]

IDP question- Is Chris Gamble worth the money he got? Top 5 corner money? I am pretty sure he was the #2 corner until about midway through last season and he finally showed up last year.

[tazinib1]

STEW!!!!!!!!

[Bronco Billy]

I think Stewart suffers until either he or Williams moves on in FA/trade or Williams gets hurt. Williams is clearly the real deal, and you have to feed the big dog. Stewart's other issue is that Goodson is going to cut into what would be relief touches for him. Everything I've seen so far is that Goodson is impressing the bejeebers out of the entire CAR coaching staff and I'm envisioning that they intend to lay some Reggie Bush type stuff in his lap to diversify the O. Stewart is getting caught between a rock and a hard place right now - he's just not quite Williams and he can't do what Goodson does as well as Goodson does it either.

[Brentastic]

Probability favors on the side of DWill underperforming last year's numbers. I voted low end RB1 based on this probability, HOWEVER, I still think DWill is one of the elite RBs in the league. He will get the majority of carries this year and I think JStew will perform worse than last year. He may equal the yardage but no way he gets 10 TDs.

 

I really can't believe that people even consider DWill not being 'the guy' in CAR. He clearly has elite ability and any coach would be a fool to not give him the ball 20+ times per game.

[Bier Meister]

dw= similar yards, fewer td's

 

stew= similar yards, fewer td's

[tazinib1]

Probability favors on the side of DWill underperforming last year's numbers. I voted low end RB1 based on this probability, HOWEVER, I still think DWill is one of the elite RBs in the league. He will get the majority of carries this year and I think JStew will perform worse than last year. He may equal the yardage but no way he gets 10 TDs.

 

I really can't believe that people even consider DWill not being 'the guy' in CAR. He clearly has elite ability and any coach would be a fool to not give him the ball 20+ times per game.

 

I'm gonna start copying and pasting all the Stew doubters into my little notepad and revisit at years end.

[bushwacked]

I think Stewart suffers until either he or Williams moves on in FA/trade or Williams gets hurt. Williams is clearly the real deal, and you have to feed the big dog. Stewart's other issue is that Goodson is going to cut into what would be relief touches for him. Everything I've seen so far is that Goodson is impressing the bejeebers out of the entire CAR coaching staff and I'm envisioning that they intend to lay some Reggie Bush type stuff in his lap to diversify the O. Stewart is getting caught between a rock and a hard place right now - he's just not quite Williams and he can't do what Goodson does as well as Goodson does it either.

 

Probability favors on the side of DWill underperforming last year's numbers. I voted low end RB1 based on this probability, HOWEVER, I still think DWill is one of the elite RBs in the league. He will get the majority of carries this year and I think JStew will perform worse than last year. He may equal the yardage but no way he gets 10 TDs.

 

I really can't believe that people even consider DWill not being 'the guy' in CAR. He clearly has elite ability and any coach would be a fool to not give him the ball 20+ times per game.

 

dw= similar yards, fewer td's

 

stew= similar yards, fewer td's

 

Generally agree with the above.

 

The concerns about DW3 not repeating last years numbers are valid. It was a year of historic proportions. His ypc and TDs combined were among the best ever seasons in the history of the NFL. To consecutively repeat his ypc and TDs would put him in category of some of the very few best RBs who ever played the game.

 

Is the apparent tougher schedule a concern? Sure, but IMO, not significantly higher of a potential trap(s) or question mark for almost every other RB being drafted before him

 

Stewart? Okay, yea. But how is this not likely deja vu to the 2 years of Foster-DW3 timeshare when the experienced veteran (Foster) took the lion's share of carries over the first round draft pick (DW3)? Foster never did anything close to what DW3 did last year, and Foster appears to be a career journeyman/backup. For all the Stewart hype, he is still an unproven backup who was losing more carries to DW3 as the season went on.

 

Will DW3's ADP be worth it? I don't know, but right now I generally see less risk and greater potential pay off than some of the guys (Sjax, LT, Chris Johnson) going before him.

[mchops]

The State of the Panthers

 

The Panthers had a great season in 2008 thanks to DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart combining for the top rushing attack but the schedule is not nearly as kind this year and Williams has surprisingly tumbled from being #1 in many leagues for last year and yet sometimes is drafted 10th or deeper in leagues this summer.

 

Steve Smith had a decent year with yardage but his TD totals really fell thanks to all those rushing touchdowns of last year. What happens this year when the Panthers need to pass more? Muhammad is 36 years old now - can Steve Smith do it alone? Who will replace Muhammad when the time comes?

 

What will Stewart do in his second season? His draft stock suggests that many feel like he is going to take a big step up this year at the expense of Williams.

 

 

Stewart will probably do close to the same but less yards.

Smith will bounce back as defenses focus on the run.

Williams will do fine except not as many tds or yards but won't be a bust.

[bushwacked]

The State of the Panthers

 

The Panthers had a great season in 2008 thanks to DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart combining for the top rushing attack but the schedule is not nearly as kind this year and Williams has surprisingly tumbled from being #1 in many leagues for last year and yet sometimes is drafted 10th or deeper in leagues this summer.

 

Steve Smith had a decent year with yardage but his TD totals really fell thanks to all those rushing touchdowns of last year. What happens this year when the Panthers need to pass more? Muhammad is 36 years old now - can Steve Smith do it alone? Who will replace Muhammad when the time comes?

 

Steve Smith being "bad" in the subtopic line is a misnomer. He was top 10 in ppr leagues last year; missed weeks 1 and 2 to suspension and gave up 30 TDs to his RBs.

 

Wow.

[tazinib1]

For all the Stewart hype, he is still an unproven backup who was losing more carries to DW3 as the season went on.

 

?????

 

Stewart had 15+ carries in 3 of the final 4 games and double figures in 9/16.

 

Trust me here folks. Stew overcompensated last year because of the toe injury, for which he had surgery and corrected. He has claimed to be back at 100% health. De-Will better not get a case of fumble-itis or get injured cause Stew will take the starting job and he won't look back.

 

BTW: Foster couldn't hold Stews jock.

[bushwacked]

?????

 

Stewart had 15+ carries in 3 of the final 4 games and double figures in 9/16.

 

Trust me here folks. Stew overcompensated last year because of the toe injury, for which he had surgery and corrected. He has claimed to be back at 100% health. De-Will better not get a case of fumble-itis or get injured cause Stew will take the starting job and he won't look back.

 

BTW: Foster couldn't hold Stews jock.

 

Alright, I'll admit "unproven" might be a tad bit pessimistic for Stewart, but, DW's role increased as the season went on. Again, DW3 put up some avg. ypc stats that a one-year wonder has never done.

 

In taking a look at the last 4 games you referenced. You're right. J.Stew's numbers were impressive, more than I realized.

 

Johnathan Stewart: 45 carries, 256 yards, and 3 TDS, 2 receptions - 28 yards

DW3: 89 carries, 544 yards, and 10 TDs, 4 receptions - 9 yards

 

DW3 had twice the higher work load (which was my main point in the one sentence you quoted)....along with a slightly better average and more than triple the TDs, when JStew was healthy.

 

DW3 and J stew averaged over 22 and 11 carries carries per game, respectively in weeks 14-17. What happens next year if Carolina doesn't average almost 35 runs a games?

 

BTW: Foster couldn't hold Stews jock.

 

Not sure why this matters, nor did I mean to claim this. John Fox never even came close to giving Williams the reigns when he had Foster. I think that is quite relevant.

[tazinib1]

Alright, I'll admit "unproven" might be a tad bit pessimistic for Stewart, but, DW's role increased as the season went on. Again, DW3 put up some avg. ypc stats that a one-year wonder has never done.

 

In taking a look at the last 4 games you referenced. You're right. J.Stew's numbers were impressive, more than I realized.

 

Johnathan Stewart: 45 carries, 256 yards, and 3 TDS, 2 receptions - 28 yards

DW3: 89 carries, 544 yards, and 10 TDs, 4 receptions - 9 yards

 

DW3 had twice the higher work load (which was my main point in the one sentence you quoted)....along with a slightly better average and more than triple the TDs, when JStew was healthy.

 

DW3 and J stew averaged over 22 and 11 carries carries per game, respectively in weeks 14-17. What happens next year if Carolina doesn't average almost 35 runs a games?

 

 

 

Not sure why this matters, nor did I mean to claim this. John Fox never even came close to giving Williams the reigns when he had Foster. I think that is quite relevant.

 

 

I know. I just need to uphold my Nuthugger title. I'm sure somebody will come to blast Stew and rant about De-Will. Somebody has to defend Stew on these boards. I've anointed myself as that person.

[PSULions]

I think that both Williams and JStew will not match their numbers from last year. The Panthers schedule is very tough with only one team (Buffalo) having a losing record. All the pieces are still there with a terrific OL a decent QB, and a stud WR in Smith, but everything went pretty well for the Panthers last year and I think it will be very tough to repeat their success with the tougher Ds that they will face. DWill will still be terrific, but I would predict around 1,300 yds and about 15 TDs, while JStew will likely get around 700 yds with about 6-8 TDs. Bronco Billy was spot on the Goodson comment. He has been WOWing the coaching staff and the team will find a way to get him the ball. I have heard that he is really good hands and actually use him in the slot as a WR. I think they may also use him on ST to return kicks or punts. If you are in a league with PPR he may be someone to consider as I think he will see the field to give the Panthers yet another weapon on the field and create mismatches for opposing Ds. I think Steve Smith will have a monster year as he will be active for all 16 games (hopefully) and with the new focus on stopping the run game, he will see more opportunities to stretch the field and find the seems to do more damage YAC. I is likely the 8 - 10th WR coming off FF draft boards, but my gut tells me that he will post numbers closer to a top 4 or 5 WR.

[Whiskey Pimp]

So how come everyone thinks DWill is some stud but yet he couldn't beat out Foster? I'm pretty sure Fox sticks with the veteran as his #1 and the rookie or understudy as his #2. In a few years it will be JStew as the #1 with some new guy #2 and DWill on some other roster. Just seems like that's the way this is going to go in Carolina.

[Bronco Billy]

So how come everyone thinks DWill is some stud but yet he couldn't beat out Foster?

 

Stupidity by Fox. Williams' ability and Fox' inability to recognize it has been one thing DMD and I have agreed on completely since Williams came into the league.

[Donutrun Jellies]

dw= similar yards, fewer td's

 

stew= similar yards, fewer td's

The Bier Meister speaks wisely.

[PSULions]

Stupidity by Fox. Williams' ability and Fox' inability to recognize it has been one thing DMD and I have agreed on completely since Williams came into the league.

 

It is not as simple as that. DWill didn't work as much as he could have in the first two years. One of the things I had heard over the sportstalk radio was that he wasn't that great with picking up the blitz and the other things needed from a RB. I was frustrated as a fan wanting to see DWill in a bigger role in his first two years, but from what the beat writers said last summer was that the drafting of JStew really opened up his eyes to really "get it" and become a true pro and do the little things that Fox wants to see. The light came on and the results were fantastic. The other nice to see was the fact that DWill is gregarous while JStew is very quiet, but they really became friends at camp as DWill the vet opened up to the Rook and they became good friends. They are both very glad to see the success of the other, which is not something you always see in the NFL.

[Randall]

The State of the Panthers

 

 

Steve Smith had a decent year with yardage but his TD totals really fell thanks to all those rushing touchdowns of last year. What happens this year when the Panthers need to pass more? Muhammad is 36 years old now - can Steve Smith do it alone? Who will replace Muhammad when the time comes?

 

What will Stewart do in his second season? His draft stock suggests that many feel like he is going to take a big step up this year at the expense of Williams.

 

 

YES!