Possible flotation devices for drowning Panthers’ position groups

It has been a roller coaster ride for the Carolina Panthers’ first week of training camp in the Spartanburg heat. The biggest news thus far has been catastrophic injuries to incredibly thin position groups as “All Pro” right tackle Darryl WIlliams suffered a knee injury that will keep him out at least 6-8 weeks and free agent cornerback Ross Cockrell suffered a fractured tibia and fibula that all but ended his season before it even got started. Both of these injuries have opened up a chance for a couple bright spots through camp so far Cheap Christian McCaffrey Jersey , mainly sophomore Taylor Moton getting some quality reps in at right tackle and rookie Donte Jackson showing some promise as the probable corner opposite James Bradberry. The problem for the Panthers lies in the lack of proven depth at both positions. As it stands now, Amini Silatolu might very well be the starting left guard since Moton has moved to right tackle. Should another tackle miss time this season, it is well within Ron Rivera’s MO to have SIlatolu all of a sudden starting at tackle if the need arises. That possibility should result in Cam Newton’s health insurance premiums skyrocketing, though I will have to double check whether or not “Amini Silatolu blocking for you” is considered a pre-existing condition. While the tackle position in free agency is fairly thin, the guard spot could be solidified. There are a few household names available such as JR Sweezy, Jahri Evans, and former second overall pick Luke Joeckel, who moved to guard after tackle did not work out for him. The secondary was already thin overall and now cornerback is full of unproven young guys and journeymen. The best options for the Panthers at corner could be some older but still solid players, since they should come a little cheaper. As Brian mentioned in a previous article Cheap Kawann Short Jersey , players like Sean Smith, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and Ladarius Webb could all fit the bill. The Panthers were probably at least keeping tabs on some safeties out there as well, but now that rookie safety Rashon Gaulden may have to help out at corner at times, another safety is almost a dire need at this point. Safeties also in the “aged but not expired” category include Mike Mitchell and TJ Ward. There are also some younger guys entering their primes at safety who are worth looking at, including Kenny Vaccaro and Eric Reid. Spotrac estimates that the Panthers should have about $2 million in cap space after making cuts. Spotrac also estimates that someone like Reid should make about $8.5 million per season. It would take some surprise veteran cuts at other positions to open up enough space for Reid. Even if the Panthers attempt to sign a lower level guy at guard, corner, and safety, they may still have to move some things around or work some extensions. So while there are some nice names out there who could help this team Cheap Greg Olsen Jersey , I expect Hurney to take a wait and see approach before pulling the trigger. Let’s just all hope that somehow, some way, Amini gets beat for the starting left guard job. That game was awful. Let’s just get that out of the way to start with. The Panthers played a better team on a short week and got exposed. Nine straight quarters of dominance by the Panthers came to a screeching halt in Pittsburgh and took a little wind out of their sails. Carolina is still 6-3 and still technically has control over its own destiny. As bad as this loss was, it was still only one loss. That said, this team learned some hard truths yesterday and has a long way to go before they can be considered a contender again.We have ten days before the Panthers take the field again, this time against the Lions, and we will spend much of it discussing just how bad last night was. Let’s talk about Cam Newton, Christian McCaffrey, and the future of this offense. The rest we can file http://www.pantherscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-devin-funchess-jersey , for now, under the aged wisdom provided by Ron Rivera during last night’s presser,Cam Newton, under significant pressure all night, threw a pick-six and took five sacks. He still posted a 100.3 passer rating. One of those things is simply not like the other. Cam’s interception was one bad mistake in an otherwise exceptional night. The few plays were the offensive line blocked well enough for Cam to complete his drop backs were positive and often constituted scoring drives. The rest were impossible for anybody and Cam even turned a few of those into first downs.Something has to change on the offensive line. The Panthers went into Pittsburgh facing an absurdly low number of blitzes compared to the rest of the league. I’m honestly baffled that nobody thought to try a more blitz happy approach before given the relative inexperience and lack of successful history that are currently starting at left guard and left tackle. I’m similarly baffled that Norv Turner didn’t make a greater effort to provide more help than a clearly overmatched McCaffrey to pick up the Steelers’ blitzes. Turner must not have watched Super Bowl 50.To his credit, pass protection was the only part of McCaffrey’s game that wasn’t on fire last night. He was effective in the running game and the passing game as a quick outlet and a scoring threat for Newton.The offense, when it worked, went through Cam and McCaffrey and it looked good doing so. Whether it was due to a short week, an inability to actually protect against creative pass rush designs Graham Gano Jersey , or anything else, the Panthers offensive line has only had one really bad game this season. We need to see them fail like this at least once more before we can say the sky is falling. Maybe Matt Kalil is once again finally healthy and ready to contribute. Maybe Amini Silatolu is actually the answer after all this time. Stranger things have happened.Right now, the Panthers know they have problems. They have the time to figure out how to address those problems. They might even have the personnel. It is too early to count this offense out given the way Cam and McCaffrey are playing. The defense might be another story, but the offense still has the potential to hang with most of the league. They aren’t functioning on the level of the Saints, either, but there is still a chance the Panthers get there.The offense is going to be the story of the season and the defense is going to be on the field sometimes. It’s almost impossible to beat a good team in the NFL anymore without surrendering 30+ points. The Steelers’ 52 was excessive, to be sure, but that total likely would have been lower if the Panthers had been able to stay on the field and score more often than they did.The Steelers and the Panthers combined last night for one more point (73) than the Patriots and the Eagles did in the Super Bowl to end last season (72). The most important thing in this league is the ability to score points. The Panthers have the skill position players to do that so long as Newton can be protected for even a second. I’m still excited to see what they can do about that.