The defense for the 2011 Carolina Panthers was not great but did show some potential. The Panthers certainly have the base players to build a decent defense with. And face it with Cam Newton on the offense; you don’t need a GREAT defense to win.

The biggest weak spots on the Carolina Panthers defense are defensive tackle and cornerback. The Carolina Panthers had rookie defensive tackles in McClain and Fua in 2011 and they should improve but more talent is needed at the position.

Chris Gamble did step it up this year at cornerback but Captain Munnerlyn should be the nickel corner rather than a starter. If a good second corner to Gamble is picked up by the Carolina Panthers then I would be happy with the position. I like Butler in the secondary and the safeties are adequate. Brandon Hogan should get to show what he has next year after missing most of his rookie season with a knee injury.

Charles “Big Money” Johnson had an ok but not great season but he is the best defensive end for the Carolina Panthers. Johnson and Greg Hardy are a good enough pair to win with in the NFL.  I really like Antwan Applewhite who played well after being picked up by the Panthers after the season started. Applewhite is a free agent though and it’s unclear if he will be resigned by the team for 2012.

Of course the strength of the Carolina Panthers defense is the linebacker position. Getting Jon Beason back from injury is crucial as he is a top three middle linebacker when healthy. The only problem with that is putting Connor back on the bench. Dan Connor plays decently but middle linebacker is his only position.

James Anderson had a great year and teamed with a healthy Beason forms the base of a great unit of linebackers. I have given up on Thomas Davis after his third knee injury and that is a shame as he is one of my favorite players. Jordan Senn and Omar Gaither added some quality depth to the unit and played well at times.

Of course the defense is ran by Sean McDermott who came over after being fired by the Philadelphia Eagles. McDermott is a disciple of deceased Eagles defensive guru Jim Johnson. This system is a 4-3 look with lots of blitzing almost the way a 3-4 defense would do. While I am not sold on McDermott I do think he deserves another season and this time with full camps to install his system.

Thanks for checking out my preview of the Carolina Panthers at the New Orleans Saints game to be played on Sunday January first 2012. Earlier this year the Saints defeated the Panthers 30 to 27 and you can read the review of that game here.

The New Orleans Saints will be bringing their best this week to play the Carolina Panthers. The Saints are thought to be many as the only team that can beat the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Playoffs. New Orleans won the NFC South division title but want the chance to play everyone but the Packers on their home field.

The Carolina Panthers can upset the Saints and really put a crimp in their postseason plans. The Saints have a great offense and can stop the run with their defense. However the New Orleans Saints struggle defending the pass which is what the Panthers do very well.

The Carolina Panthers offense must throw the ball early and often and run in selective situations to upset the New Orleans Saints. The Panthers need to get Steve Smith more involved this week to beat the Saints. If Smith makes a big play early he seems to feed off that and make more big plays as a game progresses.

Knocking of the New Orleans Saints would be a big feather in Coach Ron Rivera’s cap. Rivera is a defensive specialist who has managed to help improve the Panthers defense despite a lack of talent on the line and a rash of injuries all over the unit.

The Panthers can create a buzz and some momentum for 2012 if they knock off the New Orleans Saints. On defense the Panthers must try to pressure Drew Brees who quietly is having a monster year for the Saints.

James Anderson and Charles “Big Money” Johnson will be the keys for the Panthers defense. Johnson has had a decent but not great season but he is the best bet on the Panthers to get to Brees. James Anderson is the team’s best all around player and I feel he is the Panthers defensive MVP.

If the Panthers defense can pressure Brees and cause a turnover or two then Carolina has a good chance to upset the Saints. Cam Newton and the offense can and will score on the Saints and I expect this game to be a shootout from whistle to whistle. Go Panthers!

Charles “Big Money” Johnson has irked some Carolina Panthers fans by sporting an Atlanta Falcons hat in a photo with Dan Akroyd. Johnson Tweeted the photo then got into a heated exchange with some of his followers. Click this link to see the photo.

Some Carolina Panthers fans are ticked off that Charles Johnson would wear the hat of a team that beat the Panthers last week. While the Panthers don’t really have a heated rivalry the Falcons ARE a division foe.

Charles Johnson is a Georgia native and almost signed with the Falcons in the offseason before the Carolina Panthers gave him a big contract. Many fans defended Charles Johnson saying his hat just went with his outfit.

WFNZ the premier sports radio station out of Charlotte was alive all day with talk about “Hat Gate”. Some fans cited it as a culture thing and wanting to match his outfit. Some took it as a snub of the Carolina Panthers and their fans.

The fact is fans want players to behave like fans when most players are loyal to their money. However Johnson will be missing some where as a breaking out player he may have been in line for some local endorsement deals. He probably won’t get them now.

As long as Charles Johnson shows up and plays, I don’t care what he wears. I will say that I didn’t see Atlanta native Cam Newton sporting any Falcons gear. Charles Johnson is a good player and I am sure his love of his home state team won’t affect his play for the Carolina Panthers.

This preview of the Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons game will have a Carolina slant of course. If you want to read up a little on the Falcons click this link to see the “Birds I View” blog by Brent Holloway.

I am happy to write this preview of the Carolina Panthers at the Atlanta Falcons because I smell an upset! Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers are tired of losing and are ready to take it out on somebody.

As you can see here the Falcons are very banged up with rookie wideout Julio Jones missing the Carolina game being the biggest blow to Atlanta. Click here to see the Panthers injury report. Charles “Big Money” Johnson and Jeff Otah are the injured Panthers of note but both are expected to play,

For the Carolina Panthers to beat the Atlanta Falcons then Tony Gonzalez and Michael Turner must be slowed down. The Panthers have struggled containing tight ends and at stopping the run. Neither Turner nor Gonzalez are the players they were even two years ago but both can be dangerous.

Matt Ryan is usually money at home but the Falcons have struggled to protect him, giving up 14 sacks in 2011. Combine that with the fact that the Falcons defense is average at best, I think Carolina can win this game.

The Panthers and Cam Newton must score early and make Atlanta throw the ball. Now I know making Matt Ryan throw to Roddy White and Gonzalez may sound foolish. I feel the Panthers can pressure Ryan and I know they don’t want to try to stop Turner if the Falcons decide to run all day.

If the Panthers can get the lead then Charles Johnson can tee off on Matt Ryan and apply pressure. Johnson is a Georgia native and nearly signed with Atlanta before Carolina signed him to a big contract.

Cam Newton is not the turnover machine most rookie quarterbacks are but he and the team need better play in the Red Zone. Carolina must avoid the penalties they have been getting in order to upset the Falcons.

Legedu Naanee needs to have a big game if he wants to keep his starting job. Naanee has been under fire all week for diving to the ground to avoid contact after a catch. David LaFell is having a nice season and I feel he will be starting soon, opposite of Steve Smith

Thanks for checking out my review of the Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers game on September 18^th 2011. Please check back here for Panther game previews and reviews all season. Feel free to leave a comment and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

The Packers defeated the Panthers by the score of 30 to 23 in a game that went down to an onside kick recovered by Donald Driver to seal the deal. Cam Newton had his second 400 yard passing game in the loss to the Packers. Cam ended up completing 28 of 46 for 432 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.Newton also ran for 53 yards and a rushing touchdown that led to the onside kick which failed.

Cam Newton’s 854 passing yards in his first two NFL games has set a new NFL record. Todd Marinovich had the old record of 638 passing yards in his first two games. Don’t read anything into that, Cam Newton is no Marinovich on the quarterback bust chart. I am not worried at all about Cam Newton’s three interceptions against the Packers. Newton was playing against a good defense and the defending Super Bowl Champions.

The Panthers started well with a 13 point lead over the Packers before Green Bay went on a 23 point run. Cam Newton looked great early but started to fade a bit as the game went along. My only real problem with Cam Newton against the Packers was that he didn’t run enough near the goal line. Newton forced two incomplete goal line throws when he may have been able to run in early in the 4^th quarter.

Cam Newton impressed the heck out of me by completing a big play to LaFell after limping around bad enough that Anderson was warming up. And Brandon LaFell has arrived as a legitimate second receiver to Steve Smith. Smith had another good game with six catches for 156 yards but he had a costly fumble and was distracted by a verbal altercation with fans from the sidelines.

Jonathan Stewart really stepped up and was running hard though mostly on receptions as the Panthers never did get their running game in gear. The Panthers do not have any quit in them and once they get their red zone offense straightened out they will start winning games. I was very impressed with Charles “Big Money” Johnson and James Anderson on defense as both men had a good game against the Packers.

Charles Woodson of the Packers had a great day with two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Aaron Rodgers has his typical day but the Panthers defense played well at times and I was impressed with the hitting by the secondary. Rodgers ended up completing 19 of 30 for 308 yards and two scores. Rodgers completed a 84 yard touchdown pass to Nelson to help end the Panthers comeback hopes in the 4^th quarter.

I was worried about Randall Cobb but the Panthers special teams held him in check on returns. The Panthers are on their way to being a pretty good team and we now know Cam Newton is not a bust. Things are looking up for the rest of the 2011 season for Cam Newton and the Panthers.