Jonathan Stewart/Deangelo Williams

Now that I've finished final exams and recovered from cramming my brain with useless information, I'll take some time to analyze the thunder and lightning combo in the Panthers backfield, Jonathan Stewart and Deangelo Williams. It's only right that I take a look at these two together, because they compliment each other so well.
Williams is the elder of the two, hailing from the University of Memphis, and Stewart comes from the high-powered offense of the Oregon Ducks. I have to say from all of the high draft picks that I can remember the Panthers making that I didn't like, I was ECSTATIC about Jonathan Stewart. As I've mentioned before, I'm very partial to offensive football, and Stewart comes from a superb offensive school. Williams came out the same year as Reggie Bush, so he was pretty overshadowed by Bush's potential (Cough cough, bust), but if my memory serves me correctly Williams was the second runningback taken that year and I'll take Williams career so far over Bush's any day.
Stewart is a horse. Plain and simple he is a horse. Anyone who wants to try and tackle this guy, be my guest because I'm going to pass. He's the more powerful of the two, and is quite a compliment to the speedier Williams. He packs quite a punch, and tends to deliver a hit to his tackler rather than the other way around. He and Williams are the first teammates to rush for 1,000 yards in the same season and honestly I think either of the two could start for the majority of the other NFL teams. With these two in our backfield, the Panthers and Panther's fans get the gift of watching one of the most dynamic running combinations in the emtire league, and that is neglecting Cam Newton's incredible running ability. I'll go ahead and let everyone in the league know that the Carolina Panthers are a SERIOUS playoff contender next season, look out NFL here we come.

Tim Tebow

          Recently called the most polarizing player in the NFL by ESPN analyst Skip Bayless, Tim Tebow is next on my list. Yes I'm well aware that Tebow doesn't play for any team remotely close to Charlotte, but since he is the topic of nearly EVERY conversation lately I figure I might as well join in.

          Well I might as well say it now, there's no point postponing my opinion until the last paragraph today. I don't like him. I don't like Tim Tebow. There, I've said it. I don't care how many games he wins, how many comebacks he has, or how many starving children he saves, I just don't like him. That's not to say that those things aren't important and very admirable, because they are. His charity work is amazing. He is a very admirable person and is SOMEHOW using that terrible throwing motion and college style offense to win football games. It has nothing to do with his religion either, I could care less who you pray to or what you believe in. This boils down to me just never liking the guy. His famous "jump pass" that everyone regarded as an incredible play looked like something elementary school kids did on the playground before they even understood the rules. Plus he played at Florida, and I don't like Florida either. So honestly Tebow never had a chance in my book anyway.



Tebow's "famous" jump pass in 2009

        

          Honestly he has the numbers to prove me and every other critic wrong. I hate to say it but he's got the most important stats in his favor. His record is 7-3 as a starter, 6-1 this season and he doesn't really turn the ball over. Nonetheless I wouldn't trust him as my quarterback pretty much the same way the Broncos don't really trust him as theirs. They barely throw in the first half, and only once has he been above 50% completion percentage for an entire game (one game he had exactly 50%, that doesn't count). And who has he beaten this year? Let's see, the 4-8 Miami Dolphins, the 7-5 Oakland Raiders (when they were starting couch potato QB Carson Palmer in his second week), the 5-7 Kansas City Chiefs, the 7-5 New York Jets (this one actually impressed me since I also highly dislike the overrated Mark Sanchez), the 5-7 San Diego Chargers who are crumbling, and finally last week the 2-10 Minnesota Vikings who were without Adrian Peterson. So there is one, MAYBE two good wins in there. Other than that I am still very unimpressed by his victories, even though they have come in dramatic fashion.

          "Tim Tebow rarely throws interceptions." Fantastic, but he also doesn't throw passes to his own receivers very often either. His 47.5 completion percentage ranks him behind 31 other NFL quarterbacks (maybe more, Tebow didn't even throw enough passes per game to qualify for ESPN's statistical chart). He only has 1,054 yards, but that one isn't a really fair comparison considering he's only played in 10 games (7 that he was a starter for). His passer rating is 87.9, which is a number that not many people understand, but if you compare him to elite quarterbacks that number isn't very high (Aaron Rodgers-125.3, Tom Brady-105.9 and Drew Brees-105.5 lead the league). Cam Newton by comparison is at 60.8% completion, 3,297 yards, and a passer rating of 82.4 (14 interceptions killed Cam here).

          Let's take a look at what he does with his feet. 82 carries this year for 468 yards and 3 touchdowns. that puts him at 5.6 yards per carry. Three fumbles, but he hasn't lost any of them so I guess no harm no foul. He uses his legs a lot to get out of the pocket when his terrible offensive line collapses around him as well, and the stats don't reflect that.

          Here's how Tebow manages to sneak by with these wins. Denver is the #1 rushing team in the NFL. with 1907 yards they average 158.9 yards per game. They have run the ball 399 times, which is second in the league behind only Houston at 432. On defense Denver has the 5th most sacks in the league with 33, and in their six wins since Tebow became starter they are only giving up 17.8 points per game, which would rank them at 5th in the league.

          Sure Tebow is at the head of the awkward charge down the field when the game is on the line, but those games weren't won by just that last drive. It was the defense of Denver coupled with their running game that made everything possible to begin with. So before any of you fans/analysts try to hand Tebow the MVP award, dig a little deeper.

Steve Smith

          Oh Steve Smith, where do I even begin. Smith has provided Carolina's faithful fans with highlight reel catches for years. Ever since he was drafted in 2001, He has been an explosive player capable of turning any play into a big touchdown. He has managed to single-handedly break down many secondaries and make many professional cornerbacks look like they're standing still. He is small (5'9", 185 lbs.) compared to many of his fellow NFL receivers, but pound for pound you would be hard pressed to find a better play maker around the league.

         

          Smith had a career year in 2005, catching 103 balls for 1,563 yards and 12 touchdowns. He led the league in all three of those categories, winning the coveted "triple crown" of receivers. He was the first receiver to do this since Sterling Sharpe did it in 1992, and no one has done it since then.

          Steve Smith has always held a special place in my heart as a Panthers fan. I'm a huge fan of offensive football, so naturally a man with Smith's talent, ability and attitude would catch my eye. Not to mention the fact that he tends to find the endzone in spectacular fashion. His endzone celebrations always made me laugh too, until the NFL started cracking down on them. Seriously Goodell, when every play could be your last (unless you're Brett Favre, apparently he will NEVER have his last play), why not let them celebrate in their own special way? Outside of distasteful celebrations (Stevie Johnson that means you) what's wrong with an impression of rowing a boat when you score against the Vikings? But I digress.

          Unfortunately for Smith, his numbers saw quite a dip in 2009 and 2010. Smith's talent certainly hasn't dropped, he was just stuck with abysmal quarterbacks who couldn't seem to throw the ball to the right team. Smith isn't getting any younger, and with Cam Newton coming in as a rookie starter I wasn't sure how long Smith was going to stick around to find out whether Cam is the real deal or not. Smith had been frustrated, and rightfully so. I mean, have you seen this guy jump? Just throw the ball up somewhere in his direction and he seems to come down with it every time, yet our quarterbacks still couldn't get him the ball.

          This year has been different. Smith looks like his younger self this year, already eclipsing the 1,000 yard mark through 12 games which he had failed to do in the past two years. I already covered this in my last post, but in my opinion Cam Newton will be the reason that Steve Smith retires as a Panther. Steve Smith is not a Hall of Famer. Yet. I think he could play at least four or five more years at a very high level, as long as he stays healthy, and that could put him in the discussion.
          Regardless, Smith will always be a favorite of mine. His highlights will never get old to me, and I can only hope that he will be a Panther for a few years more. Because with his talent at receiver he opens up the field for our three-headed monster running game and keeps the fans in the game knowing that at any moment Smith might do something they've never seen before. Whether it is his touchdown celebrations, incredible talent, or the fact that he packs the most attitude per pound in the NFL, Steve Smith certainly should be on your list of players to watch out for every Sunday.

Cam Newton

          I don't think I'm alone when I say I was very wary about Cam Newton's potential as an NFL quarterback. His stats in college were phenominal, he led two straight teams to national championships (his junior college the year prior to his undefeated year at Auburn), he won the Heisman trophy and he just didn't lose games.
          But there were his "character issues" that many were worried about. The incident at Florida where he was accused of stealing a laptop and the alleged "pay for play" scandal at Auburn are the two major issues that I recollect. Draft experts worried about his ability to adapt to a pro offense. He seemingly broke down when Jon Gruden analyzed him with all of the other top QB prospects and he couldn't call a typical NFL play. He was criticized for not being accurate enough, for running too much, and for just about anything else you could think of. To be honest, that level of criticism is well deserved if an organization is considering selecting you as the leader of their team and investing a very pretty penny in you. Jerry Richardson even famously asked Cam Newton if he had any tattoos. Cam's response was no, and Richardson told him he better keep it that way.
          Through it all, the Panthers did indeed select Cam Newton with the number one overall selection in the draft, and by doing so effectively put the entire organization on his shoulders and prayed that he could remove us from the basement of the NFL. With only four games left in the season, the Panthers sit third in the NFC South with a 4-8 record.
          But lets look back at the season so far. A seven point loss to the currently undefeated reigning Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers, a five point loss to the 7-5 Chicago Bears, a three point loss to the 9-3 New Orleans Saints, and a late meltdown in a shootout loss to the 7-5 Detroit Lions. If luck happened to swing our way in a couple of those games our record wouldn't look so bad. And I'll be the first one to say I'd rather watch this Panthers team lose a game the way they play, than the abysmal team that sported Jimmy Clausen at quarterback.
          Cam Newton threw for over 400 yards in his first two starts. He currently sits at 7th in the NFL with 3,297 passing yards. He's thrown 13 TDs, and he LEADS THE ENTIRE NFL with 13 rushing TDs. He broke the record for rushing TDs for a QB in a season on Sunday with four games still to play. AND he has Steve Smith looking like the incredible offensive weapon that he once was.
          Yes, he has made a lot of mistakes. 14 interceptions is not great (he threw all 14 of those interceptions in losses this year), and he tends to be high on a lot of his throws. But guess what, Peyton Manning (yes the great Peyton Manning) threw a whopping 28 interceptions in his rookie year. Rookies make mistakes, Cam is no different. He will learn with experience just like anyone else.
          Don't get me wrong, he's got a lot of room to grow. But his ceiling is very very high, and I am just warning the NFC South, and the rest of the NFL, that the Panthers are a team to watch out for in 2012. As far as Cam Newton is concerned, I'm definitely a believer, and I can't wait to see him reach his full potential.

Here Goes Nothing

So this is my first attempt to start up a blog about Charlotte area sports teams. I'll likely be focusing more on the Panthers and Bobcats since I have a stronger knowledge of football and basketball. I love talking about sports and I want to get into sports journalism one day, so I'm giving this a shot and hopefully I'll have some posts going up sometime in the near future. I'm looking forward to getting some good feedback from any and all readers!