hhThis time from Mike Florio of The Sporting News, which don’t forget, announced it is moving its offices from St. Louis to the QC.

Anywho, Florio says that the Panthers will not make the playoffs again this season. His reasoning is a little hard to follow:

Once again, the Panthers look solid on paper, especially with a pair of first-round picks in running back Jonathan Stewart and offensive tackle Jeff Otah. But Carolina GM Marty Hurney still hasn’t done anything to establish a receiving threat across from Steve Smith or provide depth at quarterback behind Jake Delhomme, whose star is in danger of burning out for good.

Ahem. Moose and DJ Hackett at WR seem like something to me. And haven’t we settled that “depth at QB” is an illusion? David frickin’ Carr was supposed to be depth. Who — exactly — could the Panthers have signed who would have been a significant upgrade over what they have?

Again, the Fox-Hurney regime thinks that a power running game is the backup for your QB position. History shows that tends to be true. It is probably unfair, but the Panthers’ fortunes this year will turn on rookies. Stewart and Otah on offense and Charles Godfrey at safety. In fact, Godfrey could be the key to the season as a WR fast, ball-hawking center-fielder the likes of which the Panthers have never had before.

But talking about these things takes more than glancing at the roster and looking for a backup QB name you’ve seen for the last half-dozen years.