The Carolina Panthers were good in 2013 despite having very limited salary-cap space because the performance of their NFL minimum-salary and near minimum-salary signings exceeded expectations. The problem with that is players like Ted Ginn Jr. and Captain Munnerlyn that did well in 2013 signed elsewhere for more money in the offseason, leaving the Panthers to again through the NFL’s bargain bin hoping adequately fill numerous holes (secondary, offensive line etc.). How’s that working out for the Panthers so far this year? Not so well, as yesterday’s embarrassing loss in Green Bay demonstrates.
James Dator at Cat Scratch Reader nicely sums up the situation the Panthers are facing:
The Carolina Panthers are stuck in a land of crappy options. This team is learning in mid-October just how devastating the roster problems from May really are. Sunday was a complete and unmitigated disaster, and following the blowout loss to Green Bay we are approaching the time that heads might roll. At least the season won’t be boring.
Cam Newton played his worst game of the season on Sunday, and you know what? He still wasn’t the problem. The box score is ugly, the film is uglier — but a quarterback can’t be expected to play behind an offensive line of UDFAs and castoffs. Couple that with Clay Matthews dominating Byron Bell every snap and it was a horrible situation.
And:
Offensively the Panthers were a train wreck, defensively it was a dumpster fire. I’ll buy that Dave Gettleman didn’t really have any good options this offseason. I’ll entertain the idea that a poor salary cap situation paired with lost players caused a vacuum for which there wasn’t a good solution. That said, talent evaluation is supposed to be Gettleman’s strong suit, and every free agent signing the Panthers made this offseason was been an mistake outside of Jerricho Cotchery and Jason Avant.
On Sunday a trio of aging defensive backs showed precisely why they were let go from their previous teams. It was uncanny how Antoine Cason, Roman Harper and Thomas DeCoud each found a way to fail in succession with machine-like precision. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Sure you might see one guy having a bad day, but on every passing play one of these three was doing something wrong.
