Cat Scratch Reader

Carolina Panthers 2012 Position Preview: OG

2012-05-17T10:00:14Z

Watching the Carolina Panthers with Marty Hurney at GM there has always been one constant- the offensive line. While the quarterback position was in flux, and running backs were rotated in and out, there was always the underlying reliability of the line. For the first time in a long time we enter the 2012 season with serious questions about the players charged with protecting Cam Newton.

Jordan Gross and Ryan Kalil are always the mainstays, but from here the water gets far murkier. The off-season decision to part ways with Travelle Wharton and Geoff Schwartz leaves the Panthers with a unit relying on youth, and crossing fingers that the injury bug wont bite.

Underpinning this move is the more overall movement inside the organization that shifts the focus away from guys like Wharton and Schwartz (the 'jack of all trades' types) and focuses more on specialists. Players who have clear deficiencies in their games, but who also have huge ability in one key area. Ultimately this will give the team a far higher level of talent overall. It's far more valuable to have a team populated by players who are 'As' in one or two areas, rather than 'Bs' across the board. This is part and parcel of the process to move from a middling team, to a championship one,

More after the jump

One of the best free agent moves the Panthers made last year was bringing Geoff Hangartner back into the fold. While he's not an elite talent, he's an extremely good pass blocking guard, even if he's not a road grader in the passing game. Conventional wisdom would be to put Hangartner at LG where his pass blocking abilities could be best utilized, but with the lack of pass blocking talent the Panthers have at RT it's imperative they use his skills over at the RG spot.

The backup spot at RG will be fought for between last year's UDFA Bryant Browning and this year's signings Will Blackwell and Derek Dennis. Out of this group I'm really looking at Dennis to separate himself from the competition and win the backup job. At Temple he was a fantastic run blocking guard, and I was surprised he wasn't drafted.

Over at the left guard spot we have a lot more questions. Rookie Amini Silatolu will almost certainly be the starter out of the gate at the LG spot- where his ability as a pulling guard will pay dividends immediately. As it stands he's not a very reliable pass blocker, but sandwiched between Gross and Kalil this deficiency will be mitigated. We've talked ad nauseum about Silatolu's 'mean streak', but I have the feeling fans will come to love him on Sundays.

Behind Silatolu will be a competition between FA signing Mike Pollak, and UDFA signing Will Blackwell. Both Pollak and Blackwell are decent run blockers, but far better in the passing game. This could be one of the tightest battles in all of training camp, but I think Pollak may make the cut, while Blackwell is stashed on the practice squad.

Projected Depth Chart at Guard

LG: Amini Silatolu/ Mike Pollak

RG: Geoff Hangartner/ Derek Dennis

There is some youth and uncertainty, but a lot of talent in this group also. It make take a few games for Silatolu to hit his stride, but long term I think this is the start of a fantastic unit, even if the Panthers will need to look for a long term replacement for Hangartner in the 2013 draft.

Jon Beason Makes It Easy To Be A Panthers Fan

2012-05-16T23:04:03Z

The NFL is full of players who are upstanding members of their communities, and for the most part these players tend to be favorites among their respective fan bases because of the positive influence they provide off the field. The same can be said about our Carolina Panthers, who have a roster filled with guys who spend their off time doing work outside of their duty as football players. Whether it’s Jordan Senn helping build playgrounds for local elementary schools, or Jordan Gross hosting his annual Kick Cystic Fibrosis charity game, or Thomas Davis hosting his Defending Dreams Foundation events; the Panthers have a plethora of guys who are deeply involved in the community, and we as fans tend to root for them more because of the positive impact they have on the lives of others.

The same holds true for Panthers LB Jon Beason, who took time out of his busy off-season schedule to visit the Marines stationed at Camp Lejeune earlier today. As a Panthers fan I already have an appreciation for what Beason does on the field (when healthy, of course), but as a human being who has several family members - both alive and deceased - in (or formerly in) the military, I can’t help but feel a deep sense of pride to be able to say "Hey, that guy plays for my favorite team."

He’s not forced to visit military bases during the off-season. It’s not part of his contract. He does it voluntarily, and he does it because it’s the right thing to do. To me, that makes it even more special. It’s one thing for players to do required charity work (if there is such a thing, I’m not 100% sure), but it’s something totally different for players to do this stuff of their own accord. It really sets a positive example for our younger generation, and it gives them the ability to look up and say "Hey, you know - not all superstar athletes are selfish jackholes." While other players are busy promoting themselves and doing whatever it is pro athletes do in their spare time, Jon Beason is giving back to the community, and I couldn’t be prouder to be a Panthers fan because of it.

Below is a collection of tweets from Beason on his experience at Camp Lejeune:

My experience at Camp Lejeune was definitely a new found appreciation. All of the preparation that goes into being successful was evident. Words can't express how grateful I am for the men and women in the military. They sacrifice greatly so we don't have to. Special thanks to all the marines at Camp Lejeune. You motivate me to give more and prepare harder.

As a Panthers fan, and most importantly as a family member of people who serve and have served in the military, I wish to thank Jon Beason for his positive influence on the community, and I thank him for taking time out of his busy off-season schedule to give back to those who give so much while going mostly unnoticed. This visit will go mostly under the radar in the major news outlets, but as far as I’m concerned it’s one of the most important stories of the off-season thus far, and it's a story that makes me extremely proud to call myself a fan of the Carolina Panthers.

We’re lucky, fellow Panthers fans. We’re lucky because we’re fortunate enough to have a group of guys that actually care about the fans who follow them, and it all starts at the top with one of our biggest leaders on defense, Jon Beason. I don’t know about you guys, but I couldn’t be prouder to be a fan of the Carolina Panthers than I am right now. It's much more refreshing to read stories like this one instead of constantly getting player updates from the local police blotter, and it's because of the example set by guys like Beason, Davis, and Gross that we're able to avoid reading endless stories of that ilk.

If you have any stories of Panthers players who you feel deserve to be recognized for giving back to their communities, please feel free to share them in the comment thread, and allow the rest of us to brag with you about our beloved Panthers and their good deeds of charity.

Former Panther RB Stephen Davis Inducted Into SC Athletic Hall of Fame

2012-05-16T21:00:16Z

This past Monday former Panther RB Stephen Davis was inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame and I agree heartily it was well deserved. As Ron Morris from the The State points out, Davis has a long resume with success at every level worthy of the recognition. Yet I totally agree with Morris with his main point: forget about the career at Auburn and the NFL. He was the number 1 HS football recruit in the class of 1992 for good reason.

In 1991 I watched Davis play in two high school games with my own eyes and the kid that ran like a man simply ran over and past everyone on the field, and I mean everyone. Honestly it wasn't even a fair contest when Davis had the ball. I saw him score 4 touchdowns against their other local rival Gaffney HS before he sat down late in the 3rd quarter. I knew he was going to be a star and was so pissed when he picked Auburn. I wasn't mad because he didn't pick Georgia Tech because Tech was never in the running for Davis. I would not have been mad if he had picked Clemson and ran all over Tech because I knew he was special and wanted to see him run more. He instead got buried at Auburn behind an inferior RB and didn't see the field much early in his career, but that's a whole other story.

Morris brings back some memories regarding Davis and is HS exploits, such as his success running track. Consider who he beat to win the state championship two straight years:

To win the state 100-meter titles his sophomore and junior years, Davis had to beat Gaffney's Tim Montgomery, who later would own the world record in that event. His senior year, Davis again won, this time in a time of 10.28, but meet officials declared the sprint as "wind-aided," and it was not recognized as a record.

"I told the track official that it was wind-aided because that guy weighing 230 pounds ran by your machine so fast," Owings said.

Think about that. At 230 lbs he beat a guy that would go on to set a world record in sprinting. I've got more Stephen Davis exploits...after the jump...

After Davis won a tournament of the best HS sprinters int he country they called him 'Little Herschal' in reference to former Bulldog great Herschal Walker. The comparison fits as both players had massive thighs, amazing power and sprinters' speed.

His former HS coach sums him up:

"He was pretty special," said Doc Davis, the head football coach at Spartanburg High when Stephen rushed for 4,501 yards. "Just the fact that he had the size and the speed. I've coached athletes who were that fast and some with that size, but never the combination of that."

Davis was 6-foot-1 and weighed 215 pounds in high school. Despite his bulk and chiseled physique, he won the state Class 4A 100-meters three consecutive years and captured the 200-meters as a sophomore. His 10.4 time in the 100 as a junior stood as the state record for the next 17 years.

"I really believe that had he concentrated solely on track, if that's what he wanted to do instead of going to the NFL, he would have been a world-class sprinter right up there with any of the fastest runners in the world," said Darryl Owings, Davis' track coach at Spartanburg High.

Yes Davis was quite the athlete and worthy of consideration as one of the best if not the best SC HS athlete ever. Yet that is not why I write this post with extreme praise and pride. It's because of this:

On February 27, 2008 Davis signed a one-day contract with Carolina so he could officially retire as a Panther; he did so the next day on February 28, 2008.

In spite of the fact Davis left SC in 1991 and played elsewhere for 12 years he signed with Carolina in 2003 and played less than 3 full seasons in black & teal but he wanted to retire a Panther as that was where is heart was. Just another reason why Davis is considered one of the best and most popular Panthers ever. He will always be on my list as one of the best ever. It was his ability to run the ball that made the Panthers 2003 SB even possible.

On another note, can you believe he was a 4th round pick in 1996? The Panthers actually drafted two RBs ahead of Davis, the popular but short-timed Tsimanga Biakabatuka (#8) and the less know Winslow Oliver (#73). Man would we like a redo on that draft...but I digress.

So I have to close like this...

Congratulations Stephen Davis on your induction to the SC Athletic Hall of Fame!

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/05/15/3243132/sc-hall-of-fame-stephen-davis.html#storylink=cpy

Panthers Swap TE's- Sign Finley, cut Lloyd

2012-05-16T20:25:00Z

In close efforts monitoring the waver wire the Carolina Panthers today cut UDFA signing Tarren Lloyd to make room for J.J. Finley, who spent last season with the Detroit Lions.

The #Panthers have signed TE Joe Jon Finley and waived TE Tarren Lloyd: pnth.rs/JNR7kL
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) May 16, 2012

The 27 year old Finley was an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma in 2008, and spent 2008-2010 with the San Francisco 49ers before heading to Detroit for the last two years. He has no regular season experience, but totalled 10 receptions for 61 yards and a TD in preseason games.

We'll see numerous tweaks like this in the weeks leading up to training camp in order to get the right mix of rookie and veteran experience in training camp. It's likely this move was purely based on getting someone with four years NFL experience in the fold, rather than looking to mentor yet another young TE in Tarren Lloyd.

Frank Alexander, [on learning that he would be wearing #90 for the Panthers]: "When I found out...

2012-05-16T16:49:05Z

Frank Alexander, [on learning that he would be wearing #90 for the Panthers]: "When I found out about it, I thought, ‘Dang, I got Peppers' number.' That's my favorite player."

Bill Voth, Twitter

Las Vegas Predicting Another 6-10 Season? Hogwash! Balderdash!

2012-05-16T02:27:19Z

Las Vegas Predicting Another 6-10 Season? Hogwash! Balderdash!

No way will the Panthers go 6-10 again in 2012, right? Right!

Panthers 2012 UDFA Profile: WR Wes Kemp

2012-05-16T02:00:04Z

The Panthers clearly made the wide receiver position a priority in the UDFA market, and, as a result, the they were able to obtain the services of four wide receivers who will have a great opportunity to make this team. By my estimation, the receiver who has been given the least amount of attention since being signed by the Panthers would be Wes Kemp. Of course, his relative obscurity only added to my intrigue, and after spending some time researching the former Tiger from Missouri, I was pleasantly surprised by what he could bring to this team.

If you were to ask a pool of NFL players what musicians are currently playing on their ipod, I'm quite certain that the majority of those answers would be artists from the hip hop, rap, and rock genres. I'm going to go out on a limb a bit more by assuming that most of today's athletes wouldn't be listening to artists like Gotye, Al Green, and Bach too often. But Wes Kemp does, and this is only one example of what makes him so unique.

As a sophomore, Kemp earned 2nd Team Academic All-Big 12 status and went on to complete his undergraduate business degree in an impressive three and a half years. Not only does he have the intelligence to learn the position, but he also has the work ethic and character to excel at he next level. Unfortunately for Kemp, those attributes didn't translate to eye-popping statistics during his college career. However, it would be foolish to look at his numbers alone when completing the full picture of what he brings to the table.

Generally speaking, a wide receiver's blocking ability doesn't get a great deal of love from fans, but it is important to scouts, however, when handing out final grades, and Kemp's score in this category was probably one of the highest in the country. In fact, his offensive coordinator at Missouri called him a dominant blocker and Blaine Gabbert additionally gave him high praise when he called Kemp the best blocker on the entire team. When you throw in the fact that he didn't drop a single pass during his senior season, and never lost a fumble in his college career, we have the makings of a sleeper pick to make the practice squad or more. What do you think, CSR? Let me know in the poll and the comment section that follows.

Event	Ht	Wt	Hand	Arm	Wing	Wonderlic	40 yard	BP	BJ	VJ	20s	60s	3 Cn

03/01/2012 Missouri Pro Day	6-3 3/8	223	9 3/4	32 5/8	80		4.51	18	10'1"	34 1/2	4.24	11.50	6.87

					Receiving				Rushing				Scrimmage
Year	School	Conf	Class	Pos	Rec	Yds	Avg	TD	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Plays	Yds	Avg	TD
2008	Missouri	Big 12	FR	WR	1	15	15.0	0	0	0		0	1	15	15.0	0
2009	Missouri	Big 12	SO	WR	23	418	18.2	3	0	0		0	23	418	18.2	3
2010	Missouri	Big 12	JR	WR	39	420	10.8	3	1	9	9.0	0	40	429	10.7	3
2011	Missouri	Big 12	SR	WR	29	369	12.7	5	1	-1	-1.0	0	30	368	12.3	5
Career	Missouri				92	1222	13.3	11	2	8	4.0	0	94	1230	13.1	11

Provided by Sports-Reference.com/CFB: View Original Table
Generated 5/15/2012.

Poll

Where will WR Wes Kemp end up?

Cat Scratch Radio Tonight 10pm EST: Rookie Mini Camp Wrap-up Edition

2012-05-16T00:00:26Z

It's Tuesday Panther fans and that means we have Cat Scratch Radio tonight 10pm EST. We've got all things Carolina Panthers to discuss but first here is how you can join the fun & mayhem:

1. Follow this link to listen, chat or even join the conversation through the Talkshoe platform. You'll need a headset with a mic to talk though if you don't dial in via land (see below). A cell phone will work but usually the quality of the call presents a problem.

2. Dial in via land line at (724) 444-7444 ...Call ID: 94648 to just listen or talk as well. You can also follow the chat at the same time through the link above. If you join the chat please take time to include your user name. You can do both as well, chat via talkshoe and dial in via land line to talk.

All Callers Welcome!

If you should miss the show you can always download the first hour of the show and listen by following this link.

Tonight's Hosts: Jaxon & James Dator

On tonight's docket is primarily the just completed rookie mini camp. We will recap that as much as possible. Other topics:

More draft pick discussion
Which UDFA Will Stick? predictions
Starting line up prognostications
Other Panther news & discussion
Best of CSR for the last week

As always after the recording ends at 11pm we will open up the mic for the after party. So join us for a little fun and Panther camaraderie!

Keep Pounding!