@TheRule8618 @FSUPros @Panthers got it on bro pic.twitter.com/66GeBBHJ17
— Kelvin Benjamin (@KBREDZONE) February 25, 2014
When the Charlotte Observer's Jonathan Jones wrote of the Carolina Panthers 'Hey, you're projected the sorriest receivers in the NFL,' quarterback Cam Newton came out swinging.
I think everyone has heard the overall story by now...Cam
said he had "no doubt" in his mind that when the games are played,
everyone will do their jobs. His retort was not only mild compared with the
flagrant insult, but it showed that this really is "his team" now,
and that Newton is showing more and more leadership.
Nothing better could have been said about this group right
now. Thank you, Mr. Jones.
I fully expect this "sorriest receivers" tidbit
become something of a rallying cry for the group as a whole. While it doesn't
call out any specific receiver, in aggregate it is a complete insult to each
and every one of them, I'm sure.
The truth is we don't have a lot of household names at the
position. I'd go so far as to say that Kelvin Benjamin is probably the
best-known one at the position and he hasn't even played a down in Carolina
colors yet.
That's simply due to the draft coverage of Smitty's rudely
getting the boot and the draft hype around the rookie plus the free agent
changes. It is well-documented that none of them have caught a pass for
Carolina last season, it doesn't mean they won't.
There are the journeymen Jerricho Cotchery, Jason Avant, and
unheralded Tiquan Underwood new to the team plus the leftovers from the deep
end of the bench or practice squad from last season.
While I won't get into any deep analysis or morality here,
Smitty's loss won't be a big production loss on the field and he's not getting
younger. That's the cold, hard reality of the NFL. It could have and should
have been done better but that's yet another story.
Cotchery had his career-high in TD catches last season, so
he's at the peak of his career. Avant is a warm body that can make a play once
in a while - LaFell's role last season. I still think Underwood is underestimated
in his role in replacing Ted Ginn, Jr. He has very good speed and better hands
than Ginn did, so he could well be my "surprise player of the year"
as far as new FA acquisitions go. We'll see soon enough, but sometimes a change
in scenery unleashes a player's potential. I'm hoping.
Then there's Kelvin "The Yeti" Benjamin from this
year's first round. The redshirt sophomore from FSU is quite green, but you
can't coach 6'5" 240 lbs at wide receiver either. I'd go so far as to say
he's a WR/TE "tweener" there - perhaps a tad too stiff and bulky at
the NFL level to be an NFL star WR while he's a little too undersized and
physical to be a TE. He did have the slowest 3-cone drill at the WR position at
the NFL combine, and that's a drill I like because it measures agility and
overall change-of-direction skills. Evidently, they aren't strengths of
Benjamin's.
Now is the time to break out the "Biff" impression
from Back to the Future.
"Hel-LO.....McFLY.....ANYBODY HOME?!?!?"
Think, McFly, THINK! *author shakes his head to get out of
his mode*
Seriously - think. It isn't like David Gettleman was
ignorant of this tidbit, himself. He's huge, he can leap, and Cam often misses
high when he misses and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is retired.
THAT is what got Benjamin the gig. Playing above the rim.
While he could completely maul NFL defensive backs one-on-one after the catch,
he's not shown a "physicality" like that so much in college. Perhaps
he doesn't have that killer mentality, but Carolina's receivers coach Ricky
Proehl can hopefully coax him into using his "size to brutalize."
While rookies rarely make a big impact and Benjamin is
unlikely to make a one himself, he can still be used in certain situations to
go up and get a first down and also be that "red zone" target that so
many teams now have.
He could turn a few field goals into touchdowns, and that is
"more huger" than even Benjamin's size is.
Especially with the defense the Panthers have. Ouch.
Now, to try and "roll back the rant" into the
subject of this article - the NFL's sorriest receivers.
The reason for my own rant here is simply to point out that,
while some of the Panthers don't have that sexy, flashy look to them, being the
least experienced as a unit doesn't necessarily make them the league's worst.
Cotchery is the veteran who can help coach up Benjamin and
Underwood in some of the finer points of playing the position. Kelvin is the
"power forward" type. Forget about Underwood, and he has the
potential to really gouge you.
Even tight end Ed Dickson has joined the team for depth
behind Greg Olson. Olson, frankly, isn't a guy other teams have to game-plan
for but is a steady hand for Cam and a chains-mover himself.
No, the team isn't going to go from dead last in "explosive
plays" to first or even near that. For one thing it isn't their style.
"Keep Pounding" if you will. Play defense. Ball control.
Newton is the guy other teams have to game-plan for.
Entering his fourth NFL campaign, I think his measured response to the insult,
he handled this thing pretty well. Behind closed doors? They are ALL going to
play with that much more of a chip on their shoulders. They want to go out and
prove Mr. Jones wrong.
For that, Mr. Jones, I hope you are a Panthers' fan yourself
because you just gave them an edge that they already knew existed. You've
defined it now.
Cam will now lead with a bit more urgency on every play.
They'll concentrate on their task that much more. Stay an extra hour or two in
the film room than they otherwise may have.
And play that much harder.
Follow me on Twitter @Ken_Dye
No comments:
Post a Comment