NFC South Bound and Down Episode 8: In the Thick of It

South Bound and Down round-table huddles up to discuss Week 9 and the NFC South.  Join the crew as they talk about the wins, well ties, losses, injuries, and match-ups facing the NFC South.  We'll be doling out the typical banter topped off by our picks for the week.  Tweet the show at #SouthBound  

Panther Nation Holds Monday Night Mental Health Meeting

Boy did I need something to pick me up after two demoralizing Panther losses.  We all know the deal, Carolina gave up 70 points in two weeks falling to 2-2.  So, #C3 scheduled an emergency mental health meeting Monday night. The meeting helped, if you didn't make it.  Here the bullet points:

South Bound and Down Episode 2: Week 3 Losers and 1 Winner

The NFC South round-table continues as the guys discuss the unforeseen events that have the Panthers in leading the division, the Saints win-less at the bottom, and the Falcons...well is anyone sure about that team at this point.  Join us for the premiere NFC South podcast, where we get to the bottom of these topics. 

South Bound and Down Episode 1

Check out the premier NFC South podcast tonight at 10 pm.

Why the Carolina Panthers Will Repeat as NFC South Champions

Yesterday, I posted a rather long piece of sober reality with a laundry-list of reasons why the Carolina Panthers won't repeat in the NFC South as champions. While the odds are stacked against it, since nobody has ever done so, but as the saying goes, "There's a first time for everything."

Why the Carolina Panthers will not Repeat as NFC South Champs

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Okay folks, it's time to get "real" with a single day between the Carolina Panthers and their opening day game at Tampa Bay.

First of all, of course I'm psyched about the season starting and, as always, I'm very hopeful about the prospects for the Panthers this season. They've had a lot of change in the roster, especially at wide receiver, the offensive line, and in the defensive backfield.

NFC South Quarterback Rankings

As NFL teams prepare for training camp that begins later this month, fans continue to speculate about offseason hype, frankly, because there’s nothing else.  Fans and analysts are taking statistics from previous years and meshing them into some sort of equation that is suppose to determine the fate of the 2014 NFL season. Certain teams made big splashes during free agency, while others remained quiet until the draft. Some teams, like Cleveland, searched for that franchise quarterback, while others like Dallas tried to find ways to protect their franchise guy or give him more weapons.

Deep Divisions: Panthers Season Opener vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers

In last week's +Cat Chronicles episode, we broke down the division schedule in context of the 2014 season. Here's a look at the bit on the season opener vs the +Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Take a peek to see what to look for in this divisional rivalry and season opener!

Who Does PantherNation Hate the Most? Vote Now!

What I say to my haters pic.twitter.com/qt3nKQiA22
— Darth Vader (@DepressedDarth) May 31, 2014

Twitter has turned out to be a good source for inspiration.  Sometimes it inspires me to have a good day or to do additional research,
 but today my musing turned to hatred.  Some PantherFans recently engaged in a Twitter war with our “Friends” down I-85 South. 

Divisions Run Deep: Carolina Panthers Divisional Schedule Analysis

Join us live at 10 pm as we look at those we hate the most--our divisional rivals! #C3 will look at divisional match-ups in the context of the schedule and season.  Tweet us at the hashtag #C3 during to the show to voice your dislike for our divisional foes.  Divisions run deep....don't forget that! 

Joe picked up some sweet gear at The Fanzone in Charleston today.  He'll be showing it off in tonight's show! 

How Carolina's Division Influences Their Draft Philosophy

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A wise man once said that the first thing you have to do as a NFL team is win your division.  It's really the only way to control whether you get into the playoffs or not.  Shooting for a wildcard spot leaves team disappointed more often than not. (See the Arizona Cardinals who won 10 games last year and sat home during the playoffs.)  If the Panthers don’t win the NFC South in 2014, Carolina will be competing with the likes of San Francisco or Seattle, along with those Cardinals, and others like the Packers or Bears for those final spots.  Two spots is not a lot.  Now maybe that will change to three spots, but still there will be a lot of quality teams vying for a few spots.

Hold Up, the Bucs Ain't Champs Yet! A Pre-Draft Evaluation of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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There's been a lot made of the Tampay Bay’s offseason free agency activity, especially hiring of Coach Lovie Smith.  The media had fawned over these additions, some already deeming the Buc’s the new division leader.  It has been busy offseason for Tampa with 17 total new faces on the roster. While there have been heaps of praise, I don’t think there has been enough coverage free agent departures and problems with important components of the team’s roster. Here's a couple of issues I see pre-draft for the Buc’s.

Defense:

Secondary: Tampa is playing 3 strong safeties without a true free safety. Dshon Goldson, Major Wright, and Mark Barron all have issues in coverage and are best playing in the box. I’m interested to see how they fit in a Tampa 2 base defense. The newly added Alterraun Verner is a good solid corner who fits the Tampa 2 defense, but he's not an upgrade over Revis. 

Big questions also loom with Mike Jenkins, Jonthan Banks, and Michael Johnson.

Linebackers: Tampa has an excellent outside linebacker in Lavonte David, but then what? Mason Foster is horrible in coverage. This position has to be addressed in the draft.  I’m guessing this will be a position Tampa Bay will look to upgrade in the draft given Lovie’s history with beast linebackers in the middle, such as Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs.

Defensive line: Consisting of Gerald McCoy, Clinton McDonald, Michael Johnson, Da’Quan Bowers, and Adrian Clayborn, this line is a mixed bag of goods. McCoy is an outstanding player, but what about the rest?  Big name free agent, Michael Johnson, was brought to shore of last year’s lack of defensive push. Johnson showed promise in 2012 compiling 11.5 sacks with the Cincinnati Bengals, but that figure dropped to a mere 3.5 sacks in 2013. The Bengals do one of the league’s premier pass rushers in Geno Atkins, so it's not like Johnson didn't have help. It unclear why his production dropped so dramatically.  Some think Johnson should flourish in Lovie’sdefense, but we haven’t seen much consistency yet from the league’s, now, 4th highest paid defensive player. McDonald, a backup defensive tackle for Seattle, had 5.5 sacks last season. He could be valuable in passing situations. Bowers has yet to live up to his acclaimed draft status, and Clayborn’s future with the Bucs is a question.

Offense: