C3 Fantasy League Corner: The Commish's Analysis of League Rucker by Rounds, 1-5

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Howdy once more, folks. This particular post is partly for people who haven't had their league draft to see how a live draft recently went. Not a MOCK live draft; we were drafting our teams for real.

See the Process: Carolina Panthers Camp Cuts to 53-Man Roster

Getting to the 53 is a grueling process for coaches every year.  For fans this is an exciting, but often, overwhelming process.  C3 has been trying to track and visualize this process to make following our team a little easier.  Hopefully this helps to illustrate the personnel process and Carolina's current 53 roster.  Please use and share the document freely.  If you find any errors or have in questions, leave a comment.  

The Man with the Golden Gloves: Justin Hardy

C3 is always working hard to scout talent that we believe would help the Carolina Panthers in the future.  Often this talent is in our own backyard.  It's the reason we started the "Backyard Ballers" series last season. This season, C3 has gone further by launching the official "C3 Countdown 2 Justin Hardy" campaign, where hope to bring Freak Magic, aka "the Man with the Golden Gloves," to the Queen City.  Adding Hardy to the Panthers would compliment the gigantic Kelvin Benjamin and give Cam a new weapon in a clearly unsolidified receiving core.

C3 First Annual FFL Draft: Impressions from the Commish

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Well, our first annual CarolinaCatChronicles.com fantasy football draft completed last night, and I thought I'd share with interested readers some of my impressions of what I saw in my own league draft. 

Will Cam be Cam, or will he be a bust in 2014?

Oh the possibilities!  After all, they are what keep us coming back, right?  Thirty one teams get their hearts broken every year, but come back with even more fervor the following season.  I was depressed for a week after losing the 49ers last year in the Playoffs but am chomping at the bit for the 2014 season.  I am, after all, one of the biggest Carolina Panther fans that you’ll ever meet.  In fact, if I were eligible, I would have entered the C3 Fan Spotlight Contest. I would have given the awesome finalists in that contest a run for their money.  Some lucky fan will win dinner for two at Firebirds and two tickets to the Panthers Home Opener.  Read their stories and vote for your favorite fan here:  http://www.carolinacatchronicles.com/p/fan.html.

Carolina Panthers 2014 Schedule Prediction: ESPN The MAGAZINE YOU ARE WRONG!

I walked into my parent’s house and I saw ESPN The Magazine sitting on my Dad’s desk. The cover read NFL 2014, who wouldn’t pick that up? I grabbed it and turned right to the index, and saw that ESPN was nice enough to predict the outcome of every game on every NFL team’s schedule.

Oh Godfrey, No Safety in Carolina's Secondary!

Oh Godfrey, Cam broke a rib. Oh Godfrey, Carolina has an entirely new receiving core. Oh Godfrey, Jordan Gross's retirement pushed Byron Bell to left tackle, and this line could be even worse than last year's. Oh Godfrey, Panther fans are in a panic. What, there’s more?  Oh Godfrey!

Oh Godfrey! Cam broke a rib!

C3 Fantasy Football Challenge: Draft Order

The results are in!

Each league has an individual page in this spreadsheet.  Look for the league names at bottom to navigate between leagues. 

Carolina's Loss to Patriots Not Nearly as Bad as it Seems

Yes, we all watched last night's "Fiasco at Foxborough," we all have our opinions on it, and many are worried about the team regressing...even some writers here perhaps.

Well, I'm here to help put many of those fears to rest - I hope - as I see things in a bit of a different light.

1- I think first and foremost, the Panthers' offensive line looked about as clueless as as people who have no idea who Mr. Boddy is. Both tackle Nate Chandler and rookie guard Trai Turner stayed completely out of the game - didn't even dress - so our already thin o-line started the game with quite a handicap. 

When you're trying to "gel" an o-line, it takes time, patience and practice. Getting the o-line to play like the fingers of a hand is always the ultimate goal, but is only achieved by repetitions as a unit. So far, the Panthers haven't had that luxury. Chris Scott was in at RG and Garry Williams, a career castoff, started at RT. I have always liked LT Byron Bell, but I call him "The Turnstile" for a reason. He struggled all night long mainly against Chandler Jones.

Tune In for C3 Selection Saturday!

In a special Saturday show, just before the Colts vs Saints preseason match, we will draw draft positions for all four C3 leagues.  C3 will also hold Premium C3 Draft Guide raffle for an autographed DeAngelo Williams mini helmet. Make sure you have your team registered in the appropriate C3 league to heighten your chances of a higher draft pick. Any team not yet registered in the appropriate C3 league on FleaFlicker will be assigned draft selction after the lottery drawing. 

Podcast starts at 7 pm discussing that Fiasco in Foxborough.  Drawing at 7:30 pm. 

The Only Positive of the Panther’s Preseason Game Against the Patriots

Carolina’s first two preseason games reminded me of that inevitable moment in any guy’s life where the  hot girl in class is nice, and he gets courage to ask her for her number.  She is naturally nice, and even entertains his phone call. The third game, however, was the call where she told him she just wanted to be friends.  It stings. The euphoria so quickly dashed by a swift kick to the manhood.  That’s pretty much what happened last night at Gillette Stadium, where lady Brady said to Carolina, “kitty cats, aren’t they cute?”

The offensive line played terrible, the run game was non-existent, Cam looked indecisive at times and failed to connect on some easy open looks, the secondary blew coverages and missed tackles, and New England running backs ran through gaping holes left by a gassed defensive line.  On top of that, Greg Hardy re-aggravated his shoulder, Robert Lester sprained his ankle, Cam took a knee to the back, and everyone else who didn’t get hurt played gimpy anyway.  It was a long game, one that the Panthers never looked the least bit in control.

Backyard Baller: Wofford’s Brenton Bersin

Who doesn’t love a home grown player with lots of potential? The Carolina Panthers have one this year in Brenton Bersin. Bersin is an unproven wide receiver who has been trying to make the Panthers active roster since 2012, when he was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent. The Panthers released Bersin in 2012, but he made a good enough impression to make later the practice squad. This year, however, may just be his breakout year because he has a real shot at making the 53-man roster!

Bersin has shown a lot of potential over the years, but he just didn’t seem t quite ready for the NFL. Now after having a productive preseason, he has an opportunity to make the active roster. He stood out at the Fan Fest with a long touchdown grab, and he had a great camp since. He also had a solid game against the Kansas City Chiefs with an outside shoulder, 16-yard touchdown reception thrown by Derek Anderson.

Who is Brenton Bersin?

C3's "the Professor" Issues Ice Bucket Challenge to Bill Voth, Chris McClain, and Clip Brock

I was pretty excited when issued the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS Awareness by Kristie Barnes.  I'll be making a donation tomorrow.  In the meantime, I've challenged three media personalities:  +Bill Voth of BlackandBlueReview.com, Chris McClain of WFNZ 610 the Fan, and Clip Brock of +PirateRadio1250. Make a donation today! Click to donate now to ALS Association.

C3 Podcast: The Good, the Bad, and the Benjamin!

Panthers May be in for Long Contract Negotiations with Cam Newton

Several quarterbacks have gotten supposedly large contracts in the past few months, and Cam Newton is on record for not liking the deals....at all.

Yes, people like Colin Kaepernick and Andy Dalton get the headlines - 5 years $96 million dollars, or whatever the individual case may be. It sound like a ton of money, but as we all know headlines are simply sound bites to get you to read or listen as "teasers."


Take Dalton's contract for instance. Only $17 million in guaranteed money, which is far less than a guy like, say, Miami's WR Mike Wallace. He got about double that in guarantees, and he's not even a quarterback!

Five Takeaways from Panthers Preseason Victory Over the Chiefs

1) Cam was rusty.

Super Cam’s return didn’t start off so super, completing only 1 of his first 5 passes.  Newton stared down his receivers, had trouble getting through his progressions, threw a ball into triple coverage that miraculously wasn’t intercepted, and missed Kelvin Benjamin deep.  It wasn’t until the second quarter that Newton rebounded after piecing together a drive sparked by Jonathan Stewart’s impressive debut and a sharp pass to new tight end, Ed Dickson. Cam looked unwilling to run, whether by coaches’ orders or personal hesitancy. He evaded a few pass rushes, but to be expected, he never pushed on the gas fully. Cam was clearly a little rusty. The worrisome part, however, is that his ankle looked squeaky also.  Hopefully a few of drops of 3-1 oil will do the trick.  I’m sure Jonathan Stewart has some borrow.

My All-Time Carolina Panthers Squad

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I'm sure every fan of the Carolina Panthers has had this discussion, in one form or another, with other fans.

"Who would you say are the all-time greats of the Carolina Panthers?"

Did the First Preseason Game Tell the Tale of the Panthers Defense?

It’s fashionable for analysts to downplay a team’s preseason debut. They’re mostly right, teams are still early in the process. Their skepticism would be particularly true for Carolina’s first preseason game had it been against a mere random opponent. This matchup wasn’t entirely random and may offer more insight than normal.  

Early last season, Carolina suffered a demoralizing last second defeat in Buffalo. The early loss stung particularly hard, not only because it occurred in the final seconds, but because it revealed the underlying weaknesses that eventually ended in an early playoff exit: a suspect secondary, weak offensive line, and less than potent offense. 

Razzle, Dazzle and Bowling Ball

No offense in the NFL can be consistently potent without having a successful ground game. Over the years, the Carolina Panthers have had some solid running backs. Some of the running backs that I can remember are Tim Biakabutuka, Stephen Davis, and DeShaun Foster. Everyone remembers the 2009 NFL season when both DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart rushed for 1,000 yards. They were the fifth pair in NFL history to reach that miraculous mark.

C3 Live Podcast==>Camp Chronicles: Saints and Panthers

Why Rucker I Selected Rucker as C3 Fantasy Football League

I met and interviewed Mike Rucker during the regular season last year, and he's one of the nicest guys you could ever ask to meet. He was participating in the Play-60 program and having fun with the kids - that's a sign of a real stand-up guy. Helping children. The other reason is - and I asked him specifically about this - he played opposite of Julius Peppers in his prime. I asked Mike if it mattered to him that one guy was getting all the attention and limelight while he (Mike Rucker) was virtually ignored. His answer was very professional: It didn't matter so long as we won. He said his job was to do whatever he was asked to do and he did it as well as he could every single down. I also learned that the most difficult offensive lineman for him to solve was New Orleans' Willie Roaf....who has just launched into the NFL Hall of Fame if I'm not mistaken.

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Dawgs Eat in Carolina: Tavarres King's Impressive Debut

I guess it’s destiny for me to like Tavarres King.  He’s a Georgia Bulldog (my wife’s entire family are Georgia alum) and, most importantly, King finds some sort of cosmic significance in  the time 11:11 (this time has an important significance to me as well).  King regularly tweets:

11:11
— Tavarres King (@TKUnoDos) August 8, 2014

5 Quick Observations on 1st Half of Panthers vs Bills

#Panthers #TheresNoTime pic.twitter.com/LUKAsu1otT
— Cat Chronicles (@Cat_Chronicles) August 9, 2014

1) Panthers' front seven is still boss: Carolina's front four ate em up all night.  Kawann Short played particularly well.  Hardy grabbed a sack after Dwan Edwards tied up Buffalo's interior line.  Ealy looked motivated to prove he belongs.  All of this, and Charles Johnson didn't play.  Watch out opposing QB's, Jack Bauer is right--there's no time!!

2) Barner got all the reps at halfback: It looks like the Panthers coaching staff is high on Kenjon Barner again.  He got nearly every carry in the first half and was back there returning kicks.  He did have a dropped pass, which came in a little hot but was a catchable ball.  Even with the added weight, you can tell he is still going to get muscled around out there if he can't use his speed to get it done.

Fans are exited to see Panther football!

It may just be the pre season, but +Carolina Panthers are pumped!  Here are a few pics to get your game day excitement started. Tweet your fan swag pics with the hash tag #C3.

Kony Ealy Taking Ribbing On and Off Field

Proclaimed steal of the draft, Kony Ealy has taken a beating both on and off the field.  Drafted 60th overall and graded as a first round talent, Panther fans praised Gettleman's commitment to drafting the "best player available" when selecting the 276 lbs Missouri Tiger in the 2nd round.  Some fans were bewildered as the Panthers passed on guys like Morgan Moses or Jack Mewhort, but later consoled when Gettleman grabbed Trai Turner in the 3rd, who many viewed as perhaps the draft's most valuable steal.  Greg Hardy's legal troubles and looming suspension, the unlikeliness of signing him long-term, and the potential parting of ways with Charles "Big Money" Johnson, only made the Ealy selection look that much wiser.

Ealy, however, has struggled in his first training camp, leaving some questioning his ability to make an immediate impact.

Is the Carolina Panthers Offense set to Dramatically Improve?

Hey gang.  I thought about calling this column something like "Is Dave Gettleman the new Ex-Lax?" It would have probably made some people click on to look that wouldn't normally have done so, but was a bit too "out there" to actually put as the title - not to mention generating some rather unseemly analogies.  The point, however, remains the same. Dave Gettleman seems to get the "mostest from the leastest" as far as his free agent acquisitions have generally gone so far. Very smoothly.

Panther Training Camp 8-5 in Images

C3 made it out to camp today and got a lot of work done, but also had a lot of fun.  We were fortunate enough to interview +Bill Voth from +Black and Blue Review for this week's podcast.  Because we are attending camp today and tomorrow, we are going to push the podcast back until Thursday to get some edits done to the interview and to also mull over what we see tomorrow in addition to today's Panther performances.  Until then, check out some of the shots C3 snapped.



Brensin Bersin is working hard to make this team.  Here he is with the #1 unit catching a TD and making Melvin White look silly.

MORE TO COME!!! 

Practice Makes Perfect

As I reminisce on the 2013 Carolina Panthers, I can’t help but get extremely excited about the upcoming season. Five more Sundays and regular season Panther football is back in action.

Now, I know that nothing is guaranteed and I know that no one can predict the outcome but there’s something about a new year that makes my heart smile.

Training camp and preseason football gives us the opportunity to see the potential of each individual player. We’re able to see the second, third, and fourth string players give their all in hopes of making the team. I feel for these guys; when they’re on the field, I can see their dreams hanging in the balance and one blown play may be the end.

I made the trip to Spartanburg over the weekend to get an up-close look at our 2014 Panthers. Despite the heat, the crowd was fantastic; fans dressed in their Sunday best – black, blue, and white jerseys, of course– made the trip to support our team and being in close proximity to other Panther fans made the upcoming season all the more real.

Will Cam Newton Get Paid?

Andy Dalton, quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals received a six year, $115 million contract extension today. Last week, Dalton said that he was pretty confident he would get a new deal done; he sure did.  His deal is similar to Jay Cutler’s seven years, $126.7 million signed in January.

Cam Newton is under contract for the upcoming season, but the Carolina Panthers need to decide on whether or not to exercise his option for the 2015 season. If Dalton and Cutler are getting deals this big, how much should Cam Newton get when he signs a new contract with the Carolina Panthers?

How well were Cam Newton and Andy Dalton supposed to do in the NFL?

Were Worries of Benjamin's Hands Unfounded?

The general consensus was that that Kelvin Benjamin has butter fingers at times.  This has been the greatest criticism of the giant receiver.  This training camp has offered a lot evidence contrary to those criticisms.

The Carolina Bulldog: Thomas Davis

When you think about the Carolina Panthers, who is the one player that best exemplifies the heart and soul of the team? Is it Cam Newton? Luke Kuechly? Greg Hardy? While all of those players are important to the team’s identity, only one player truly personifies the heartbeat of the Carolina Panthers……. Thomas Davis!  So why is Thomas Davis the heart of the team? To find out, let’s recap his football journey. Davis played college ball at the University of Georgia. As a safety in 2003, he was very successful leading an aggressive Georgia Bulldog defense and earning second-team All-SEC honors. In 2004, he was named a first-team All-SEC selection, a consensus first team All-American, and in 2005, he was the Panthers 14th overall selection in the 2005 NFL Draft.

Panther Defensive Players to Breakout in 2014

Wrapping up part two of players set to have a breakout season for the Panthers, I’ll take on the defense this time and give my opinion on the players I feel will end up having a recognizably strong 2014 season.  Considering there are at least five Pro-Bowl potential players in our front seven alone, there really are only a few defensive players who could surprise Panther fans.  Don’t be shocked if one of the players might already have a lot of “Money” to his name.