NFL Preview: Carolina Panthers

Did anything happen with Carolina this off-season? Any interesting draft picks? Cam who you say? Cam Newton? Oh, that’s good, yeah that’s real good. Al Dannity has just one more question, can the Heisman Trophy winner save the worst team in the NFL?

The players
I could talk about how late-draftee Lawrence Wilson adds depth on special teams. I could waste time discussing the talents of new linemen Zachary Williams or Lee Ziemba. Actually Ziemba does deserve a mention as his job at Auburn used to involve protecting the man you want me to discuss, Cam Newton. Before I continue, I must defer to Verne Lundquist one last time before the NFL season.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/iOi2hj_sjyY[/youtube]

I’ve used that clip several times since Newton broke off that run against LSU. Come September we’ll get to see how he manages against much tougher opposition. The experts, well those without the surname Dannity, tend to urge caution when assessing Newton. Caution is for the meek and there is nothing humble, modest, or mild about what this young man does when he steps on a Football field. If NFL betting fans ever expect the Panthers to turn things around, it’s going to require a game-changer like Newton to do it. When Jimmy Clausen arrived he was a good quarterback but that’s all he was, a guy who played a position. Cam Newton is a symbol, one that will embolden the players around him and strike fear into the hearts of those in his path.

Mark your calendar
The Panthers open with a winnable game at Arizona but they will come home to find the defending Super Bowl champions waiting for them. The games against AFC South opponents should all prove interesting and NFL betting fans should pay particular heed to the match-up with the Colts in Week 12. It’s unlikely that the Panthers will come out with the W but Indy’s struggles on run-defense in recent years could see some big numbers recorded by Newton and co.

The verdict
Cam Newton can turn this team around and change the culture in the Panthers’ dressing room in his rookie season. Getting Carolina off the basement in the NFC South is a different matter entirely. I like Carolina’s chances of getting four or five wins in 2011, and Newton might even get them within a sniff of .500 territory at 7-9. Don’t expect a dramatic shift in the win column until 2012, by which stage the Panthers could be ready to make a big playoff push.