Fan Makes Interesting Discovery at Yard Sale - Kris Jenkins Panthers Playbook

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As we discussed on Cat Scratch Radio last night I was not impressed with this year's line up of Super Bowl commercials. I found a couple to be 'chuckle' worthy but that was about it. While I did like the Clint Eastwood spot I prefer by SB commercials on the humorous side so that's my focus with this poll. There was no horse passing gas or frogs croaking in unison. Instead it was a fat dog, Seinfeld, Stamos, a baby and believe it or not a car that a guy thought was a hot chick. So here's a link if you haven't seen the videos and my top 7 to pick from:

1 - Happy Grad - Dude thinks his parents bought him a sports car instead of dorm fridge he is looking past. Pretty funny celebration fail

2 - Fat Dog - Dog gets stuck in dog door trying to go outside (supposedly to chase a car)

3 - Speed Dating E-Trade Baby - The 'speed dating' line in the hospital new born room at the hospital is a good chuckle

4 - Hot Chick is a Car - This one had me guessing til the end, the coffee cream on the lip had my interest

5 - The Tease - Seeing Stamos get head butted for being a douche is good TV

6 - Seinfeld Wants a Car Really Bad - Soup Nazi reference was good

7 - Think Fast - Dude saves his boss using his car

So take the poll if you choose!

Poll

Which if these Super Bowl Ads did you like the best?

• Happy Grad
• Fat Dog
• Speed Dating Baby
• Hot Chick is a Car
• the Tease
• Seinfeld
• Think Fast

  30 votes | Results

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A year ago, there was a raging debate about whether Cam Newton was worthy of the No.

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The 16-year-old stadium is one of the last in the league of the renovated or rebuilt.

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The long, excruciating wait known as the off season is upon us. Just like the other teams in the league, Carolina will be busy breaking down scouting reports, attending the combine and pro days, making roster moves and determining which players can turn the franchise into a playoff competitor.

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I have to admit that I was skeptical about how well the turn-out would be for this draft exercise, and I was pleasantly surprised. My idea continually evolved as I was able to see where CSR nation stood when it came to who they had their eyes on in the upcoming draft. It will certainly be interesting to see how the draft ultimately turns out because some of these very players that you voted for may actually don the Panther's blue and black next season. Let's go ahead and get to the results, which were fairly close. Drum roll please.

1st place- With 19% of the vote

1st round: DT Michael Brockers LSU

2nd round: CB Chase Minnifield Virginia

4th round: OLB Sean Spence Miami

More results after the jump...

2nd place- With 12% of the vote

1st round: CB Dre Kirkpatrick Alabama

2nd round: NT Alameda Ta'amu Washington

4th round: OLB Sean Spence Miami

3rd place- Tied with 11% of the vote

1st round: DT Michael Brockers LSU

2nd round: DE/OLB Vinny Curry Marshall

4th round: FS George lloka Boise State

3rd place- Tied with 11% of the vote

1st round: CB Dre Kirkpatrick Alabama

2nd round: NT Alameda Ta'amu Washington

4th round: DE Cam Johnson Virginia

As you can see, the most popular players to draft were all on the defensive side of the ball, which wasn't surprising. Brockers, Kirkpatrick, and Ta'amu were the clear winners among the voters, and I expected as much. The obvious sentiment among the majority of CSR nation and beyond during the season was that the Panthers needed the biggest upgrades at the DT and CB positions. However, I will say this: If we do pass on Jonathan Martin, among other offensive lineman in the first three rounds, I wouldn't be upset, but the tackle and guard positions cannot be completely ignored. I look forward to the next couple of months as reports of individual player interviews and workouts are revealed at the combine and pro days. We can only hope to get a better sense of what direction the Panthers might go as we get closer to draft day, when anything can happen. In the meantime, I may spit out another series similar to this one after the combine, where players will rise and fall faster than it takes to finish reading this post(About 4.3 seconds). Until then, never forget to love without condition, and enjoy the journey my CSR friends.

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Tip of the hat to 'pantherdiehard' for his fanpost bringing this to my attention

Less than 20 days after Alabama CB Dre Kirkpatrick was arrested for marijuana possession the charges have been dropped.

For those who doubted: NO CHARGES FILED against me for marijuana bust in Florida. #innocent #Bama #NFLDraft

Dre Kirkpatrick, via Twitter

It should be interesting how analysts view this news, as many had revised their mocks and dropped Dre K as many as 15 spots in the wake of the arrest. The off-field issue is secondary of course to his on field play, something that is still somewhat of a mystery. The combine will be vital to Kirkpatrick as he hopes to prove he is a true cornerback, and not a safety in CB clothing. Should he be able to win over scouts that he has the ability to play outside then he's a likely lock as a top 10 pick, however he could be available in the 20's or later if he shows that he will need to be converted to safety in the NFL.

Whether he's a corner or a safety when it all shakes out, the Panthers are in dire need of both positions. Kirkpatrick is definitely a player to watch moving forward.

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via i1086.photobucket.com

The long, excruciating wait known as the off season is upon us. Just like the other teams in the league, Carolina will be busy breaking down scouting reports, attending the combine and pro days, making roster moves and determining which players can turn the franchise into a playoff competitor. Just like everyone else in the football world, I am analyzing the draft class and free agents that could be targeted by the Panthers over the next few months. After the jump, I will take a look at possible moves the Panthers front office will make to build the 2012 team.

Welcome to the off season.....

Roster Cuts/Contract Restructuring

Carolina has the benefit of having secured their top players and are in no danger of losing a key playmaker to free agency. However, the money to spend is tight. The biggest area of concern is the health of OLB Thomas Davis' knee. He started last year on a promising note but went down soon after defensive captain Jon Beason was lost in Week 1. Davis has stated he wants to remain a Panther and the general perception around the fan base wants him to stay as well. The Panthers worked out an extension for Davis but given the fact he is an injury risk, his contract may need to be adjusted to help free up money and not locked into a salary cap liability. As of now, Davis' contact is for five years at $36.5M. I have seen the dangers of committing a lot of cash into an injury prone player and it does not bode well for the team in terms of signing top free agents to fill their needs. Essentially, there is no money to be spent. This brings me to the roster cuts. There are three players that stand out who are getting paid more than what their production suggests. Jimmy Clausen is tied up with a four year deal worth $6.3M. Armanti Edwards has a four year deal worth $2.5M. Jason Baker is in the last year of a six year contract worth $9.1M. These three need to be cut because there is no reason why $8.8M needs to be tied up in two guys with limited field time (especially Clausen, who did not dress for much of the season). Baker should be let go and the Panthers fill his spot via the draft. I have seen a lot of mock drafts taking UGA punter Drew Butler in the last round. That move makes sense because you attain a quality special teams player at a low price. Then there are the free agents. I won't list them, but here is a link to view them. Out of the list of twelve, Carolina will probably re-sign five or six of them. Those players are Derek Anderson, Mackenzy Bernadeau, Richie Brockel, Dan Connor, Geoff Schwartz and/or Jeremy Shockey. Out of this group, I think Shockey and Anderson may command the most money. There is one more person to consider...Jonathan Stewart. He becomes a free agent in 2013 and the front office has to decide whether or not to sign him to an extension or use him as trade bait. The only way I see him being dealt is if the Panthers try to acquire a third round pick or a late second. Since Stewart is an instrumental part of the offense, the idea of him being traded seems distant at best. The Panthers will give him a new deal, hopefully before the new season begins.

Free Agency

How the Panthers draft could very well depend on their roster moves and the free agents they are able to sign. There are three areas I believe the Panthers will look into addressing with veterans prior to the draft in April. Both the defensive line and the secondary have gaps in them which will most likely be filled with free agents. However, the money available will determine if a run at these guys is in the cards.

Robert Mathis (DE) - Indianapolis looks to be on the verge of rebuilding and its not clear whether a guy who is use to winning would want to be part of a rebuilding project. He would give Carolina an interesting rotation that already includes Greg Hardy and Charles Johnson.

Antonio Garay (NT) - This guy played in Ron Rivera's system in San Diego and could solidify the interior, while giving the Panthers an optimal 3-4 scheme with speed on the outside. The only concern here is whether or not Jerry Richardson will be comfortable signing a player who likes to make an artistic spectacle of head.

Cortland Finnegan (CB) - The secondary needs help and probably moreso at cornerback. Finnegan would allow Captain Munnerlyn to return to the nickel corner position and provide Chris Gamble a potent partner in stopping the passing game. Finnegan is a wild card to land in Carolina, but a player I think will garner much attention will most likely be...

Carlos Rogers (CB) - Its hard to say whether or not the 49ers will re-sign Rogers to a long term deal, especially since they have another option that is both young and affordable. Carolina made a run at him last year so I wouldn't be surprised if they did again over the next several weeks. Either way, adding one of these guys to the roster instantly improves the secondary.

Dennis Dixon (QB) - The Panthers need a backup QB with a similar skill set to Cam Newton. The list of free agent QBs who meet this criteria is short, very short. Dixon is mobile but he lacks the talent possessed by Newton. His career numbers are truly those of a backup: 35/59 402 yards 1TD/2INTs, 10 rushes for 56 yards and 1 TD.

Josh Johnson (QB) - Johnson is a familiar face as Carolina saw him in the first meeting against Tampa Bay last season. Like Dixon and his teammate Josh Freeman, he is a mobile quarterback. He has size too which would make his acquisition that more interesting. His career numbers are better than Dixon's, but he needs to be more polished: 96/177 1,042 yards 5 TDs/10 INTs, 37 rushes for 254 yards.

Draft

What Carolina does not address in free agency they should address in the draft. Many players have been mocked to the Panthers on both sides of the ball, but the one common theme remains the same: its usually a lineman. On offense, OT Jonathan Martin and OG David DeCastro have been slotted as potential picks if Carolina decides to go in that direction. Defensively, there are several players from different positions the Panthers could pick first. On the line, there are defensive tackles Devon Still and Michael Brockers. Defensive end Melvin Ingram is a potential pick, but I doubt Carolina would take him inside the top ten. Cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick is an interesting selection given his recent off field exploits. It will be interesting to see how much his stock will recover even though he was found innocent of all charges. He will need to impress the most at both the combine and at his pro day. Carolina has made it a habit to select the best player available (BPA) and if I had to rank their needs, it would be defensive line, secondary and offensive line in that order. The combine and pro days will be crucial to a prospect's chances of being a top ten pick so all of these guys need to bring their "A" game.

Conclusion

There is a lot to be done between now and the start of training camp. In my opinion, I feel Carolina's roster will remain mostly intact, but hopefully with some strong additions. The Panthers proved they can score often and a lot with the guys they have on offense so the biggest area of concern is the defense. However, Newton needs to improve and cut back on turning the ball over. He needs to win games in which he throws an interception and learn to move on when he does give away the ball. Special teams needs to improve in the kicking game and returning. The defense needs to improve their tackling and prevent huge gains othe secondary needs to neutralize opposing wide receivers and not give up the big play. Overall, I look forward to the off season and am ready to see how much this team improves in 2012.

Go Panthers!!!

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Players like Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez really revolutionized the position, making it a spot for athletic freaks who can block, stretch the field, find the end zone and catch in traffic like Vernon Davis, Jimmy Graham, Jermichael Finley and Rob Gronkowski.

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A Carolina Panthers fan found some interesting stuff at a garage sale recently, and you have to wonder where it...
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Katy Perry dedicated a song to Tim Tebow during a pre-game Super Bowl performance.

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When one season ends, another begins. The NFL concluded its “on field” season when the clock hit...
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It should be interesting how analysts view this news, as many had revised their mocks and dropped Dre K as many as 15 spots in the wake of the arrest.

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The Panthers say they have informed permanent seat license (PSL) owners they will not raise season ticket prices for the 2012 season. There was a spike in interest in Carolina following the arrival of No. 1 overall draft pick Cam Newton, The Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year. Carolina still finished below .500 with a 6-10 record, though games were closer and more competitive than they...
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