The Carolina Panthers may have yet another hole to fill this offseason -- tight end. Veteran Kris Mangum announced his retirement today after ten seasons with the Panthers and six seasons as the top tight end on the depth chart.
Mangum spent his entire career in Charlotte and was known mostly as a blocking tight end, though that may have been partly because of the offense in which he played. He finishes his career with 151 catches for 1424 yards and 9 touchdowns in 126 games, which puts him at third on the Panthers' all-time games played list behind John Kasay and Mike Minter.
It's unclear to me what effect this has on the Panthers' salary cap status. The boys at the Charlotte Observer rearranged their web site, making it impossible to refer back to their listing of all the Panthers' cap figures. However, new offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson is looking for pass-catching tight ends now, and with Mangum retired, all he has to work with are Michael Gaines, Jeff King and Mike Seidman. Does this make Greg Olsen a possible first-round pick in the draft? I suppose we'll find out after the free agency period -- assuming the Panthers have any room to maneuver in free agency, that is.
The Carolina Panthers blew a 4th-quarter lead in a close, low-scoring game, letting their opponent hang around long enough to make a big play that turned the game around. The Panthers were stuck with a head-scratcher of a loss, leaving their fans frustrated and questioning the team's quarterback, the team's play-calling, and the team's heart.
Sound familiar, Panthers fans? It's become a broken record in Charlotte. Carolina had a lead in the fourth quarter in all of their last four losses, but they couldn't hold it. This time, they literally couldn't hold the 4th-quarter lead when safety Mike Minter and cornerback Chris Gamble tried to arm-tackle Redskins tight end Chris Cooley, who broke free and broke north, taking a short Jason Campbell pass 66 yards for a touchdown with 4:26 left in the game.
This play came after Carolina responded to a late-3rd-quarter touchdown from Campbell to Antwaan Randle El with a 15-play 74-yard, 7-minute drive that ended with a spectacular Steve Smith touchdown catch. That gave the Panthers a 13-10 lead, which they gave right back after Cooley got loose. Carolina got the ball back twice, but they couldn't get anything going.
This was far more than just Minter and Gamble missing a tackle, though...
Ben Folsom and Brandon Kriner over at The Curly R, a Washington Redskins blog, asked me to take part in their weekly five questions trade, where they ask me five questions about my team and I ask them five about theirs. Because it always helps to know more about your opponent...
You can find my answers to their questions here. Below are the questions I asked them, with their answers:
1.) Every year, Daniel Snyder goes out and spends a ton of money on big name free agents, but few of them ever seem to have an impact withthe team. Out of all the free agents Washington signed this season, which one was the worst pickup, and how does he compared to past busts?
Curly R: I completely agree with you about the ineffectiveness of the Redskins free agent pickups. I think this year's worst free agent pickup was Brandon Lloyd. He was brought in to keep double teams off of Santana Moss, yet he's ranked only fourth in receiving on the team behind Moss, Chris Cooley (a tight end) and Ladell Betts (a running back!). Lloyd has only 17 catches for 261 yards and no TDs. That's just not going to cut it in the NFL. I can't comment on how he compares to all past busts, but the one that stands out most prominently in my mind was the Jeff George incident in 2001. That was just painful to watch.
2.) Al Saunders was brought in as offensive coordinator with the idea that his offense, which did wonders for Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson in Kansas City, might do the same for Clinton Portis. Why has his offense not caught on with the Redskins? Was it too complex, or did the players just not fit the scheme? Curly R: I really don't know. With things like this there's rarely just one answer. The only thing I can say is that the Redskins don't feel like a cohesive unit but rather a collection of individuals. As you mentioned in your first question, new free agents are brought in each year in hopes of providing that magic spark, but it rarely works out. The same goes for coaches. The team has tried out a number of different coaches, coordinators, senseis and swamis over the past ten years to no avail. My belief is that a team has to grow together as a unit over a number of years, but that is at odds with Snyder's "win now" philosophy.
Former All-Pro wideout Cris Carter -- who, in case you forgot, used to catch a lot of touchdowns -- likes to question the sobriety of anyone who dares to suggest that Matt Schaub might be a better quarterback than Michael Vick. So when he decides to start picking teams to go to the Super Bowl, fans of those teams should start to worry. A lot.
They have one of the best game-day coaches in John Fox; one of the most explosive offensive players in wide receiver Steve Smith; and one of the most dominating defenders in defensive end Julius Peppers. When you look at how they play, they're capable of going on the road and winning anywhere. Some people want to lock the Bears in as having home-field advantage in the NFC, but Chicago hasn't forgotten what the Panthers did to them in the playoffs last year, and it could happen again.
Sure, it's a far more sound argument than, "Schaub's better than Vick? Are you high?" Carter, however, doesn't exactly have the best track record in picking teams. He constantly picks the Colts to win it all, and they still have yet to get to the Super Bowl. Plus, I'm sure the Bears haven't noticed that a former Viking thinks they don't have enough firepower to make it to the big game, despite the fact that they're three games ahead of everybody in the conference right now.
Don't get me wrong. I hope he's right with this pick. I'm just trying to remember the last time he was.
Said Fox: "It was a screen. They covered it pretty well and Jake was trying to throw it away and it happened to fall into Steve's hands. It wasn't the O-line's fault."
So... our quarterback doesn't know how to throw the ball out of the end zone? Really? Maybe Ski's right about QBs named Jake...
Wahle was flagged for being an ineligible man downfield on that play. Of course, he would be downfield on a screen, busted or otherwise. Kind of a shame, though -- it was actually a nice pass, even if it was completely unintentional.
Speaking of Wahle, he injured his shoulder in Sunday's game and will be re-evaluated by doctors on Wednesday, as will DeShaun Foster, who hyperextended his elbow and had to leave the game in the first half. Wahle is one of the few linemen on the team who has remained healthy all season. Losing him now would be a big blow to an already struggling offense.
In his Q&A Forum on the Charlotte Observer's web site, columnist Scott Fowler was asked why so many Panthers fans seem to be complaining after a rather dominating 15-0 victory. Here was his reply:
Panther fans do have pretty high expectations these days, don't they? All sorts of franchise records set in this one, but there will be a lot of grumbling because of only 15 points, three offensive turnovers inside the 20, conservative play-calling, etc. I would say this franchise doesn't have nearly enough history to be anything but satisfied with a win of any stripe -- it's not like this is San Francisco, Dallas or Pittsburgh during the glory days and the wins come in so many dozens that it make sense to compare them, like a box of Krispy Kreme assorted. Panther fans should be happy right now and not look a gift horse in the mouth.
For the record, yes, I am happy for a win, and I am happy that this team's defense has rediscovered its awesomeness. Defense wins championships, and this Panther D has that look about it.
Lost amid the praise for the Carolina Panthers' defense -- and there is plenty of praise, all of it deserved -- is a statistic that should bother this team. Their turnover margin in this game was -1.
Sure, the Rams got all those turnovers in their own territory and couldn't advance the ball worth a lick. Keyshawn Johnson's intercepted option pass was followed by a Torry Holt fumble on the Rams' next drive, and Brad Hoover's 4th-quarter fumble was so deep in St. Louis territory that it set up Mike Rucker's safety. This doesn't change the fact that Carolina turned the ball over three times, including twice in the 4th quarter.
This is an offense that only Earl Weaver could love. It leans heavily on the defense and relies far too much on the home run ball for its scoring. Sure, it's great to have a guy like Steve Smith in there to catch the long bombs, but Panthers running backs have only four rushing touchdowns. 16 individual running backs in the NFL have more rushing touchdowns than all the Panthers' running backs combined. That is a problem.
This team wants to be a running team, but for whatever reason, offensive coordinator Dan Henning seems hesitant to call running plays -- especially on first down. All those 2nd-and-long situations are hampering this offense. It needs to do a better job gaining yards on first down. That starts with the running game.
It also needs to do a better job protecting the ball. Three turnovers in a game will lead to losses more often than wins in this league.
Remember when the St. Louis Rams were "The Greatest Show on Turf?" Yeah, that was nowhere to be seen today.
The Carolina Panthers' has defense never looked more dominant than it did today. When it needed a stop, it got it. When it blitzed, it usually sacked Marc Bulger. When it saw Steven Jackson get the ball, it hounded him mercilessly. Just look at these numbers:
In 12 possessions, the Rams punted 9 times, turned the ball over twice and gave up a safety on their last play.
The Rams converted only 2 of 12 third downs.
The Rams never advanced past the Carolina 45 yard line and only got beyond midfield twice.
Marc Bulger was sacked 7 times, losing 62 yards.
Steven Jackson had only 27 rushing yards and gained a total of 57 yards in 14 touches.
The Rams had possession of the ball for only 21 minutes, 17 seconds.
Seriously, only a Dutch soccer player would enjoy getting reamed like that. There aren't enough game balls to go around for the defense. Mike Rucker led the way with 2 sacks and a safety. Former Ram Damione Lewis and linebackers Thomas Davis and Chris Draft were each credited with 1.5 sacks, and Davis led the team with 9 tackles and an assist.
In addition, Chris Gamble and Richard Marshall did a much better job covering Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce than I had expected of them. At least one or two of those sacks were coverage sacks. Even Christian Morton and Dion Byrum, both recently promoted from the practice squad, were able to get both Panther takeaways.
It's a day for reunions in Charlotte. Former Carolina Panthers linebacker Will Witherspoon is back in the city where he should still be playing now, while former St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Damione Lewis will face the team that didn't think enough of him to keep him around. There should be enough hard hits to go around for everybody.
Here are some key matchups to watch today:
Julius Peppers v. Andrew Barron. Rams head coach Scott Linehan opted to keep Barron at his natural right tackle spot after left tackle Orlando Pace was lost for the season with a torn tricep. Rams FanHouse blogger The Watchdog doesn't think Barron has much of a chance. It'll be up to Peppers to disrupt the flow of the Rams offense...
Chris Gamble and Richard Marshall v. Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce. ...because if Marc Bulger is allowed to get his timing down, he's probably going to find one of his receivers open. This may be the tallest order yet for the Panthers' cornerbacks this season. They will need a lot of help from the pass rush.
Mike Rucker v. Adam Goldberg. This is the other end of the line battle. Pace could handle a guy like Rucker. It's worth watching to see if Goldberg can do the same.
Steve Smith v. Tye Hill. Gamble and Marshall aren't the only cornerbacks facing huge challenges today. This year's Rams are allowing only 196.1 passing yards per game, but that may just be because they allow so many rushing yards. Is Hill capable of slowing down one of the best receivers in the game?
DeShaun Foster v. Dan Henning. You know that old joke about Dean Smith being the only person who could hold Michael Jordan under 20 points? That may apply to Panthers offensive coordinator Dan Henning and DeShaun Foster today. The Rams are allowing 143.3 rushing yards per game, so the Panthers could run on them. The real question is whether Henning will let Foster (or DeAngelo Williams) have that many carries.
I'll be liveblogging this one at Dave's Football Blog today, because that's just what I do. Stop by and say hey.
He can dump the creatine supplements, but Ken Lucas can't seem to get rid of those nagging injuries.
The Panthers' All-Pro cornerback has been downgraded to questionable for Sunday after missing practice with a thigh injury. Richard Marshall, the rookie from Fresno State, is now expected to replace Lucas as a starter, while John Fox has grabbed former Ohio University All-American Dion Byrum off Tampa Bay's practice squad. This team should win a prize for most defensive backs elevated from practice squads.
Sadly, that prize is an afternoon of covering Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce. If the Panthers' pass rush has any trouble getting to Marc Bulger, this could be a high-scoring game.
In other injury news, center Justin Hartwig has been downgraded from doubtful to out for Sunday, while defensive lineman Jordan Carstens was officially put on the non-football injury list as he continues to receive treatment for that blood clot in his lung. Byrum replaces Carstens on the active roster.
The Carolina Panthers may have yet another hole to fill this offseason -- tight end. Veteran Kris Mangum announced his retirement today after ten seasons with the Panthers and six seasons as the top tight end on the depth chart.
Ben Folsom and Brandon Kriner over at 
Former All-Pro wideout Cris Carter -- who, in case you forgot, used to catch a lot of touchdowns -- likes to question the sobriety of anyone who dares to suggest that Matt Schaub might be a better quarterback than Michael Vick. So when he decides to start picking teams to go to the Super Bowl, fans of those teams should start to worry. A lot.
Well, this should disturb Panthers fans everywhere. 
In his 
Lost amid the praise for the Carolina Panthers' defense -- and 
He can dump the creatine supplements, but Ken Lucas can't seem to get rid of those nagging injuries.
