Carolina Panthers Dynasty (HC09)

[ChaosOmega]

This board seems kind of dead, and I've always liked NFL Head Coach 09, so let's start up another dynasty. I saw a thread that the Panthers on average have the least success in this game, so I'm gonna try to turn them around.

Coach: Everett Thomas
Personality: Captain
Skills: Ambition, Off Season/Regular Season Seminar, Playbook Training, Performance 3, Int. Dev 2 for DL, LB, DB

Offensive PB: Thomas Balanced (Bills Balanced with the 3 WR Singleback set removed and more plays from the other formations added)
Defensive PB: Thomas Rover (Raiders Rover with additional 4-3 plays and the 46 formation)

Position Philosophies:
QB: Field General
HB: Balanced
FB: Balanced
WR: Strong/Blocking WR (with my third receiver focusing on speed since he will only be playing the slot in shotgun formation)
T: Balanced
G: Balanced
C: Balanced
DE: Undersized Speed Rusher
DT: One Gap Penetrator
OLB: Balanced
MLB: Balanced
CB: Balanced
FS: Centerfielder
SS: Balanced
K: Balanced
P: Big Foot/Distance

[ChaosOmega]

Franchise Tags
Pos	Player	Team
OLB	Lance Briggs	Chicago Bears
G	Stacy Andrews	Cincinnati Bengals
WR	Randy Moss	New England Patriots
CB	Nnamdi Asomugha	Oakland Raiders
G	Alan Faneca	Pittsburgh Steelers
DT	Albert Haynesworth	Tennessee Titans

I could have chose to tag Jordan Gross, but I will try to work out a long-term deal with him in free agency.

RFA's:
G Geoff Hangartner (OVR 74) - Lvl 1 tender
G Evan Mathis (OVR 73) - Lvl 1 tender
MLB Adam Seward (OVR 70) - Lvl 1 tender

Roster Analysis (overall/potential)
QB:
Jake Delhomme 84/84
Matt Moore 72/77

Delhomme is a solid option for our team, experienced with good intangibles. Moore is alright for a backup, and has a bit of room to grow. No real need to change anything here.

HB:
Nick Goings 70/70
DeAngelo Williams 68/76

Goings is nothing more than RB depth, possibly won't make the team. Williams has flashed some talent in his first two years, but doesn't have the intangibles to be a starter. He could be an elusive change-of-pace back, but nothing more. Need to address this.

FB:
n/a

I'd like to run out of the I as a base formation, so this is a definite need.

WR:
Steve Smith 84/84
Mushin Muhammad 83/83
Dwayne Jarrett 64/70
Ryne Robinson 51/56

Smith doesn't really fit the mold of a big, strong outside WR I'm looking for, but he's too talented not to start. Muhammad is getting up there in years, but has the size and intangibles I want. Jarrett has the size I want, but low awareness and learning could keep him from ever being a useful option; will possibly make the team as a backup. Robinson is an alright option for my slot WR, but his speed isn't elite and he has poor hands. Might look for an upgrade here.

TE:
Dante Rosario 69/79
Jeff King 60/63

Rosario is serviceable. He'll never be everything I want in a tight end, but with more experience, he could become a solid player. King will never be my starter (hopefully), but his blocking skills will be useful in 2-TE sets. Need more depth.

T:
Travelle Wharton 82/82
Frank Omiyale 73/75

Wharton is fine, not great, and his contract makes him impossible to drop or trade, so he's the starter for a while. Will hopefully resign Jordan Gross to play RT. Omiyale has poor speed and learning, but decent physical skills; could make the team as depth.

G:
Jeremy Bridges 75/75

Not a great blocker. Need help on the inside of my line.

C:
Ryan Kalil 77/85

Great prospect with room to improve. Will possibly kick him over to guard. But Kalil is one of my inside 3 linemen for sure.

DE:
Julius Peppers 90/91
Charles Johnson 75/80
Stanley McClover 74/77

Peppers is great and a definite starter. Johnson might be the other starter, depends how this position is addressed in free agency/the draft. McClover is solid depth.

DT:
Damione Lewis 69/69
Ma'ake Kemoeatu 57/57

Definite need. Lewis, if he makes the team, is no more than a backup. Kemoeatu is a big, strong DT, which doesn't fit my scheme at all. His contract is easy to deal, will try to trade him this offseason.

OLB:
Thomas Davis 83/87
Na'il Diggs 76/76
James Anderson 72/73
Brandon Jamison 69/70
Tim Shaw 67/68

Davis is a great starter. Diggs is passable, and the other three may or may not make the team.

MLB:
Jon Beason 88/91

Very solid player. Has the speed to move over to OLB. Looking for a third LB to start regardless.

CB:
Ken Lucas 84/85
Chris Gamble 83/84
Richard Marshall 81/86
Patrick Dendy 72/75

My nickel formation is 2 SS, so I only ever start 2 CB. Dendy might be cut, but the other players are all solid. May look to deal Gamble for picks.

FS:
Nate Salley 69/70

Poor coverage skills and intangibles, will only make the team as a backup. Need.

SS:
Chris Harris 73/74

I start 2 SS in my nickel, so this is a definite need. Harris has poor coverage skills, but it might be difficult to find 2 starting quality SS in free agency. Will probably be kept as the #2 SS.

K:
John Kasay 90/90

Solid kicker, no need.

P:
Jason Baker 87/87

Solid punter, no need.

Current Salary Cap Room: $46.30M
Current Draft Picks:
1/13
2/43
3/67
3/74
4/106
6/175
7/206

Up next, free agency!

[ChaosOmega]

Top Free Agent Signings
Position	Player	Team	Years	Salary	Bonus
CB	Asante Samuel	Houston Texans	5	43M	13M
CB	Marcus Trufant	Tennessee Titans	5	36M	6M
DE	Justin Smith	Denver Broncos	3	27M	10M
FS	Eugene Wilson	Carolina Panthers	5	23M	3.5M
T	Jordan Gross	Carolina Panthers	5	36M	6M
OLB	Terrell Suggs	New England Patriots	3	23M	5.5M
T	Flozell Adams	Detroit Lions	1	5.4M	1.5M
FS	Ken Hamlin	New York Giants	4	16M	4M
HB	Shaun Alexander	Denver Broncos	4	24M	3.5M
DE	Antwan Odom	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	4	28M	7M
CB	Randall Gay	Atlanta Falcons	4	19M	4M
HB	Michael Turner	Carolina Panthers	4	21M	3.5M
OLB	Karlos Dansby	Cincinnati Bengals	4	23M	3.5M
WR	Isaac Bruce	San Francisco 49ers	1	5.4M	1.5M
OLB	Kawika Mitchell	Philadelphia Eagles	4	18M	4M
FS	O.J. Atogwe	Kansas City Chiefs	4	11.5M	2M
WR	Bernard Berrian	Atlanta Falcons	4	23M	3.5M
TE	L.J. Smith	San Francisco 49ers	4	19M	5.5M
OLB	Demorrio Williams	Houston Texans	4	14M	3.5M
K	Rob Bironas	Kansas City Chiefs	2	4.8M	500K
K	Jason Elam	Seattle Seahawks	2	4.8M	1.5M
G	Jake Scott	Denver Broncos	4	22M	3.5M
G	Ruben Brown	New Orleans Saints	1	4.2M	1M
G	Ben Noll	Miami Dolphins	4	18M	2.5M
WR	Donte Stallworth	Miami Dolphins	4	20M	5.5M
DT	Ted Washington	Kansas City Chiefs	1	5M	1M
FS	Gibril Wilson	San Francisco 49ers	4	10M	3.5M
HB	Travis Henry	Houston Texans	5	20M	3.5M
CB	Joey Thomas	New Orleans Saints	5	17M	2.5M
TE	Alge Crumpler	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	5	22M	5.5M
MLB	Jeremiah Trotter	Buffalo Bills	5	19.5M	2.5M
C	Jeff Faine	Carolina Panthers	3	13.5M	2M

Panthers Signings
Eugene Wilson (89/89) - immediate starter at FS, position locked up for 5 years
Jordan Gross (92/93) - long term deal for about the price of the franchise tag
Michael Turner (84/86) - RB with the skills and intangibles to be the starter
Jeff Faine (86/88) - will be moved to G, another spot on the O-line resolved

Trades
Panthers receive:
DE Elvis Dumervil (88/90)

Broncos receive:
2008 3rd round pick (67)
2009 4th round pick

After the Broncos signed Justin Smith, Dumervil went on the block. He starts opposite Peppers to increase my pass rush.

Panthers receive:
2008 4th round pick (121)
2009 5th round pick

Titans receive:
RB DeAngelo Williams (68/76)

I received offers from a few teams for DeAngelo Williams. He was never going to be a focal point of my offense, and I get a couple mid round picks for him.

Current draft picks:
1/13
2/43
3/74
4/106
4/121
6/175
7/206

Top needs:
DT
G
SS
FB
LB
HB
WR

Up next, the NFL draft!

[ChaosOmega]

NFL Draft - Round 1 Recap
Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Ht	Wt
1	Miami Dolphins	Jake Long	T	6'7"	313
2	St. Louis Rams	Vernon Gholston	OLB	6'3"	266
3	Atlanta Falcons	Darren McFadden	HB	6'0"	210
4	Oakland Raiders	Chris Long	DE	6'3"	275
5	Kansas City Chiefs	Matt Ryan	QB	6'5"	218
6	New York Jets	Keith Rivers	OLB	6'3"	230
7	Carolina Panthers	Glenn Dorsey	DT	6'1"	310
8	Baltimore Ravens	Derrick Harvey	DE	6'4"	271
9	Cincinnati Bengals	Sedrick Ellis	DT	6'1"	295
10	New Orleans Saints	Ryan Clady	T	6'6"	319
11	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Leodis McKelvin	CB	5'10"	186
12	Denver Broncos	Jerod Mayo	OLB	6'2"	233
13	New England Patriots	Dominique Cromartie	CB	6'1"	181
14	Chicago Bears	Rashard Mendenhall	RB	5'11"	225
15	Detroit Lions	Mike Jenkins	CB	6'0"	200
16	Arizona Cardinals	Joe Flacco	QB	6'7"	222
17	Kansas City Chiefs	Chris Williams	T	6'6"	315
18	Houston Texans	Kentwan Balmer	DT	6'5"	288
19	Carolina Panthers	Branden Albert	G	6'7"	317
20	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Chris Johnson	HB	5'10"	198
21	Washington Redskins	Antoine Cason	CB	6'0"	182
22	Dallas Cowboys	Sam Baker	T	6'5"	305
23	Pittsburgh Steelers	Philip Merling	DE	6'4"	276
24	Tennessee Titans	Dustin Keller	TE	6'4"	244
25	Seattle Seahawks	Aqib Talib	CB	6'2"	180
26	Jacksonville Jaguars	Jeff Otah	T	6'5"	315
27	San Diego Chargers	Gosder Cherilus	T	6'6"	312
28	Dallas Cowboys	Lawrence Jackson	DE	6'4"	271
29	San Francisco 49ers	Kenny Phillips	SS	6'2"	202
30	Green Bay Packers	Felix Jones	HB	6'1"	222
31	New York Giants	Tracy Porter	CB	6'0"	187
32	Buffalo Bills	Brandon Flowers	CB	5'10"	190

1st round trades
- Patriots trade 7th overall pick to Panthers for 13th overall pick, 2008 4th round pick (121) and 2009 2nd round pick
- Bills trade 11th overall pick to Buccaneers for 2008 3rd round pick (83) and 2009 1st round pick
- Eagles trade 19th overall pick to Panthers for 2008 3rd round pick (74) and 2009 1st round pick
- Dolphins trade 32nd overall pick to Bills for 2008 2nd round pick (41), 2008 4th round pick (111), and 2008 5th round pick (142)

Carolina Panthers 2008 Draft Picks
Pick	Player	College	Pos	Ht	Wt
7	Glenn Dorsey	LSU	DT	6'1"	310
19	Branden Albert	Virginia	G	6'7"	317
38	Trevor Laws	Notre Dame	DT	6'1"	283
64	Tavares Gooden	Miami	MLB	6'2"	231
82	Tom Zbikowski	Notre Dame	SS	6'0"	210
117	Jacob Hester	LSU	FB	6'0"	228
148	Mike Hart	Michigan	HB	5'9"	196
206	Jonathan Wilhite	Auburn	CB	5'11"	182
UDFA	Carl Stewart	Auburn	FB	6'2"	224
UDFA	Dorien Bryant	Purdue	WR	5'10"	175
UDFA	Eric Baker	Michigan St.	DE	6'3"	255
UDFA	Chris Horton	UCLA	SS	6'1"	210
UDFA	Kelin Johnson	Georgia	SS	5'11"	212

(all draft picks were GM recommendations)

Panthers draft trades
- Patriots trade 7th overall pick to Panthers for 13th overall pick, 2008 4th round pick (121) and 2009 2nd round pick
- Eagles trade 19th overall pick to Panthers for 2008 3rd round pick (74) and 2009 1st round pick
- Ravens trade 2008 2nd round pick (38) to Panthers for CB Chris Gamble
- Panthers trade 2008 2nd round pick (43) to Dolphins for 2008 2nd round pick (64), 2008 4th round pick (97), and 2008 4th round pick (111)
- Chiefs trade 2008 3rd round pick (82) to Panthers for 2008 4th round pick (106), 2008 4th round pick (111), and 2008 6th round pick (175)
- Panthers trade 2008 4th round pick (97) to Buccaneers for 2008 4th round pick (117) and 2008 5th round pick (148)

Thoughts on draft:
I gave up my top two picks in next year's draft, but I filled pretty much every hole I had if these picks pan out.
- Dorsey is a physical freak, over 300 pounds and over 90 speed, he should be a force on the line.
- Albert was projected to go higher and looked like an excellent prospect; when the Eagles wanted to trade down at 19, I made a move up to grab him.
- Laws should be a good starter opposite Dorsey, good speed and a prototypical one gap penetrator.
- Gooden is speedy and has the skillset to be a very good LB with Davis and Beason.
- Zbikowski is a very gifted athlete at SS; time will tell if he can develop the intangibles to succeed.
- Hester was the top prospect at FB and has the starter job pretty much by default.
- Don't know too much about Hart, he will fight with Goings for the backup RB role unless someone in training camp passes both of them.
- Wilhite was recommended because I only had 3 CBs on the roster, he will be a backup as long as he has some potential.
- Stewart intrigued me because of the 90 speed for a FB. Interested to see him in action and find out his potential.
- Bryant was the fastest WR available, he will get a chance to play the slot.
- Baker had the highest speed in the DEs as far as I could tell, could be part of the D-line rotation if he plays well in preseason.
- Horton and Johnson give me depth at SS. I want to keep at least 3 SS with my defense, so they will have a chance to make the team.

[Mike3207]

Both Dorsey and Gooden can have a tendency to get injured-I hope the Panthers have a good trainer. That and I think Dorsey only has 81 or 82 speed, at least thats what I see in my game.

I'd like to start a new dynasty if I can find a way to keep the games close playing games. That's always been the problem in the past. I'm currently running a test Bears franchise to keep an eye on it.

[ChaosOmega]

The Panthers trainer has a 1 overall, so we'll see how Dorsey and Gooden fare this year health-wise. And yeah, he has 82 speed, not sure what I was looking at.

Rookie Contracts
Glenn Dorsey: 5 yr/$36M, $8M bonus
Branden Albert: 5 yr/$10.5M, $2M bonus
Trevor Laws: 4 yr/$3M, $1M bonus
Tavares Gooden: 4 yr/$2.5M, no bonus
Tom Zbikowski: 3 yr/$1.8M, no bonus
Jacob Hester: 3 yr/$1M, no bonus
Mike Hart: 3 yr/$800k, no bonus
Jonathan Wilhite: 3 yr/$820k, no bonus

Carolina Panthers Depth Chart - 2008
Regular Offense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
WR	Steve Smith - 84/84	Dorien Bryant - 47/69
TE	Dante Rosario - 69/79	Courtney Anderson - 62/62	Mike Peterson - 58/84
LT	Branden Albert - 81/92	Frank Omiyale - 73/75
LG	Travelle Wharton - 82/82	J'Covan Beck - 74/78
C	Ryan Kalil - 78/85	Nick Mihlhauser - 72/78
RG	Jeff Faine - 87/88	Jeremy Bridges - 75/75
RT	Jordan Gross - 92/93	Rob Petitti - 76/77
WR	Mushin Muhammad - 83/83	Al McGwire - 68/84
QB	Jake Delhomme - 84/84	Matt Moore - 72/77	Elliot Wright - 49/87
FB	Jacob Hester - 79/81	Carl Stewart - 76/84
HB	Michael Turner - 82/85	Samkon Gado - 74/80	Mike Hart - 64/83	Richard Williams - 73/85
Base 4-3 Defense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
LDE	Julius Peppers - 90/91	Charles Johnson - 75/80
LDT	Glenn Dorsey - 90/95	Chartric Darby - 74/74	Damione Lewis - 69/69
RDT	Trevor Laws - 80/83	Jovan Haye - 70/73
RDE	Elvis Dumervil - 88/90	Eric Baker - 75/86	Stanley McClover - 74/77
WLB	Jon Beason - 88/91	Na'il Diggs - 76/76
MLB	Tavares Gooden - 81/87	Bernard Gant - 66/73
SLB	Thomas Davis - 83/87	James Anderson - 72/73
CB	Ken Lucas - 84/85	Demario Minter - 72/77
SS	Tom Zbikowski - 75/79	Kelin Johnson - 79/84	Chris Harris - 73/74
FS	Eugene Wilson - 89/89	Chris Horton - 78/83
CB	Richard Marshall - 81/86	Jonathan Wilhite - 68/82
Special Teams
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
K	Dave Yankowski - 80/84
P	Jason Baker - 87/87

I traded DT Ma'ake Kemoeatu to the Saints for a 2nd and 5th round pick in the upcoming draft, and K John Kasay to the Patriots for a 3rd round this year and a 6th round next year. Kemoeatu did not fit my system, and I found a kicker that originally played soccer, signed to the Jags, and they cut him in training camp. He has just as powerful a leg, is almost as accurate, and has the potential to be more accurate.

I have a few developmental prospects on the offensive side of the ball. Excited to see if I can turn Wright into the QB of the future for the Panthers. He is driven, and has great potential. McGwire is a big, strong WR that I hope to slide into the #2 WR spot when Mushin retires. Peterson needs work, but could become the star TE of the Panthers.

We lost every game this preseason, but the team was learning a new playbook and held their own when the starters were in. It is the Sweetney draft path.

Coming up, a week 1 matchup against LT and the Chargers. Michael Turner broke his arm in the final preseason game and will miss the first few weeks, we'll see how well Gado and a pair of rookies can fill his shoes.

[ChaosOmega]

Carolina Panthers at San Diego Chargers
Sep 7, 2008	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Carolina Panthers (1-0)	0	0	10	7	3	20
San Diego Chargers (0-1)	7	7	0	3	0	17

Team Stats Comparison
	CAR	SDG
Total Offense	477	266
Rushing Yards	45	44
Passing Yards	432	222
First Downs	20	9
Punt Return Yards	5	0
Kick Return Yards	68	117
Total Yards	550	383
Turnovers	1	3
3rd Down Conversion	10-18	2-8
4th Down Conversion	1-2	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	1-4	1-3
Penalties	3-30	3-43
Posession Time	46:21	24:44

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		CAR	SDG
12:14	(SDG) Rivers 65 yd TD pass to Naanee, XP good	0	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		CAR	SDG
0:30	(SDG) Rivers 14 yd TD pass to Chambers, XP good	0	14
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		CAR	SDG
9:36	(CAR) Yankowski 48 yd FG	3	14
5:11	(CAR) Delhomme 79 yd TD to Anderson, XP good	10	14
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		CAR	SDG
13:34	(SDG) Kaeding 29 yd FG	10	17
0:39	(CAR) Delhomme 7 yd TD pass to Smith, XP good	17	17
OVERTIME SCORING		CAR	SDG
3:53	(CAR) Yankowski 32 yd FG	20	17

Carolina Panthers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Jake Delhomme 28/44 465 2 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Mike Hart 18 50 2.7 0 Samkon Gado 5 -2 -0.4 0 Carl Stewart 3 -2 -0.6 0 Jacob Hester 1 3 3.0 0 Jake Delhomme 1 -4 -4.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Dante Rosario 6 111 18.5 0 Dorien Bryant 6 99 16.5 0 Mushin Muhammad 5 68 13.6 0 Courtney Anderson 4 115 28.7 1 Steve Smith 4 42 10.5 1 Carl Stewart 3 30 10.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Branden Albert 0 0 Travelle Wharton 0 1 Ryan Kalil 0 1 Jeff Faine 0 0 Jordan Gross 1 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Tavares Gooden 11 0 0 0 Eugene Wilson 7 0 0 0 Tom Zbikowski 5 0 2 0 Elvis Dumervil 5 0 0 0 Eric Baker 4 0 0 0 Jon Beason 4 0 0 0 Ken Lucas 4 0 1 0 Thomas Davis 4 0 0 0 Julius Peppers 3 0 0 0 Richard Marshall 2 0 0 0 Glenn Dorsey 1 0 0 0 Trevor Laws 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Dave Yankowski 2/5 2/2 8 48 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Jason Baker 2 80 40.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Steve Smith 2 49 24.5 0 Carl Stewart 1 19 19.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Steve Smith 1 5 5.0 0

San Diego Chargers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Philip Rivers 10/20 222 2 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Ladainian Tomlinson 23 44 1.9 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Chris Chambers 5 77 15.4 1 Antonio Gates 2 56 28.0 0 Vincent Jackson 2 24 12.0 0 Legedu Naanee 1 65 65.0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD J. Williams 10 1 0 0 E. Weddle 9 0 0 0 T. Jessup 8 0 0 0 Q. Jammer 8 0 0 0 S. Merriman 8 1 0 0 S. Cooper 7 0 0 0 L. Castillo 5 2 0 0 A. Cromartie 5 0 0 0 J. Ikegwuonu 4 1 0 0 S. Phillips 4 1 0 0 M. Wilhelm 4 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Nate Kaeding 1/1 2/2 5 29 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Mike Scifres 4 151 37.7 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Antonio Cromartie 3 61 20.3 0 Darren Sproles 2 56 28.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Antonio Cromartie 0 0 0 0

Well this game was definitely a tale of two halves. Mistake in coverage lets Naanee slip behind our defense for a early TD. We could not run the ball to save our lives in the first half; we ended the half with -9 rushing yards. Gado was wholly ineffective. Hart was marginally better and I made him the lead back early on. With SD playing the run so hard, I pivoted my offense to be more pass-centric and it worked really well. Delhomme didn't throw a pick, although he held onto the ball too long a few times and took some unnecessary sacks. Yankowski missed 3 FG's in the first half (although one was a 53 yarder into the wind at the end of the half) and I'll be watching to see if this is a continuing problem.

The second half looked much better for us. Our run game was able to get positive yards and we were able to dominate TOP. Our defense looked great most of the day, especially Tom Zbikowski, who got 2 interceptions, including one with :16 left in the 4th quarter as San Diego tried to win the game in regulation. He earned the NFC Defensive Player of the Week award for his performance.

We get to go home next week and play Chicago, coming off a beatdown in Sunday Night Football against the Colts.

[Mike3207]

I've done Sweeney-you'll want to focus on bringing out talent with training camp invitees to supplement what you get in the first few years of the draft. It's really a very challenging draft path, even after the talent improves after the first 5 years.

Nice first games for Gooden and Zbikowski-hope they can sustain it through the season.