subject: Carolina Panthers Tickets - Panthers Unveil Brand New Lineup [print this page] The 2010 NFL offseason has been one consisting of several changes for many teams around the league, but top prize for team alterations this year goes to the Carolina Panthers. Names like Jake Delhomme, Julius Peppers, Maake Kemoeatu, Damione Lewis, Brad Hoover and Muhsin Muhammad, all players who helped build the Panthers brand in the 2000s, were cleared out over the offseason to make room for new talent, and the current preseason will reveal a lot for the Panthers of new.
Now under the command of fourth-year quarterback (and first-year starter) Matt Moore, the Carolina Panthers have a brand new look right down to the team's very youthful core. Receiver Steve Smith is now the oldest Panther on the roster at age 31, and his inexperienced crew of teammates will have a lot to prove this year during the 2010-11 NFL campaign.
While the Panthers' youth movement will certainly take some time for adjustment, coach John Fox and Panthers personnel are confident that they made the right moves in slashing costs and age from the team's roster this year. Getting to that next level where players mesh with the team, however, will be the next obstacle for Panthers 2.0.
"The vibe around here is unknown," Steve Smith told The Associated Press during the first week of training camp. "Literally, half of them just pulled up." Still, he said, "I think it's going to be fun. We've got a lot more younger guys, so I think things are going to be different, a little bit more loose, a little bit more fun, a little bit of guys trying to establish their own traditions. I'm excited to see, to observe, what's going to happen."
If nothing else, the Panthers' new look will fend off teams from catching on to their patterns and routines, as the team's roster will surely be met with little recognition from other teams in the league this year.
Aside from Matt Moore taking snaps this year and Jimmy Clausen (as well as Hunter Cantwell) hot on his heels, the Panthers will also see some new names at the receiving position on offense. Rookie Brandon LaFell has proven his worth at training camp this year, and the Panthers also have Wallace Wright, Kenny Moore and Dwayne Jarrett catching passes at training camp.
Perhaps an even bigger obstacle than securing the Panthers' offense, however, will be replacing Julius Peppers at defensive end. Peppers' job at right defensive end still stands unfilled, though the team will likely rearrange its defensive scheme to help fill that void. For now, Tyler Brayton looks solid at left DE, while Charles Johnson and Everette Brown as well as Greg Hardy and Hilee Taylor compete for Peppers' old position.
This year's Carolina Panthers team doesn't have the same big names that have helped sell Carolina Panthers tickets over the last several years, but this team is still one stocked with plenty of talent.
"I think we're going to surprise some people," Brayton told The Associated Press. "I think we're a very talented bunch. Maybe not a lot of people have heard of all of us, but I think if we can play well as a group together, I feel like the sky is the limit."
It's game time for the Panthers starting with the team's regular season opener Sept. 12 against the New York Giants at New Meadowlands Stadium, and only then will the success of the Panthers' offseason moves be unveiled.
