Minter

i personally thought he sucked ass in run support and can't get the image of him getting faked and falling down out of my head. i don't remember the game or the running back that did it to him, just him falling down. besides that i was really pulling for him.

 

I seem to remember Chatman doing it in the San Diego game. Also the Westbrook in the Philly game.

 

MaClasiter (sp saints running back) last game of the season

 

i think it was deuce that sticks out, but i think homer may be right, and it sticks out because it happened too many times.

 

Branch didn't look all that bad statistically, but if you actually saw him play and saw how often he was hesitant (like he knew where he was supposed to be, but was just late getting there. Overthinking maybe) or how often he failed to get himself in position to make the tackle.
All things that reps can cure, he just seemed unsure of his decision making, early on especially.
His season reminded me alot of Burnt Alexander as a Panther...he made as many plays as he missed. Alexander got better as a Steeler (argueably), no reason Branch can't. However, I like him better as a back-up for now. Minter has a new contract and we drafted Davis...the writting is on the wall.

 

Fox Sports' Southern Report did a section on the Panthers Safeties, or rather, on Minter and Davis. What caught me off guard in it was the claim by Dan Pompeii that Minter has improved his speed from a 4.6 down to a 4.4 in the past two years.

Follow this link, and then select the "Panthers Momentum" link under the Video section.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/team?statsId=29

 

Yep. I wasn't expecting greatness, but I certainly didn't see a ton to be defensive about (especially while calling Manning or Gamble "awful"), and
It's not like I'm sore about, for instance, the type play where he throws away a turnover because he knocked a fumble out of bounds with his cast. That stuff I can let go. But I can't rosy up play that just wasn't that good.

 

The video doesn't work for me, (I guess that's where the info is), but that is VERY interesting. Minter was fast when he came out of school. We talked about him switching to CB if necessary. Maybe he put on weight (to help with the pounding at SS) and slowed down, and then shed it. Maybe he recaptured some running technique.

 

Yep, he was actually our nickel early in 97 before starting. I'd thought it very odd that a safety could cover at the nickel, at the time. I still remember him breaking Ismail in half before they were really supposed to allow hitting.

I do think, at some point, he probably lost some speed after the knee. He didn't just have the tear, he had the staph infection, remember? That could've caused damage.
That said, I'd find it odd that it would take him this long to regain the form, and your suggestion about adding weight may have been a factor - you wouldn't guess it would, unless you were way too bulky - but Moose, for instance, gained athleticism from a similar move. You'd guess that a near-world class athlete who trains constantly wouldn't vary so much for 10-15 lbs, but I guess they do.


Alternately, maybe he just had to rededicate training toward straight line speed. Couldn't hurt, but makes you wonder why more veteran athletes don't train in the ways that most NFL draft-eligible players do.

 

I remembered the staph infection the second I reached the word "knee" in your post. Those can be nasty (his life was in danger), and it sure could have done something, that slowly got better.

I have no idea about the weight. The rededication could be too. I'm sure he has always been dedicated to improving himself, but sometimes you decide that some things are the thing you want to focus on.