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this was scott fowler's column the day after the 2000 draft. the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Sunday, April 16, 2000
PICKS PROVE SECONDARY WAS PRIMARY CONCERN
By SCOTT FOWLER, THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
Rashard who?
It would be a lot easier for all of us to have a strong opinion about Rashard Anderson, the Carolina Panthers' first-round draft pick from Jackson State, if any of us had actually seen him play a down.
The Carolina Panthers assure us that Anderson ranked in the top dozen players on their draft board Saturday, which made selecting him with the No. 23 overall pick an easy thing to do. They say that Anderson is big enough to play safety and fast enough to play cornerback, which is a nice way of admitting they aren't quite sure exactly where he's going to play.
What is certain: Panthers coach George Seifert was very dissatisfied with his secondary last season. Seifert has been stuffing new folks into the defensive backfield this off-season with the speed and fury of a man who hasn't packed and must catch a flight in 15 minutes.
The Panthers' defense ranked 26th of 31 NFL teams last season. And while much of the blame for that performance has been placed on the defensive front seven, it's obvious Seifert - a former defensive backs coach - wasn't happy with the pass defenders.
Carolina picked up a more well-known defensive back than Anderson in the second round when it selected Deon (not that Deion) Grant. Grant entered the NFL draft a year early and admitted Saturday night he would have gone back to Tennessee for his senior year if he had known he was going to last until the 57th overall pick.
Eric Davis, the Panthers' best cornerback in their brief history, put on a brave face Saturday when ESPN's draft coverage caught up with him minutes after the selection of Anderson. Davis said all the right things about the joys of "increased competition."
But if I'm Davis, or Doug Evans, or Mike Minter, or Brent Alexander, I'm working out at this very moment. No starting job in the secondary is secure.
Carolina had already signed free-agent cornerback Jimmy Hitchcock and now has used its first-round pick on a small-college 'tweener with talent and its second-rounder on a pure safety with speed.
The Panthers' defense has to improve for Carolina to make the playoffs next season, which is why the team's fans should be glad that Carolina went "defense first" in this draft.
Acquiring Atlanta defensive end Chuck Smith was Carolina's best off-season move so far, but the team also lost Kevin Greene. The additions of linebacker Lee Woodall, Hitchcock, Anderson and Grant will help. But this defense doesn't know itself at all right now, and that's a bit scary.
Seifert says it will take awhile for the squad to mesh. To have a good September, Carolina must have a very good August in Spartanburg.
On a less threatening note, what do we know about Anderson?
He may become Charlotte's local version of Charlton Heston.
"If you've ever eaten a wild animal, I've probably been trying to kill it," Anderson said Saturday.
He also loves his dog Sport, a Labrador retriever.
Anderson changed his last name early in his college career - he used to be Rashard Burgess - because he wanted to take the last name of the grandmother who raised him. He is estranged from his father, Ricky Patton, who also went to Jackson State and later was a decent NFL running back for three NFL teams.
Jack Bushofsky, Carolina's director of player personnel, says Anderson is "the epitome of what you look for" in a defensive back and has "unlimited potential." If you're looking for other positive signs, Jackson State also produced Walter Payton.
Nevertheless, the Panthers weren't so sold on Anderson that they didn't try to trade their No. 1 pick away. They wanted an extra draft pick, and ultimately got one by trading down six spots in the second round.
By 9 p.m. Saturday, the Panthers' defensive backfield looked well-stocked.
How it will look Sept. 3 at 1 p.m., when Carolina opens the season at Washington, is anyone's guess.
Sunday, April 16, 2000
PICKS PROVE SECONDARY WAS PRIMARY CONCERN
By SCOTT FOWLER, THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
Rashard who?
It would be a lot easier for all of us to have a strong opinion about Rashard Anderson, the Carolina Panthers' first-round draft pick from Jackson State, if any of us had actually seen him play a down.
The Carolina Panthers assure us that Anderson ranked in the top dozen players on their draft board Saturday, which made selecting him with the No. 23 overall pick an easy thing to do. They say that Anderson is big enough to play safety and fast enough to play cornerback, which is a nice way of admitting they aren't quite sure exactly where he's going to play.
What is certain: Panthers coach George Seifert was very dissatisfied with his secondary last season. Seifert has been stuffing new folks into the defensive backfield this off-season with the speed and fury of a man who hasn't packed and must catch a flight in 15 minutes.
The Panthers' defense ranked 26th of 31 NFL teams last season. And while much of the blame for that performance has been placed on the defensive front seven, it's obvious Seifert - a former defensive backs coach - wasn't happy with the pass defenders.
Carolina picked up a more well-known defensive back than Anderson in the second round when it selected Deon (not that Deion) Grant. Grant entered the NFL draft a year early and admitted Saturday night he would have gone back to Tennessee for his senior year if he had known he was going to last until the 57th overall pick.
Eric Davis, the Panthers' best cornerback in their brief history, put on a brave face Saturday when ESPN's draft coverage caught up with him minutes after the selection of Anderson. Davis said all the right things about the joys of "increased competition."
But if I'm Davis, or Doug Evans, or Mike Minter, or Brent Alexander, I'm working out at this very moment. No starting job in the secondary is secure.
Carolina had already signed free-agent cornerback Jimmy Hitchcock and now has used its first-round pick on a small-college 'tweener with talent and its second-rounder on a pure safety with speed.
The Panthers' defense has to improve for Carolina to make the playoffs next season, which is why the team's fans should be glad that Carolina went "defense first" in this draft.
Acquiring Atlanta defensive end Chuck Smith was Carolina's best off-season move so far, but the team also lost Kevin Greene. The additions of linebacker Lee Woodall, Hitchcock, Anderson and Grant will help. But this defense doesn't know itself at all right now, and that's a bit scary.
Seifert says it will take awhile for the squad to mesh. To have a good September, Carolina must have a very good August in Spartanburg.
On a less threatening note, what do we know about Anderson?
He may become Charlotte's local version of Charlton Heston.
"If you've ever eaten a wild animal, I've probably been trying to kill it," Anderson said Saturday.
He also loves his dog Sport, a Labrador retriever.
Anderson changed his last name early in his college career - he used to be Rashard Burgess - because he wanted to take the last name of the grandmother who raised him. He is estranged from his father, Ricky Patton, who also went to Jackson State and later was a decent NFL running back for three NFL teams.
Jack Bushofsky, Carolina's director of player personnel, says Anderson is "the epitome of what you look for" in a defensive back and has "unlimited potential." If you're looking for other positive signs, Jackson State also produced Walter Payton.
Nevertheless, the Panthers weren't so sold on Anderson that they didn't try to trade their No. 1 pick away. They wanted an extra draft pick, and ultimately got one by trading down six spots in the second round.
By 9 p.m. Saturday, the Panthers' defensive backfield looked well-stocked.
How it will look Sept. 3 at 1 p.m., when Carolina opens the season at Washington, is anyone's guess.
