The Secondary

[finleye]

this group is gonna be discussed a lot this season even if there arent any injuries, and deserves its own thread...first things first, any witch doctors out there know any dances or chants that might please the football gods and help us avoid injuries? The past two years have been pretty brutal in that department.

Here's a recent Q & A from panthers.com, the last question of which is copied below where the secondary in particular is under discussion.

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Q:With all the competition in the defensive backfield, who is the frontrunner to start opposite Charles Godfrey at the safety position? – Jeremiah in North Wilkesboro, N.C.

A: I recently discussed the state of the secondary with Steve Wilks. He expressed his opinion that Godfrey will thrive at free safety after moving there from strong safety late last season. Candidates abound at the other spot, from late-season starter D.J. Campbell to free agent acquisition Mike Mitchell to Lester. Wilks also talked about the wide-open race at cornerback, an Ask Bryan question posed by Brandon in Center Valley, Pa., among others. Be sure to check out the article.

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Our secondary is already in a tough division with Julio Jones, Roddy White, Tony G, Jimmy Graham, Marques Colston, Vincent Jackson, etc...

My question is this...how much would Charles Woodson actually help us? Would he play SS or CB or both or neither? Please explain.

 

[Black&Blue_]

 

[Collin]

Woodson would play SS, which I think he's done for Green Bay. In these defenses the safety has to be able to help the corners, and these corners need a lot of help. That means understanding who is trouble before the WR breaks free, someplace Woodson's experience would obviously be beneficial. I think he'd be a big help even if he's lost two or three steps, but I also think OL is the higher priority. The secondary is going to be awful regardless, so being less awful probably isn't that meaningful. Plus, Woodson obviously has no future on the team whereas Eric Winston could theoretically replace Gross after next season.

But yeah, I think a lot of us are under the misapprehension that the secondary was adequate last season because the scores stayed respectable in the second half of the year. It wasn't. Carolina allowed the highest opposing completion percentage by a pretty wide margin. The one positive is that the secondary did a much better job of limiting the damage done per completion, keeping the yardage down to a respectable number and quite a bit better than what they allowed per completion in 2011. Still, we saw against Chicago what the inability to prevent completions can do. Honestly, teams didn't pass against Carolina as often as they should have. The Panthers ranked only 15th in pass attempts against.

 

[Shocker]

The front seven looks on paper to be a very good unit. That said I do get a little a better feeling with some veterans at the corners and this secondary could be ok with the understanding there will be some issues at times. I'd probably want a ROT more at this point but another veteran SS would be very welcome if even he's a stop gap. We finished 10th in total defense and I have to think this is a better defense than last years talent and experience wise. I'm fairly excited about where the Panthers are going right now.

Would anyone want Brandon Lloyd?

 

[Collin]

Would anyone want Brandon Lloyd?

No.

 

[Black&Blue_]

Where the hell did that come from?

 

[The Brain]

Where the hell did that come from?

.

 

[CelticCat]

anyone want Brandon Lloyd?

Apparently he has some issues. Not the best teammate. He was decent in STL and they pretty much let him walk, NE are doing the same after almost 1000 yards.

Would really like Winston at this point if were looking to add a player.

PFF had him rated as a very solid RT the last few years. +15.1 rating at 1086 snaps. Compare that to Woodson at about +1.2 at 486 snaps.

Considering the achilles heel Bell was its almost shocking we havent made a move to get him by now.

 

[Black&Blue_]

Woodson back to the Raiders.

 

[The Brain]

Kerry Rhodes?