Sunday Debate: Carolina Panthers Next to Win First Super Bowl
It’s time for another Sunday Debate! This week is one of the more intriguing we’ve done. Brendan and myself will be debating what NFL current team that currently has never won a Super Bowl will be the next to hang a banner up in the rafters.
Sunday seems to be coming quicker and quicker each week now. It’s time for another debate. This week we’ll be debating what team that has never won the Super Bowl will be the next to win a ring. I will be arguing for the team with a 27-year-old reigning MVP quarterback on the rise.
Related Story: Arizona Cardinals Next to Win First Super Bowl
Brendan will side with a 36-year-old quarterback with two torn ACLs on his resume and a soon-to-be 33-year-old star receiver who’s considering retirement following the season. If you can’t figure it out, I’m going with the Carolina Panthers while Brendan likes the Arizona Cardinals and there tiny window of opportunity.
Let’s start with the fact that they went 15-1 last season, have a superstar quarterback entering his prime with an outstanding young receivers and the defense is both young and elite.
Newton, Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess can be an incredible trio for the foreseeable future. Both receivers are 6-foot-4 and KB is Funchess’s elder by three years at 25. Greg Olsen is the veteran presence at tight end and Cameron Artis-Payne is a promising young running back.
The defense is beyond stocked with young talent. On the defensive line they have three young stars in Kony Ealy, Kawann Short and Star Lotulelei. Charles Johnson lines up on the end opposite Ealy and is a proven veteran with experience.
The linebackers are tremendous as and well balanced as well. Luke Kuechly may be the best inside linebacker in the league and just turned 25. He’s one of the favorites to win Defensive Player of the Year every year, was huge in the playoffs and is both a tackling machine and playmaker.
Meanwhile, 2015 rookie Shaq Thompson has the same kind of upside and is a physical freak. Thomas Davis appears to be ageless and is the veteran of the group. At 33 he hasn’t failed to reach 100 tackles in a 16-game season since 2007 and hasn’t missed 100 tackles at all since 2011 when he only played two games.
The secondary lost Josh Norman, but is still impressive. They have underrated safeties led by 2015 breakout star Kurt Coleman and Bene Benwikere is going to be a very good NFL corner. After an impressive 2014, he was picked on a bit in 2015 since Josh Norman was so good it’s understandable. He’ll continue to improve and develop into a CB1.
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On the other hand, the Cardinals are not so youthful. They are a great team, however, Palmer is a major issue. His days are numbered and he’s a nightmare come playoff time. Can you really see him hoisting a Super Bowl trophy? This means Brendan is banking on them finding and developing a young QB before any other team without a ring wins a Super Bowl. Seems like a real long shot.
The other anchor of the offense is long-time Cardinal Larry Fitzgerald. He’s looking to hang it up in the very near future. He already said, he’s not willing to play with another unproven QB. I like Michael Floyd and John Brown, but neither is a true WR1. They have no tight end to speak of either. David Johnson looks like the future of that offense, nevertheless, the league is evolving and teams really don’t build around running backs anymore. Outside of the Minnesota Vikings, no playoff caliber offense is led by their back.
The Cards defense is among the league’s elite and they added Chandler Jones. However, the defense has three true stars in Jones, Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu. The issue is between Jones and Mathieu, in eight combined NFL seasons, they have one combined 16-game season on their resumes. In fairness Deone Bucannon is quickly on the rise as well. Still, they don’t have the upside, all-around talent or long-term promise of the Panthers.
I’m very interested to read Brendan’s article because I have no idea what case he can possibly make. The only thing I can think of is that he believes the Cards may win it this year. But please, someone ask him this in the comments, “Can you see Carson Palmer leading a team to a Super Bowl Championship?”
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Thanks for reading ladies and fellows. I hope you enjoyed reading another triumphantly one-sided debate. Look forward to doing it again next week.
Enjoy Game 7 tonight.