Carolina Panthers: Making Changes on Defense, But Offense Needs Help
The Carolina Panthers made a few key additions on the defense, but the sluggish offense needs a solution to give them a much needed kick-start.
The Carolina Panthers are off to a slow start. That fact is clear and apparent. There are a variety of reasons why this is occurring. Most would point to the offense that was expected to be a powerful force, but has yet to consistently show its strength. However, the Panthers front office has decided to beef up the defensive side of the ball bringing in Michael Griffin and signing Kyle Love. Both of these men are expected to step up and fulfill duties needed to complete the defensive side of the ball.
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Griffin is a two-time Pro Bowl safety who was available after being released by the Tennessee Titans, where he played the last nine seasons. Since getting drafted in 2007, he’s played in 141 games, starting 133 of them. During that time, he intercepted 25 passes, forced 11 fumbles, and recovered six. Those solid numbers earned him two Pro Bowl appearances in 2008 and 2010.
Griffin is joining a secondary that has allowed only 549 total yards through these three games; which breaks down to an average of 183 yards per game. This is a strong start to the season; especially when counting in the point that the Panthers were looking to retool this defense with Josh Norman’s departure and Charles Tillman’s retirement. James Bradberry and Daryl Worley are both performing well in the secondary, but Griffin adds a value of depth and experience both men don’t have at this point in their career.
He’s a strong fit and bringing him in early in the season can greatly impact how the secondary performs through the rest of the year. Griffin is slotted to back up Kurt Coleman and Tre Boston, but great performance from the veteran could improve that place on the depth chart.
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To go along with the addition of Griffin, the Panthers brought by defensive tackle Kyle Love. Love played with the Panthers the last two seasons. He was brought back to fill in for first-round pick, Vernon Butler who is nursing an ankle injury and should be out the next few weeks. Love’s previous tenure with the Panthers puts him in a positon to make an immediate impact back in his recent position.
Carolina has spent a lot of time shoring up the defense and making sure they have ample options at nearly each position. The question is how they plan to give their offense a boost. This defense has played well throughout these first three games. Even though the team is 1-2, one must wonder how much that should be attributed to an offense that has struggled to score late in two of the three games played this season.
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It’s way too early to panic in any fashion about the Panthers’ slow start. It will be interesting to see what adjustments are made throughout the season before the team finds itself in deep trouble. With so many options available in this powerful defense, there really isn’t a clear cut reason to justify the low performance that has occurred through this point in the 2016 season.