The Carolina Panthers need a defensive end —really Womens Customized Carolina Panthers Jerseys , two defensive ends— more than anything else in 2019. the team with only three athletes under contract at the position: Mario Addison, Efe Obada, and Marquis Haynes. The rest of the contributors from last season are free agents at present and shouldn’t be considered as top targets for the team given their contributions helped usher Ron Rivera’s once vaunted defense to a 27th place finish for sacks in the league last season.Pass rushers have the ability to make or break a game for a team in a way that is only surpassed by quarterbacks. Because of this, they are one of the most sought after positions in free agency and the draft. The Panthers, with a laundry list of needs and only $18 million in cap space Authentic Christian McCaffrey Jersey , probably can’t afford to get in the kind of bidding wars it takes to land premier talent. They have to invest in defensive end and they are going to have to do that through the draft.Later today we are going to talk about the odds of hitting on useful defensive end talent through the draft in every round and we are going to talk about current general manager Marty Hurney’s history with drafting defensive end.For now, we are just going to consider how insane it is that the Panthers have such a dearth of talent at such an important position. In 2017, former general manager Dave Gettleman traded up in the third round to draft former Panthers defensive end Daeshon Hall. He had a negligible impact with the team before being released in September of last year. Last year, Hurney traded up in the fourth round to draft undersized defensive end Haynes, who has had a similar impact to Hall in his one season with the team. Obada http://www.pantherscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-christian-mccaffrey-jersey , while having a great story, doesn’t have a great deal of experience to recommend him yet.The departure of Peppers means that there is neither a past nor a future of the position on the team today. Obada is a gamble and Haynes hasn’t shown enough to warrant any prognostication. The Panthers can’t afford to take mid to late round fliers on possible talents anymore. Addison will turn 32 this season. The Panthers have an immediate need for talent and youth at a position of nearly unparalleled importance for their defense. There is no telling how low the floor is for that entire unit in 2019 if they don’t walk out of the draft with a day one starter at defensive end. This column was started with the intent of highlighting the worst kind of coaching that has haunted Ron Rivera’s tenure with the Carolina Panthers: the aggressively conservative decision making masked as “playing not to lose.” The Panthers’ Week 2 loss to the Falcons actually featured the opposite to that, so today we salute Rivera for making the right decisions — even if they weren’t enough in the end. All we’ve ever asked is that he try.Last year, in a Week 3 loss to the Saints, the Panthers lined up Michael Palardy to punt the ball on a 4th and 5 from the Saints’ 35 yard line. At the time Womens Dontari Poe Jersey , the Panthers were trailing by 18 points. We started this column this year because I am, apparently, still mad about that play and the similar decisions that Rivera has made in similar situations before and since — in spite of his once-earned reputation as a “riverboat gambler.”The Panthers found themselves in two situations on Sunday where the safe bet would have been on another Palardy punt. Instead, Rivera made the wise choice both times and kept his team competitive in what would turn out to be a close game.On the opening drive, Cam Newton and the offense stalled out. Graham Gano was sent out to kick a field goal on a 4th and 3 from the Falcons’ 36 yard line. Technically Womens Jarius Wright Jersey , a field goal is the safe call there. A more aggressive coach might have called on the best short yardage back in the league, Newton, to get those three yards and keep the drive alive. Bet let’s give credit where it is due for clearing the bar set last season: the Panthers didn’t punt. Huzzah.Early in the second quarter, the Panthers were stopped to set up a 4th and 4 from the Falcons’ 33 yard line. This time they went for it and Newton performed his standard magic to convert the first down. This is the much discussed play that saw Damontae Kazee ejected from the game for one of the dirtiest and dumbest hits I’ve ever witnessed. This play also set up the Panthers first touchdown of the game.What was the difference in those two, largely identical downs and distances on essentially the same part of the field? I don’t know. I can’t tell you if there was a consistent decision making process that ended the one drive in a field goal attempt and let the other stay alive for a touchdown. I can tell you that I was happy to see the Panthers consistently not punt in those situations. I don’t know what it is supposed to look like when a turtle comes out of its shell http://www.carolinapanthersteamonline.com/daryl-williams-jersey , but I can tell you that kind of naked certainly suited Rivera on Sunday. The Panthers ultimately lost that game by a single touchdown. This week’s post-game analysis would have been decidedly less optimistic without the 10 points they earned by trying to win the game in the first half. Kudos, Ron, and keep it up. I’d love to cancel this column.
