The Panthers looked good running the ball offensively and they were solid on defense in the rain against the Ravens last night.  Matt Moore started the game for the Panthers and he was so-so completing 4 of 7 passes for 32 yards.  Jimmy Clausen was the second guy is and he completed 8 of 15 passes (53.3%) for 80 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 11 yards (5.5 ypc) last night.  Hunter Cantwell was the third QB in for the Panthers and he was awful completing 6 of 17 passes (35.3%) for 68 yards.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 10 yards.  Tony Pike finished up the game at QB by throwing 1 incomplete pass.  RB Josh Vaughan led the way for the Panthers on the ground with 48 yards rushing on 11 carries (4.4 ypc).  DeAngelo Williams pitched in with 5 carries for 33 yards (6.6 ypc) last night.  Tyrell Sutton was also busy for the Panthers with 4 carries for 32 yards (8.0 ypc) and 3 receptions for 22 yards (7.3 avg) but he did lose a fumble.  WR Dexter Jackson led the way for the Panthers in the passing game with 35 yards on 2 receptions (17.5 avg).  The Panthers finished up with 142 yards rushing (5.5 ypc) and they also threw for 131 yards last night.

Defensively the Panthers looked solid as they finished up with 6 sacks and they stuffed the running game of the Ravens.  Rookie 6th round pick Greg Hardy was outstanding for the Panthers in his debut last night with 5 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss and 2 QB hits.  DE Eric Moore also had a solid game with 5 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 fumble recovery.  CB C.J. Wilson finished up with 3 tackles, 1 pass defensed and he returned a fumble 31 yards for a TD.  The Panthers held the Ravens to 61 yards rushing (2.3 ypc) and 164 passing yards last night. 

The Panthers could really use better starting position for the offense in 2010.  23-year old RB Tyrell Sutton is a very talented player who could excel in this role.  He’s on the small side at 5′9″, 190 pounds but Sutton is strong and fast.  He played in 7 games for the Panthers last season and he returned 14 kickoffs for 302 yards (21.6 avg).  I think he will be better in 2010 for the Panthers.

23-year old RB Mike Goodson is also in the hunt for kickoff returns.  He played in 8 games for the Panthers last season and he returned 17 kickoffs for 352 yards (20.7 avg).  Goodson will need to improve to beat out Sutton for the kickoff returner job in 2010.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE PANTHERS KICKOFF RETURNERS  in 2010:  C-

The Panthers have one of the most talented offensive lines in all of football.  It all starts on the blind side at tackle where Jordan Gross plays.  He is a solid technician who is always in the right place at the right time.  He will do a fine job of protecting whichever young QB takes the snaps for the Panthers in 2010.  Left guard Travelle Wharton is equally adept at run blocking and pass blocking.  That’s because he likes to hit the defender hard and first.  Center Ryan Kalil is very quick off the ball and that helps him win battles with DL who are bigger than he is.  Mackency Bernadeau will likely be the starting RG this year for the Panthers.  His stength is pass blocking but he has everything it takes to also be a good run blocker.  RT Jeff Otah is just plain nasty.  The only reason he’s playing RT instead of LT in because he’s quite a masher in the running game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE PANTHERS O-LINE in 2010:  A

The Panthers have claimed 25-year old OG Andrew Crummey off waivers from the Jaguars.  Crummey is a big guy at 6′5″, 301 but he doesn’t have much playing experience.  Crummey last played in the NFL in 2008 (which was his only NFL action) with the Bengals playing in six games but starting none of them.  He will be little more than a backup if he makes the team as the Panthers have a pretty strong O-Line heading into 2010.

55-year old head coach John Fox might be on the hot seat in 2010 but he won’t have a hard time finding a new job if the Panthers let him go.  Fox somehow got his team to finish 8-8 last season despite getting horrible play out of the QBs.  It might have been his best coaching job ever.  Fox has a 71-57 (55.5%) record in his eight years with the Panthers and he is 5-3 (62.5%) in the post season.  He led the Panthers to a Super Bowl in 2003 in which they narrowly lost to the Patriots.  Fox is a good coach and he will get the most out of the Panthers in 2010.