Constructing a champion – How Carolina was built


Picking Cam Newton (1) was a big step in the right direction for the Panthers organization. Photo Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Picking Cam Newton (1) was a big step in the right direction for the Panthers organization. Photo Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

by Rob Rang

The Carolina Panthers lost only one regular-season game and blew out both teams standing between them and a berth in Super Bowl 50 during the postseason. Yet, many skeptics remain, perhaps due to the misguided notion that the NFC champions are overly reliant on league MVP favorite Cam Newton.

While Newton’s growth as a pocket passer has certainly played a key role in Carolina’s success, credit Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman’s sharp eye for talent, as well as the leadership of head coach Ron Rivera, whose military upbringing and nine years as a standout linebacker for the Chicago Bears makes him relatable to his players.

It is a marriage of philosophies that has made Carolina one of the NFL’s best on and after draft day. Twice as many players on the Panthers’ current 53-man roster entered the NFL as undrafted free agents (18) as first-round picks (nine).

Carolina’s unconventional (and, at times, controversial) route includes how positions were prioritized. In a league increasingly dedicated to the passing game, the Panthers have remained steadfast in their run-heavy, ball-control attack, ranking second overall in rushing yards (142.6 yards per game) compared to just 24th in passing (224.3) during the regular season. Focusing on the run (and stopping it) has allowed Gettlemen to commit extra resources to his beloved “hog mollies” along the line of scrimmage and gave Rivera a prodigy in All-Pro middle linebacker Luke Kuechly.

MEN AT THE TOP
Like Rivera, Gettleman worked his way to the top, spending nearly 30 years as a scout with the Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos and New York Giants before being hired by Carolina a little more than three years ago. Gettleman inherited a talented roster with former general manager Marty Hurney deserving credit for drafting several key pieces of the current team, including Newton, Kuechly, running back Jonathan Stewart and cornerback Josh Norman, among others. Hurney also pulled off the trade to land Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen.

While the cupboard was well-stocked, many of the Panthers were also well-paid. At one point, Carolina was $16 million over the salary cap, forcing the Panthers to release several popular players, including star wideout Steve Smith. Gettleman had developed a well-earned reputation as a “grinder” in the scouting community, but it was his work maneuvering Carolina through a tight salary cap that has perhaps surprised competitors most.

FIVE MOVES THAT GOT THEM HERE
The two most important decisions Carolina made in terms of fielding its current Super Bowl roster were clearly drafting Newton and Kuechly, the quarterbacks on both sides of the ball. Hitting on top 10 picks is relatively simple in comparison to plucking Norman out of Coastal Carolina with the 143rd overall pick in 2012. Though they weren’t necessarily popular moves at the time, the Panthers may have also improved by subtracting polarizing (and pricey) players like Smith and Greg Hardy.

For Gettleman specifically, dedicating the first two picks of his career as general manager to defensive tackles Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short was a strategy many questioned at the time, but no longer. Short qualified for the Pro Bowl in his third season, exploding for a team-leading 11 sacks, while Lotulelei’s power has made him one of the league’s better run-stuffers.

Whereas it is relatively commonplace in today’s NFL to see committees of running backs, Gettleman has extended this strategy to wide receivers. Though none of the Panthers’ current receivers possess the all-around skill-set to be a star on his own, Carolina boasts a three-headed monster with Ted Ginn, Jr. supplying the straight-line speed, veteran Jerricho Cotchery the reliable route-running and soft hands and 6-foot-4, 225-pound rookie Devin Funchess offering great size.

CORE PLAYERS
With the exception of Olsen, the Panthers drafted their core players, using first-round picks on Thomas Davis (No. 14 overall, 2005), Stewart (No. 13, 2008), Newton (No. 1, 2011), Kuechly (No. 9, 2012), Lotulelei (No. 14, 2013) and Shaq Thompson (No. 25, 2015) and finding future Pro Bowlers in center Ryan Kalil (No. 59, 2007), Short (No. 44, 2013) and Norman (No. 143, 2012) with later picks.

The roster has been notably supplemented with free agent additions, including multiple players at the same positions. Wideouts Ginn, Jr. and Cotchery began their NFL career elsewhere, as did starting offensive tackles Michael Oher and Michael Remmers and starting safeties Roman Harper and Kurt Coleman.

DEPTH FINDS
Norman, a pending free agent who made just under $1.6 million this season, is easily Carolina’s best late-round pick – at least among the players currently on the roster.

Several others drafted late by Carolina over the past decade have gone on to become starters elsewhere, including guard Evan Mathis (third round, 2005), tight end Gary Barnidge (fifth round, 2008), offensive tackle Geoff Schwartz (seventh round, 2008), cornerback Captain Munnerlyn (seventh round, 2009) and Hardy (sixth round, 2010).

Since Gettleman and Rivera began working together in 2013, the Panthers have found late-round gems in outside linebacker A.J. Klein (fifth round, 2013), right guard Trai Turner (third round, 2014), cornerback Bene Benwikere (fifth round, 2014) – each of whom have started for the Panthers.

GRADING THE DRAFT
Hurney and Gettleman both contributed quality starters to the roster. Rivera deserves plenty of credit, as well, and scouts from rival clubs at the Senior Bowl were surprised that offensive coordinator Mike Shula and quarterback coach Ken Dorsey haven’t earned more praise for Newton’s development.

Gettleman is well known for his commitment to building up the line of scrimmage, but the manner in which the Panthers have done so is different than most. With the 6-5, 245-pound Newton as big or bigger than many of the edge rushers attempting to tackle him, Carolina has placed less emphasis than most clubs on its tackles, instead dedicating its assets on the interior of the offensive line. Consider that at nearly $10.4 million, Kalil counted more against Carolina’s salary cap this season than the rest of the Panthers’ starting offensive line put together. Meanwhile, Gettleman has selected three guards – one in each of his drafts – while using no picks on offensive tackles.

FRONT OFFICE VIEW
Super Bowl 50 will mark the seventh time a team Gettleman is scouting for has reached the championship game – something that his former co-workers with the Giants don’t seem surprised by.

The Giants openly campaigned for Gettleman when he interviewed for the general manager position in Carolina and previously with the Cleveland Browns. Then-GM Ernie Accorsi gave Gettleman a lot of credit for the Giants’ Super Bowl victories in 2007 and 2011, acknowledging that “We hit a home run on almost every one” of the Giants’ draft picks during those championship years.

“Dave’s a football guy,” said then-Giants coach Tom Coughlin. “Give him a screen and a projector, whatever we call it today, and give him players to evaluate and he’s exceptional.”

–Rob Rang is a Senior Analyst for NFLDraftScout.com, distributed in partnership with The Sports Xchange and CBSSports.com.