Today, I’m posting for Anthony Dunn, who isn’t a writer here (although it would be nice if he were – HINT HINT Anthony!), but who submitted a long and thoughtful piece rebuking the New York-centered Jets’ “writer” Adam Schein’s hit job on Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers.

I guess some people feel insecure and have to do hit jobs on teams that are FAR better off than the team they write about – again, the New York Jets – to feel good about themselves.

Enjoy the following slightly tongue-in-cheek opinion piece below, keeping in mind that Adam Schein’s “team” is best known in 2012 for “The Butt Fumble.”

…..article by Anthony Dunn: caution, it is rather long. Enjoy!

Nov 18, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) with the ball as Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Da

Adam Schein’s Cicada Call

Is there a worst time of the sports year? With April passed, it is dawning on us that baseball season is two months too long. With the 2013 NFL draft passed, we have again seen that the draft prognosticators are about as accurate as local meteorologists. And with rookie mini-camps now underway, we will soon be bombarded with endless stories of veterans who are not team players or poor leaders because they declined optional workouts. The NFL season, strangely, seems at its furthest point away.

Can it get any worse?

Well it certainly can get more annoying. Emerging, along side of the most prolific cicada brood in seventeen years, is an equally loud and maddening group of journalist hacks who know very little about baseball or golf, so they result to making animal noises about the one thing they know even less about–professional football.

Last week, Adam Schein showed the sports world he is one of those hacks, whose journalistic career is going nowhere, with his attempt to pass off animal grunts for a critique of the Carolina Panthers and Cam Newton. Reaching the height of his journalistic career as co-host of “Loudmouths,” being dedicated a Facebook tribute page titled “Adam Schein is a Jerk,” and by passing weekly emesis for sports analysis, Schein’s most recent diatribe, “Carolina Panthers going nowhere with Ron Rivera, Cam Newton” shows that he just does not have what it takes to be an elite NFL analyst.

Dec 4, 2011; Tampa FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Adrian Clayborn (94) is blocked by Carolina Panthers tackle Jordan Gross (69) during the second half of their game at Raymond James Stadium. The Panthers won 38-19. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports

Sure, he graduated from Syracuse’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, won the John Bayliss Award for Excellence in Radio Journalism in 1998 and 1999, and now has a daily radio show on Sirius, which we all know will be overtaken by internet radio in the near future. This run of the mill resume and desperate attempt to seem relevant by drumming up attention through shock journalism, however, indicates that NFL.com fumbled the ball by keeping Schein around for another season.

Without Tebow to rant about, Schein who covers Jets football and a co-host of NY based “Loudmouths,” turned his bitter attention to Tim’s former Florida teammate, Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers last week.

Schein contests that, with Rivera and Cam at the helm, Carolina will be the worst in the NFL . He claims he arrived at this enlightened forecast by observing the past and looking into the future’s “crystal ball.” It does not take reading of tea leaves or chicken bones, however, to realize that Schein chose to pick on a team with a distant fan base from his media outlet and whose recent GM hire, Dave Gettleman, provides some connections to the NY sports world to make a looming deadline or pay his monthly satellite radio bill.

Schein rightfully notes that the young Cam Newton still needs to mature as an offensive leader and in, the harder learned aspect of the NFL, becoming a strong PR representative. Schein observes this in the most caustic manner, however. He claims that the Giant’s shellacking of the Panthers on Monday Night Football, Cam’s untimely turnovers (if there is such a thing as a timely turnover), and the two years of a below .500 winning percentage signal that the writing is on the wall for Rivera and Newton.

He further makes some scant observations about NFC South preseason acquisitions to conclude that the Panthers have the division’s most talentless roster. Interestingly, Schein points to the Revis trade from the Jets to the Bucs and a vague reference to the Falcons 2012 success as the only support for his evaluation of NFC talent. To be fair, he does halfway congratulate Gettleman’s first Panther draft and chock him and Kuechly up as the organization’s only strengths.

Dec 16, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera yells on the sideline during the fourth quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

This is where Schein shows he views the Panthers and the NFC South only as they relate to the NY sports market. A healthy Revis will certainly pose problems for Panther receivers. It is still not certain that he will be the shutdown corner he was a few years ago after consecutive injury ridden seasons. Cherry picking two familiar NY names does not amount to strong analysis, but rather carpetbagger commentary. Taking a line from Schein himself, “I don’t believe he is an elite, upper-echelon” sports analyst. Schein’s shock journalism and shallow assessment of the NFC South is not enough “to eradicate and/or mask areas of deficiency.”

More specifically, Schein’s thin assessment has gaping holes and overlooks some important elements of the organization’s past prior to the Rivera/Newton era and Gettleman’s arrival. The hardest part in toppling this straw house is choosing where to start.

Schein’s easiest argument to dispose is his treatment of Cam Newton. His claims that RGIII and Andrew Luck have both surpassed Newton, who will never be an “upper-echelon NFL quarterback.” His argument rests on three basic premises.

1. Cam lacks leadership ability and maturity.
2. His play is inconsistent.
3. He has a below .500 winning percentage.

The problem with this critique is not that it is entirely false, but that it is incomplete. Premises 2 & 3 are easily disposed. The Panthers tripled their win total in Cam’s rookie year, and added one more win in his sophomore campaign. Yes, the 2012 Panthers fell below fan expectations. Looking back, most Panther fans, including myself, expected too much. Coupled with a little in game bad luck and key injuries on the offensive line, and playoff hopes turned into the fodder for cicada journalists.

Cam’s rookie year intoxicated fans, bloated expectations, and masked systemic weaknesses on both sides of the ball. For two years, teams ran the ball at will against the Panthers. Support this with a secondary that could never even contemplate playing man defense nor was experienced enough to play zone defense, and you get long exhausting drives that end in fourth quarter debacles.

May 10, 2013; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Star Lotulelei runs a drill during the practice held at the Carolina Panthers practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Schein strangely equates this defensive deficiency to Newton. While he never made this connection directly, nor do I think he would if asked, simply attributing Panther woes to Newton and Rivera alone is an incomplete assessment. If anything, these defensive problems should be attributed to the defensive coordinator, Sean McDermott, and head coach Rivera. Even blaming these two underemphasizes glaring personnel problems of the interior defensive line and secondary.

Panther fans undeniably yearn for the stout defense we had for so many years under John Fox and led by studs, such as Dan Morgan, Will Witherspoon, Julius Peppers, Mike Rucker, and Kris Jenkins. The 2011 & 2012 defense had talent at defensive end and linebacker, but lacked depth that showed late in games. Sometimes it didn’t wait that long. Huge holes in the middle over-extended the linebackers and left the secondary fighting for their lives. This placed immense pressure on the Panther offense, which weighed heavily on the young, always competitive Cam Newton.

Schein does not overlook these defensive weaknesses entirely, but lavishes any and all Panther praise on Gettleman’s recent draft, while still finding a way to dump blame on Newton and Rivera. The good news, however, is that, while the Panther 2013 draft was not flashy enough for the national media buzz, it addressed fundamental defensive weaknesses. Gettleman’s first draft built a core defensive depth that veterans, such as Jon Beason, Charles Johnson, and budding stars Hardy and Kuechly, can lead to a stoutness of past Panther teams.

Schein also inaccurately reduced Panther offensive issues faced over the last five years to Cam’s inconsistent play. I was on the fifth row of the 40 yd line at the 2010 Saints 33-3 Panther pounding. We may have crossed the 50 yard line twice. Carolina’s offensive problems were apparent before the Cam/Rivera era. Before Cam our offense was anemic, and Steve Smith seemed shelved for good.

Protected by an aging and injury prone offensive line, Cam simply had to do too much. While fun to watch, this put all of the pressure on Newton to perform beyond what is reasonable for any successful quarterback in the long-run. Panther fans continued to be baffled by Chudzinski’s refusal to modify his gimmicky run scheme for more traditional sets, which both Williams and Stewart seem to flourish. This scheme impeded the offense from ever establishing an identity and rhythm.

Was it scheme alone that prevented Carolina from running the ball successfully in 2012? No. The offensive line was beyond dinged up and looked to be aging faster than Marty Hurney extended their contracts on his way out the door. Injuries, penalties, and a lack continuity and consistency made Panther fans groan repeatedly “if only Otah would have panned out.”

All in all, both the offense and defense have improved under Rivera’s tenure. We hope to see a greater commitment to the run game, which will take some of the pressure off of Newton to just make it happen on every play. Gettleman worked on the secondary as best as one could hope with some value free agent picks, and the addition of Star will shore up the interior defense.

Sept. 11, 2011; Glendale, AZ, USA; Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Panthers 28-21. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The real issue:

Schein’s first premise that Newton is immature and lacks leadership ability is his ace in the hole. Cam’s confidence often translates into cockiness, and his painful postgame press conferences often eclipse his electrifying freshman and sophomore NFL campaigns. I will be first to say that it is just downright wrong to see a big, beautiful, black man with freaky athletic ability, whining, sulking, and fighting back tears like a ten year old kid who just struck out to lose a little league game. Perhaps this is why that Play 60 commercial of the little kid trash talking Cam is so funny.

There are limits to this argument, however. Schein overplayed his hand and tipped his bandwagon mentality by catapulting RGIII and Luck to a class beyond Cam’s. Oh how quickly does he forget arguably the greatest rookie year of all time. RGIII and Luck are great talents no doubt. But they haven’t demonstrated anything, nor have they had the chance in just one year, that suggests that they will outclass Newton. Don’t forget – Cam had a lockout-shortened training camp coming in during his rookie season while Luck and RGIII both benefit of a full training camp last season.

Luck looked shaky at times and was blessed with a weak schedule. RGIII looked brilliant at times, but even the Panther’s defense got to him and his knee injury begs questions about his future durability and explosiveness. In supplement, Cam improved significantly last year in reading defensives, looking off defenders, and getting through his receiver progressions. Schein impulsively concludes that Cam has shown he is not a winner, but a showboater.

Playing QB in the NFL takes a strong, confident personality that has the guts to put it all on the line. Cam has that edge. Still we must keep in mind this is a 22 year old kid who has always been the best athlete on field, often still is too. He is maturing. He wears his emotions on his sleeve, which has its pluses and minuses. Either way, I will happily take crying Cam over Jimmy “Can’t Pull the Trigger” Clausen.

Every year a new brood of cicadas emerges. Some are louder and more noticeable than others. This year Brood II, the loudest and most well known of cicada broods, will overrun eastern United States. I can only hope that their loud and annoying song will drown out the equally annoying animal sounds made by shock journalists, such as Adam Schein.

For instance, the KC Chiefs will likely have a West Coast offense with lots of short passing with some jitterbug runs from Jamaal Charles or him catching swing passes from Alex Smith. The Miami Dolphins look to be a more wide-open offense with young gun Ryan Tannehill now surrounded by some powerful weapons at the WR and TE positions – not to mention their defensive overhaul.

The 2013 iteration of the Carolina Panthers looks a lot like many teams from the 1970′s. Speaking of the Miami Dolphins, recall a young Don Shula taking the expansion Miami Dolphins to relevance with an unselfish team-first, “no-name” defense, a slick and thus aptly-named QB in Bob Griese, and a 3-headed hydra backfield with Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick, and Mercury Morris. Don’t forget one of my all-time favorite players, Hall of Fame wideout Paul Warfield. One year, he had only 29 receptions for the heavily-grounded offense, but 11 of those went the distance.

Not to bad when 1 catch out of 3 means 6 (points)!

In their 1972 perfect season, what’s usually lost in the hype was that they were #1 in offense AND defense in the NFL. OUCH.

Dec 30, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams (34) carries the ball up the field against the New Orleans Saints during first quarter of their game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

While I make no such grandiose predictions of the same for this year’s Carolina Panthers, I DO see some similarities.

Mainly, I see a team with one dangerous WR, Steve Smith, and a lot of role-players otherwise on the offense.

The Dolphins had a TE named Marlin Briscoe. The Panthers have a similar-type player in TE Greg Olson.

The offensive backfield is similar. Shula had Csonka; Rivera has Jonathan Stewart. Shula had Jim Kiick – sort of a jack-of-all-trades – and the Panthers have Mike Tolbert. Shula’s most electrifying player was a speedster with a great nickname….Eugene “Mercury” Morris. Rivera now has 2 of those – DeAngelo Williams and 6th-round draft pick, the rookie from Oregon, Kenjon Barner.

Neither of them have cool nicknames, but hey, it’s the play on the field I’m comparing.

With limited help in the passing game, the Panthers have another threat that the Dolphins really didn’t have – a true dual-threat QB. Bob Griese was slippery and could scramble but was a physically small man, even for the times, and wasn’t about to take many hits. Cam Newton is much, much more dynamic.

When Ron Rivera took the team over, the Panthers were already built very much like a power running team. They just lacked the defense against the run to fully exploit it.

Now, with two strong young and talented defensive tackles, the Panthers’ 2012 “soft, gushy center” of the defense won’t be so soft in 2013. Luke Kuechly led the NFL in tackles and has already made his presence known, but now he’s got some help in front of him so he might not make quite as many tackles, frankly….the hopes are the defense won’t be on the field so much this year.

That’s exactly where a power running game helps – it keeps opposing QBs like, oh, say…Drew Brees and Matt Ryan on the bench where they can’t hurt you. If the Panthers can dictate the pace of a ball game, they are going to have a very good shot to win.

If everyone on the offensive line is healthy, it should be one of the better overall units in the NFL – Byron Bell or not. Bell’s a better run-blocker than he is a pass protector so a running offense would benefit him as well.

Also if you’ll recall the first two games last year – the Panthers ran 2-to-1 vs. passing and won that game against the Saints. The other? They passed 2-to-1 vs. running (season opener @ Tampa Bay) and lost. Those first two games should have set the tone for the offensive play-calling the rest of the season, but Chud wasn’t always on top of the running game.

Jan 23, 2013; Mobile AL, USA; Senior Bowl north squad running back Kenjon Barner of Oregon (24) carries against defensive back Jordan Poyer of Oregon State (14) during the Senior Bowl north squad practice at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

If the Panthers decide to go the “ground and pound” route, they could be a force to reckon with. Today’s NFL defenses are built around the pass rush and pass defense, team speed and smaller, faster defenders. These things go in cycles, and we’re at one extreme now more or less because of the liberal rules in the passing game. Fine.

The advantage can go to Carolina when pounding the rock with any of 4 different ball carriers when you include Cam Newton…possibly 5 if Barner is tossed into the mix for a few plays a game early on as he learns the ropes.

The personnel should dictate what you do, not the other way around. You play to your strengths, and I’d say Carolina’s backfield is much stronger than the receiving corps is. They’re also taking up the lion’s share of salary cap space.

USE THEM!

A powerful running game does a number of good things. It runs the clock, shortening the game. It really does make opposing defenses a step slower as the game wears on as the physicality wears them out. It’s no secret it takes twice as much energy to play defense than offense, and when an offense can put together long, slogging drives, the defense gets tired.

A tired defense helps the opposing offense down the stretch as they’re less able to make plays and just get worn down. Also, a lot of defensive backs these days are used to covering and not tackling; tackling is almost a lost art these days, and bringing down a Mike Tolbert is NOT something a 190-lb DB wants to do – or even CAN do in some cases.

As running teams keep running and the game goes on, the gains on the ground tend to get a little bigger. When you have a mix of power sledgehammers and lightning bugs, those fast guys seem to get a little bit faster in the 2nd half…and the Panthers have been known the past 2 years for giving up leads (when they get them) late in the game.

I say it’s worth attempting. A strong running game would make the vertical passing game MORE effective – even if pass attempts are going to be down – as safeties start sneaking towards the line of scrimmage or defensive coordinators start calling “8 in the box” defenses to try and stop/slow down the run. That’s where the play-action deep pass comes in.

With nobody (yet) stepping up in the WR corps, signs point more and more to a 1970′s-style extremely physical offensive style being the direction to go. Smitty has lost at least a step in speed and nobody so far has stepped up to claim the WR2 spot, so they may go with what’s proven.

The Panthers have so much money and talent in the offensive backfield – it’s time they started earning those big paychecks.

I just thought I’d take a look at each team and their best and worst draft picks within the NFC South. Here goes!

Atlanta Falcons

Best pick – Malliciah Goodman, DE, Clemson – Yes, they took Desmond Trufant at #22 overall and Robert Alford in the second round at #60 overall, and they’re certainly worthy of their status as they’re very good players that fit needs, but neither were “value” picks. Goodman is a good value at #127 overall. He has the size at 6’3″ 277 lbs to play defensive end in the 4-3 that the Falcons run. His arms are a full yard (yep 36″) long and his hands are humongous at 11 inches so he’s going to “play bigger” than he actually is. If he can be coached up to use his arms and hands to full potential, he could become a disruptive force on the edge, giving opposing offenses a unique individual and body-type to get used to blocking. With improved hand techniques, he could really become difficult to keep at bay.

Worst pick – Stansly Maponga, DE, TCU – Maponga has potential, sure, but is small for a DE and falls in that “tweener” category that usually goes to 3-4 teams as an OLB at 6’2″ 255 lbs for use in sub-packages. He went at #153 overall but compared with Goodman, taken 26 picks earlier, Maponga is way behind in being an NFL-ready prospect. He has the hand moves that Goodman so far lacks, but it tells me Maponga is way closer to his ceiling than Goodman is to his.

Dec 1, 2012; Ft. Worth, TX, USA; Texas Christian Horned Frogs defensive end Stansly Maponga (90) in action against the Oklahoma Sooners at Amon G Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Carolina Panthers

Best Pick – Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah – Hardly a shocker here, at #14 overall, but a few months ago this guy was talked about as possibly being the top overall talent in the entire draft. The fact that he fell all the to #14 to the Panthers – AND at a position of dire need for them – makes Star far and away the best pick for the Carolina Panthers this year.

Worst pick – Edmund Kugbila, OG, Valdosta St. – This pick baffled me a bit. After having taken a small-school guard, Amini Silatolu from Midwestern State in the second round last year, Gettleman took Kugbila in his own first draft with the Panthers. Silatolu struggled quite a bit through the first 10 or so games of the 2012 season, and with very little help to the offense overall in this draft, Kugbila faces a similar learning curve. The good news is that he actually played guard during most of his career (Silatolu is a converted left tackle kicked inside), so he does have more experience than did Silatolu coming in. He’ll still have to learn the intricacies of an NFL blocking scheme but could come into his own in the second half of the 2013 season. I just don’t see much immediate help here other than helping with the depth at guard.

New Orleans Saints

Best pick – John Jenkins, NT, Georgia – First-rounder Kenny Vaccaro fills a big need but went about as high in the draft as he was projected at #15 overall, so again there’s not much there in terms of “value,” but the pick fits a need. Jenkins is a huge 350-lb 0-technique guy that should plug the middle and help improve the Saints’ NFL-worst-ever defense last year. Taken at #82 overall and in the third round, the Saints likely have at minimum a great guy for the rotation and at best an eventual starter that opposing offenses are going to have to plan for in the running game. He’s a great value pick; he should produce as a rookie and push Bunkley for the starting gig…without kicking offensive linemen in the head.

Worst pick – Terron Armstead, OT, Arkansas-Pine Bluff – Frankly, I was amazed that the Saints are leaving Drew Brees’ blind side protection so up in the air with this choice. Certainly, Armstead has POTENTIAL, but does anyone really think Armstead is going to come in and start at left tackle? The Saints let last year’s starting LT, Jermon Bushrod, hit the free agent market and as it looks now the starter on opening day is going to be Charles Brown, who finished the last 2 seasons on injured reserve and only has appeared in 21 games in 3 seasons. Unless he can really improve his game and stay healthy, Armstead could be forced into the LT position early. I wonder how Drew Brees feels about having a small-school rookie protecting his blind side…probably not to thrilled. Huge learning curve for Armstead and he could develop into a solid starter – just is unlikely in his first year, and definitely not in such an intricate offense like Sean Payton runs as the LT position remains a big question mark for the Saints to start the 2013 season.

Jan 26, 2013; Mobile, AL, USA; Senior Bowl north squad quarterback Mike Glennon of North Carolina State (8) against the Senior Bowl south squad during the first half of the Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Best pick – Mike Glennon, QB, N.C. State – Given the fact that Russell Wilson was taken around the same spot last year in the draft, Glennon could be quite a steal here. People forget – Glennon BEAT OUT Wilson as the starter in Raleigh, causing Wilson to transfer to Wisconsin, where he did his damage and got noticed. Glennon has a howitzer for an arm and the possibility exists that he could push Josh Freeman for the starting job. Stranger things have happened, if you’ll recall last year when Seattle got QB Matt Flynn in free agency and wound up paying him $8 dollars to ride the pine while Russell Wilson took the league by stealthy storm with all the early attention on Andrew Luck and RG3. Glennon also comes in under the radar, but Freeman hasn’t progressed as much as the Bucs would like to have seen by now. Glennon’s drafting should light a fire under Freeman and push him, which is exactly what he needs. If nothing else, the Bucs got a back-up QB with some great skills to develop and potential starter down the road.

Worst pick – William Gholston, DE, Michigan State – Gholston has the pedigree, and in his case, that’s a horrible thing. He’s Vernon Gholston’s cousin. Vernon went #6 overall to the New York Jets a few years back, is out of the NFL now, and recorded a career of 0 sacks. Is this a case of “sins of the father cousin?” Maybe – at least William Gholston went down in the 4th round so the draft capital spent isn’t even close to the same, but still…he’s a very high boom or bust-type player that Tampa Bay liked enough apparently to roll the dice on. He doesn’t have the great physical skills of his cousin (4.93-40, 28.5″ vertical) so his upside as a pass-rusher seems quite limited. If anything, he could turn into more of a SDE that is strong against the run, and with proper coaching (assuming his motor is there where Vernon’s never was) and his long arms, he does have some upside. I just hope for their sake that the Bucs aren’t counting on him to deliver big his rookie campaign.