The Panthers Linebacking Core was already set for another great season, with Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis coming off great seasons, and Jon Beason coming back from IR. Kuechly obviously the center of the Panthers defense and the Panthers have taken all the steps to put him in as the leader. Moving him into the middle, a spot that has been relegated to Jon Beason up until last year, positioned him to be the immovable center of the Panthers defense. I am expecting him to be named the defensive captain in the next coming years; it seems to be inevitable.

Nov 18, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera talks with outside linebacker Thomas Davis (58) after a personal foul penalty during the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. The Bucs defeated the Panthers 27-21 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Davis also adds another layer to the Panthers Linebacking unit. Davis is the Panthers Ray Lewis, or at least he is to me. He adds the emotional center for the Panthers defense, and though Davis may not be the better Linebacker, he is still a starter in the NFL and would be on any other team. I’m not so sure if you remember when Davis recorded that one interception against Atlanta, but I sure do, and when he caught that ball I remember the entire defense running up and celebrating with the rest of the team. Coming off of his huge surgery, his ready to work attitude only added to the strength of Davis’s stance with the team, reaffirming his role as the emotional center of the defense.

With Beason coming back, the Linebacking unit will only grow in strength. Beason is a three time pro-bowl selection for the NFC team and the defensive captain for the Panthers during his active time as the Panthers middle linebacker. And he only seems amicable to let Kuechly take his spot as the Panthers middle linebacker, he also seems willing to do anything for the future success for the Panther’s franchise. However, the Panthers did cut James Anderson during the offseason leaving them without their starting outside linebacker for a small amount of time, before we knew where Beason would end up.

May 10, 2013; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers linebacker A.J. Klein (56) walks to the field prior to the start of practice held at the Carolina Panthers practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

The Panthers made up for it by acquiring Chase Blackburn from the Giants and A.J. Klein through the 2013 NFL Draft, two quality Linebackers who add some serious depth to the unit.  Not to mention the quality backup Linebacker and special teams captain, Jordan Senn. So with all that being said, I honestly and truly think that the Panthers Linebacking unit will definitely improve from next year. Klein works hard, being one of the players that Ron Rivera has praised the most from the team mini-camp, and with his ability to play all three spots with the unit I expect him to be the first backup for all three spots. Blackburn also seems to be his very own entity. A special teams captain with the Giants for the past two years, Blackburn has worked his way up from the bottom, an undrafted free agent out of Akron, not getting any recognition at the beginning but then working hard to earn a starting job through hard work in the special teams unit. He also is a Super Bowl champion, something the Panthers seem to lack.

The Panthers have a great Linebacking unit. When it’s all said and done, the Panthers may have one of the better Linebacking units in the entire NFC and possibly the NFL. The unit is obviously a strength for the Panthers and is something the team should try to exploit. It should prove for a very exciting year for the Panthers Linebacking unit, something I can’t wait to see. That’s what I think about the Panthers Linebacking unit but, as always, what do you guys think? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below.

The Panthers Hall of Honor, or known by its official title, “The Carolina Panthers Hall of Honor”, is home to three recipients, all of which have been immortalized by their own personal statues. The Hall of Honor was created in 1997 to, “honor individuals for their outstanding contributions to the Carolina Panthers”, which is the official statement given to the Hall on the Panthers official website. Like I said earlier, the Hall is home to only two actual people, and one large, symbolic group. Mike McCormack was inducted at the Hall’s inception and Sam Mills was inducted in 1998, both have been immortalized with bronze statues outside the stadium. The other inductee is the PSL owners, inducted in 2004, and immortalized by the names on the outsides of the Panther statues themselves that surround the perimeter of the stadium.  But recently, I have realized that the Hall has been quite empty, something that sort of shocks me, given the caliber of outstanding human beings that have played for the team.

Obviously most of you are thinking I’m going to suggest John Kasay, and I am to an extent. But I think that there are some more deserving Panthers, past and present that deserve the recognition and prestige that comes with the Panthers Hall of Honor.

While John Kasay was huge to the Panthers organization and to the fan-base, two players, who played alongside him in the Super Bowl campaign, are definitely more deserving of the honor, those two players being Mike Rucker and Mike Minter. Both players have done all they could for the Charlotte community, often teaming up with each other to reach their goals. Their story is great, teammates at Nebraska and in the NFL, and at any “former Panther appearance” event, either Mike Rucker or Mike Minter is in attendance. Both players are more than deserving to be initiated into the Hall of Honor, and I will be advocating for them.

Dec 9, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith (89) runs after making a catch against the Atlanta Falcons during the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Two players on the current roster who deserve to be in the hall are Steve Smith and Jordan Gross. Both players are seeing age catch up with them, so it would seem that it is only natural that both players are thinking about their legacy. Their legacies are already golden in my book, Panthers through their entire careers and always doing their best for the community. Both players have youth football camps, and most of the Panther charity events have either the Gross or Smith name plastered over everything. Both are great players and will always be remembered, but I feel like they deserve the next step in remembrance.

As always, please leave your thoughts and comments below.

John Kasay is one of the greatest players to ever play with the Carolina Panthers, or at least he was to me. I remember growing up with his career, even in my younger years when I couldn’t understand what football was or even what a “field goal” was. He was my favorite player, probably because a kicker is a unique position to a young boy, and I adored him. I remember getting his autograph when I was around twelve years old at a Panthers post game radio show. I was so in awe and he was a perfect celebrity to a young boy finally meeting his idol; nice, understanding, and most importantly, he was willing to take a picture with me! He even signed a mini helmet for me, something that was probably really hard for him since the helmet was incredibly small!

John Kasay being cool, fixing his shoe.

Kasay is a class act. It’s as simple as that. He gained his teammates respect very early on, and then became a staple for the entire franchise, a player who we all could look up to. Everyone in the stands looked up to and respected him. Even if you hated him from that very memorable Super Bowl miss, you still have to end up loving him just because of his attitude and his genuine personality. Kasay made an impression on everyone he ever met, even to those young kids who talked to him for about a minute at a public event. Kasay was a very special player as well as a very special person. To me, he, Steve Smith, and Jake Delhomme are the reasons for my passionate love for the Carolina Panthers today. I basically owe my entire love for all things football to those three guys, especially John Kasay.

Though I’m not the only one who John Kasay had such an impact on, his entire team loved him. At a press conference held on May 7^th former teammates Steve Smith, Jordan Gross, J. J. Jansen, Ryan Kalil, and Geoff Hangartner were all in attendance. To prove the fierce loyalty that Kasay’s former teammates had for him, here is a statement that Jansen told the official Carolina Panthers website, “He’s just been so warm and inviting away from football,” said Jansen, who served as Kasay’s snapper for his final two seasons in Carolina. “John and his whole family are our dearest friends. He’s been such a friend, mentor, really a second father figure. We often joke that I’m his fifth kid. And all the football stuff speaks for itself. The reason we’re here today is because he was so good at what he did for so long. It’s fun to be able to give him a proper and fitting end to an unbelievably great career.”

John Kasay huggin’ it out with good ole’ Smitty.

That’s enough about Kasay’s moral fortitude; he was an incredible player for the Carolina Panthers as well, and basically the reason for the Panther’s nickname in the 2002-2003 season, the cardiac cats. Kasay ranks sixth in league history with 461 field goals made, is tied for second with 42 field goals of 50 or more yards and stands fifth among kickers who have 500 or more attempts with an 81.9-percent success rate. His 1,970 career points are the eighth most in NFL history. Those are staggering statistics for a player for was unrestricted free agent before finally landing with the Panthers at their inception in 1995.

Kasay will always be a Panther and will always be a part of childhood adoration for the Carolina Panthers. I could continue writing about Kasay to for hours, but I don’t want to sound like I’m a long winded writer. I guess the gist of this article is that I just adore Kasay, and he will always hold a spot in my heart, and is the reason for the Panther’s very large spot in heart. I will remember him fondly, as I’m sure most Panther fans out there will.