For the past couple seasons there always seemed to be something keeping this team from coming all the way together. The lack of chemistry could have been the product of several things. Whether it was Cams inability to accept his role as the team’s leader while balancing his superstar status or Ron Rivera learning on the job, something was always creating waves and keeping the team segregated.

With the Panthers poised to start yet another season under the watch of Ron Rivera it would seem those waters are beginning to calm. Rivera has mentioned a couple of things during interviews that really tend to stand out. A while back he alluded to the fact that the vets were taking the rookies under their wing and showing them the ropes. Perhaps they are finally starting to understand that you are only as good as the guy next to you. His latest comment when referencing our star quarterback should leave Panther fans feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

“The nice thing that you see is the progression of our quarterback,” Rivera said. “I think Cam has done a really nice job. His rapport with the rest of the team has been really good.” Quote from Ron Rivera provided by panthers.com

This is the best news of the offseason Panthers fans. There is no denying that Cam has possessed the physical tools needed to lead this team since day one, however, this quote, provided by Rivera, provides us with some insight into the mental and emotional chemistry that is beginning to take shape with the Panthers.

I honestly have no issues with Cam being young and successful, however, I would like to see him put this team and the City of Charlotte before anything else. In todays NFL it takes that kind of commitment and more to be successful. I truly hope he is finally starting to understand the importance of team chemistry. Sometimes things just don’t come as natural as you would have hoped. Sometimes you have to work hard to put differences aside for the greater good of a common goal.

It all starts with Newton. If Newton sees the light he most certainly has the ability to tear down the currents and expose the rest of the team. Once this happens there will be no more excuses. This team has got the talent and with a good team chemistry to combine, the future could be very bright.

Most Panthers’ fans felt a foreboding sense of betrayal after the departure of Julius Peppers. That feeling has now been replaced with a buzz of excitement at the thought of two dominant defensive ends instead of one.

Last season Greg Hardy and Charles Johnson accounted for 23.5 sacks. This is only behind one other defensive end tandem in the league, Houston’s J.J. Watt and Antonio Smith. This coming from essentially fresh meat in the league? I like the sound of it.

Hardy came to the Panthers sporting nothing but what was on paper, virtually forgotten with the arrival of Jimmy Clausen the same year. However his stats speak for the athleticism of the big DE. Having a height of 6’4″ and a weight of 278 lbs, Hardy still manages an amazing 4.87 40 yard dash for his overwhelming size. Though his first two years were as quiet as Clausen’s career, last year Hardy accumulated 11 sacks and 61 total tackles, having a breakout year only the coaches saw coming.

Charles Johnson was the last ditch hope of the Carolina Panthers after Peppers left. Aside from some high level math scouts did, there was only hope that Johnson would break out. To the surprise of the QBs he has sacked and the runningbacks he has stuffed at the line, he did break out. Johnson had only 10 career sacks before arriving in Bank of America Stadium, he now accomplished 12.5 in one season. I am glad those scouts aced their high school math classes, because they gave the Panthers the second half to a double edged sword.

It is needless to say that it is hard enough to block one star DE with your best tackle, now who blocks the second. The Panthers closed one door with Julius Peppers heading to the Windy City. Now a gateway has opened to the tandem of Johnson and Hardy.

These two athletes celebrate with each other after every tackle, and every sack, because in the end they know that no HB gets around the edge with them on the field, and no QB gets an easy pass off.

With the Panthers investing two draft picks in DTs, the line inside of the defensive line could be just as power packed as the outside if the picks work out. The tag team of Johnson and Hardy add another puzzle piece to the Panthers, and a layer of tenacity to the defense.

Not only are they a physical threat, they add something that I see as the most important element on the field. They add fear. Fear controls the game and the tempo, and once those QBs get table-topped, all that is left is the CBs to pick off the pass.

Johnson and Hardy are young and ferocious, and this coming year, I foresee a playoff ready defense, starring and starting with these two young men that are excited to play and make tackles.

Special Teams coverage must improve – The Panthers’ kick and punt coverage picked up where it left off last season – horrible. It stunk the joint out against the Houston Texans, with one return being a 90 yard TD. They gave up way too much yardage on average on the others as well. When you’ve got a young team going through growing pains, it can be quite deflating to lead a long, arduous TD drive…only to see the other team negate that effort completely in ten seconds. Young players are especially susceptible to emotional highs and lows, so stopping big plays of ANY kind is likely very high on the list of priorities for Ron Rivera & company.

The defensive line has to show SOME progress – DT Ron Edwards is back off an injury this year, but even when he was in there, the Panthers couldn’t stop the run in between the 20′s. The good news is that it stiffened at the goal line, but that’s as much due to Kuechly’s veteran-like play than it was the line standing up to the blocks, plus Jon Beason didn’t play. Sione Fua did manage to string together a few good plays, and that’s a start though. It might be that Edwards has some rust to shake off, but he can’t really do it all alone. At least one of the several young tackles the Panthers have needs to step up. The good news is, they’ve got some young bodies. The bad news? Nobody’s stepped up to be consistent. Yet. The other thing is that the Texans have a very good offense and two very good running backs in Arian Foster and Ben Tate, so they’re going to cause most teams some problems. A bit of a trial by fire the first game for the Panthers’ defense; the Dolphins are considerably less evolved there so it _should_ be harder for them to move the ball but they’ve got a pretty good offensive line and a lot of depth at running back.

The pass rush is just not there – We know that veteran DE Charles Johnson is up to the job. He’s proven it year in and year out. However, Frank Alexander, the team’s 4th-rounder that they traded up for, didn’t show anything as far as that goes. I wouldn’t read too much into this yet because it’s the first game ever in the NFL for him, and he did play pretty well against the run, but so far Johnson is the only player Rivera can count on to generate pressure. One guy just isn’t enough.

The secondary needs to step up – Again, it’s early, and we knew coming in the Panthers group of defensive backs lacks talent beyond CB Chris Gamble. Perhaps that’s too strong, since there are a number of youngsters on the squad. A couple of those young players need to start showing some coverage or ball-hawking skills. The Panther team did show some signs that they’ll be causing more turnovers this fall but the Texans moved the ball both in the air and on the ground too easily. The secondary is where I’ll be paying special attention to in their next preseason game. Let’s hope the unit shows some slow but steady improvement through week 4.

The game against the Dolphins should show exactly where the team stands. The Dolphins have probably the least-experienced group of WRs in the entire NFL, so limiting big gains against that team would be a good sign that they’re not blowing assignments or losing people in traffic. Should the Dolphins move the ball in the air at will, either Ryan Tannehill really might be a stud and game-one starter or the Panthers’ secondary is that bad. When Miami QB Matt Moore is in the game, it should be a better barometer.

Amini Silatolu’s pass blocking is a work in progress – He showed his huge motor in last weekend’s Texans game, sometimes finding two different guys to block and the kid is a LOAD. The flip side is his pass-blocking is still well below par if you’ll recall Cam Newton’s sack inside the 5 yard line. Keep watch on the LG spot while he’s in there and see if he’s more solid this game than the last one or if he’s still missing some assignments. I have to think a lot of it is just that he’s from a small school and still steep on the learning curve, but watch for his progress and compare his play in the last game with this one.

With so many substitutions in early preseason games, it can often be hard to keep track of who is in on any given play. Make note of the jersey numbers and you can tell if the player you want to look for is in there or not. And then hope you hear the announcer calling his name for making a good play.