Dec 4, 2011; Tampa FL, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterbacks Cam Newton (1) and Derek Anderson (3) in the first half of their game at Raymond James Stadium. The Panthers won 38-19. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports

A Charlotte area news station reported that Derek Anderson posted on his Facebook page recently that “it looks like it is time to make a return to a familiar place for some unfinished business.” Anderson’s Offensive Coordinator at Cleveland was the Panthers old Offensive Coordinator Rob Chudzinski. One of the reported reasons that Anderson first came to Carolina was because of his loyalty to Chudzinski. So more than likely, we will not be seeing Derek Anderson wearing any combination of blue, black, or white next year.

Of course there always seems to be a need for revenge every time someone steals from you, and that is exactly what the Panthers seem to be doing. Now former Cleveland Browns head coach Pat Shurmur has been in talks for the vacant spot left by his replacement. Along with Shurmur the Panthers also have reportedly been in talks with Cincinnati Bengal’s secondary coach, and former Oakland Raider’s head coach, Hue Jackson, as well as the Panthers current Quarterback’s coach Mike Shula.

However, while researching the topic on who we should hire as our next Offensive Coordinator, I found a very interesting article explaining why we should hire former Tampa Bay Running Back’s coach Steve Logan. “Since leaving his job as running back’s coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the 2011 season Steve Logan has worked in media. In much the same way he coached, Logan is different. He is bold, opinionated, and entertaining. Once described as the curious pirate for his unpredictable, unconventional, and surprisingly successful tenure at East Carolina, Logan has won consistently with players other teams did not want.” I implore every reader to read the article as it is very insightful. You can find all of it on opposingview.com.

So with all that being said, Steve Logan and Pat Shurmur are my frontrunners for the vacant position of Offensive Coordinator. Who’s your personal frontrunner? Please leave a comment in the comments section below, or send in your thoughts to newccrpodcast@gmail.com to get your thoughts read on our podcast Cat Crave Radio.

Jun 12, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski walks to the field prior to the start of minicamp at the team

Rob Chudzinski was responsible for the transformation of the Panthers anemic offense of 2010 to the explosive, high-octane, point producing machine it became in 2011. He developed an offense that made perfect use of the very unique skill set Cam Newton brought to the Panthers as their franchise quarterback. Chud has a brilliant offensive mind. He is very creative in his play design and he loves to throw the ball all over the field. This was sometimes a problem in Carolina, where he often failed to make use of the incredibly talented backfield the Panthers possess.

His infatuation with getting the ball downfield often caused him to become predictable in his play calling and he has been guilty of  not making the proper half time adjustments.The offense sputtered during the first few weeks of the 2012 season and this caused the Panthers fan base to call for his job. But toward the end of 2012 the offense turned around and began putting up number similar to 2011 and Chud got back to making good use of the talent Carolina has at running back.

I bet the expectations for Chudzinski will be high. He will be expected to turn around the Browns offense the same way he did Carolina’s in his first season. He does have some of the pieces in place but I think the Browns offensively are still a couple of players away from making the same sort of strides the Panthers did from 2010 to 2011.

I am interested in seeing how Chud develops as a head coach. I am more interested in who the Panthers will name as their new offensive coordinator. Will they promote quarterbacks coach Mike Shula or will they bring in someone from another team. The selection will go a long way in shaping the coaching future of  head coach Ron Rivera.  Whomever they select, they will have some very big shoes to fill..

God Bless!

Follow me on Twitter @JoeRiollano

First, the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Atlanta Falcons in the Georgia Dome last night, 24-19. I watched most of that game and the Bengals look to be for real indeed.

As the starters battled in the first half, it became more and more apparent that the Bengals are picking up where they left off last season. While both teams were tackling extremely well for the early preseason, that’s to be expected of a veteran defense like the Falcons. The fact that the Bengals looked every bit as good should be encouraging for fans starved of a winner up until last year. Oh sure, they’d have a season here, a season there that they would do okay, but they appear to finally be putting some good pieces on the table.

Aug 16, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green (18) scores a touchdown while being dragged to the ground by Atlanta Falcons cornerback Asante Samuel (22) during the second quarter at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Josh D. Weiss-US PRESSWIRE

Second-year pro A.J. Green looked like the top-ten WR that I believe he is. His ability to separate almost at will was on display, and his incredible hands, strength, and body control were all shown off on a 50-yard TD strike down the right sideline from supposedly candy-armed QB Andy Dalton as Green pushed, twisted and turned his way across the goal line before falling out of bounds on the good side of the pylon.

The play also showed that Andy Dalton has plenty of arm to get things done in the NFL, if he hadn’t proven it last year. Rookie WR Mohamed Sanu added a 12 yard touchdown reception from Bruce Gradkowski in the second half.

Injuries have already bitten the Bengals, which makes their strong showing even more promising. Former Panther and starting Bengals’ left guard Travelle Wharton was lost for the season in last week’s game against the New York Jets, while rookie Kevin Zeitler is starting at the right guard spot. TE Jermaine Gresham had a nice catch and run, but apparently got his foot caught in the turf on the tackle and awkwardly fell to the ground. He did not return, but the injury doesn’t appear to be serious.

Defensive lineman Carlos Dunlap will miss the entire preseason with a sprained knee and his status for the game one opener is questionable. First-round pick Dre Kirkpatrick, a CB from Alabama, is in a similar situation.

The good news is that everyone but Wharton should be ready by either the opener or week two, depending on how things go.

As for the Falcons, Matt Ryan hit on 18 of 21 attempts for 174 yards and a TD. He spread the ball around and Julio Jones reminded us that A.J. Green wasn’t the only promising young WR on the field with several nice catches of his own.

The Browns’ victory over the Packers shouldn’t concern Green Bay fans as the Packers have their offense in order and are protecting AR-12 (QB Aaron Rodgers) as much as possible during the preseason. For the Packers, the 2012 preseason is about settling their starters on defense and generating a pass rush.

Cleveland Browns rookie QB Brandon Weeden has been named the starter for a few weeks now and went 12 of 20 for 118 yards, but had a would-be interception dropped by Packer LB A.J. Hawk and another dropped by Casey Hayward. Weeden was lucky last night and clearly has work to do. Colt McCoy, now the second-string QB, went 4 of 6 for 58 yards on a long touchdown drive and actually looked better than Weeden. Interesting.

This is more a case of Green Bay’s backup QB, Graham Harrell, playing poorly than anything else. He completed only 12 of 24 passes for a measly 100 yards and 2 interceptions. That’s 4 yards per ATTEMPT and throwing short passes shouldn’t generate interceptions like that. He wasn’t so “lucky” as Weeden and also had an intentional grounding penalty.

The Packers appear to be in trouble if Aaron Rodgers were to ever get injured. No Matt Flynn this year; he’s wearing a different shade of green.