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.

The special teams play on kickoff coverage was not good at all to say the least. Texans’ rookie Trendon Holliday had a field gridiron day with several good returns, including a 90-yard sprint for a touchdown. He had 2 others for 66 additional yards. Kick coverage has been an issue for some time now and it needs to improve. Fast.

Aug 11, 2012; Charlotte, NC, USA Carolina Panthers wide receiver Joe Adams (15) returns a punt during the second half against the Houston Texans at Bank of America Stadium. The Texans defeated the Panthers 26-13. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-US PRESSWIRE

On the other hand, rookie Joe Adams showed off exactly how dangerous it looks like he’ll be. On the one punt return he had, I hope the coaches all had their blood pressure meds this morning because he turned a sideline-pinned position into a 15 yard loss into a 34 yard gain.

It was easily the most electrifying play for the Panthers the entire evening. Returns like that are reminiscent of a Dante Hall, if not in style but in results. No, I’m not saying Adams is the “second coming” here, but his one return was absolutely incredible. He showed a flash of the shiftiness that he was known for in college, then demonstrated his speed by running to the opposite sideline while giving up yardage so he could loop around them on the other side of the field.

He did exactly that until he was finally forced out of bonds by the last guy. I apologize, but I don’t recall who it was, but he had position and there was going to be contact without much possibility of further gain, so the lightest player on the entire team played it smart and decided not to press the issue.

Looking around as quickly as possible, Cam Newton had an ugly time converting one third and long with his legs. Oh, the run was as graceful as ever for the big guy as he took his long, smooth strides forward and past the first-down marker. It was his slide he needs to work on.

Imagine…what it looks like when a rug is literally pulled out from under someone. Larry of the Three Stooges taking a pratfall.

Seriously, he needs coaching on how to slide. As a kid who grew up playing baseball, I can tell you just from his slides that the man has never, ever played an inning of organized baseball in his life. Perhaps a relief pitcher, since they are almost never on base in the first place themselves, but I’m just not feelin’ the vibes here. He could (and eventually, he will) hurt himself if he doesn’t know how to do a basic slide. I could teach him in just a few minutes myself. You make the letter “4″ with your legs, one folded underneath you, using it to control the crash as your rear end hits while making sure you don’t land on your leg. That’s really about it. Since, by rule, nobody can hit him once he starts sliding, maybe they should hire the local baseball coach as a tutor. It would be a wise investment.

Newton had an otherwise slow night in the air, but I’m not concerned there. He’ll be fine.

What did impress me was how recently-acquired WR Louis Murphy carried himself with his new team. He saw a little duty in the game and had a couple of very nice catches downfield. If he can play like that consistently, he may sneak on the field and make some plays in the regular season. He’s a veteran so his play was no fluke. I think he’s someone people may overlook, but wind up making some noise with Steve Smith being a big presence on the field.

It’s a little scary to think what might happen if aforementioned rookie Joe Adams can get out there with that duo, AND TE Greg Olson to boot…forget about the backfield threat! YIKES for defensive coordinators around the league, already. I’m sure they’re already watching.

Rookie linebacker Luke Kuechly played like a seasoned star. Seriously. He had 5 tackles on the first 9 plays of the game and he made some really standout plays. When the Texans had a first and goal on their first series, Kuechly filled a gap and made just a slamming tackle on Ben Tate. On the Texans’ next possession, Kuechly tackled Arian Foster and forced a fumble right at midfield that teammate Sherrod Martin recovered.

“Clark Kent” was really a sight to see.

Otherwise, the reserves didn’t look very good. The run defense was pretty bad up the middle but the Panthers have a lot of players just getting their sea legs under them again. It’s too early to tell how the interior defensive line is going to shape up, but I see no positives there yet. It helps having Jon Beason and his experience there with Kuechly’s apparent early orbital-high ceiling. I’m excited about the kid and had been since before the draft. I’ll shut up now before I start sounding like some proud parent, but his play last night was highly encouraging to say the least.

The secondary looked flat, to be kind, but it’s just the first preseason game. All NFL coaches keep their playbooks pretty vanilla in the preseason so I have no huge issues with the team other than kickoff coverage. They were dead last in the league last year, and those multiple returns and a touchdown they allowed just cannot continue.

Today was the last day of mini camp for the Carolina Panthers and it was open to the fans… so I decided to leave my house at 5:00 am and drive 300 miles to see it.  It was worth it!!

There were four players that impressed me over the two hour practice; Cam Newton, Luke Kuechly, Mike Tolbert, and surprisingly Lamont Bryant.

Starting with Lamont Bryant, you may ask who is he?  Well he is a receiver that was just signed earlier this week and already impressing fans.  Backup Quarterback Derek Anderson threw a deep ball to the corner of the end zone the Bryant came down with.  To my surprise he came up with the ball.  One way to earn one of the last spots on the team is to impress the fans.

Next was Mike Tolbert, you is a lot faster than I thought he would be.  I won’t say too much on how the Panthers used him but I will tell you that he can make a nice cutback and extra burst of speed out of nowhere.

Luke Kuechly, the Panthers first round pick this year, had a pick six on backup Quarterback Jimmy Clausen.  Jokingly Cam Newton chased him down from the sideline to prevent a touchdown, or try.  Also he was making really good reads, he was fast off the ball and met the ball at the line of scrimmage.  Even Jon Beason looked to be back to his normal self again, which is great news.

Finally we have Cam Newton, who was phenomenal.  He was looking excellent and very accurate on all of his throws, yes all of them!  He has built great timing with all of the receivers and only had one incomplete pass due to a dropped pass.  Of course, no matter how big of a throw it was, the fans didn’t nearly appreciate it as much as the 10 yard pass to Steve Smith.

Next up is training camp for the Panthers in Spartensburg, SC and I suggest that everyone should try to go.  It is a great atmosphere to be in and I can tell you first hand it is fun, especially after I got my Cam Newton jersey signed by none other than Newton himself.

It was nice to get to see what to expect this year and Panther fans should be rooting hard this year because I believe they are going to go a long way.