And, now that it’s over, the real work can begin.

The Carolina Panthers have a lot to do.

1. Sign Jordan Gross.  This is by far the highest priority for the team.  Period.  Pro Bowl tackles don’t grow on trees and certainly not guys who can switch from right tackle to left tackle and still make his first trip to Honolulu.
2. Franchise and trade Julius Peppers.  He doesn’t want to be in Charlotte anymore so give him his wish – on our terms.  Make a deal similar to the Jared Allen deal and we’re in good shape.
3. Make the hard choices.  Jeff King and Ken Lucas top this list.
4. Prep for the Scouting Combine.  It begins February 18th.
5. Shop ’til you drop since the trade period will arrive February 27th.
6. Shop even more.  The Free Agency signing period begins the same day as the trade period.

There’s a lot of work to be done and likely a lot of blogging to go with it.  The offseason is officially here.  Now, let’s get to work!

To track the activities at the NFL Scouting Combine (scheduled for Feb. 23 – Feb. 26) visit our Scouting Combine Page found in the Main Menu above.

Every April, the NFL conducts an amateur draft of elligible college players.  Teams spend hundreds upon hundreds of man-hours preparing for a two-day event that can make or break their franchise.  In fact, each player selected during the seven-round event, has been scouted tirelessly, even for years, as NFL scouts have been to campus to watch them play throughout their collegiate careers.

Film of each player isn’t just studied.  It’s watched dozens of times, picked apart, analyzed, broken down.  Teams look for every player’s strengths and weaknesses.  They want to know how they stack up against the competition.

However, no player entering an NFL draft has ever faced the kind of competition on the field that they face two months prior the the draft at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.  (This year’s Combine begins this coming Saturday February 23rd.) (more…)