Panthers balance sheet: Strong offseason leaves defense in the black
By Dean Jones
The coaching influence
It wasn’t just the players that were going through a period of transition in 2020. Defensive coordinator Phil Snow also experienced some growing pains in his first full season play-calling in the NFL, so there could be more to come with more weapons at his disposal next time around.
Snow brought bags of knowledge from the college ranks, but his naivety in certain situations was a frustrating element of the campaign and something that needs to be eradicated if things want to improve in 2021.
The coach was probably hampered by a lack of talent in certain areas.
That won’t be the cast this time around.
There is so much Snow can do with his current options from a scheme standpoint. Press coverage should become more prominent with the arrivals of Jaycee Horn and A.J. Bouye, with the potential to generate more in the way of pressure something else that should help enormously.
Snow is much-loved and hugely respected within the organization. Matt Rhule’s brought him to Temple, Baylor, and then to the Panthers, so it’s clear what he thinks about his coordinator.
It was a huge learning curve for Snow despite seeing and doing it all before taking his chances at the next level. What adjustments he makes in the coming weeks will go a long way to determining just how successful Carolina can be when competitive action begins.