2009 Carolina Panthers Team Preview/Predictions
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2008 Record: 12-4
ATS: 9-6-1
The Carolina Panthers had a sour end to a sweet season in the 2008 playoffs and the question that surfaces is whether the 2009 version can do any better?
The Panthers return their offense intact but after Jake Delhomme’s nightmare performance at home against the Arizona Cardinals, a lot of pundits are wondering whether Delhomme is the weak link on a Super Bowl-ready team.
The answer is yes.
At 34-years-old, Delhomme is one of the weaker starting quarterbacks in the NFC.
While many people point to his ugly game against the Cardinals in which he committed six turnovers, looking back at his entire season doesn’t offer much more encouragement. Delhomme finished the year with just 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and had just six touchdowns and seven interceptions in the final eight weeks of the year. What will change this year?
The Panthers have a top-flight running game and an above average group of targets but Delhomme can’t be trusted against elite teams. In the Panthers four losses last year, Delhomme averaged 228.5 yards passing, completed 57% of his passes. He threw one touchdown, three interceptions and added two fumbles lost in those games.
On defense, the Panthers will be a significantly weaker team because of one major injury. The lost of defensive tackle Ma’ake Kemoeatu will be one tough hurdle for the Panthers to overcome. The Panthers had the 20th-ranked rush defense last year and it figures to get worse without the best run-stuffer on the roster. Unfortunately for the Panthers, defensive tackle is one of the thinnest positions on the team and there are no credible replacements around.
The Panthers are still a veteran team that carries over plenty of consistency personnel-wise so this won’t be a team that will self-destruct. But the expectations in Carolina are now much higher and with a weaker defense and no visible upgrades, the Panthers will be hard-pressed to improve on their grand 2008 output.
Super Bowl Odds: +1850
Conference Odds: +1300
NFC South Odds: +230
2009 Panthers Predictions
Place they’ll finish in NFC South: 3rd
Place they’ll finish in NFC Conference: 9th
Over/Under Season Wins Prediction: Under 8.5
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Dave Golokhov has written for BETUS Sportsbook, Sportsfanmagazine.com, FOX, Askmen.com, Sports-central.org, and the FOXSports.com Funhouse.
5 replies on “2009 Carolina Panthers Odds | Preview | Picks”
I’m still trying to figure out why Carolina gave Jake Delhomme an huge raise and contract extention. The Panthers still have enough talent to be competitive, but I think New Orleans and definitely Atlanta are better overall teams.
When jake has a good year, will your reprint our coments about him? You forgot to say the Panthers defense gave up over 30 points in 5 of those last 7 games.
Jake had a bad game, but his Panther career has been great. If you rate QB’s based on arm strength instead of wins and loss’s you sholdn’t be analyzing football. Check out the Panther record in Jakes tenure and than pull out the 13 games he missed in 2007 and look at his record. It is #1 over anybody!!!!
Delhomme has been the perfect quarterback for the Panthers this decade but at this point, was there really a need for a lucrative extension?
The smarter move would have been to bring in a young quarterback to compete with him and push him a bit harder, opposed to giving him job security after the worst game of his career. Let’s face it: he’s over the hill. Is he still an effective quarterback?
Of course. But he won’t get better than last year and for the Panthers, that’s a problem when they get to the playoffs and square off against an elite defense. The Panthers have no backup plan and no future successor at the position.
Defense and running. Delhomme has Smith to keep defenses honest but this team goes as Williams/Stewart go. If they struggle this team is not good enough in an improved division. If Peppers is happy to be back and plays well they can play D with anyone in the NFC.
Hard to count out a John Fox led team unless that team has to count on Delhomme to manage the game! Those who support Jake – WAKE UP!!!! The dude stinks. With Johnathan Stewart already banged up, Carolina is looking less scary. Because of the improvement of the other teams in Carolina’s division, and the lack of a solid D to neutralize these teams, its gonna be a tough year to be a panthers fan.