Posted on Sat, Jan. 05, 2008

Not much good
from Panthers in '07

Gross, Beason and Moore among positives for Panthers

STAN OLSON

solson@charlotteobserver.com

BEST OFFENSIVE PLAYER

Right tackle Jordan Gross. Not spectacular, but steady. Gross allowed just three sacks all season, and was called for one holding penalty and four false starts. He's a key to establishing a consistent offensive line for next season.

BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER

Middle linebacker Jon Beason. Despite being a rookie, he opened the season at weakside linebacker and moved into the middle when Dan Morgan was injured. He quickly became the captain of the defense, and wound up leading the team in tackles by a wide margin.

BEST SURPRISE

Rookie quarterback Matt Moore. Remember, this guy wasn't drafted. Then he was signed as a free agent by Dallas but cut at the end of training camp, only to be snatched up by Carolina to be a backup's backup. Moore wound up starting the Panthers' final three games and helping the team to victories in two of them.

WORST POSITION PROBLEMS

Quarterback, obviously. First Jake Delhomme messed up his elbow and became Tommy John. Then David Carr, still in recovery mode from all those sacks in Houston, self-destructed. Vinny Testaverde came briefly to the rescue, then turned 44 and realized it was time to retire. Finally, Moore got his chance and looked like a player during the last three games.

BEST OR WORST QUOTE

Depending on your opinion. Just as "It is what it is" was morphing from FoxSpeak into cliché, coach John Fox conjugated the expression into "We are what we are," to sum up his injured and struggling team. It actually made the point pretty well, sort of. Anyway, next year "They'll be what they'll be."

BEST PLAY

Linebacker Thomas Davis' combination sack-forced fumble hit on Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck late in the fourth quarter of Carolina's 13-10 victory against the Seahawks. Richard Marshall recovered the ball for the Panthers, teaming with Davis to save the game.

WORST PLAY

Carolina's ill-advised "pooch punt" in Green Bay. The Panthers lined up for a 52-yard field goal, but the Packers figured kicker John Kasay would punt instead and dropped a man deep to field it. Kasay punted, and it was returned 94 yards for a touchdown. Things still might have worked out, but Carolina had only 10 men on the field.

BEST USE OF AN OFFICIAL

Atlanta's Alge Crumpler used an official as a screen with which to pick off Carolina safety Chris Harris on a 30-yard touchdown catch that gave the Falcons a win in Charlotte. Asked if he did that on purpose, Crumpler grinned and said, "Now that I've scored, yes. It definitely was."

WORST COMMUNICATION DEVICE

Receiver Steve Smith's screeching air horn that he sounded regularly to end "open locker room," the period when media are allowed in to talk to players. Uh, Steve, more folks than just us reporter slobs disliked having their eardrums popped on a regular basis.

BEST STAT

8

Number of forced fumbles caused by safety Chris Harris. Acquired in a training camp trade from Chicago, Harris started slowly but gradually lived up to his reputation as a big hitter, setting a team record with his ability to separate offensive players from the football. WORST STAT

23

Panthers coaches will tell you sacks are overrated, but even so, you expect more than this. The total was the lowest in franchise history, breaking the previous mark of 26, set by the 2001 team, which finished 1-15. The team leaders were linebacker Na'il Diggs and defensive tackle Damione Lewis, with 3.5 apiece.

BEST LOCKER ROOM GUY

Win or lose, defensive end Mike Rucker -- like his buddy Mike Minter before him -- made himself available. If this was his last season, he went out with class.

BEST THING ABOUT THE 2007 SEASON

On this, players, coaches, fans and media can agree -- it's over.