Tag: Donte Jackson

Phil Snow comments on Panthers’ cornerbacks: ‘They have talent’

Phil Snow comments on Panthers’ cornerbacks: ‘They have talent’

Cornerback is a critical position for success in today’s NFL. Teams that are wanting at this spot are usually going to get toasted by opponents who have any firepower at wide receiver and a competent quarterback. In the NFC South, that’s everybody.

The 2020 season is going to be a rough one for the Panthers for a lot of reason, but their lack of depth and inexperience at cornerback is probably at the top of the list. In addition to having to lean on unproven DBs or those trying to bounce back from bad seasons, they may be facing the most brutal string of oponents at wide receiver in the league this year.

Defensive coordinator Phil Snow knows he has his work cut out for him, but he has faith in his young corners. Here’s what he said about them earlier this week, per the official team website.

“If you look at how fast they are, and their size, they have talent. So it’s our job as coaches to get them to play at a level that we want them to play. That’s our job as coaches. We can use excuses and do all that stuff, but that’s not what Coach (Matt) Rhule’s about. When we get a player, we need to develop the player. And we picked these players for the most part. We picked Eli Apple, and you look at his size and speed, we expect him to play good.”

The most talented of this group is probably third-year corner Donte Jackson, who was benched late in the 2019 season. Snow shared some thoughts on No. 26 as well.

“First of all, Donte’s really tough for his size. He’s physical, which I love. In today’s football, everybody’s getting in the tight formations to run the football and make the corners tackle. He can do that. So I’m excited about that. You look at how well he runs — he has catch-up speed. The problem is, is he needs to get a little more detailed. We’ve talked to him about that, and with our DB coaches, they’re working well with him, and I think he’s got some real talent to him.”

It’s nice that Snow has faith in his guys, but every NFL cornerback has talent. They wouldn’t have made it this far without it. The challenge will be getting Jackson, Apple and rookie Troy Pride Jr. to live up to their potential.

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Panthers GM Marty Hurney says veteran cornerback is the priority

Cornerback remains a major problem, even after the team picked Notre Dame’s Troy Pride Jr. in the fourth round of the draft and Stantley Thomas-Oliver in the seventh. 

The Panthers roster is mostly set for the 2020 season. There are still a few spots that need to be addressed, though.

Cornerback remains a major problem, even after the team picked Notre Dame’s Troy Pride Jr. in the fourth round of the draft and Stantley Thomas-Oliver in the seventh.

On WFNZ today, general manager Marty Hurney admitted that bringing in a veteran cornerback is the priority right now as far as adding to the roster. He also mentioned defensive tackle and the offensive line, per the Charlotte Observer.

Problem is, there’s not many options at this point in the offseason. The Panthers would be in better position now if they had signed a corner in the first phase of free agency or drafted another one early on – perhaps after trading down in the first round.

Anyway, the list of names at cornerback is short. Logan Ryan is in a tier to himself but the team doesn’t have enough cap room to sign him. After Ryan, there’s a handful of busts and B-listers like Eli Apple, Darqueze Dennard, Mackensie Alexander and Trumaine Johnson.

The best choice may be somebody else.

Ross Cockrell played relatively well last season and earned 11 starts. He finished the year with two interceptions and eight pass breakups and was solid enough in coverage. Cockrell is probably never going to make the Pro Bowl, but it makes more sense to bring him back than signing these others.

Unless the Panthers find a way to clear enough room for Logan Ryan, Cockrell should get the opportunity.

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ESPN: Cornerback still the Panthers’ biggest roster hole after the draft

According to an analysis by ESPN, the team’s biggest roster hole after the draft is still the cornerback position.

The Carolina Panthers picked up four new defensive backs in the 2020 NFL draft. That doesn’t mean they couldn’t still use some help on the back end, though. According to an analysis by ESPN, the team’s biggest roster hole after the draft is still the cornerback position.

“The Panthers made the unprecedented decision to use all seven of their 2020 draft picks on defensive players, and yet the team somehow still has several holes on defense. . . Alongside Donte Jackson, the team will have to rely on some combination of a 2017 fifth-rounder in Corn Elder, an undrafted second-year player in Cole Luke, and a pair of Day 3 rookies in Troy Pride and Stantley Thomas-Oliver. None of those corners has started an NFL game, and yet two of them will need to play first-team reps in nickel situations this season.”

It’s tough to argue with that logic.

At the moment, we’re projecting Donte Jackson and Troy Pride will start outside. Both have question marks. Jackson was benched late in the 2019 season due to repeated mistakes in coverage and Pride might be undersized to match up with some of the NFC South’s longer receivers like Mike Evans and Julio Jones.

There’s also the question of who will inherit the slot corner role from Javien Elliott, who is still a free agent.

Our best guess is that position will be filled by Jeremy Chinn, who is capable of lining up at almost any spot in the defensive backfield. His size and athleticism should allow him to blanket the smaller receivers you typically see playing the slot. That’s only an educated guess, though.

Adding a veteran corner would not be a bad idea. While Logan Ryan is the top slot corner on the market, the team doesn’t have much cap space left.

In any case, starting multiple rookies in the secondary is a risky proposition. This group will either sink or swim.

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Perry Fewell says Ross Cockrell will start over Donte Jackson again

As he has all season, Cockrell did well for himself against the Colts.

Carolina Panthers interim head coach Perry Fewell made a notable change on defense last week, starting Ross Cockrell opposite James Bradberry rather than Donte Jackson. Jackson has had issues in coverage all season and didn’t help his case by criticizing Fewell’s defensive play-calling a couple weeks ago, so benching him is an understandable decision.

As he has all season, Cockrell did well for himself against the Colts. He played every defensive snap (64) and posted a team-high 10 tackles. This week, Fewell says Cockrell will start over Jackson again, but he won’t get every rep, according to Joe Person at the Athletic.

Cockrell missed the entire 2018 season due to a serious leg injury. He’s bounced back well though and should be considered for an extension.

Even if Cockrell does come back and Bradberry also re-signs, the Panthers could still use more depth at corner. In a new mock at Draft Wire, they take Ohio State’s Jeff Okudah at No. 8 overall.

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Familiar failures send Panthers to sixth straight loss

The Carolina Panthers, now at 5-9 and losers of six consecutive games, can be called plenty of things—most of them bad.

The Carolina Panthers, now at 5-9 and losers of six consecutive games, can be called plenty of things—most of them bad. But the one word you cannot use to describe this team is “inconsistent.” In another familiar outcome, the Panthers fell short against the visiting Seattle Seahawks, 30-24, on Sunday afternoon. As usual, it was their penchant for turnovers, lack of takeaways and futile run defense that put them to the wrong side of the win-loss column once again.

The Seahawks took control early and put themselves in a position to park the proverbial bus, thanks to Carolina’s defensive disorganization. Running back Chris Carson (24 carries, 133 yards) got the scoring started on a 16-yard touchdown run not even five minutes in, capping off an eight-play, 75-yard opening drive for Seattle.

Quarterback Russell Wilson led his offense back into the end zone on their next two drives, staking a 20-7 lead at the 10:19 mark of the second quarter. Those possessions were highlighted by a pair of deep completions by Wilson, a 44-yarder to Tyler Lockett and a 58-yarder to Josh Gordon – ending in two 19-yard touchdown throws – both at the expense of cornerback Donte Jackson.

After criticizing the team’s defensive play-calling in last week’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Jackson and his nightmarish afternoon couldn’t have come at a more humbling time. During his post-game presser, interim head coach Perry Fewell stated that he considered benching the second-year corner. Fewell also told reporters he didn’t plan to put rookie quarterback Will Grier in action today despite another poor performance from the position, simply saying “No, not today.”

Oddly enough, that’s exactly what Kyle Allen’s play said today as well.

Before piecing together another one of his patented failed comebacks, Allen put the Panthers in a deep hole with his rancid passing. He added three more interceptions to what has been an absolutely dreadful run following his highly-acclaimed start to 2019, bringing his total to 15 over 12 games.

Combine Allen’s knack to inexplicably morph opposing defenders into really good receivers with the defense’s inability to conjure up big plays, and Carolina has totaled 16 turnovers and just two takeaways in these six straight defeats.

While the Panthers did inch within a single score after trailing by as much as 20 in the fourth quarter, as Christian McCaffrey (175 total yards, two touchdowns) kept the team alive, that failure to stop Wilson, Carson and the Seahawks late put the game on ice.

Even with Ron Rivera gone, Fewell has provided much of the same trends and results—mainly those three aforementioned fatal flaws and, headlined by the inactivity of Grier and edge rusher Christian Miller, a notable disinterest in getting his young players in-game reps.

Only two more and it’s over.

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3 takeaways from a frustrating loss for Panthers vs. Seahawks

Here are a few takeaways from a frustrating 30-24 loss for Carolina.

The Carolina Panthers’ worst football habits have become deeply ingrained and there seems no end in sight to this losing streak, which is now at six games after another home loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Here are a few takeaways from a frustrating 30-24 loss for Carolina.

The Panthers offense was a one-man show

Christian McCaffrey
(Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

We saw a lot of familiar themes for the Panthers, today. One of a handful of positives was the effort of running back Christian McCaffrey, who has become the most consistent performer on the team from week to week. McCaffrey punished Seattle’s defense again, showing his prowess as a rusher and as a receiver. He posted 175 yards from scrimmage and scored two touchdowns. It’s a shame they couldn’t build a better team around him this year.

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Watch: Panthers CB Donte Jackson apologizes for critical comments

On Thursday, Jackson apologized and said he was totally out of line. Watch.

Panthers cornerback Donte Jackson made some critical comments about interim head coach Perry Fewell following last week’s loss to the Falcons. Jackson questioned Fewell’s play-calling, specifically a zero blitz on a play that wound up being a 93-yard touchdown for Atlanta. On Thursday, Jackson apologized and said he was totally out of line. Watch.

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Who are the 3 most disappointing Panthers of 2019?

Panthers 2019 season: Who are the 3 most disappointing performers?

The Panthers will finish with a losing record no matter how they finish out these last three games. That means the franchise’s streak of failing to have two winning seasons in a row continues.

A lot of things have to go wrong for a continued run of mediocrity like that and the front office will undergo dramatic structural changes this offseason. If you’re looking for specific individuals to blame though, here are three people who fell short of expectations the most in 2019.

C Matt Paradis

Matt Paradis
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Carolina’s first significant move in free agency this year was to sign former Broncos center Matt Paradis to a three-year, $27 million deal. At the time, the signing was hailed as a sharp, under-the-radar kind of transaction that could pay off big for the Panthers.

Nine months later, it looks like one of the worst free agent signings of the year. Instead of being an upgrade over Ryan Kalil, Paradis has become an absolute liability. His struggles in pass protection have been a major factor in the overall offensive line catastrophe. Heading into Week 15, Paradis has earned a below-average 57.6 grade from Pro Football Focus.

Starting over at the position might be the best move for 2020. However, cutting Paradis would come with $7.2 million in dead money and only save $1.6 million against the cap. So, Carolina might be stuck with him for at least another season.

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Panthers fall 5 more spots in Week 15 power rankings

Following another humiliating loss to the Falcons (40-20) on Sunday, Doug Farrar has dropped Carolina five more spots.

The Panthers peaked in our Touchdown Wire power rankings not too long ago, reaching the No. 7 spot and threatening to move up into the elite tier of teams. A five-game losing streak has officially eliminated them from the playoff picture and made it clear they were never a contender to begin with.

Following another humiliating loss to the Falcons (40-20) on Sunday, Doug Farrar has dropped Carolina five more spots. The Panthers head into Week 15 at No. 23 in the rankings.

“. . . Nor was Allen’s day — he completed 28 of 41 passes for 293 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions against an Atlanta defense that has been highly vulnerable through most of the season. The Panthers are due for a major offseason blow-up to rebuild, and this game made that very clear.”

If you’re looking for a silver lining, the Panthers have improved their position in the 2020 NFL draft. This latest loss has them in line to pick at No. 12 overall.

As for what they’ll do with that first-round pick – wherever it falls – it’s anybody’s guess. This current roster has more holes than a cheese grater. We also don’t know if Cam Newton will be back next year nor who will be coaching the team. The defense needs a serious infusion of young talent and the offensive line remains a mess.

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Panthers coach Perry Fewell ‘disappointed’ by Donte Jackson’s comments

Today, Fewell told reporters he was “disappointed” with Jackson’s comments and that it will be handled internally, per the Athletic.

The Panthers have seen their fair share of ups and downs since their trip to Super Bowl 50 ended in disappointing fashion. Through it all, they never came apart at the seams or began the infighting that so often defines NFL teams who get used to mediocrity. It was a credit to the culture that former coach Ron Rivera had created.

Losing strains everything, though – and we may finally be seeing some cracks form in that long-standing unity. On Sunday afternoon, second-year cornerback Donte Jackson publicly derided interim head coach Perry Fewell’s play-calling. Speaking about two touchdowns for the Falcons (both of which Jackson was beat on), he called Fewell’s decisions “horrible calls.”

Today, Fewell told reporters he was “disappointed” with Jackson’s comments and that it will be handled internally, per the Athletic.

Jackson can be right about Fewell’s poor play-calling and wrong about doing it via the media. Especially considering how much Jackson has struggled this season against the Falcons, his criticism comes off as tone-deaf and hypocritical.

Succeeding at cornerback in the NFL doesn’t require you to be respectful, but Jackson isn’t playing the position well enough to get away with calling out his coach. Not by a long shot.

Meanwhile, Ross Cockrell has performed relatively well this year and hasn’t caused any headaches off the field. Perhaps some more playing time for him as opposed to Jackson will send a message and reward the kind of behavior that winning organizations want.

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