Panthers needs: Peppers, playoff aftershocks loom largest

It's hard to make sense of the Carolina Panthers until we can make sense of what's going on with Julius Peppers.

Where will franchised Julius Peppers be rushing off the edge? (Getty Images)

The club's franchise player, he has made it clear he wants to move on -- and maybe he will, but only at the right price. There were reports the Panthers would be willing to deal him to New England, but those reports were denied and Peppers is still a Panther.

So now what? Well, now we see what happens. And what generally happens with this team is one year after it reaches for the top, it stumbles and falls. In 2003, the Panthers went to the Super Bowl. A year later they didn't make the playoffs. In 2005, they made it to the conference championship game. A year later, they were nowhere. I think you get the idea. Peppers might not be the only one out of the picture this year.

Carolina's resuscitation last season is not hard to figure out. The Panthers got back to what they do best, which is run the ball. They produced a franchise-record 2,437 yards rushing and 30 touchdowns -- with 18 scored by DeAngelo Williams. Their offensive line was solid. Their running backs were outstanding. And their record was terrific.

Heck, they were within an overtime of overtaking the New York Giants for home-field advantage in the NFC, and they were unbeaten at home before the playoffs. In short, everything was A-OK September through December.

Then came that dreadful playoff loss to Arizona, a resounding defeat where they couldn't run, couldn't pass and couldn't tackle, and it's time to cure the hangover. Forget Arizona. The Panthers don't beat Atlanta, Tampa Bay or New Orleans this season if they don't get past that train wreck, and this is what they're looking at:

QB: Jake Delhomme is 34 and trying to snap out of a nightmare. That would be the NFC playoff loss where he was intercepted five times and fumbled once. Delhomme had a decent season until then, and now he's in the last year of his contract. That means the Panthers will weigh their options for the future -- with one of them the development of backup Matt Moore.

RB: The Panthers rebounded because their running game rebounded. There wasn't a more productive back in the league last year than DeAngelo Williams, though you would never know it by scanning the Pro Bowl roster. He wasn't elected. All he did was rush for 1,515 yards and a league-high 18 touchdowns. Oh, yeah, he also had 5.5 yards a carry. Rookie Jonathan Stewart was outstanding as a partner, recovering from a toe injury to score 10 times.

Wide receiver: If it's September, the Panthers must be looking for someone to operate opposite Steve Smith. Only last year, they found him. Would you believe ... Muhsin Muhammad? At 35, he had 63 catches, 923 yards and five TDs and gave Smith some much needed relief. Smith responded with another marvelous year -- 101 yards per game and 18.2 yards per catch. Still, help is needed here, and Dwayne Jarrett is the guy who better start producing.

Tight ends: Carolina pulled off an upset of San Diego in Week 1 when Dante Rosario caught the game-winning pass with no time left. That was the good news. The bad: He had almost as many yards that afternoon (96) as he did the rest of the season (115). Jeff King is the chief threat here, but with 21 catches he did little damage. Look out for second-year pro Gary Barnidge. He should play plenty.

Offensive line: GM Marty Hurney knew what he was doing when he acquired Philadelphia's first-round draft pick and chose right tackle Jeff Otah. He was a key to the return of the Panthers rushing attack. He was also one reason Delhomme was sacked only 22 times. Otah and Jordan Gross are bookend tackles the club will use as a foundation, while Ryan Kalil settled in as a starter and right guard Keydrick Vincent played some of his best football in years before getting hurt. If there's a problem, it's depth. The club needs more qualified backups.

Defensive line: Peppers might or might not be one of the defensive ends. It sure sounds as if he could be at another address, but that's up to the Panthers. If that happens, they lose a team-leading 12½ sacks, and that's a problem. Because when you take them away, they're down to 24½. Tyler Brayton was a pleasant surprise, while Maake Kemoeatu and Damione Lewis held the down the middle of the line. But they need more speed rushers.

Linebackers: The Panthers have drafted well at this position, with Jon Beason and Thomas Davis products of the past four drafts. Beason was a Pro Bowl performer, leading the team with 159 tackles; Davis was second with 136 and should be a Pro Bowl selection. They're not the issue, but a strong-side linebacker could be. Na'il Diggs is little more than adequate, which means watch Landon Johnson. But let's not forget about Dan Connor. I know he's a middle linebacker, but he could play outside if he had to -- and he might.

Defensive backs: With veteran Ken Lucas out of the picture, the Panthers could use another cornerback. Richard Marshall and Chris Gamble are the starters, and they're OK. But the Panthers need depth here. The same goes for safety where Charles Godfrey and Chris Harris are entrenched but where the Panthers need to start filling in behind them.