2006 Carolina Panthers Preview

2006 season preview of the Carolina Panthers NFL football team from Maddux Sports expert sports handicappers. Once the regular season starts don't miss any of Maddux's Expert NFL Picks and you will want to check out the free NFL odds section of the site featuring live odds from the best online sports books on the Internet.

Coach John Fox continues to be a stabilizing force for his Carolina team. Jake Delhomme (435 ATT, 262 COMP, 3,421 YDS, 25 TDs, 16 INT), a team leader, is cool under pressure and always willing to do what’s best for the team. Despite a thin receiving corps and a less than adequate offensive line, Delhomme and company made it to the third round of the playoffs in 2005.

DeShaun Foster (205 ATT, 879 YDS, 4.3 AVG, 2 TDs) spearheads the running game. He looked great last season until he broke his fibula against Chicago. Injury has shorted each of his first four pro seasons. Backing him up will be rookie DeAngelo Williams and second-year player Eric Shelton. The Panthers have had trouble developing an effective offensive line and hope that the addition of center Justin Hartwig (Tennessee) will solve that problem.

Big play man Steve Smith (103 REC, 1,563 YDS, 15.2 AVG, 12 TDs) was Delhomme’s favorite target and, virtually, his only one. Keyshawn Johnson (Dallas—71 REC, 839 YDS, 11.8 AVG, 6 TDs) joins the team and should be a potent second receiver. They make a great tandem in the air game.

The Panthers field one of the best and most consistent defenses in the NFL. The defensive line is big and even bigger, having added 350-pound DT Ma’ake Kemoeatu (Baltimore). He joins Julius Peppers (10.5 sacks) and Mike Rucker (7.5 sacks) on a defense that generated 45 sacks in 2005.

Last season corner Ken Lucas grabbed six interceptions, while his partner, Chris Gamble, took in seven. They comprise the best corner unit in the NFL. Free safety Mike Minter still hits hard after a decade and strong safety Colin Branch offers consistent play.

The linebacking group returns only middle man Dan Morgan—a fine player who is injury prone. Second-year RLB Thomas Davis should step it up a notch this season after a good first year.

2006 Carolina Panthers Predictions

The Panthers open against Atlanta—a good test of conference opponents. Out of their division, they’ll play Baltimore, Dallas and Pittsburgh. Although they have a tough schedule, Carolina should be playoff bound at the end of the year, although it will be a dog fight between them and Tampa to see who is the outright NFC South division winner.

For more info on the Panthers NFC South division rivals check out the Falcons, Saints, and Buccaneers team previews that Maddux Sports has completed for the NFL sports fan and bettor.

For more info and news on the 2006 Carolina Panthers football team visit the Carolina NFL team page at NFL.com.