The common criticism of the Carolina Panthers is a star-less receiving corps, and position coach Ricky Proehl is sick of hearing it.
Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic notes the 17-year NFL veteran said losing No. 1 wideout Kelvin Benjamin undoubtedly hurt, but being called the offense’s weak link has motivated the Carolina receivers. Proehl said:
“It pisses me off, I ain’t going to lie to you. These guys have developed into such a great group that plays for each other, and I think that’s important.”
Proehl added that Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula has molded the offense to utilize each player’s strengths.
Ted Ginn Jr. — a tremendous downfield threat who is sometimes plagued with a serious case of the drops — said the unit “understood that we were a whole bunch of misfits” but have produced anyway.
Entering the season, Carolina had a standout tight end in Greg Olsen and those misfits. In addition to Ginn’s head-rolling drops, Jerricho Cotchery was washed up. Corey Brown was a decent depth piece but young and unproven. Devin Funchess had drop issues at Michigan and wouldn’t be ready.
But that rag-tag group of pass-catchers has made it work. While Ginn, Cotchery, Funchess and Brown are by no means a stellar unit, the four wideouts tallied 2,144 yards and an impressive 22 touchdowns.
That level of production is foolish to ignore, considering Olsen racked up 1,104 yards and seven scores. The Panthers needed consistent contributions from a position that would catch passes from Cam Newton, who seems to have risen to that subjective “elite” category.
Newton drives the offense, there’s no doubt about that. But it’s about time to recognize Carolina’s perceived weak link is pretty darn strong.