Keyshawn could make Carolina’s offense “Super”

By Connor Byrne  |   Tuesday, March 28, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Carolina Panthers
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Last week the Carolina Panthers signed former Dallas Cowboys No. 1 receiver Keyshawn Johnson to a four-year deal worth $14 million, with a signing bonus of $5 million. Not only does the signing of Johnson solidify the Panthers' receiving corps, but it also makes their entire offense far better.

Outside of Pro Bowl receiver Steve Smith, the Panthers went through last season without a legitimate starter to put on the other end of the field. Smith's numbers were astounding as he pulled in 103 receptions for 1,562 yards, and 12 touchdowns. However, after Smith the Panthers' next leading receiver was running back DeShaun Foster, who caught 34 passes out of the backfield. Perhaps that makes it even more amazing that the 5'9" Smith could put up such astronomical numbers in spite of being double and triple-teamed on a weekly basis.

In their humiliating 34-14 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC title game, it was clear that the Panthers' receiving corps as a whole was grossly inadequate. The Seahawks completely shut down Smith by putting multiple defenders on him, so it was up to guys like Keary Colbert and Ricky Proehl to pick up the slack, but they simply weren't good enough to do it. With nobody possessing the ability to break free from the Seahawks' defensive backs, Pro Bowl quarterback Jake Delhomme's game suffered as he completed just 15-of-35 passes for 196 yards and a trio of awful interceptions.

Seeing that he desperately needed a starter to take some of the pressure off himself and Delhomme, Smith made it a point to court the veteran Johnson, who has had a terrific career after being the top pick in the 1996 NFL draft. Other than the Cowboys, Johnson has experienced a great deal of success with the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Many question Johnson's attitude, but that's somewhat overblown; anyone who knows Johnson can see that he has a fiery personality, but much of that comes from an unwavering will to win. Johnson was an integral part of the Bucs' Super Bowl-winning team in 2002, and you can bet he'd like nothing more than to win another one to send a message to his harshest critics.

Johnson's 2005 season with the Cowboys, in which he caught 70 passes for six touchdowns, proved that the veteran still has an awful lot left in his tank. The reason that Dallas released him is threefold: they were more enthralled by troubled free agent Terrell Owens, and they knew that having both men on the same roster would blow up in their faces; Johnson was clamoring for a contract extension, and evidently, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones wouldn't hear of it; lastly, Johnson had a difficult time getting along with immobile veteran quarterback Drew Bledsoe. Ultimately, releasing Johnson may come back to bite the Cowboys since Owens' personality is far riskier to deal with and he has tended to be much more volatile toward his teammates and coaches when things aren't going his way.

In this case, it's clear that the Cowboys' trash is the Panthers' treasure. If Johnson can't get along with Carolina head coach John Fox, then he's got some real personality issues. Fox has proven to be one of the game's elite coaches, while being fair to his players at the same time. As for the Panthers getting Johnson, Fox--the man with a brand-new contract extension through 2010--had this to say:

"Keyshawn is a guy we have a great feeling about both as a player and as a leader. He's been on a Super Bowl championship team and been on other winning teams. He'll bring play-making ability and a strong influence in the locker room."

Other than Fox, the onus will be on Panthers offensive coordinator Dan Henning to make sure that the man known by his critics as "MeShawn" gets the ball often. If Johnson isn't a key part of the offense, his attitude toward Henning and Delhomme could become a point of concern. Like it or not, that would be understandable since every wideout plays the game with the goal of catching as many passes as possible. Johnson has validated statements that he's selfish in the past, but he's also claimed that if a receiver doesn't have selfishness in him, then he probably isn't a success. As Johnson's autobiography once said, just "give him the damn ball and things will work out."

With the addition of Johnson, the Carolina Panthers have readied themselves to not only make a second straight run at an NFC South championship, but they have made themselves a true contender for Super Bowl XLI. Of course, the Panthers will have to best solid conference contenders like Washington, New York, Dallas, Seattle, Minnesota, Chicago, Atlanta and Tampa in order to reach their second Super Bowl in the past four seasons. It won't be easy, but by adding Johnson, the Panthers took care of a major weakness and thus, improved their chances greatly.

--Connor Byrne can be reached at cbyrne@realfootball365.com
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