Atlanta Falcons: Five Questions with the Carolina Panthers
By David Neff
2. With the recent revival of the deadly Panther Front Seven, what caused the change in philosophy to reignite the defense?
Charles Johnson has begun to round into form after struggling with his own injury concerns early on, and 2nd round pick Kony Ealy looks like he may be a legitimate pass rusher with 4 sacks on the season as a rotational defensive lineman. The Panthers philosophy last season (the reason they amassed 60 sacks) was that they were deep at the DLine positions, and were able to run out fresh, talented players throughout the game. The defense was able to get pressure without blitzing, leaving the secondary to have more support. With Greg Hardy’s legal trouble, and Frank Alexander’s suspensions, the depth was eradicated. Now the defensive line has it back.