I recently attended the Carolina Panthers Business Summit.  We had the opportunity to meet with Danny Morrison, president of Panthers Football, and several of the coaches, including Head Coach Ron Rivera for an open forum.

One of the first questions from the audience was, “How do you make a draft choice selection?”  Ron responded that, before making the recent decision, he talked to all of his coaches, discussed what their needs were, and drafted accordingly.

It then turned to conversation about the new draft pick, Cam Newton, and what he would need to be successful.  Ricky Proehl, special teams coach, felt that Cam will not only need to spend time learning the game but also spend some necessary time with his receivers.  From a coaches perspective they will also need to look at reasons why he could fail and reasons why he could succeed.

Sean McDermott, defensive coordinator, answered questions about how the Panthers game plan would hold up against the other quarterbacks in the league. This year, the Panthers will face almost the exact same schedule that they had last year. As a result, McDermott is focused on learning from last year, and has identified three opponents the Carolina Panthers will face two times in the division that could potentially result in a total of six wins towards a division title.

Mike Rucker, a commentator on preseason games for the Carolina Panthers on the Panthers Television Network, addressed what we should expect players to be doing with their time under the current lockout. No surprise, he believes that they players need to be training and practicing their skills so that they remain fresh and ready. Players understand that anything could happen and that they need to be prepared when the season starts.  They can band together and be accountable to each other so that they are prepared.

Regarding the lockout, a question that clearly could not go unanswered, the group felt good about Jerry Richardson’s involvement with the entire process.  The feeling was that they trusted him to do what was best for the NFL.

Alicia Rankin and James Carmichael from the NFL talked about the Panther’s organization and the unique feel and venue that has been created in the Carolinas.  Regardless if you are a football fan or even a Panthers fan, you can be proud of what has been created by the franchise. It is a welcoming venue that is family friendly and a positive representative for the Carolinas!

At the end of the summit, Rivera summed it up best by saying, “It is not the hand you are dealt, but how you play your hand.  And we will play hard!”  

By DJ Stephan