Carolina Panthers Defeat Miami Dolphins 2012 Preseason Week 2

The Carolina Panthers defeated the Miami Dolphins 23 – 17 in the second week of the 2012 preseason. Cam Newton got off to a much stronger start in his second preseason game. Newton completed eight passes on 11 attempts for 119 yards and one touchdown. DeAngelo Williams had a nice game with four carries for 25 yards and a 6.3 yards per carry average. Newcomer Mike Tolbert had a solid game with three carries for 15 yards with a 5.0 yard rushing average and he also had one reception for 14 yards. Unfortunately, Mike Tolbert did have one fumble in the game, but I don't expect that to be a issue come regular-season. The Panthers defense was much improved from the first preseason game. The Panthers rush defense held Miami to just 37 yards rushing. Rookie cornerback Josh Norman also looked very solid in his preseason debut. The Miami Dolphins chose not to throw it his way because of his solid pass protection. If Josh Norman is able to maintain his current level of play he should end up as the week one starter opposite Chris Gamble.


The Carolina Panthers next outing is against the New York Jets at New York. The game will be played on Sunday, August 26 at 8 PM Eastern time on NBC.

Carolina Panthers 2012 Kicking Competition

The Carolina Panthers have a fierce kicking competition currently involving the punters and kickers. The kickers are incumbent Olindo Mare and former CFL star Justin Medlock. The two punters are rookie out of Wisconsin Brad Nortman and 12 year veteran Nick Harris. Both kicking competitions should come to a conclusion by the end of the preseason.

Justin Medlock has been more consistent on deep field goals compared to Olindo Mare however, Olindo Mare has been better on kickoffs. During the last preseason game against the Houston Texans Justin Medlock had a kickoff fall 10 to 15 yards short of the end zone which led to the Texans kickoff return for a touchdown. Olindo Mare performed better on kickoffs with the ball sailing deep in the end zone mostly resulting in touchbacks. Even though Medlock had a bad kickoff during the Texans game he was consistently kicking the ball 5+ yards deep in the end zone during the most recent practice sessions which is a very positive sign. Ideally I would prefer Medlock win the kicking competition considering Mare missed multiple long field goals last year that caused the Panthers to lose a couple games. Justin Medlock is much better at long field goals. Also Justin Medlock has a much friendlier salary cap number which is always a plus.

As for the punters, rookie Brad Nortman has looked very good. His kicks are long and with a lot of hang time. He has also been working hard in camp at his directional kicking. Nick Harris, a free-agent signing by the Panthers during the off-season, is also battling Nortman for the position. At this time, it is definitely Nortman's position to lose. I would expect Brad Nortman to win the competition considering he was drafted in the sixth round of the NFL draft and he has youth on his side. The Carolina Panthers face the Miami Dolphins tonight August 17 at 8 PM EST on Fox. Tune in to see if anyone gets a leg up in the kicking competition.

Carolina Panthers 2012 CB Position Battle

One of the big position battles for the Carolina Panthers in 2012 is at the CB position. The players that are in this competition are Captain Munnerlyn, Brandon Hogan, and Josh Norman. Captain Munnerlyn has been the starter but the Panthers are looking to move him to nickelback. Ideally the Panthers would prefer either Brandon Hogan or Josh Norman to win the starting job because Captain Munnerlyn is a undersized corner to be a starter. Currently Captain Munnerlyn has been working with the first-team because Brandon Hogan and Josh Norman have been injured.

Brandon Hogan was drafted in the 2011 NFL draft in the fourth round out of West Virginia. He slid to the fourth round in the draft because he had a knee injury but his potential is very high if he can stay healthy. Brandon Hogan only participated in a couple games last year with zero starts. Brandon Hogan has been held out of almost all of the off-season activities this year because he has been recovering slowly from knee injury. I would consider him a long shot to win the starting job however, I expect him to be a solid contributor during the 2012 campaign.

Josh Norman was selected in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL draft out of Coastal Carolina. He was considered a top prospect coming out of the NFL draft, so his potential is great. During practice on August 14 Josh Norman had four interceptions which showcases his potential. He possesses the size to be NFL starter unlike Captain Munnerlyn. Tonight August 17 against the Miami Dolphins Josh Norman has an opportunity to participate in his first NFL preseason game. Captain Munnerlyn will start the game but Josh Norman should get multiple opportunities to show if he is ready to be a NFL starter.

Overall I am very excited to see how this competition plays out. In my opinion I believe Josh Norman will win the starting job because he possesses the size and ball hawking skills that are required to be a starter in the NFL. Tonight's preseason game against the Miami Dolphins should give us a glimpse if this will become a reality. If you are in the local market you can watch the Panthers preseason game tonight August 17 against the Miami Dolphins at 8 PM EST on Fox.