The Panther’s second round pick last year struggled at times last year, no one is disputing that. However, it seems that most writers are using adjectives such as: “disastrous, nightmare, disappointing, and even bust” to describe his rookie season. This has all come somewhat surprising to me, especially considering how strong he finished the season (3 sacks in the last 3 games). I’m a Panthers optimist, and can only take a few negative comments before I reach a breaking point. I reached that breaking point after reading an article by Bryan Knowles (Panther’s featured columnist on Bleacher Report); his article covered the Panthers remaining offseason priorities. In the “Who Provides the Pass Rush?” section, he mulled over who would step up in Hardy’s place. He mentioned Ealy only when saying he and Wes Horton didn't notably step up the pass rush, and to finally say Kony had something of a nightmare season.