Who
Do the Carolina Panthers Have?
Part
1: Jerricho Cotchery
Much to do has been made of who the Panthers lost this
offseason. The exodus of Panther
staples, such as Steve Smith, Jordan Gross, and Captain Munnerlyn has left fans
uncertain. The
uncertainty of the unknown has caused fans to flail for something to help them
get their bearings, particularly on the offensive side of the roster.
This is part one of a series meant to explore Carolina’s unknown,
well less known anyway. The series will
first focus on the Panthers’ unknown receiver core because that has been the
greatest cause of fan angst. Followed by an analysis of offensive
additions, we’ll look at new, but more familiar, defensive players, such as
Roman Harper, Antoine Casson, and Thomas Decoud. Fans need to know who we have
to understand what we need. The series will conclude with a who we
added group of articles, producing the final product of:
Who the
Panthers have, who did they add, and what do they got? Let’s look at some of those mysterious wide
receivers first!
Jerricho
Cotchery: Panther fans, welcome back a familiar star! The
“Backyard
Baller” and NC State college standout shined alongside Phillip Rivers between
2000 and 2003. Amassing 200 catches for
a whopping 3,119 yds, Cotchery ranks 2nd all-time in Wolfpack
history only to Tory Holt.
| Year |
Tm |
Pos |
Rec |
Yds |
Y/R |
TD |
Lng |
Y/G |
| 2006 |
NYJ |
WR |
82 |
961 |
11.7 |
6 |
71 |
60.1 |
| 2007 |
NYJ |
WR |
82 |
1130 |
13.8 |
2 |
50 |
75.3 |
| 2008 |
NYJ |
WR |
71 |
858 |
12.1 |
5 |
56 |
53.6 |
Cotchery’s senior season was insane, seven 110+ yd games and
one 200+ yd game. Look at these crazy
stats, and it’s a wonder why we should even have to feature Cotchery in this
series.
Drafted by the NY Jets in 2004, Cotchery wore green and white with multiple QBs for multiple coaches. Breaking
out in 2007 with 1,130 yds and 2 TDs under an intricate Mangini offense scheme,
Cotchery became the featured receiver in NY. Although he didn’t find the end-zone too
often, Cotchery hauled in 82 catches, proving himself a integral part of
Mangini’s modest success. The late season collapse of 2008 was enough to push
out Mangini, who finished 9-7 after leading the division early.
As the “Rex Ryan Sanchez” era commenced, Cotchery’s
production declined. Battlingly through
a serious groin injury and a difficult off-season back surgery, Cotchery fell
out of favor with the new regime in 09.
The groin injury was no joke by the way.
He reportedly heard it snap of this wildly awesome play. This video alone will make happy to see this
guy sporting the black and blue.
Always known as a character guy and locker room favorite,
Cotchery’s departure wasn’t as cordial as one would think. Although there isn’t any direct evidence,
numerous veiled comments suggest Cotchery and Ryan didn’t see entirely
eye-to-eye. Ryan’s early coaching success triggered a confidence and flamboyance
remembered with his press conferences clowning his brother, embracing the
spotlight of HBO’s Hard Knock, and we
can’t forget that he loves feet!
Cotchery obviously wasn’t enamored by Ryan’s personality nor
his description of his rise to power at expense of ex-coach Mangini in his autobiography,
Play Like You Mean It. Cotcherydefended Mangini against Mangini against Ryan’s light jabs. Meanwhile, the Jets
continually attempted to “recruit over” Cotchery by bringing in guys like ex-con Plaxico
Burress and the ornery Derrick Mason.
By 2011, Cotchery had enough and requested to be traded or
released. The parting wasn’t ugly, but
there was some underlying animosity, at the very minimum the relationship had
become stale.
The Pittsburgh Renaissance:
Landing in Pittsburgh for the league minimum, Cotchery found
himself taking a backseat to the peaking Mike Wallace, Antonio Bryant, and
Emmanuel Sanders. The departure of
Wallace in 2012 and rocky 2013 start tested the Steeler’s offense, which
started out 2-6 last season. Jerricho
Cotchery’s veteran experience helped, however, Pittsburgh fight tooth and nail
to save that prided Steeler dignity. Although the Steelers are aging on defense, their
offensive playmakers are still pretty young.
0-4 start seemed to have shaken these players, but it didn't shake the “Walls of Jerricho,” who reigned in 89 balls for 689 yards and 10 TDs last year.
What we got:
Cotchery has been a quiet presence in the NFL. He was the quiet, productive guy that wasn't ever a star, but never fully appreciated either. Cotchery's best opportunity to impose himself as a #1 receiver came in a time when the Jets' offense struggled to find an identity. When the Jets did finally found success under Rex Ryan, the offense was never the primary reason driver. It was a tough nailed defense that backed a ground and pound offense. What should have been his best years were undermined by inconsistent quarterback play and playing for teams that never manufactured consistent offensive production. In some ways, there are a lot of similarities to former Panther Steve Smith's years in Carolina between 2008 and 20011. The teams they played hampered their on field production more than their ability. I mean if Smith had been a Colt in between '08 and '11, he'd be a first ballot Hall of Famer for sure.
There are two things that make me happy about this pick-up: 1) my man Cotchery has hands. He catches everything in the same zip code. 2) the luckiest person I have ever known (who will remain anonymous), always picked Cotchery as a third receiving option on his fantasy football team. The quiet producer helped him win a fantasy football championship or two!!!
Cotchery never really had the best opportunity to assert himself as a #1 receiver. He looks to have found his shot in Carolina, however, where there aren't any established receivers ahead of him in the depth chart. Even if the Panthers grab a receiver in the first round, it's unlikely this player would assert himself as a leader among the receiving core. The addition would need to transition from a #2 option to a #1 option throughout the year. Cotchery will have a chance during this time to step into that leadership role. Let' just hope he can continue the renaissance that he started in Pittsburgh last year in the Queen city.
