Carolina Panthers: Taking it to the NFL Street

The Panthers would have offered a difficulty for that model. The reason is that Cam Newton would have broken the Street games. He could have done power running and deep throwing, which would have eliminated the serious need for a running back. There are no back sets in the game. Injuries don’t exist.

Newton would also offered a reasonable answer on defense. He could be a rush lineman (my preference) or you could make him a linebacker with his speed.

That means that we could swap out the RB spot for something more defensive. That would allow us to install Luke Kuechly as our linebacker on defense and our center on offense. That would solidify our defense, instead of leaving a hole somewhere which is what using a RB usually does.

The WR spot is next. Kelvin Benjamin is the obvious choice, because you need a big deep threat. Greg Olsen won’t have the speed rating to make that work. Don’t write off Olsen entirely, because there is still the issue of the DBs, but Benjamin is our man. The only reason he would not is if we went to entirely different team model designed around an option run attack (don’t want Jonathan Stewart as a defensive back, sorry).

Kurt Coleman is the logical center fielder to add to our defense. His accompaniment should probably be a healthy Bene Benwikere. Coleman or Benwikere will likely have to serve as a part time tailback on offense, but we would be careful not to ask too much for their limited carrying ratings.

Then comes the front line. Newton is one of our defensive ends while Kuechly is our center. That means that we need a tackle and an end. This is why I loved Julius Peppers in the original Street and a little less in Street 2. Peppers could function as a running back on offense with his stats.

The obvious defensive tackle to pick is Kawann Short. Big, stout, and capable of rushing, Short would be a nightmare for most centers in the game. Next to him would be tough. The best resume is Charles Johnson, but the up and comer would be Kony Ealy. I’ll take Johnson for now as a bigger guy who probably has a slightly better blocking rating.

Alternately, you could take Star Lotulelei instead of a defensive end, but know that you’d be relying on Newton for your pass rush on most downs.

If I had an eighth man to pick, it would be Olsen. That would allow the Panthers to abuse teams that went heavy on wide receivers and thus lacked good coverage. Thomas Davis might be good depending on his coverage and catch rating.

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