Scouting the Panthers: Eagles open at Carolina on September 13....

Saturday night's preseason game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Carolina Panthers down in old Charlotte gave me a chance to get a good look at the team that will be the first real test of the "new, improved Philadlephia Eagles" of 2009. The Panthers enter this season with confidence after finishing 12-4 and winning the NFC South in 2008. After earning a playoff bye, however, Carolina was whipped badly, 31-13, by Arizona in the 2nd playoff round. The Panthers organization fervently believes they will be a Super Bowl contender this season, so much so that they have mortgaged their future to help them win now. They traded away their #1 pick in 2010 for a 2nd-round choice this season (DE Everette Brown, 6-1, 256, Florida State) and spent virtually all of their remaining salary cap money to keep three veterans together for one more run: OT Jordan Gross, QB Jake Delhomme, and DE Julius Peppers (franchise tag). The Panthers' offense is usually very, very good unless ...