General manager Marty Hurney felt he needed to upgrade team speed after the Panthers failed to win the NFC South the last two seasons.He
believes he's done just that in the NFL draft.The Panthers selected
field-stretching tight end Ian Thomas from Indiana and speed rusher Marquis
Haynes from Ole Miss in the fourth round
Jamel Dean Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jersey , and middle linebacker Jermaine Carter from Maryland in the fifth. They closed out the final day by taking middle linebacker
Andre Smith from North Carolina and defensive tackle Kendrick Norton from Miami
in the seventh round.Carolina placed a major emphasis on adding speed, a pattern
established in the first two days of the draft when it took wide receiver D.J.
Moore from Maryland in the first round, cornerback Donte Jackson from LSU in the
second and safety Rashaan Gaulden in the third."I have always believed that you
can't teach speed — and that is a big part of this game," Hurney said. "You have
to be big and you have to be physical, but you have to be fast, too. Coming into
this offseason that was one of our goals to add speed, especially to the skill
positions."The Panthers had won three straight NFC South titles before Atlanta
won in 2016 and New Orleans triumphed in 2017.They lost three times to the
Saints last year, including a wild-card playoff loss at the Superdome."One of
the things that you have to do is look at your division," coach Ron Rivera said.
"To get into the playoffs you have to win your division. ... So when you compare
those teams in your division with what you have you most certainly have to be
able to match up with those guys across the board."THOMAS' TOUGH ROADThe
Panthers got the third day of the NFL draft started by selecting Thomas with the
first pick in the fourth round. They believe he is from the same mold as Greg
Olsen with the versatility to catch passes and block.Thomas was raised by his
siblings after both of his parents died before he was 10 years old —his mother
from a kidney infection and his father from a heart attack a year later. Thomas
has eight siblings in all, but was primarily raised by his brother, Clif
Farmer."I always thank him any chance I get for helping us growing up and for
helping me become the man I am today," Thomas said. "He knows how much love I
have for him and how much love he has for all of us. I know it's just a blessing
to have him as an older brother and a role model."WHAT A JOKERThe Panthers are
high on Haynes, even though he's slight for an NFL defensive end at 235 pounds.
Still, he broke Greg Hardy's career record for sacks at Ole Miss with 32.But
Rivera also likes that Haynes can drop back in coverage and play the team's
"joker" position.Rivera says Haynes' pass-rushing skills remind him of current
Panthers defensive end Mario Addison."I got a knack for my first step, getting
off the ball, because it really makes the offensive lineman really think that
they have to overstep
2019 Devin White Jersey , I could then take an inside move," Haynes said. "But if they don't, I can just run right around them and get to the
quarterback."SWAGGER TIMEWhen the Panthers pulled the franchise tag on
cornerback Josh Norman two years ago, they lost some serious swagger in the
secondary.Well, that attitude appears back courtesy of second-round pick Donte
"Action" Jackson from LSU. Although he's only 5-foot-10 and 178 pounds, Jackson
is plenty confident. When asked who's the fastest player on the Carolina roster
he responded quickly, "Me, Donte Jackson.""Yeah I'm fast, but my mentality and
my toughness and my confidence and my swagger is all there, it's all football,"
Jackson said. "You know, that's one thing I like to pride myself on. I never
really liked to listen to people say I'm too small because I've been listening
to that my whole life and it just adds fuel to the fire."Jackson's father was in
prison when he was growing up; he said he still speaks with him every other
day.STILL NEEDThe Panthers never did find a replacement for running back
Jonathan Stewart, cut during the offseason in a salary cap move. Rivera said
that Cameron Artis-Payne will get "the first crack" as the No. 2 back behind
Christian McCaffrey. Carolina also didn't draft a guard despite losing All-Pro
Andrew Norwell to the Giants in free agency. TAMPA, Fla. (AP) ??Tampa Bay is
counting on Bruce Arians to help Jameis Winston realize his potential, however
the young quarterback isn't the only component the two-time NFL Coach of the
Year has to fix if the Buccaneers are going to end a long postseason drought.A
porous defense has been a problem for much of the team's decade-plus absence
from the playoffs and needs immediate attention, too.So does an inconsistent
running attack which ranked among the worst in the league this season
Devin White Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jersey , when Tampa Bay lost 11 of 14 following a 2-0 start to finish last in the NFC South for the seventh time in
eight years.Arians came out of retirement Tuesday to replace Dirk Koetter, who
made significant strides with the Bucs offense but wasn't able to develop
Winston into a top-tier quarterback while going 19-29 over the past three
years.The 66-year-old Arians will be introduced during a news conference
Thursday.He's the sixth coach Tampa Bay has had since 2008 ??following Jon
Gruden, Raheem Morris, Greg Schiano, Lovie Smith and Koetter ??and is working on
assembling a staff to help him transform a roster featuring some good young
talent into consistent winners.More Tampa Bay Buccaneers newsJaguars CB Jalen
Ramsey catches a TD on offense as AFC thumps NFC in rainy Pro Bowl in
OrlandoPack your bags: Jaguars, Buccaneers among NFL teams taking international
trips in 2019New coach Bruce Arians confident Buccaneers have pieces to be
playoff teamBuccaneers counting on Bruce Arians to help Jameis Winston realize
potentialGetting their guy: Buccaneers hire former Bruce Arians to be head
coachArians led the Arizona Cardinals to a 49-30-1 regular-season record from
2013-2017, a five-year stretch that included three 10-win seasons, two playoff
berths, one division title and an appearance in the NFC championship game in the
2015 season.Among the potential staff Arians is interested in bringing to Tampa
Bay are former New York Jets coach Todd Bowles, one-time Arizona assistant
Harold Goodwin and former Bucs quarterback Byron Leftwich.All worked for Arians
for at least a portion of the time he coached the Cardinals, with Bowles'
success as Arizona's defensive coordinator leading to him landing the head
coaching position he held with the Jets the past four seasons.Bowles is expected
to be reunited with his old boss as defensive coordinator, taking over a unit
that ranked 27th in total defense and 31st in points allowed in 2018.The
connection to Arians' days in Arizona doesn't end with potential staff
additions. Former Cardinals defensive line coach Brentson Buckner is already
under contract with the Bucs after joining them in the same position before last
season.And, Bucs general manager Jason Licht, who led the coaching search, was
vice president of player personnel for two seasons in Arizona before moving to
Tampa Bay in 2014.The day after Koetter was fired, Licht said familiarity with a
candidate wouldn't necessarily be a factor in the hiring of a successor."Just
because I know somebody doesn't necessarily mean that's the right fit for the
organization
Devin White Jersey ," The GM said on Dec. 31. "Throw the ego aside, it's what is best for this organization, best for ownership, best for these players, best
for the staff. Just the best fit, period."Offensively, the Bucs are counting on
Arians to spur Winston to greater heights.The No. 1 overall pick from the 2015
draft is entering the final year of his rookie contract, which pays him $20.92
million next season.Arians has worked with Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger,
Carson Palmer and Andrew Luck during a long NFL coaching career.The coach has
known Winston, who turned 25 on Jan. 6, since the Bucs quarterback was in high
school and attended one of Arians' football camps in Birmingham, Alabama.
