Making the fur fly

Sporting News, The, March 18, 1996 by Paul Attner, Scott Fowler

It seems like yesterday when they were just cute babies, squealing about the expansion draft and getting put to bed long before any of the important NFL business was conducted. But the Panthers and Jaguars have grown up fast -- so fast that suddenly they have become something of a problem to the men who created them.

Like gawky, athletic teenagers, the league's two newest teams have already discovered they can sometimes beat their dads in a game of one-on-one. And with a slew of picks in the draft to complement the high-profile free agents already signed. it won't be a major surprise if Carolina or Jacksonville -- maybe even both -- qualify for the playoffs in only their second seasons.

The Panthers nearly made it to .500 in 1995, dumping final-four teams San Francisco and Indianapolis on their way to a 7-9 record. Jacksonville beat Pittsburgh once and managed a 4-12 record, which would have been the best in history for an expansion team if not for Carolina.

"Both Jacksonville and Carolina arc now in the same position as that group of 8-8 or 9-7 teams competing for the final playoff spots every year," says Michael Huyghue, Jacksonville's vice president of football operations.

Panthers Coach Dom Capers says, "That old world, 'expansion,' seems to be disappearing more and more."

In fact, the quick success of Carolina and Jacksonville has some NFL types grumbling that this year's extra draft picks arc unfair and unnecessary. Both teams were given 14 picks in both of their first two drafts but traded some away. This year, Carolina has 12 picks (one in the first, second and sixth rounds; two in the third, fourth and fifth; and three in the seventh), and Jacksonville has 11 (one in the first, second and fourth rounds, and two in the third, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds).

"What has happened here is that the league has created two Dallas Cowboy-type building situations," one general manager says. "And the ironic thing is we're just giving them all this stuff; they don't even need to trade Herschel Walker and Steve Walsh to get it."

Both teams have employed a scorched-field philosophy during the first few weeks of free agency, slinging money around like Steve Forbes. Consider:

* Carolina's headline acquisition was Eric Davis, not only because he is a Pro Bowl cornerback, but because they put a big hit on the division-rival 49ers. "There are a Lot of similarities in the Panthers' organization to the one that I'm leaving," says Davis, who reached that conclusion after he accepted a four-year, $11.4-million contract.

* Jacksonville locked up former Pittsburgh right tackle Leon Searcy for a staggering $17 million over five years. The contract included a $5-million signing bonus and made Searcy the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL. Searcy's position is of major importance to the Jaguars because he will protect the blind side of lefthanded quarterback Mark Brunell.

* The Panthers actually liked Raiders right tackle Greg Skrepenak better shall Searcy, and they signed him as a bookend to promising left tackle Blake Brockermeyer. The Panthers also picked tight end Wesley Walls off the shelf of their favorite store -- the Saints. New Orleans has lost linebacker Sam Mills, safety Brett Maxie. punter Tommy Barnhardt linebacker Darion Conner, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and now Walls to Carolina.

* Jacksonville gave $10.4 million over four years to linebacker Eddie Robinson, who had 31/2 career sacks in four years with the Oilers but excels in pass coverage.

The two expansion teams have chased after the same free agents twice already. Neither team latched onto linebacker Cornelius Bennett, who accepted Atlanta's offer. Jacksonville outbid Carolina for wide receiver Keenan McCardell, who often outplayed Andre Rison in Cleveland last season.

"These two teams have a tremendous future," Green Bay General Manager Ron Wolf says. "You can see a lot of resemblances to the way the Colorado Rockies were in their second season."

The Jaguars and Panthers plan to sign another couple of players before free agency ends. And with Jacksonville holding the second overall pick in the first round of the draft and Carolina the eighth, these teams are likely to be standing as tall as Mel Kiper's hair in late April.

Carolina, in particular, is in a promising situation -- mainly because of its startling seven-victory season and brief flirtation with a playoff berth in '95. The Panthers also managed to finish just low enough to avoid a scheduling disaster. Because of a last-game loss to Washington, they still get to face a favorable fourth-place schedule in '96.

The meek offense already looks better with the addition of Skrepenak and Wells. Quarterback Kerry Collins, 23, is a 6-5, 240-pound talent who would gladly give up his favorite Discovery Channel nature documentaries for a couple more receivers.

It is Carolina's graying defense that wins games, however. Capers and a front office led by TSN Executive of the Year Bill Polian (see related story) cobbled up a unit that tied for seventh in the NFL in 1995. That defense's best player in '95 -- Mills -- will be 37 in June. Maxie, its top interceptor, is 34, and nose tackle Grae Kragen is rumored to have played with the Broncos before Colorado became a state.