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Steve Smith, the real one, has been a mainstay in the Panthers receiving corps since you can remember. Now, he's still there, but he's the only one.In a recent interview, Smith claimed that he wanted the Panthers to seek out a younger receiver to come in and take some pressure off of him because Smith no longer wants to be a number one receiver.
While Smith tried to keep his words soft, this is a cry for help.
Smith knows that his years are numbered in the NFL, as every career must come to an end (except Brett Favre's), and Smith knows that the talent at receiver right now is not enough to compete, because outside of Steve Smith, there is none.
Smith's long-time teammate and friend, Muhsin Muhammad is no longer with the team leaving the likes of Dwayne Jarrett, a bust out of USC and newly acquired Dexter Jackson. Aside from those two, no one else is really worth mentioning as Jarrett and Jackson are barely worth mentioning.
The fact is this, Panthers head coach John Fox has one year left on his contract, and if he has any hopes to stay, he must win in 2010. The defense is a bit shaky at times, but serviceable, and the running game is one of the best in the league.
If Fox can find a receiver and a few defensive guys in April's draft, he may get an extension and help out his longtime player at the same time. The Panthers are capable of winning if they can overcome the slow starts. They won four of their last five games in 2009, including the final three.
The talent is there, but there's not enough, and despite the way Smith sounds on camera, he is a very intelligent man and knows the offense is in need of a guy. This is a cry for help and the Panthers need to respond accordingly.
