QUOTE:  “If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.” -- George Bernard Shaw

So much for the rhetoric about Julius Peppers not wanting to play for Carolina in 2009. So much for the unhappiness that seem to be coming from the Peppers camp. So much for his desire to be moved to outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. So much for not coming to training camp and for all wasted time talking about this subject this offseason. The money -- $16.7 million of it from Panthers owner Jerry Richardson -- was always the key element. The number prevented any trade to another team, and the number never gave any credence to the unhappy talk. The power of $16.7 million is hard to trump. 

Julius PeppersAPPeppers will make $16.7 million in '09.

I would bet that if you did a study of all the football Web sites (including this one) regarding which NFL teams from 2008 would not make the playoffs in 2009, the Panthers are on almost every list.  Their activity this offseason -- to put it mildly -- was very bland. Or was it? They rearranged their coaching staff, mostly on defense as some coaches left on their own while others were encouraged to leave. The Panthers did not have a first-round pick in the draft because last year they gave up their ‘09 first rounder for starting right tackle Jeff Otah. When they placed the tag on Peppers, it limited their ability to be active in free agency; in fact, they added only one player, trading for long snapper J.J. Jansen from the Packers. 

When the Panthers went into the draft, they had several needs, none more glaring than finding a defensive lineman who could apply pressure on the passer. In the Jon Fox style of defense, it is all about pressure -- pressure from four rushers or five rushers -- but Fox knows that in order to play good defense, it starts with the defensive front. With Ron Meeks coming in to be the new defensive coordinator, the Panthers hope to accomplish two things under his guidance. The first will be to cut down on mental mistakes that killed them last year, and the second will be to find a way to play well in the red zone. Their red zone defense was poor as they allowed 28 points per game the final seven games of the season. It’s tough to win playoff games when you allow that many points. 

As bad as the Panthers were on defense in the red zone, they were that good on offense. They were like money when they moved the ball inside the 20, finishing as the second-best team in red zone production. For all that’s wrong with the Panthers on offense, they’re a big-play team, run or pass, and when you can make big plays on offense, you’re going to score points. The other area they’re good is in short yardage; they were the best team in the NFL on third and one, converting at an 89-percent rate, which is amazing. 

Ron MeeksAPMeeks brought the Tampa 2 defense to Carolina.

So when you look at the Panthers’ offseason, despite its blandness, they did address areas that hurt their team in 2008. They hired Meeks to run his Tampa/Dungy style of defense, which allows them to feature their best assets -- the size of their corners and the speed of their linebackers. Meeks’ scheme is simple for the players to learn and play on the field quickly.  When you study the Bucs/Dungy style of defense, the critical pieces are a right defensive end, an explosive three technique, a will linebacker, a middle backer who can run and a left end who can defeat single blocks. For the most part, the Panthers have all those pieces in place. They drafted Florida State defensive end Everette Brown in the second round and paid a high price for him (next year’s No. 1), but he must be able to supply a rush -- much like Robert Mathis does in Indy. He’s a key player for the Panthers to repeat as NFC South champions. 

On Wednesday, I talked about the lines being an indicator for a team making the final four. The Panthers’ offensive line improved last year, which was the reason they were effective running the ball. Their offensive line is a strong point -- it allows them to make big plays in both running and passing. They’re not a pretty offense, but they’re a very effective offense. They lived and died last year on the big play. They finished first in the NFL in plays of more than 20 yards and 28th in 10-play drives. It was feast or famine for the Panthers’ offense last year. 

However, the key is still their defensive line, and they must get a blue-chip season from the person who just signed his $16.7-million tender. Peppers is a talent, and although he occasionally takes plays off, he has the ability to force opposing offensive coordinators and line coaches to make sure they have the right protection to handle his talent. Peppers must have his best season in 2009 for the Panthers to reach the same level they did in 2008. He must perform exceptionally well so that teams focus their protections on him, allowing Brown or Charlie Johnson to face single blocks. In essence, he must prove to everyone that he’s worth the money. His career depends on it, and the Panthers’ season depends on it. 

Can they make it back? It will be hard to duplicate what the Panthers did in 2008 -- winning all their home games and winning most of their close games, but change might be best for them right now. In this entire column, I didn’t discuss Jake Delhomme -- because the Panthers really understand what he can and can’t do, so they manage him with precision. He makes just enough big plays to be effective, and the burden of the offense doesn’t rest with his precision. It rests with his big plays.

The more I studied the Panthers yesterday, the more I saw what they’re attempting to do in 2009. But again, their success rests in the hands of the man they just gave all that money to. And that, for me, is very risky.