It’s about mid August and the new version of the Madden video game has just been released. As your levels of fanhood are quite high, you’ve ordered a early copy. It arrives on your doorstep on Day One.

Unfortunately, you didn’t tell your girlfriend and she went out and bought it for you as a surprise because she knows that men only want sports stuff or extra bedroom attention as gifts.

What are you to do? You’ve now got a logjam of Maddens. But, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

The Carolina Panthers can relate to that on a real life scale. Last year they selected Jimmy Clausen, who was believed to be the most pro-ready QB prospect in the draft, in the 2nd round. After a tumultuous season, Carolina found themselves picking first overall with an opportunity to draft Heisman winner Cam Newton.

After already investing an early round pick in a quarterback, the Panthers were faced with a franchise defining decision: Is Clausen their guy? Do they want to shore up the defense? Do they want to go with a safe pick? Decisions, decisions.

Well, John Fox was generally known to opt for the safe and conservative choice. That strategy lead to inconsistent success as the Panthers had four losing seasons and two .500 seasons in nine years under Fox.

New head coach Ron Rivera had to choose the best way develop this franchise.

Cam Newton is one of the biggest Boom/Bust prospects we’ve seen in a long time. He reminds me a lot of Megan Fox right after the first Transformers movie. Fox landed with a lot of hype and excitement. Critics were touting her as the next Angelina Jolie and audiences were enamored with her, err, ability.

Yet, she was still a question mark in the long run. As we’ve seen since, Fox hasn’t quite sustained her Hollywood success (And her plastic surgery looks to have been done by James Cameron). Will Newton share the same fate?

Evaluators are split on their opinions, as no one seems able to peg this guy.

On one hand, his detractors fairly point out his lack of experience at the top collegiate level. Newton played for Auburn for only one season. However, in that one season he dazzled spectators and led Auburn to a BCS Championship.

Newton has been considered a hybrid of Ben Roethlisberger and Michael Vick. His athleticism is off the charts. Newton possesses great speed and elusiveness and is fantastic at scrambling and extending plays with his feet. The Auburn QB rushed for nearly 1,500 yard and 20 tuddies last season.

However, if his first read failed Newton almost certainly bailed like Antonio Cromartie on his child support. Newton will have to learn to progress through his reads and use his feet to buy time in the pocket in order to be successful at the next level. Running quarterbacks rarely succeed long term in the NFL. Newton must become a quality pocket passer to compliment his rushing abilities.

At 6’5” and almost 250lbs, Newton is a physical specimen. Yes, he’s hard to catch once he takes off. But, he’s even harder to bring to the ground. He should be able to avoid a lot of sacks by muscling would be tacklers a la Roethlisberger. Hopefully he doesn’t develop other Roethlisberger traits and try to muscle women in barroom stalls. Oh yeah, congrats on your wedding Big Ben. I’m sure that relationship will last…

Ultimately, the Carolina Panthers selected Newton with their first overall pick. They needed to create a lot of buzz, energy and hope for the future of this team. With Clausen struggling mightily, Rivera saw an opportunity to draft a potential franchise quarterback who could impact the game on multiple fronts.

Was it a fantastic gamble? Absolutely. But how can anyone hope to strike gold if they are afraid to get dirty first.

We can all relate to the choice Carolina had to make.. Do I want the nice and safe Honda that will work well, yet unspectacularly? Or do I want a Lambo regardless of the fact that the engine might blow up in my face?

The Panthers made the right decision. They grabbed the player with the highest ceiling on the board at the game’s most important position. After years of a conservative mentality, the new head honchos infused some intrigue and enthusiasm to a relatively forgotten franchise.

Fantasy Football:

As the draft is fast approaching and everyone is preparing for the weekend in New York, a few teams will have a much greater chance at making a splash in the draft than others. Depending on their overall strategy, these teams have the best chance to walk away from the draft as winners by adding major contributors to their team.

1. New England Picks: (1.17, 1.28, 2.33, 2.28, 3.10, 3.28, 4.28, 5.28, 6.28)

The Patriots found a way to wheel and deal once again; in this years NFL draft they have 6 picks in the top 92. New England’s planning has definitely paid off, as the rich just seem to get richer. To put things more into perspective, the Patriots will be drafting their 4th player 5 slots before the Panthers will take their 2nd player.

While we all know Billy B. will probably move around in this years NFL draft like he has in past years, he could also choose to add as many as half a dozen opening day starters, and still deal a pick or two for future selections in the 2012 draft. The Patriots are clearly in the driver’s seat with the most high end selections to play with.

2. San Francisco 49er’s Picks: (1.7, 2.13, 3.12, 4.11, 4.18, 5.10, 6.9, 6.25, 7.8, 7.28, 7.36, 7.47)

Yes, you counted correctly, San Francisco not only has 5 picks in the top 115 (which is a great way to add immediate talent), but they also have 6 picks in the final 2 rounds. With 12 total selections, the 49er’s can control this draft as they see fit. If Jim Harbaugh wants to wheel and deal, he will have all the momentum to build this team with either quantity or quality. With so many extra picks the 49er’s can play it by ear, using extra low end picks to move around if a player slips into a prime picking spot.

3. Philadelphia Eagles Picks: (1.23, 2.22, 3.21, 4.7, 4.23, 5.18, 5.22, 7.24, 7.34, 7.37)

Philadelphia has needs just like any other team. However, for a team that still has the opportunity to go as far as Mike Vick will take them, 10 draft picks will likely fill any if not all holes quickly. The Eagles also have the opportunity to deal quarterback Kevin Kolb for even more draft picks, adding a definite X-factor to their draft strategy. This could be a chance for Philadelphia to beef up their pass rush early on, while adding secondary and line depth as the draft continues. There will be gems all throughout this years draft, which plays into the Eagles strength of having their picks fairly scattered throughout. This should allow them to grab a great combination of starters, rotational players, and developmental guys as well.

4.  San Diego Chargers Picks: (1.18, 2.18, 2.29, 3.18, 3.25, 6.18, 6.36, 7.31)

Some may think San Diego is in an awkward position, but I see them as the dark horse of the draft, as most of their key positional elements are in place. They do have a few picks early on (5 in the first 3 rounds), but all of their picks also occur past the halfway point in each round. This isn’t a bad thing, but there is clearly a difference between picking the 1st selection of the third round, opposed to the 18th or the 25th. The real advantage for the Chargers lies in watching top end talent fall due to the high demand for Quarterbacks and or other already filled positions.

San Diego does have a few needs to fill before taking that next step forward, but if they are patient and add a few solid prospects with their early picks, they should once again get back into position to win the AFC West in 2011-2012.

5. Carolina Panthers Picks: (1.1, 3.1, 3.33, 4.1, 5.1, 6.1, 6.38, 7.1)

Make no mistake, the rebuilding process in Carolina could be a long and difficult journey. To compete in the NFC South they are going to have to lay the foundation for the future. The good news is that while they don’t have enough ammunition to make a major impact with starters, they have the picks to move around the entire draft and fill all their needs. Carolina holds the keys to almost every round’s first pick, including the 1st overall pick. With the draft now a three day event, the Panthers can have extra time to make trades and obtain more picks to fill more depth. Carolina will have 8 selections overall in this years draft and 4 selections before the 98th overall spot. Look for the Panthers to build for the future and try to have a bounce back year.

Fantasy Football:

Who is  Brain St. Pierre? He’s the guy down the block that hosts NFL Sunday parties…or at least, he was last weekend. With the revolving door of banged up Carolina Panthers, Jon Fox has called up a guy who has only thrown 5 NFL passes to lead his team this weekend against the Baltimore Ravens. Brian St. Pierre is starting at quarterback just six days after being relieved of changing diapers and cleaning the gutters back in the suburb’s of Boston. But wait, Tony Pike who has been with the team for months,and  is ready to go with knowledge of this offense? why not start him?

“I think the guy has been in some games and was with us last week and picked up on things quickly,” Fox said of St. Pierre. “He spits the ball out quick and makes good decisions.”

I think? You don’t sound too sure of yourself there Fox, but hey it’s no big deal, he’s only your starting quarterback this week.

Tony Pike is considered by many to be one of the greatest Cincinnati Bearcat quarterbacks of all time.

10 quotes Brian St. Pierre might say at some point on Sunday

• Wow cool, I’m on T.V
• Who is this Ray Lewis guy….and why is he so mad.
• Hmm…I know the play where the one guy runs up and the other guy goes across…whats that one called again?
• There’s 4 quarters….ugh
• When do I get paid for this thing
• Dude, facebook me.
• So what! it was a nice spiral
• Hey can I bum a ride home?
• What’s the score of the Patriot’s game?
• If I get hurt do I get workers comp?

Fantasy Football:

Chicago Bears vs. Carolina Panthers

Jay Cutler has been ruled out for Sunday’s game. So in other words, it’s the Panthers game to lose. Todd Collins was not impressive in his relieve role after Cutler has broken in half from the blitzing Giants pass rush last Sunday. This is mess for fantasy receivers and projections almost don’t need to be done. The Panthers and Bears have great defense’s that might be worth starting in a contest for who can grab more interceptions.

The Panthers rushing attack will be the center piece for this weeks match-up. Although, with both teams loading the box this game may result in a 16-13 type grudge match. Matt Forte for the Bears is all of a sudden worth a fantasy start as Mike Martz will have to call more running plays whether he likes it or not. This game is shaping up to be a battle of the coaches, who ever can best game plan for the lack of passing attack against a solid defense will walk away with a win.

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Fantasy Football:

Carolina Panthers 0-3 vs. New Orleans Saints 2-1

This NFC South match-up is loaded with fantasy players that are breaking our hearts. Jonathan Stewart, DeAngelo Williams and Marques Colston were all drafted with high fantasy expectations, yet the numbers are just not adding up. It’s getting to the point where a decision has to be made about siting some of these big names, is this the week?

The Panthers are simply in a rebuilding mode. They have shifted to rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen and are struggling to find a groove with the passing game along with the once dominant running attack. DeAngelo Williams has been a pretty good fantasy option, but not worth the high draft pick. The Carolina offensive drives are stalling and Jonathan Stewart has seen his carries per game cut in half from a year ago. Unless Clausen can prove that he can burn defense’s through the air, opponents are just loading the box and stuffing the run.

The Saints are still the powerhouse that won our hearts with a Super Bowl from a season ago, the only difference is Marques Colston isn’t a major factor in the passing attack. After 3 weeks Colston has only 154 yards and has not been able to find the end zone. Last year by week 4, Colston had already scored 3 times.

While you may feel Bress and Colston are due, the history of the top Saints receiver versus the divisional rival Panthers, isn’t great. Colston only made one catch in each of the two games in 2009, which isn’t the good news you wanted to hear. Still I can’t bring myself to recommend you sit him. Stats are made to be broken, and Colston is too good not to start.

The Panther RB’s on the other hand are already ready on your bench, you gave up with Stewart early and are now swaying on Williams. Here’s a stats that may cheer you up: The Saints gave up 200 yards on the ground last week, but is that enough to make up your mind?

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Fantasy Football:

Fantasy Football:

The Panthers were ranked 18th overall in defense in 2009, but had problems on the ground stopping the run, which is ironic when you consider how good the Carolina rushing attack was. However, one saving grace is that Julius Peppers decided to come back to Carolina after saying he wanted to leave to play in a 3-4 defense. Jon Beason and Thomas Davis return to marshal an adequate linebacking corps, while Chris Gamble is coming into his prime as a cornerback. Although, the Panthers could have added help to their secondary, which had only 12 interceptions in 2008, and three of those came from Beason at middle linebacker. In a division that includes New Orleans and Atlanta, this could sway some players from making the Panthers one of their NFL betting picks this season.

The Panthers are rated behind the Saints and Falcons at +220 to win the division, and it figures to be a three-horse race due to Tampa Bay’s rebuilding. Given that head coach John Fox was a defensive back and entered the league as a secondary coach, it’s amazing that the Panthers don’t upgrade their secondary in the pass-happy NFC South, and this could be their Achilles Heel. Also, Delhomme needs to get back to his Pro Bowl form of 2005, which would make their rushing attack even more potent. The Falcons should be the class of the division, leaving Carolina and New Orleans to battle it out. When it comes to Super Bowl odds, however, don’t take the Panthers as one of your sports picks.

Fantasy Football: