Gruden has really studied the Panthers. He knows some of them well already, having played Carolina twice a season for years. He is catching up on the new players in preparation for Carolina's Aug.12 exhibition against Baltimore, which Gruden will work as color analyst for ESPN.
So he is a good guy to hear from on the Panthers.
"I just don't know about their defense," he said by phone. "I've got some real questions on that side of the ball."
Gruden said some positive things, too, especially about the running backs, and was adamant that the Panthers should keep coach John Fox. But before we get to Gruden in his entirety, let's survey a few others about the Panthers.
NFL.com's Steve Wyche? He had the Panthers 30th out of 32 teams in his July "power rankings," proclaiming: "There is bad karma in Carolina."
The preseason magazines? Most pick the Panthers to miss the playoffs and finish third out of four teams in the NFC South, behind New Orleans and Atlanta.
Peter King? Sports Illustrated's respected writer generally has been high on the Panthers. So has his employer. SI is the magazine that famously picked the Panthers to win the Super Bowl before the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Oops.
King swung through Panthers training camp last week and wasn't terribly impressed. He wrote Monday: "The Panthers rarely have a really down season, but I'm not sure that streak is going to continue (suffice to say I'm wavering on my May pick of Carolina for the playoffs)."
All this is understandable. The Panthers have bade goodbye to a number of veterans this Kenneth Moore offseason. In Las Vegas, the oddsmakers believe the Panthers likely will go 7-9 and have set their Super Bowl odds at about 40-1.
I'd wager that few outsiders have studied the Panthers more than Gruden, who can riff on the team's nickel cornerback situation or anything else with ease. Let's listen:
"I really compliment the way Carolina finished last season," Gruden said. "To beat the New York Giants and Minnesota with authority?! That was something.
"I don't know how they're going to replace Julius Peppers, Chris Harris and Damione Lewis, though, and the Thomas Davis injury really hurts them. They were always a handful on defense - Kris Jenkins, Mike Rucker, Peppers, Dan Morgan - just formidable.
"Now I question that defense some. But I think they still have two very good corners in Chris Gamble and Richard Marshall, and I like Captain Munnerlyn at the nickel. He's going to be a fine player."
"On offense," Gruden continued, "Panther fans may not realize how good they have it. I have never seen a one-two running back combination like DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. And I mean never. And Steve Smith is one of my three favorite players in all of football. I still have scars from all the times he burned me while I was coaching.
"Now who will be the No.2 and No.3 receivers? That's a big question. Dwayne Jarrett - is he ever going to come on? The time for him has to be now, if there is going to be a time. Muhsin Muhammad will be tough to replace - he was a tough, underrated player. As for Matt Moore, I don't underestimate him. He could be good."
Then Gruden got to Fox, his former coaching rival, and you could almost hear him bristling over the phone. The unspoken undercurrent: How could the Panthers possibly be thinking of letting this guy walk away when his contract expires at the end of 2010?
The Carolina Panthers have added depth to their banged-up backfield by signing running back Dantrell Savage.
The Panthers waived injured cornerback Marcus Walker on Monday to make room on the 80-man roster.
DeAngelo Williams and Josh Vaughan had been Carolina's only two healthy running backs. Jonathan Stewart hasn't been cleared to practice following offseason Achilles' tendon surgery, while Mike Goodson and Tyrell Sutton are sidelined with injuries suffered in training camp.
The undrafted Savage played mostly special teams in 13 games over two seasons with Kansas City, rushing just 25 times for 98 yards. He was released in March.
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