Archive for the ‘Carolina Panthers’ Category

The Carolina Panthers have released CB Chris Gamble, according to the team’s official twitter account.

Chris Gamble cut. A year removed from holding QBs to 45% completion into his coverage and a passer rating of 53.3 in 2011 season

— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) March 8, 2013

Gamble was taken with the 28th pick in the 2004 draft and led the NFC in interceptions as a rookie. He holds the Panthers franchise records for interceptions (27) and most passes defended (94). The Panthers gave Gamble a six-year $53 million contract with $23 million guaranteed on November 28th, 2008.

Jason La Confora reports the Panthers were desperate for cap space, and bit the bullet by releasing Gamble. An already shaky Panthers secondary gets that much weaker, with Captain Munnerlyn hitting free agency and second year pro Josh Norman becoming the number one CB.

According to a report by Deadspin, leaked NFL documents have shown that, in the lead up to a potential lockout, Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson and his team were turning a profit of over $110 million while Richardson claimed that the business model was broken and his team was facing hard times. Deadspin’s report shows that the Panthers are not the struggling franchise they were thought to be and that, according to a business professor from the University of Oregon, their future is “very bright.”

Deadspin reported the following despite Richardson’s claims:

The statement is for the years ending March 31, 2011, and March 31, 2012. Over the first period, as Richardson argued that the NFL’s business model was hopelessly broken and steered the owners toward a showdown to extract more money from the players, the Panthers recorded an operating profit of $78.7 million. The team had gone 2-14 on the field, but Richardson and his partners were able to pay themselves $12 million.

The report goes on to say that while Richardson and the managing partners of the Panthers were able to pay themselves $12 million, Deadspin does not know if this is typical for they do not have access to other team’s financial records. However, it is believed that Richardson was taking what was fair.