2010 vs. 2023: Which Was Worse?

Assessing the 2023 Panthers vs. the 2010 Panthers.

They say history repeats itself.

The 2023 Panthers harken back memories of a team of Panthers’ past that is quite similar to this one.

A Panthers team that had drafted a highly touted quarterback, just to see his rookie season marred with inconsistencies across the offense.

A Panthers team that struggled to score points, finishing the season averaging 12.3 points per game, lowest in the league.

A Panthers team that touted a defense with difference makers that struggled to keep opposing offenses out of the end zone due to offensive futility.

A Panthers team that followed it's early bye week with a win that showed flashes of potential that fizzled out soon after.

A Panthers team that oddsmakers in Vegas predicted to win seven-ish games.

A Panthers team that was truly doomed from the start and saw massive overhaul after the season.

The 2023 Panthers have many similarities to the 2010 Panthers, but which one was worse?

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On offense, the 2010 Panthers were significantly more futile than the current iteration. Let’s take a walk down memory lane.

Three quarterbacks started games for Carolina in 2010. Matt Moore, Jimmy Clausen, and Brian St. Pierre. There was an offseason competition between Moore and Clausen (insert “they’re having a mid off” meme), which Moore ended up winning.

If there is a main difference between 2010 and now, it's probably the quarterback position. The fan base was split 50/50 between wanting to see Moore get a longer look after showing flashes at the end of 2009 and wanting to see the rookie Clausen take the reins early on. Bryce Young was the unquestioned starter going into training camp and week one this year.

Side note: ESPN's draft expert Mel Kiper Jr.'s quote about Jimmy Clausen is an all-timer. “If Jimmy Clausen is not a successful quarterback in the NFL, I’m done. That’s it. I’m out.” Much like the the Panthers, Kiper pushed his chips all-in on Clausen and was burnt by it. 

Across multiple stints as QB1, Moore started five games, thew for 857 yards, five touchdowns, and ten interceptions.

Clausen started 10 games, threw for 1558 yards, three touchdowns, and nine interceptions.

St. Pierre started one game (which was the first Panthers game yours truly ever saw in person), and threw for 173 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.

Combined, the three passers combined for 2635 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions in sixteen games. That’s good for 143 yards per game, which was half of what the league leading Colts threw for in 2010. The 2023 Panthers have already exceeded that’s team’s passing touchdown total and won’t even touch its 21 interceptions thrown.

Now the running game.

DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart became known as “Smash and Dash”, and eventually were one of the league’s best rushing duos. In 2010, they were nowhere near their peak. Stewart only played in 14 games and ran for 770 yards and two touchdowns. Williams only played in six and registered 361 yards and one score.

Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders are well on pace to outproduce that duo from 2010 with four games left to play.

On the other side of the ball, struggles abounded as well, but there were flashes of greatness, much like the 2023 Panthers.

In the 2000s and 2010s, Carolina was lauded for their consistently stellar play at linebacker. From Dan Morgan, Jon Beason, James Anderson, Thomas Davis, and Luke Kuechly set the standard for linebacking play across the league for the better part of two decades, and the 2010 team had two of those studs roaming the middle of the field.

The only Pro Bowler on that Panthers team was middle linebacker Jon Beason who in his age-25 season racked up 121 tackles, and three forced turnovers.

The play up front was led by butting star Charles Johnson who tallied 11.5 sacks, the second highest number of his career.

That defense, much like this years, was put in unfavorable positions time and time again by a flailing offense, and the talented unit couldn’t keep up with the poor field position it faced.

Frankie Luvu and Derrick Brown are both having Pro Bowl seasons like Beason and Johnson did in 2010, but they’ll be largely ignored by many due to the failures around them.

In all, the 2010 Carolina Panthers carry many similarities to the 2023 Carolina Panthers. Bad offense, overworked defense, and a coaching change at the end of it that will usher in a new era.

However, the offseason following 2010 turned out to be the most impactful singular offseason in franchise history. When the calendar turned to April, Carolina was gifted the best player in franchise history with the number one overall pick, Cam Newton.

This version of Carolina football will undergo it’s second head coaching search in as many seasons, and it will see the player they were supposed to choose number one overall don a Chicago Bears cap on draft night while their franchise quarterback is mired with questions about his subpar play in 2023.

So, when it comes to picking which team was worse, it’s pick your poison.

On the field, it’s undoubtedly 2010.

Off the field, and for future prospects sake, it’s undoubtedly 2023.

Tough times in Carolina.

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