better than you remember."The Panthers’ defense finished the 2018 season ranked 12th in the league in rushing yards by allowing only 112 yards per game. It’s pretty much the best statistic I can find about the 2018 defense. The Panthers’ defense ranked in the 20s for about every other metric that matters. The Panthers’ two starters at defensive tackle and their top back-up all played well against the run in 2018.The Panthers had their typical four man rotation up front with Kawann Short and Dontari Poe getting the most snaps. Surprisingly Stitched J.J. Jansen Jersey , the leading back-up was Kyle Love, instead of the former first round selection Vernon Butler. Love got almost as many snaps as Poe and had a career season against the run.Kawann Short2018 stats: 14 games, 42 combined tackles, three sacks, one pass knocked down and one forced fumbleShort was the highest ranked player on the defensive line for the Panthers in 2018. While his three sacks on the season were far from his three year average of 8 sacks he performed at an elite level against the run. From Pro Football Focus:Please don’t look at the eleven sacks he had in 2015 and think Short had a bad season. That assessment misses the full contribution Short provided the defense while being a three down defensive tackle. Dontari Poe2018 stats: 16 games Youth Mario Addison Jersey , 17 combined tackles and one sackPoe was one of the Panthers’ key free agent acquisitions in 2018 and he produced about as expected. He didn’t have a career year but his season grade was not far off. It was certainly better than Star Lotulelei whom Poe was signed to replace. The stat line for most nose tackles in the league are usually paltry. Poe wasn’t signed to rush the passer, he is a run stuffer assigned to occupy blockers and he did that fairly well. Poe’s job helped the Panthers linebackers get free to make tackles and based on that measure he played pretty well, though I would not call him elite. Kyle Love2018 stats: 16 games, two starts, 1.5 sacks Stitched Mario Addison Jersey , 19 tackles and three forced fumblesAs mentioned Love had his best season as a Panther especially when it came to big plays. Love had a couple of them, including this gem of a forced fumble against the Falcons:Look at big Love getting the edge! That’s the way you do it. Love is a free agent in 2019 but I hope the Panthers bring him back. He made $1.3 million in 2018 and deserves more but probably not much more. He has earned the right to once again be the first defensive tackle off the bench in 2019.Vernon Butler2018 stats: 14 games, 19 tackles, 0.5 sacksThe hope was the third year player would continue his upward trend in 2018. That didn’t happen. Butler regressed against the pass, the part of his game we had hoped for a break out. Instead Butler enters his fourth season with no guarantee the Panthers will exercise the fifth year option of his rookie contract. Teams usually covet that fifth season but Butler has yet to warrant such consideration. The Panthers save no money cutting Butler so he will get one last chance to realize the potential the Panthers saw in 2016.Panthers 2018 season opener countdown: 73 days to go We are 73 days away from the beginning of the Carolina Panthers 2018 season. That means today we take a closer look at one of our more intriguing young prospects on the interior of the offensive line that can play both guard and center. That man is number 73 Youth Cameron Artis-Payne Jersey , Greg Van Roten.Greg Van Roten, Guard/CenterBioHeight: 6’3”Weight: 305 lbsAge: 28College: University of PennsylvaniaNFL Experience: 4 yearsGreg Van Roten is one of the guys who I will have a lot of interest in as we approach the 2018 season. A lot of people aren’t talking about him in the race for the left guard role, and I think that is a mistake based on the brief amount of snaps I have seen him operate. I am impressed with his motor and aggression, and think that he’s made of that same “stuff” that eventually rose Andrew Norwell to prominence.In the limited snaps we caught in the regular season where he filled in at guard or center for various people, one sticks out in my mind the most Stitched Cameron Artis-Payne Jersey , where I believe he led either Christian McCaffrey or Fozzy Whitaker on a left side jaunt for about 20 yards for a touchdown. In his path he made two key blocks that were indispensable for the back to get the six. His willingness to finish his blocks and seek out the next guy to hit reminds me of the best traits in Trai Turner. Of course, Van Roten doesn’t have the athletic gifts Trai does, but we have seen OL coach John Matsko make mountains out of rock piles before.