Another team with their nickname first, I love it! The Panthers were 6-4 and knocking on the door of the playoffs last year, but just barely missed out. This year they have loaded up and are ready for another shot at the title. They have a new head coach in former D-I offensive coordinator and head coach Dave Christensen. Christensen worked at Utah, Missouri and Toledo and those offenses were high powered when he was with them. I think he’ll bring a fast and shifty offense to Europe and produce greatly.

Offense – They were bottom 4 in the league in offense last year. Bottom 5 in rushing, middle tier in passing. They have some new players, and some key losses, it’ll be interesting to see how they bounce back.

QB – They have a new QB in Nik Rango. Rango was going to transfer to D-I U of Albany before COVID, but COVID cancelled the season and he left college. He had a few tryouts for CFL and XFL teams before deciding he would join the ELF. He will be hungry as he has been doubted by a bunch of teams and now finally has his chance.

RB – Norman Ossohou is a new French Running Back who has plenty of experience playing college ball in Canada, but he’ll have to compete with the Panthers starter last year, Dawid Brzozowski. In a league with subpar running back play, Brzozowski had a solid year. He rushed for over 500 yards, which ranks him 5^th in the league in rushing. These two running backs should be a hard duo to stop this year.

WR- The Panthers of the ELF are similar to the one in the NFL in that they have lost their top WR of 2022. Malik Stanley, the second team all-star, had over 1000 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns for the Panthers in 2022. This is a huge loss for Wroclaw, but they plan to make up the loss with Brenton Martin. Martin played D-III ball in the States and was one of his team’s top receivers while in college. The rest of the team will have to scrounge up some yards to account for the loss of Stanley, but it will be tough.

O-Line – Otavio Omarim will most likely be the guy on this line. He’s a beast of a Brazilian who looks to dominate the line of scrimmage. He’s had multiple tryouts with the CFL but it never worked. I think he dominates in the ELF. Not much else on this line, it may be a weak point on this team.

Defense – From a weak point to a strong point. They may not have been the best last year, but they have filled up the defense with great signings. I look for this team to make great strides on D in 2023.

D-Line – Artur Pinheiro is a big signing for this team. The former Barcelona Dragon is coming back from the Mexican league where he won a championship. He should clog up the middle with his big frame. Leo Krafft is someone to be on the lookout for. The 6’6 300-pound d-lineman has had tryouts with CFL teams and impressed a lot of the teams. He now makes his way to Europe where he will pair well with Pinheiro in stopping the run.

Linebackers – This team lost star linebacker Maxime Rouyer to the CFL but they have made some signings to improve the defense. They made a massive signing with three-time FCS All-American Solomon Brown. Brown may play DE, but I’ll include him with the linebackers because that’s what he played in college. He’s versatile, fast, and can cover the whole field. They lost Goran Zec and Rouyer, their top two tacklers last year and will need someone to step up, I believe that person will be Timi Nuikka. Nuikka is a Finnish player who has dominated in the league to the North. He made it to two straight all-star games, led the league in tackles and was the defensive player of the year in his league last year. He should be a great add for the team.

DB – Artevius Smith is a new A-import who played FCS ball. He is going to have to make up for the loss of one of the best safeties in the league, Goran Zec. He’s hard hitting and fast, but I doubt he’ll be enough. Marcin Osumek will be coming back to the team. Before the ELF, Marcin won two Polish bowl championships with the team, before taking a year off last year. Look for him to bolster this back line. Lastly, Adam Lary was one of the top guys last year in the ELF for interceptions (4). He looks to bring his ball hawking skills into 2023 and become an all-star for the first time.

The Panthers will be a tough team to beat with the experience of their new coach, but they lost a lot of key players at important positions. I think they play well all year and maybe finish in the 6^th slot for the playoffs, but I could just as easily see them missing out altogether.