Kelvin Benjamin impresses despite poor penalty
By Cory Buck
While Sammy Watkins and Odell Beckham Jr. have eaten up the high picks and high praise for rookie wide receivers since the NFL draft, Kelvin Benjamin has quietly made his case as the receiver who ends up with the best debut in 2014. He’s in a great situation in Carolina, and he’s seized the opportunity as the team’s best option at receiver already. Unfortunately, he reminded everyone why he’s human, and a young human at that, on Sunday in the team’s exhibition game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
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With seconds to go in the first half and the Panthers driving into field goal range, Benjamin cost the team a shot at three points when he caught a pass out of bounds, then turned and flipped the ball at Chiefs cornerback Chris Owens. He wasn’t done there though. Benjamin followed the ball toss with a small headbutt and a shove that quickly earned him a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, pushing the Panthers out of field goal range.
“I think this is one of those things where you’ve got to stand up for yourself,” head coach Ron Rivera said per the Charlotte Observer. “There’s a point where you have to draw a line and a guy has to understand that if you continue to do this, I’m going to draw a line in the sand. I did tell him if you want to get back at somebody, just go make a play.”
Benjamin will have plenty of time to make plenty of plays in his young career, so long as he leaves the extra stuff at the door. While the Panthers have been a popular target for regression, Kelvin Benjamin is the type of player who could help the team defy expectations and return to the top of the NFC South. As long as he can avoid bonehead plays.
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/08/17/5112853/panthers-newton-shakes-off-rocky.html#storylink=cpy