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Tuesday, Jul. 01, 2008

Panthers scout Adams heading to Saints

CHARLOTTE — The Carolina Panthers lost yet another member of their scouting department, the third at the end of a year of significant personnel turnover for the team. College scout Brian Adams left the team to become the assistant director of college scouting for New Orleans.

Adams, 47, had been with the team since 2001, and the title he’s taking doesn’t exist in the Panthers’ organizational flow chart. Earlier this offseason, college scout Joe Schoen, 28, left to become a national scout for Miami. Also, pro scout Tag Ribary left to take a job with ESPN’s Scouts, Inc.

While Ribary was at the end of his contract — and looking to get back to his family, which moved from Charlotte back to the Seattle area a year ago — the other two were still bound to the Panthers. The Dolphins and Saints asked permission to interview them, and the Panthers had chances to match the offers they got.

Panthers general manager Marty Hurney didn’t want to say much about the moves or how the vacancies would be filled.

“We’ve had good scouts,” Hurney said, “and people are always going to look for ways to better their situations.”

Schoen’s slot was ostensibly filled when Hurney hired Jeff Beathard to cover the Northeast. He’s the son of former Washington and San Diego GM Bobby Beathard, who gave Hurney his break into the business. The Panthers also moved combine scout and former defensive end Gerald Williams into Ribary’s job (one of two pro scouts on staff). They’re expected to fill Williams’ job and now Adams’ with internal moves.

The shuffling of the personnel staff mirrors what those men did to the roster this offseason. At the end of a second straight disappointing season, changes were plentiful. When coaches gave their recommendations to the personnel side at the end of the year, the suggestion was made that eight starting positions needed to be upgraded. In response, the offensive line and receiving positions were overhauled, as was the defensive line. They cut five players, two retired, and they let five free agents walk away without an offer to stay.

They also signed 12 free agents from other teams, traded defensive tackle Kris Jenkins to the New York Jets for draft picks and then swung a draft-day deal for an extra first-round pick so they could get both running back Jonathan Stewart and right tackle Jeff Otah. With all the smaller deals done, the net effect is a huge change from what they were looking at 12 months ago this time.

All told, of the 89 players on the current roster, only 42 were on the roster at the beginning of training camp last year.

• EXTRA POINTS: The Panthers are close to a deal with sixth-round pick Nick Hayden, a defensive tackle from Wisconsin. He’d be the first of the Panthers’ nine draft picks to sign. Since they’re carrying above the 80-man roster limit (draft picks don’t count until they sign), they’ll have to release a player as soon as each draft pick’s deal becomes official.