Carolina’s Kona Ealy is ready to pick up where he left off after dominating the Super Bowl

There aren’t many Carolina Panthers players who can say they played well in their Super Bowl loss to the Denver Broncos, but for Kony Ealy that would actually be a huge understatement. After posting a total of five sacks in 16 games during the regular season, Ealy had three in the Super Bowl alone to go along with an interception, a forced fumble and a pass defensed.

Had the Panthers managed to come back somehow and win that game, it’s not a stretch to think Ealy might have taken home MVP honors instead of Denver’s Von Miller.

That was one helluva finish for Ealy, who didn’t record his first sack of last season until a Week 8 win over the Colts. I believe that Super Bowl performance was a precursor of great things to come from this kid heading into his third year in the league. It was also a far cry from how the Panthers apparently viewed him early last year.

Last year in the middle of the season, the Panthers were concerned enough about their ability to generate a pass rush from their defensive ends that they traded for an aging, but still moderately effective, Jared Allen to play right defensive end for them. The move had mixed results, but hey, they still ended up making it to the Super Bowl. Now with Allen retired that responsibility to get after the quarterback is going to fall squarely on Ealy’s shoulders.

I think he is more than up to the task.

As it happens, Ealy is already pretty damned good against the run. He is strong as hell and uses his hands well to both control blockers and shed them to make a play. Considering that the Panthers began last season with Ealy starting and playing on early downs and then subbing in his teammate Mario Addison on passing downs, it’s clear that they already know how important he can be as a run defender. It was by far the thing he did best at the beginning of last season.

What I feel was holding Ealy back initially as a pass rusher last season, however, was that he wasn’t using his hands quite as effectively in that part of his game.

He was trying just to beat guys by dipping and ripping and running around them, but he soon found out he simply wasn’t a good enough athlete for that. Most NFL edge rushers aren’t, which is why the best pass rushers tend to have the best technique, too.

As the season progressed, I saw a guy who really started using his hands much better as a pass rusher, and the pressures started coming more and more frequently. It wasn’t a coincidence that he recorded a sack every week from Week 8 through Week 12.

The Panthers also started using him more to rush inside on passing downs, which allowed him to showcase some ability there as well. That is something I expect to see more of this year. Ealy and Kawann Short inside on third-and-long could be a really nasty combination for opposing offensive lines.

It also helps that Ealy showed last year that he is solid on either side at defensive end, so even if the Panthers want to continue using Addison as a nickel rusher on the right side, Ealy can slide over to the left side and still wreck shop.

With that fantastic Super Bowl performance Kony Ealy showed what he is really capable of, and I would expect his sack numbers to skyrocket if he stays healthy. I expect double-digit sacks from him this season. He and Short are going to have a lot of quarterbacks nervous around the league.