I'm as big a Ken Dorsey fan as there is...but what indication do you have that he would be a good OC?
COACHING
A former NFL quarterback and record-setting passer at the University of Miami (Fla.), Ken Dorsey is in his fourth season as the Panthers' quarterbacks coach in 2016.
Under Dorsey's tutelage in 2015, Cam Newton was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year by multiple outlets, including the Associated Press, and led the Panthers to an appearance in Super Bowl 50. Newton threw for a career-high 35 touchdowns produced a career-high 99.4 quarterback rating, leading the NFL with 45 total touchdowns (35 passing, 10 rushing) and becoming the first player in NFL history with at least 30 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns in a single season.
Newton led four game-winning drives, tied for most in the NFL, and directed a Carolina offense that set team records with an NFL-leading 500 points and 59 touchdowns and gained a team-record 357 first downs. A Pro Bowl selection and first-team All-Pro, Newton was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week five times, tied with Tom Brady in 2007 for the most in a season in NFL history. Newton's 21,470 combined rushing and passing yards are the most in a player's first five seasons in NFL history.
In 2014, Dorsey helped Newton battle through an assortment of injuries and become the first player in NFL history to pass for more than 3,000 yards and rush for more than 500 yards in four consecutive seasons, passing for 3,127 yards and rushing for 539 yards. In Carolina's 41-10 victory Week 14 at New Orleans (12/7/14), Newton led an offense that amassed 497 yards – tied for the third most in team history – and accounted for four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) to earn NFC Offensive Player of the Week.
When injuries caused Newton to miss two games at Tampa Bay (9/7/14) and versus Tampa Bay (12/14/14), Dorsey turned to backup Derek Anderson, his former teammate with the Cleveland Browns. Anderson won both starts, completing 66 percent of his passes for 507 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions to produce a 99.3 passer rating.
In 2013, Dorsey helped Newton earn his second Pro Bowl selection and establish career highs in completion percentage (61.7), passing touchdowns (24) and passer rating (88.8). Under Dorsey's guidance, Newton led the Panthers to a 12-4 record, an NFC South title and the team's first playoff appearance since 2008. Newton was at his best down the stretch, directing Carolina to an 11-1 record in the final 12 regular season games while posting a 92.6 passer rating and orchestrating four game-winning drives during that time. Only two quarterbacks had more game-winning drives than Newton in the regular season.
Dorsey took over as quarterbacks coach in 2013 following two seasons as a pro scout for Carolina from 2011-12. In this role, Dorsey advanced the Panthers' upcoming opponents each week and evaluated free agents and prospects on other NFL rosters.
Prior to coming to Carolina, Dorsey served as an instructor at IMG Academy. He helped train NFL prospects before the 2011 NFL Draft, working with quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers.
Dorsey played six years in the NFL from 2003-08 after being selected in the seventh round by the San Francisco 49ers in 2003. He spent three seasons with the 49ers and then three with the Cleveland Browns, making 13 starts and completing 214-of-408 passes for 2,082 yards and eight touchdowns. Dorsey finished his pro career with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League in 2010.
PLAYING AND PERSONAL
A standout at the University of Miami (Fla.) from 1999-2002, Dorsey is the winningest quarterback in school history with a 38-2 record as a starter and led the Hurricanes to the 2001 national championship. He was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame in May 2013.
The two-time Heisman Trophy finalist (2001, 2002) set numerous school records and still ranks as the all-time leader with 9,565 passing yards and 86 touchdown passes, while his 668 completions and 1,153 pass attempts stand second. As a junior in 2001, Dorsey won the Maxwell Award - presented to the college football player of the year - when he passed for 2,652 yards and 23 touchdowns on 184-of-318 attempts to compile a passer rating of 146.1.
He graduated with degrees in marketing and business management.
HISTORY
Quarterback: Miami (Fla.) 1999-2002. Pro quarterback: San Francisco 49ers 2003-05, Cleveland Browns 2006-08, Toronto Argonauts (CFL) 2010. Pro coach: Joined Panthers in 2013.