He’s a quirky man doing a quirky job Stitched Fozzy Whittaker Jersey , and he’s dang good at it."Some football players like to draw attention to themselves by celebrating after big plays, and how can we blame them? g away in the trenches until — BOOM! — a big play shifts the momentum of a game. Offensive players can usually point to their individual contributions toward a long touchdown just as defensive players can celebrate how their effort led to a huge sack or a pick-six. But there is one position in football that never gets to celebrate and only gets noticed when they screw up. At best, players at this position can only do their job. At worst, they can cost their team a game. It’s an often invisible, regularly lonely position. I’m talking about long snappers. The most successful long snappers are often the most anonymous. Their names usually only get called when they send a snap skidding on the ground toward the field goal holder or launch one over the punter’s head.But as Carolina Panthers fans we know the name of our long snapper and it’s for all the right reasons. J.J. Jansen is one of the best long snappers in the NFL. The 33-year-old is a 10-year Panthers veteran and has appeared in all 160 games during his career. He made the Pro Bowl in 2013 and in 2016 Pro Football Focus named him the NFC’s best long snapper. Jansen is currently three years into a five-year, $5.5 million contract. This represents a good deal for the Panthers as Jansen’s $1.1 million average annual salary ranks 10th among long snappers. Not bad for getting one of the most experienced, consistent players at a highly specialized position. Since Jansen normally just keeps his head down (literally) and rather anonymously does his job, I thought I’d do a little research to help us all learn a little bit more about him. Based on an interview with Bill Voth, Jansen gives into “wife pressure” Youth Daryl Williams Jersey , enjoys bands that open for Taylor Swift, and referred to himself and former punter Brad Nortman as “dorks” who “appreciate each other’s nerdiness and dorkiness.” In a separate interview with Voth, former punter Andy Lee described Triple J as “intuitive with investments.” Jansen then humorously needled kicker Graham Gano for not being part of the “best friends club” that he and Lee had developed.Jansen comes across as quirky in the few interviews he has done, but what else should we expect? This is a man who has a quirky profession. His only job is to bend over, look between his legs, and sling footballs into the tiny window of a teammate’s waiting hands. He has played 160 games as a Carolina Panther yet most of us wouldn’t recognize him if we were standing behind him in line at the DMV. The better he does his job, the less his name gets mentioned. Fortunately for us as Panthers fans, J.J. Jansen keeps a low profile. We have reached the bittersweet midpoint of the NFL season. Football is in full swing, but there is an end in sight. It feels like it’s flow by Stitched Daryl Williams Jersey , but the Panthers still have a lot of work to do if they want to clinch a playoff spot in the ultra-competitive NFC. The Panthers are sitting pretty at 6-2, and are technically in control of their destiny. They face New Orleans in Weeks 15 and 17 to close out the year, two matchups that could determine the entire landscape of the NFC playoffs. Let’s discuss who’s been the most instrumental in getting the Panthers to this point, and what may have surprised us along the way.Offensive MVP: QB Cam NewtonThis was the easiest award to hand out. Cam Newton has been phenomenal this season, and there is really no other way to put it. Newton is putting together his best season efficiency-wise and it’s really not all that close. Through eight games, Newton has career highs in completion percentage (67.3 percent), touchdown to interception ratio (15:4), and passer rating (100.8).Let’s compare Cam’s 2015 MVP season to the projections based on the first half of this season:2015Completion Percentage: 59.8 percentPasser Rating: 99.4Passing Yards: 3,837Passing Touchdowns: 35Interceptions: 10Rushing Yards: 636Rushing Touchdowns: 102018 (16-game projection)Completion Percentage: 67.3 percentPasser Rating: 100.8Passing Yards: 3 Youth Michael Palardy Jersey ,786Passing Touchdowns: 30Interceptions: 8Rushing Yards: 684Rushing Touchdowns: 8CaMVP is back with a vengeance. The sky’s the limit for a team that gets quarterback play like this.Defensive MVP: CB Donte JacksonThis defense hadn’t seen a play-maker in the secondary since all-pro cornerback Josh Norman’s franchise tag was infamously rescinded by former General Manager Dave Gettleman. It looks like they just may have found him.Rookie Donte Jackson has been phenomenal this year for a secondary that had been in dire need of competence. Not only has Jackson injected life into the back end of this defense with his through-the-roof swagger, but he’s also been able to back it up on the stat sheet. The former LSU Tiger finds himself tied for the NFL lead in interceptions (four) at the halfway mark of the season.Jackson has made a legitimate case to be the first Panther since Luke Kuechly to win Defensive Rookie of the Year. If he keeps playing like this, I’d be shocked if he didn’t make the Pro Bowl. With free agent signing Ross Cockrell going down in training camp, the Panthers were forced to throw Donte into a starting role on one of the NFL’s vaunted defenses. He’s more than answered the call. Most disappointing player: DT Dontari PoeFollowing the loss of former first round pick, Star Lotulelei, in free agency the Panthers had a big hole to fill on their defensive front. They decided to bring in two-time pro bowl defensive tackle Dontari Poe to fill the gap. This was a welcome addition to a defense that felt they had upgraded at the position in comparison to the preceding season. So far, Poe has had an underwhelming impact on a middling defense. He is currently ranked by Pro Football Focus as the #91 defensive interior lineman in the NFL. That’s not good. The Panthers expected more out of Poe, especially on the offensive side of the ball, where rumors have run rampant that he’s had trouble fully grasping Norv Turner’s offense.Jokes aside Stitched Michael Palardy Jersey , Poe has been disappointing to the midway point of this season. I’m expecting to see his play pickup as the team gains confidence heading into RONvember.Most surprising player: DT Kyle LoveIf anyone on this defense is earning their keep, it’s 31 year-old South Korea native Kyle Love. Love has quietly been a force on this defense, causing multiple turnovers and causing some havoc up front. Against the Ravens in Week 8, Kyle Love posted an 89.1 grade from Pro Football Focus, best on the team and a whole 14 points higher than runner-up Luke Kuechly. The seventh year defensive tackle has graded out as the 30th ranked player at his position. He’s made a mark on this Panthers defense and adds strong depth to the interior rotation up front. Comeback player of the year: TE Greg Olsen/WR Curtis SamuelThe simultaneous returns of both Greg Olsen and Curtis Samuel excited Panthers fans for the prospects of the offense, but I don’t think anyone expected this outcome. Over the last three weeks, Olsen and Samuel have combined for a total of 248 yards and six touchdowns. There were question marks as to how Olsen would play returning from his second broken foot in as many seasons, but he has answered the bell and looks better every week doing it.Samuel also had question marks in his return. With all the hype surrounding him and nothing to show for it, fans were ready to throw in the towel on Curtis. The former Buckeye has bounced back with a vengeance and looks like a legitimate weapon Youth Julius Peppers Jersey , scoring four touchdowns on just 11 touches this season. That’s right, Samuel is scoring on 37 percent of his touches in 2018. Get this man the ball. He’s electric.Unsung hero: OT Taylor MotonAfter all-pro guard Andrew Norwell left the Panthers to become the highest paid at his position (at the time) in NFL history, there were many questions surrounding the offensive line. Those questions became screams of despair after all-pro tackle Daryl Williams went down with a knee injury in training camp. Taylor Moton was the next man up, and he’s been an anchor on this hog molly unit ever since.Moton has done his part to help fans forget about the losses of Andrew Norwell and Daryl Williams with his absolutely dominant play. In just his second season, Moton has graded out at the top in his position across the league according to Pro Football Focus. You can attribute a substantial proportion of the new-found success of Cam Newton and this offense to Moton’s stellar performance thus far.