You are 100% right that the public is overreacting big time here. The Panthers were the 3rd best team in the league last season based on Efficiency measures. 3rd best, with only SEA and DEN ranking higher! Sure the WR's are new, but it's not like last year's guys were anything special. Smith, LaFell, and Ginn Jr. were Cam's wideouts last year and I'd argue they were worse than Cotchery (10 TD's last year), Avant, and a 6'5 monster Benjamin. Sure Jordan Gross will be missed, but let's give this O-line a chance first prior to declaring them inept. Plus Newton's scrambling ability will mask a lot of O-line inefficiencies. And of course the #1 factor in Carolina's favor is that sick D, especially the front-7, the BEST front-7 in all of football. What is Tampa biggest weakness? O-line. Who is throwing passes for the Bucs? A 35-year old journeyman who is a career backup. Who is running the ball for the Bucs? A guy that was averaging 3.6 RY/A last year prior to suffering a season-ending injury. Who is going to be catching passes for the Bucs besides V-Jax? A rookie WR and a rookie TE.
Let's not forget that Cam Newton is a premier offensive weapon in today's NFL. There's a reason why this guy has NEVER finished lower than #4 overall QB in fantasy, and that's with never having any 'real' talent around him. Sure he has a cracked rib, but that's not a big deal to an NFL player who is used to playing with some pain. Newton, good run-game, and a suffocating D -- these are the 3 factors that will keep Carolina competitive this year. Will they be a 12-4 team this year? No, but 8/9 wins is definitely a possibility in this mini-rebuilding year. No way will this team be the barrel of the league, unless a significant injury happens to Newton or a few key players on D.
If this line gets to +3 Carolina, that's as an automatic bet as there is to be made in Week 1.