pantherj

Goodness no we don't have to go to the SB this season for the offseason to have been great. Darnold has to look like the kind of QB who can lead us to the SB eventually this season. We'll know early on what Darnold is or isn't at around the same time into the season that we knew Teddy would never lead us to a SB. If Darnold is an average level QB for us then we could see about 7-8 wins or so imo. But to me Darnold being as good as average is me being optimistic. The only evidence that we have is that he was a below average QB, and him moving up to an average QB would be a likely realistic outcome. He's on a better team with a better coaching staff, so an improvement is perfectly realistic but not a given. He could be awful. Who knows. If we're knocking on the door of the playoffs this season, and beating really good teams, then that would be a huge win for this franchise and our future. That would mean Danold is not just a middle of the road QB, or worse, but a top QB who can lead this team to a SB win in the future. What really matters is what Darnold looks like on the field for us. What tier of QB is he? Is he a Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, Arron Rogers, Ben Roethlisberger, Payton Manning, Drew Brees, Partrick Mahomes, talent level QB? Yes or no? We'll find out this season. If he's not, then we don't have a QB who is going to lead us to a SB win. That means lowered expectations for everyone, and just hoping for a playoff win here or there. And if he's trash, then 2021 and 2022 will be trash for us. Winning the SB is about have a good team with a great QB. The days of winning the SB with a JAG QB ended 20 something years ago with the rule changes. Now you need a great QB or you wander around in QB limbo.

The thing about the Huddle is that it can sometimes become a bit of an echo chamber. Darnold has looked like poop for a long time, and it's a long-shot that he pans out. But what can happen on the Huddle is fans keep talking him up and pooping anyone who doesn't agree so much that we start thinking the offseason was a grand slam. The offseason was either a home run, or a disaster depending all on Darnold. It's all resting on Darnold, and he's a long-shot. If Darnold flops, then the entire 2021 season is wiped out. We get nothing but a bad season. That is a disaster. Horn, the other pieces, trading down, none of that matters at all if Darnold is bad. We will get slaughtered if Darnold blows like he has his entire pro career. Horn and the other draft picks won't do anything to stop a losing 2021 season if Darnold is a bust. Instead of having Fileds as a backup plan, we are locked into a big contract with Darnold. So Darnold not only has the potential to make 2021 a wasted season, but he can hurt our cap in 2022. Was the offseason a huge disaster, or a home-run? The scary part is we have no clue. No idea. It's ALL riding on Darnold. If he flops, then 2021 is gone down the toilet, and 2022 will be in jeopardy of being terrible as well. What do I think? I'm on the hot seat and I have to make a prediction. Darnold is not as bad as he was with the Jets, but he's not good enough to be a star in the league and lead us to a SB. That's is my prediction. He's so-so and our record will be middle of the pack. That's my optimistic take. A mediocre Darnold might as well be as bad as a terrible Darnold. Both will lead us nowhere in the long run. The longshot. Darnold is a superstar who can lead us to the SB. That's the only way this offseason was great. CB is not going to do poop for us without a great QB. It's all or nothing.

Ian will head 800 yards to the unemployment line.

We would have a Lombardi trophy right now had Ron just given Remmers pass protection help right away. That alone would have been enough to change the outcome imo. Imagine changing some of our plays to fake out the Broncos? Would have been nice.

Jenkins ran into the problem of getting fat. Even fat Jenkins could rush the passer, and on one play he burst into the pocket to destroy the QB, with no one even touching him once he got through, his ACL exploded from his sheer weight. Jenkins was so tough that he had a knee brace put on and continued to play the game with a torn ACL. Granted he collapsed a few played later screaming in pain and grabbing his knee, but still he was a baddass. Jenkins also ran into the problem of his back deteriorating from being fat and rushing the passer like a wildman. Jenkins could often time the snap perfectly and had no wasted motion with his pass rushing moves. One of my favorite Jenkins plays was against the Cowboy in the playoffs when Jenkins slapped the helmet of a cowboys player to stun him, and you could hear the slap from the stands. It didn't cause a sack or anything, but it occurred to me that 1.) Jenkins could kill someone with a slap, and 2.) his hand must have been really hurting and he was laughing about it. Jenkins was one of the best. Even after he went to the Jets he would tell Panthers fans in the crowd "YOU KNOW YOU GUYS STILL NEED ME!" and he was right. I vividly remember Jenkins because he played the game at the highest level. I can see him playing in my mind right now. Not to take anything away from Brown, but he has room to improve headed into his second season. I just would rather fans held off on the whole idea of Brown becoming better than Jenkins. If Brown becomes as good as Jenkins then we will have the best d-line in football, but Brown has a ways to go. Even Brown admitted he was rusty last season from being away from football too long with COVID and that he needed to work on his fundamentals. Give Brown some time.

Brown is nowhere near, I mean not close at all, to Kris Jenkins when it comes to rushing the passer. Even if you look this youtube video, at 2:43, the nerdy sounding guy is gushing about Brown doing a great bull rush. It wasn't. Brown did his old college trick of illegally shoving the guards head back to the point of almost snapping his neck or taking off his helmet. I'm all for seeing Brown playing well and being a great run stuffer for us, but for heavens sake don't compare him to Kris Jenkins, the pass rushing monster.

CMC's contract skyrockets after this season, so this is basically his last reasonably priced season. If his body continues to break down from injuries we're going to be stuck in a horrific contract. I would never, and I mean never, draft a RB that high and pay him that kind of money. However, we're in a position now where we need to protect his health while still trying to get our money's worth. It's better to put CMC type money into the WR position imo, but we are where we are and it is what it is. The more worried Rhule and Brady are about their jobs, the more they will ride CMC. It's no accident that CMC had 403 touches in 2019 when Rivera and Turner were on the hotseat. Rhule has plenty of time left on his contract, and Brady is seen as highly talented and on the way to a HC position. This coupled with Chuba being drafted points to less touches and wear and tear on CMC.

If Darnold plays well this season then the sky is the limit. No more room for excuses. Plenty of 1st rounders and talent everywhere. The Darnold gamble has to pay off. So glad Rhule got to coach the Senior Bowl and get a look at some players we might not have drafted otherwise like Smith and Deonte Brown.

We have to be good first before I think about a rival for this season. In the past it's been the Saints for me.

That short guy back there is the mysterious janitor who leaks our draft secrets to the press.

So that's why we didn't trade down from #8. A bunch of teams were calling us offering negative points!

Ron's peak was as a DC. That was the perfect job for him.

When older players storm into the owners office to b!tch and get their way that doesn't help.

I get a bit angry or annoyed when the media dumps on our team. Just as an example, if we do let's say 10-0 to start the season we're to hear "worst 10-0 team of all time" and crap like that.

The cut blocking became illegal on all running plays in 2016 due to the horrible injuries it caused over the years. Chuba Hubbard doesn't have the speed to go around the defense, so we'll need this system if we're going to use him much. I worry that CMC will miss some games this season, so to have a backup plan is important. We have one now. Last season, not so much.

Ah yes. https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2003/09/15/panthers-claim-dirty-play-by-bucs/

I didn't read the whole thread, but I'm guessing it was Al Wallace.

For those who are curious.

The old cut blocking technique worked wonders for making poop RBs look like superstars because it scared the defensive linemen into thinking they were about to lose their ACLs.

Putting us that low is clearly a vote of no confidence in Sam Darnold. SI must think Sam is a bag of poop to push us that low.

What if Julio went to the Bucs after the Bucs let AB go due to off the field issues?

Just get him out of the NFCS.

Jake Delhomme

I think Tommy needs a little work but this is important for the coaches to see what we can can't do well early enough to make corrections.

Deonte reported in at mini-camp at 347 pounds. He was 364 pounds at the Senior Bowl, and that extra weight hurt his performance imo. Deonte may never be able to get down to 330 pounds, but maybe he can take off a few more and get to 340. We absolutely don't want Deonte playing a full NFL season anywhere near the 364 pounds he used to be. The 347 he is at now might be close to as low as he is ever going to be especially as he adds muscle in the NFL strength and conditioning program. Think what this monster will turn into with NFL level weight lifting.