top dawg

Umm hmmm, I stand corrected.

So all the sh¡t we've done for going on 20 years in the Huddle means nothing? Sounds about right.

Keep an eye on Omar Bayless and Christian Miller. They're both kind of in the same position, with Bayless being the more in peril.

Tepper is still relatively new, but he becomes a more seasoned owner as time passes. Minority ownership in the Steelers or not, he was a greenhorn trying to catch his breath. He has a better handle on things now, and has a clearer vision and plan going forward. "Quickly" is relative, but I'll say that if there's not clearly discernible improvement this season and playoffs in 2022-2023, then Rhule's seat should go from warm to hot. And by 2024 it should be scalding, if not melted away. I think that Tepper is patient, but not to a fault. He's a man of high expectations and results.

The bias is real, GMs, HCs, scouts or not. Not trying to go to deep here, but human psychology and discrimination based on all types of biases are a real thing! Honestly, pertaining to the NFL, it likely takes place every draft season, much less free agency. I'd like to think that Rhule and company are more intellectual and analytical about scouting than your average fans--and, maybe they are--but that's anything but a certainty.

The article I referenced really gave me more perspective in terms of Minshew and Darnold talent wise. I considered Minshew the better choice, especially due to our situation as far as money and draft capital. And, Minshew could simply be more talented...maybe. Now, we'll likely never know. I think in some respects, he was a victim of his draft position. In terms of us making the Darnold trade happen as opposed to a Minshew trade happen, we don't know any details or even if Minshew was available, but I suspect that Minshew was the victim of first round-sixth round bias. That kinda sucks, but it happens much more than even the so-called experts would probably admit (even to themselves).

I can't say it was Weaver totally, (but it says by Tim Weaver) but I know that Panthers Wire was of the opinion that Minshew was probably the best target for us to go after this offseason (and that list included Darnold). The article had solid reasoning and provided stats to back up their assertion. You might think the take sucks, but I found it very reasonable, if not compelling. https://www.google.com/amp/s/pantherswire.usatoday.com/lists/panthers-quarterback-trade-options-sam-darnold-jalen-hurts-gardner-minshew/amp/ Here's a totally reasonable take on Darnold: "The trouble with Darnold is that it’s tough to say how much of an upgrade he’d be over Bridgewater, if at all. There’s potential there, but his production to date is a bit of a yellow flag, even considering the horrible handicap that is playing for the Jets. He’s only thrown 45 touchdowns to go with 39 interceptions so far and completed less than 60% of his passes. He has averaged 6.6 yards per attempt and has a career 78.6 passer rating. "It’s easy to envision Darnold’s numbers improving in Carolina with a potent receiver corps and Joe Brady calling the shots. Still, they might only be in Bridgewater territory. "Still, we don’t hate the idea of bringing him in. Darnold is just 24 years old, his salary cap number in 2021 is under $10 million and picking up his fifth-year option would keep his price low for at least another season." And, here's some of Weaver's reasoning as to why Minshew would have perhaps been the best option for us at the time. And, honestly, it still makes me go "Hmmm..." "Some of the advanced stats suggest Minshew’s a diamond in the rough, too. According to Pro Football Focus, he had the NFL’s third-highest passer rating against the blitz this season. In addition to being sharp against pressure, Minshew is far more accurate than his completion percentage suggests and his on-target throw % was among league leaders all year." Not beating the table for Weaver (or any Panthers writer), but I don't see his takes as any better or worse than anyone else's. He did say that they didn't hate the idea of Darnold and gave reasons why, including the relatively cheap price of acquisition, but he is very much aware of the obvious red--err "yellow" flags (which may be the more appropriate term). In my opinion, his take was anything but sucky.

Perhaps Weaver is worse due to his lack of colorful language, or his lack of seemingly intimate connection with the team (hence, short little articles that seem more like minimally filling a requirement to write something than a real article), but I have a hard time believing that anyone disagrees with the notion that those stats don't cause varying degrees of concern, which is really the only definitive, if not obvious, thing that Weaver said. It's late in the offseason though, so I'm giving Weaver and everyone a pass on that score. My thing is--as stated in the other thread and where @AceBoogiecould have just simply posted "Darnold sucks", as opposed to starting this piece of work--that there's no reason to be overly negative or positive at this point, unless one just likes to troll. And, even if that's the worst case scenario, the Darnold thing doesn't cripple the franchise. Sure, it would suck, especially for older heads seeing another essentially wasted season, as we're one year closer to a dirt nap, but it shouldn't be an off-the-rails scenario.

How did more people not give you fire for this?

I know people love to bike, but the infrastructure in most of this country just isn't set up for it. It's always a risk, in unprotected bike lanes or not. Honestly, it's why I'm a walker instead. We need a paradigm shift as far as transportation is concerned, but it's not going to happen due to our culture. I hope he pulls through.

On Bridgewater, I heard more than a few say that we already knew what he was, and it turns out that they were right. For me, the ball security thing just moved the needle fully into the red. That and his reluctance to throw anyone open down field. All that being said, can anyone say with any surety what Darnold is? I really don't think so. At least we know he's not a pu$$y as it pertains to pushing the ball down field. That's a double-edged sword based upon his play with the Jets (and that may be being generous). Steel sharpens steel though, and we'll find out if we're dealing with tinfoil relatively shortly.

One thing about Bridgewater is that I believe expectations were a little higher because we had all heard about his ball security and decision making. At the end of the day, on that front, we were sold a bill of goods--Teddy flipped the script! Plus, he turned out to be somewhat of an understated blamer (though I could be being petty). With Darnold, we shouldn't have high expectations to be honest. He flashed relatively very little among sucking a lot. Honestly, he's been a near-classic bust so far. The only thing that saves him from having that title more entrenched is the orbit that he was in. He got a mulligan because of it. Now, all we can hope is that he's Cinderfella.

Interesting take. I think that Rhule will tinker with the way he goes about running the show as it's kind of a natural evolvement making the transition from college to the pros, but I don't believe that he'll make wholesale changes. I could be wrong, but I think that Chinn was saying more so that the veteran guys were getting more comfortable with Rhule's modus operandi. One thing about Rhule though is that he seems to have an open mind and an adaptive spirit pertaining to everything but his core football principles. I think we'll be alright. He'll figure it out.

I don't know. I just find it kind of funny funny that Panthers fans' optimisim is essentially and inevitably tied to how bad Darnold sucked as a Jet and who is mostly to blame for that. It can't just be that Darnold has a lot of untouched potential full stop! It's funny in an odd sense, but somewhat ludicrous as well. Our soap opera may not be the best going (*cough* Watson or maybe even Dak), but it's compelling. And, don't throw in the subplot on lake Michigan.

Waiting for camp to start always seems like a long process, but admittedly it was a little shorter for me this summer, as I kept myself busy. Now that I've turned more of my attention back towards the Panthers, the biggest question remains, and that would be Sam Darnold. It's easy to feel good about Darnold when buying into the narrative that he sucked because the Jets sucked and now Rhule and company have freed Darnold from a sentence of 3 years to bust. Everything's gonna be alright, and he's going to lead us to the glory of the Lombardi trophy risen above every head in Panthers' nation. But, then again, there are short articles like this one by our friend, Tim Weaver, who rightfully summon the spirits of skepticism to dance with all those feel-good fairies at the forefront of our minds about the coming 2021 season. "According to Pro Football Focus, Darnold has the lowest passing grade (55.7) from a clean pocket since the 2018 season. Bridgewater ranked No. 32 in that stat last year, while Darnold ranked dead last at No. 39. "Perhaps the most critical area that needs improvement for Carolina’s offense is in the red zone. In 2020, they consistently had trouble getting over the goal line and finished the year No. 28 in red zone scoring percentage. This is another area Darnold has struggled in, though. PFF says Darnold’s passer rating in the red zone (77.6) is also the lowest in the league going back to 2018." These are things we may may or may not have heard before, but they are a reminders to be honest with ourselves that all we have right now is hope. Our season will largely go how Darnold goes. It's kind of "funny" but, we're hoping based upon his orbit around a black hole of suck--the Jets organization for years--that Rhule, Brady and company have enough pull to lead Darnold from a certain path of destruction to a place where he can shine and lead our team to the place where upper echelon teams exist on an annual basis. Yes, a few may ponder whether Darnold wasn't at the center of the suck himself, but I will tell you that I don't believe that he'll be allowed to suck the Panthers franchise down a black hole, because there are already too many forces that will not just sit by and let it happen. Make no mistake, the 2021 season will be the last potential sacrifice that Rhule, and, more importantly, David Tepper will allow. MY advice: keep hope alive, but also keep your expectations down to earth. Don't set your heart on Darnold being the savior, but don't dismiss his potential and the ability for our staff to accentuate his strengths and hopefully minimize his faults. Wait and see, but keep your mind open. At the end of the day, when the balance sheet is reconciled, there's really not enough invested in him--at this point--to raise our hands and thank our lucky stars, or to weep and gnash our teeth. We'll have a better idea of what he is in three months, and we'll have even better answers as to what we really have in a front office some time after that.

I thought it was a good interview. Tucker has a kind of over-the-top shtick which when contrasted with Chinn's laid back style made for some seeming awkward moments, but I think it worked! I think both guys were comfortable with one another, and I believe Chinn is mature beyond his years. I enjoyed it.

Definitely some good food for thought! I'd think that the percentage of snaps played would put things in focus a little more pertaining to these numbers.

Everything depends on Watson's price. What transpires has to work itself out and is to be determined. I do think we'll be in on every deal, until we're not.

I heard so much negativity about Pueblo--not saying that it doesn't have its problems--but I can see where it would be a decent place to live. It's not nearly as expensive as Denver or Colorado Springs, but it's still close enough--especially to Colorado Springs--where you can take advantage of some attractions like Pike's Peak on a normal basis, and it has attractions of its on like the Riverwalk. Lake Pueblo was my favorite! I also enjoyed the Nature and Raptor Center, the zoo (although too many old school cages) and the Rosemont Museum. I even went to the East Side to check it out, and it just seemed like a normal neighborhood to me. Don't get me wrong, I know that there's gang activity, but I've found that if you leave them alone, they'll leave you alone. Lastly, I would say that if you love to ride trails, then Pueblo is a great place to live. My buddy can literally ride out of his yard and never ride on the pavement, but to cross one street. He can ride all the way to Lake Pueblo (without riding in of course, lest he be stopped by the rangers). He lives about a mile from the racetrack. Unfortunately, some within the local community and government are trying to do away with the public access of those lands all around the racetrack.

I haven't been posting lately because I've been preoccupied with living life. But I repped my guys out west and down south. And I added three extra bonus pics. Don't hate my tye dye and blue flame, youngins! I'm a different type of cat! #keeppounding

Our play at LB needs elevation, no doubt, but Carter is solid nonetheless. When he comes in, he may not be spectacular, but he does his job and probably surpasses expectations while doing it.

Personally, I like the term...

Only if he can't be fixed. Otherwise he could play for another 3-5 years.

Sounds like a kid after my own heart!