top dawg

I'm not really worried. Tepper did not get where he is by making dumb deals.

I'm just going to assume that there's some hyperbole going on. There are always limitations! I do think that we may be willing to dig deeper in the pocket so to speak than people may think. I don't think Tepper is going to bankrupt our chance at success for the next half a decade to land Watson. But, he is a thinking gambler (if you will)!

You read that right; we will pay any price for Deshaun Watson according to Tony Pauline of PFN! “This is a person in the know, and they told me that the Panthers will do anything they can to acquire Watson, and they will pay any price to acquire Deshaun Watson. […] Their new GM Scott Fitterer, who came from the Seattle Seahawks, is on board with trading for Watson. More than anything else, and most importantly is, I was told the owner wants to make it happen.” Take it FWIW. It's very interesting! https://sportsnaut.com/nfl-rumors-carolina-panthers-deshaun-watson-210225/

Thinking someone is being coddled is not the same as disliking them. I haven't heard any of that!

Wilson is far from "crazy".

So, we skip Trey Lance in favor of Mac Jones, who, in Keyshawn's words, has "cement in his shoes"? Nah!

Y'all know what it is!

I think we're going to have to move up. There's just too many teams looking for a QB. We have to get to that 2 or 3 spot! I don't trust the damned dirty birds!

I'm driving the Lance locomotive, but if they choose Wilson, I'm not gonna be as mad as some of the people who would talk sh¡t if they choose Lance over Wilson (assuming that we move up)! I've consistently told people that Lance has the highest upside and the biggest arm!

Count him out if you want. But I haven't forgotten him, and I look forward to seeing what he's got in more depth, because we just don't know. I'm loath to call him JAG at this point, as he did flash just a little, and he seemed to have the right attitude when he had his limited opportunities.

I think the best FOs look at the roster and build the team via a combination of the draft and/or free agency on a situational basis. It's not an either-or proposition. Some, like ours, are not afraid to look at all avenues either (like the now defunct XFL or the CFL). I think that the priority is fundamentally to build via the draft, but that you have to have the bigger picture of the puzzle each year, and on the macro level as well.

https://sports.yahoo.com/news/greg-cosells-nfl-draft-breakdown-accomplished-deshaun-watson-has-areas-to-work-on-164552341.html?pt=4 I'm not saying his mouth is the gospel, but he knows what he's looking at and what to look for in film. I believe that he generally won't make a definitive statement as to a potential player's efficacy in the NFL because so much has to do with where they land and a team's system and expectations, but Cosell seems spot-on with his film breakdown (and that's why he's one of my favorites).

He will need teaching, experience and a little time to develop, much like Allen. He's solidly built, but just a tad smaller. He has a real cannon like Allen. It's an interesting--if not apt--comparison. I don't know who it was (probably several), but someone was basically saing, "I don't know what people see in Lance", or something of that nature. Well, like Cosell, Bucky Brooks and others, they see the traits of a professional QB that look to translate well to the NFL. Evaluating a college player (and maybe a QB even more) is about projection. Do you see traits in this guy that will help him succeed in the NFL, notwithstanding what he did in the NCAA? I know that's kind of a complex concept that seems counterintuitive on the surface, but it's basically what Cosell was referring to when he said, "You have to evaluate a quarterback in a vacuum. You have to isolate his traits..." [Listen at 19:09] Bucky Brooks said that Lance can fit any system. He basically said that he can be molded into whatever you want because he has all the traits and can make any throw.

Fields is simply going to have to process things faster and be more decisive, especially as the pocket begins to break down. Other than just being the best athlete with the strongest arm in this class, the ability to be decisive while not making mistakes is one of the reasons that I like Lance more than Fields.

Yeah, I'm thinking let someone else reach for the guys who can't play off script.

I wish that I could embed the radio podcast, but I can't. That being said, Greg Cosell is always worth a listen. I think he talks the jargon of evaluators (and mirrors some of the points @Vergesays). FWIW, I'll give you an idea (in my words). Traits are not everything as to what constitutes a QB who will make the transition from college to the pros successfully, but they are highly important. "Secondary reaction ability" is nearly a necessity in today's franchise QB. Here are some admittedly selective "cliff notes". [Basically, listen to the interview!] Lawrence should develop into a quality NFL QB. Joe Burrow is obviously not as strong, but was slightly more advanced coming out last year than Lawrence this year. Zach Wilson is clear number 2. Has great pocket efficiency and is a good distributor. Good feel for the passing game. Has that legit "playmaking movement dimension" Justin Fields "scares me a little bit" in the words of a QB coach he talked with. Issues with "recognition, with vision and elimination and isolation from the pocket...He needs things to be clean and defined to be consistently successful..." Lance has a "...strong live arm, excellent athleticism. There's a "twitch and explosiveness" to his game passing and running. "He's got a lot of traits!" Mac Jones was a good executioner and distributor in his offense. He's a "bad athlete" and has "almost no ability to play outside structure whatsoever..." Kyle Trask "is a backup!" Start at 9:08 https://www.radio.com/podcasts/ross-tucker-football-podcast-nfl-podcast-20962/greg-cosell-top-6-college-quarterbacks-357315296

I don't know about that. He didn't hit him from behind, and the contact was literally within Greenway's breastplate.

I don't think that you can measure the success of a blockbuster trade only by championships. It takes many moving parts to win a championship. I mean, if we trade for Watson and we end up a perennial contender, consistently in the playoffs for the next decade, would that really be a failure if we don't win the big one? Trading is supposed to ultimately improve your team and put it in a position to win championships. Whether or not you win one depends on other factors, like how close you are to winning a championship and where do you fall along the spectrum. There are different expectations for each trade. No one is expecting the Panthers with Watson to win a championship any time soon. Many people expect Stafford to be the final piece to get the Rams over the hump and consider anything less as a failure.

I doubt he's returning. https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/02/22/kawann-short-has-heard-from-a-few-teams-since-being-released/

I like Zylstra as depth, but I'd think that we'd be more likely to consider Omar Bayless as insurance. We surely didn't leave him on the vine. He did enough last year in camp to make an impression and ensure his spot for another offseason.

In my opinion, the only decision that's really haunting the team is the amount and length of Teddy's contract. I can't blame that fully on Hurney. Rhule, Brady and even Tepper have to bear some responsibility for that. We can debate about anything else, but I'm just attributing it to the business of football, and there will hardly be any long term effects, other than perhaps being beholden to Teddy one year too long, and even that might go away.

BTW, "Squatson" is not an apt moniker.

FWIW, I hope this rumor is real. I'd surely take my chances with Jimmy G before Teddy B. At least Garropolo is not afraid to push the ball down the field. Better yet, if it is part of a pathway to Watson, I'm all-in!

He more likely wants the sh¡t stop being beat out of him because he's had turnstile protection for the lion's share of his career.

And my point still stands that a year and a half is not unreasonable to get your bearings from such a monumental transition and undertaking. They're both gone now, and Tepper hasn't even owned the team three years! We have a coach who's been around for more than a year, and a new GM. We're obviously trying to find a franchise-level QB, and we're changing the culture in Charlotte. And, not trying to be a total homer, but they look like pretty good hires so far (admittedly based on a limited, but promising track record)--all in under three years. I can't really complain about that too much.