ladypanther

CMC is such a good guy. This link has 2 videos b2b. 2nd one is talking about Darnold...loads automatically. (They are short) https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/video/christian-mccaffrey-thrilled-former-head-coach-wilks-joined-49ers-staff

Have heard that the draft is deep for OL this year.

Round 1, pick No. 1 (from Chicago) Bryce Young, QB, Alabama I still had Stroud at the top of my March 31 mock, with the caveat that I might have Young jump ahead of him before the draft. That day has come. Round 2, pick No. 39 B.J. Ojulari, edge, LSU The most glaring need for the Panthers is the one Fitterer mentioned first in the above quote from his pre-draft press conference. I’ve been asked a lot whether the Panthers would trade down from 39 to pick up an extra pick. But Fitterer believes there’s a lot of talent between the 20th and 45th selections, so I think he’ll stay here and take an edge rusher to complement Brian Burns. Ojulari racked up 16 1/2 sacks and 25 tackles for loss over three seasons, showing off his explosiveness early in his career with a three-sack game against South Carolina, an LSU freshman record. Ojulari comes from a family of edge rushers: His brother Azeez has 13 1/2 sacks in two seasons since the Giants Round 3, pick No. 95 (from Kansas City) Jonathan Mingo, WR, Ole Miss I drafted Mingo to the Panthers in the fourth round (at 114) in my March 31 mock, but I’m not sure the 6-2, 220-pounder makes it to Day 3. Round 4, pick No. 114 Chandler Zavala, G, N.C. State Zavala has to be near the top of the list of players itching to move on to the NFL. The 24-year-old spent six years in college — four at Fairmont State, a Division II school in West Virginia, and then two with the Wolfpack after the Division II season was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19. With starting guards Austin Corbett (ACL) and Brady Christensen (ankle) still both recovering from major injuries, the Panthers could use another interior lineman, and the last one they took from N.C. State worked out pretty well. Like Ikem Ekwonu, the 6-3, 316-pound Zavala is a big, physical mauler whose father is a celebrity chef. One concern: the back surgery that caused him to miss the second half of the 2021 season. Round 4, pick No. 132 (from San Francisco) Terell Smith, CB, Minnesota Fitterer didn’t mention cornerback among the Panthers’ needs. But like at the guard spot, both starting corners are coming off injuries so reinforcements are probably a good call. The Panthers have typically favored bigger corners, owing to Fitterer and Dan Morgan’s time in Seattle. Smith has a tempting blend of size (6-0, 205) and speed (4.41-second 40 at the combine). Plus, he’s not afraid to line up and play physical, press-man coverage — something else the Panthers value (see: Horn, Jaycee). Round 5, pick No. 145 Cameron Latu, TE, Alabama I’m a tight-end guy. And this is a great year for the position. I’ve mocked Luke Musgrave (in the second round) and Sam LaPorta (in the third) to the Panthers in previous exercises. But given that Hayden Hurst gave the Panthers five tight ends on the roster, that was admittedly too soon. In fact, Fitterer and Frank Reich might decide not to take a tight end at all. But bringing in Young’s college tight end would give the young quarterback a trusted target who caught 56 passes for 787 yards and 12 touchdowns in two seasons with Young. Latu’s eight touchdown receptions in 2021 were the most by an Alabama tight end in school history. Something else to consider: Latu matched Young on the S2 test by scoring in the 98th percentile, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. Round 5, pick No. 166 DJ Johnson, edge, Oregon Remember what Fitterer said about best player available? Meet Johnson, who made Bruce Feldman’s “freaks” list after playing both ways (plus special teams) for the Ducks in 2021. https://theathletic.com/4443193/2023/04/24/panthers-mock-draft-2/?source=emp_shared_article

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/04/24/espn-layoffs/ ESPN began laying off employees on Monday, part of a wave of cost-cutting at parent company Disney that will claim an unspecified number of jobs across all levels at the sports network in the coming months. ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro told employees in a memo that company HR officials had begun contacting affected employees. A second round of cuts is expected in the next two months. The two rounds of layoffs will primarily involve management, not on-air talent. Once those layoffs have been executed, the company will begin scrutinizing on-air contracts, according to two people with knowledge of the plans. Talent contracts, for people who appear on TV or generate content across ESPN’s platforms, are generally for a specified length of time, a different arrangement from more traditionally salaried employees. A number of those contracts are expected to not be renewed or extended at lower values. Now this sucks, IMO... One executive included in Monday’s cuts was ESPN’s second-longest tenured employee, Mike Soltys, a 43-year veteran of the company and a vice president of communications. 43 years???

Forgot to mention...Jake also said that Richardson has the highest upside but that a team will have to be patient with him. Patience does not seem like a common trait in the NFL these days. And @Gerry Green...also got my Washington Post subscription the same way this year. The 1st year I had it...got a $19/yr special. The next year it was going to be $130 or 140...don't remember exactly. I emailed them and told them that I loved the paper but had lost my job due to covid (true story) and ask if they could work with some kind of discount. They offered it to me for $19 again! Paid full price the next year, and this year am transitioning to self employment so I cancelled....then I got another great offer. It pays to ask questions. And most of the time, if you do cancel...they want you back.

From the same article I referenced above: Trivial similarity creates the impression of meaningful similarity. NBA executive Daryl Morey famously told author Michael Lewis that he banned his scouting staff from comparing draft prospects to NBA players of the same race — and once he instituted that rule, scouts stopped making comparisons altogether. Without superficial prompting, the instinct to liken one player’s game to another’s ceased.T

And Hurts will make a lot more money than Jackson. Wonder what Jacksons S2 (or whatever) score was. If there is a business version I would bet he did not do well.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/04/21/nfl-draft-quarterback-comps/ In their attempts to project Allen, many scouts and analysts reached for a common tool: the player comparison. Allen was mostly likened to Carson Wentz (at the time a small-school success story) and Jake Locker (a historic top-10 bust). Now, having piloted the Buffalo Bills’ rise from afterthought to contender, Allen has become a preferred talisman of quarterback-needy teams and draft experts. This year’s draft probably will feature four quarterbacks among the first dozen picks, perhaps even the first four. Two prospects, Kentucky’s Will Levis and Florida’s Anthony Richardson, have traits reminiscent of Allen’s: a dearth of college production coupled with mesmerizing size and athletic ability. That Allen turned out to be nothing like Wentz or Locker has not deterred evaluators from using him as a tantalizing comparison point. Player comparisons are an embedded part of scouting reports, used to create mental frameworks. They provide comforting narratives, grounding unknown futures in the vibrant present. They also cloud and misguide, often creating false — but powerful and entrenched — impressions that can outweigh more objective measures. Player comparisons can be particularly imprecise and misleading for quarterbacks, whose success hinges less on noticeable traits than unseen attributes. Players of similar physical makeup or even similar playing style may have nothing in common when it comes to mental processing or competitive charisma, and draft history is littered with comparisons that damaged the teams that fell for them. Zach Wilson became the No. 2 pick in 2021 in part because the off-balance throws he made at BYU reminded some of Patrick Mahomes. Teams may be at risk of a similar mistake if they select Levis or Richardson with the belief they have found their version of Allen. The way Allen improved his accuracy while in the NFL is exceedingly rare, if not unprecedented. It is one thing to hope for that kind of success. It is another to bet on it. Comparing either player to Allen may be justification for mistaking an outlier for a lesson. “When Drew Brees just got into the league, every undersized quarterback for the next 10 years, if you liked him, he was Drew Brees,” NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. “And it turned out none of them was Drew Brees. He was a one of one.” The flaw in using Brees’s height as a comparison point for projection should be self-evident; Brees was short, but his height was irrelevant to his success. He thrived because he overcame his height with a collection of desirable traits. Comparing a short quarterback to Brees just because he is short is less assessment than wish-casting.

Jake said all along he thought either Young or Stroud...now think Young is the pick. About Stroud falling and all the rumor's...said the last 2 weeks are lying season. About other positions to draft...1st mentioned DE. Said fitt has mentioned it several times...said you can never have enough. Also mentioned WR. Said OL and possibly a TE. If you do not see any specials with Sirius call them and ask. When they give you a price...say it is too much for you. They will give you a lower price. Decline 1 more time...I said I am just not in my car enough...and then I got the $7 special. 2 years in a row now. Can listen on phone with the app or on the computer too. Also canceled my Athletic subscription..had it on a special deal and full price was too much...immediately got a good reduced offer.

In case you can listen....

$2 a month is a nice deal...worth the price. Thanks for posting @Mr. Scot...had not seen that yet.

Well said and props for sharing some shrimp with your cat.

oops...thanks

Very nice of you @TheBigKat

Someone said earlier that Joe Douglas is the QB coach. Bet Mac wants out of there. He is not a player I like but he did have a pretty shitty situation last year.

And it is not even good beer.............

This coming year, the only change in the NFL is that the Titans are going from grass to artificial turf. Players Association seems pretty weak on this issue.

Ouch. (Hurney of course)

lmao Cool for Ron.

Had to know he would not last long. The good ones don't. Sure wish the Observer would pay these people!

It seems the NFL care about money...whatever they need to do to get it.

Good news.

So cute!!!!!!!