outlaw4

Looks so much like a lot of 2023 Panthers pass charts. When a franchise fires the last guy for bad time management, yesterday likely sealed Brown's fate. Also the fact this is the second rookie QB he has struggled to work with, that's a big black mark on his resume regardless of how much of the responsibility falls on him. Caleb needs protection more than anything else. Yes, some of that is on him but there were times when he had no chance. Caleb's body language is really worrying, though, because if there's one definite advantage Bryce has over Caleb, it's the mental part. Caleb had some moments during his senior year that had me worried whether he could handle adversity at the highest level. Not to say he can't suddenly play better if/when things improve, but it may be tougher for him.

Most hilarious thing was Bears wasting two timeouts and end up with one in their pocket.

Look at that receiver creating separation. Wish we had him. ...oh, wait.

You'd think a team like Seattle would actually know how to play in the rain and not fumble the ball away.

If my math is correct, as of right now, Caleb has just matched one of Young's rookie stats... 62 sacks. Safe to say he's going to beat that. David Carr's record of 76 sacks may just be out of reach, however.

It's like watching Bears vs Bears.

Something really important to note but Young's father was a mental health therapist, and Young himself got a degree in psychology. I'm a lot more confident now saying Bryce may not be physically gifted, but he may possess an advantage on the mental aspect that few others have. Pair that with a guy like Canales that seems more focused on that part of the game compared to other coaches, it's almost like the ideal pairing to basically reboot Bryce Young back to factory spec within the span of a few weeks.

Texans had two starters on the O-line out today. Given how pass protection has been an issue for them this season already... yeah, results are kinda expected. Also another big problem of having mid-week games; guys just don't get the time to get healthy enough to get back on the field.

XL basically only had one full season of actual production his final year. I see him as a raw guy compared to someone like Coker who at least got a ton more playing time. You could argue we should've gone with a guy who had more college playing experience, although it's not as often you see rookie receivers go off anyways unless they are in the ideal QB/system situation. The drops are concerning but the fact he's been in position to make big plays I'd say is far better results than guys like TMJ/Mingo have ever done. Also, all these rookies got a lot of playing time this year, so hopefully that will get them all to take a bigger step their second year.

Texans are going to derail Stroud's career if they keep giving him the 2023 Panthers O-line experience.

Russ is cooking some gruel for the Steelers today.

It's better than being called a bust, so he should take that as a sign of improvement. Do more and something will come naturally. Although I'll say Carolina Reaper doesn't quite have the ring for me. Once upon a time, we were calling Jake Delhomme the Raging Cajun. I think something like... Roaring Reaper sounds a lot better and fits better with this team.

Referees Christmas bonus must have come in.

Even the actual football is biased towards the Chiefs.

Same guy has other stats as well. After looking at all of them, my biggest takeaway is that stats alone don't tell the whole story, especially when one set contradicts the other. Also, how there's a lot of variables to consider, like how whether the Ravens receivers seemingly getting tons of separation is more on skill or because defenses being more focused on stopping Lamar and Derrick Henry running all over them.

I only have the vaguest idea of what that's like. Years ago, both my kneecaps popped out of their grooves while I was running on a treadmill. The pain was pretty bad at the beginning but it got so bad, I thought I was 100 years old with how excruciating it was to walk anywhere. Thankfully, I only needed special knee braces to pop everything back into place. Saints have kept finding ways to be relevant despite their chronic cap issues. I'll believe it when we start seeing their throwback jerseys again.

Off my memory, this team has generally not been able to run a screen that works to save their life. I still remember Cam got picked off a few times trying to run one. Probably the most consistent YAC concept we've ever had was Smitty's smoke routes; those were borderline cheat codes at times. That's about all I remember for the entire season. Meanwhile, I get envious of watching teams like the Rams and Chiefs. Constant little checkdowns and then it's 10~15 yards with defenders either seemingly out of place or well blocked.

I'll also note how much a relief to see that Canales puts out there some interesting wrinkles with our offense, like with that quads bunch formation. I feel Joe Brady was the last guy that actually tried more modern concepts out there. Otherwise, our history has been chock full of dinosaurs running dinosaur concepts, with last year probably the most egregious.

Thielen is not a surprise. Remember, he's a former Viking and at least historically, they've had some really great receivers in the past and today. If it wasn't for the dropped passes, XL would probably be a lot closer to Coker, I would assume. I have to remind myself that he is still very much a raw player and he's got more catching up to do learning his craft. Coker's an interesting case because I would've said he's not a burner but then he had that big touchdown against the Cowboys. For a rookie, he seems to be dependable on being where he should be which pairs well with the QB that we have. Diontae... well, that's why he's still finding jobs elsewhere. Interesting where Harrison Jr is on that chart. If I'm reading that right, he really struggles with separation. That game where he went 200+ yards against us still haunts me. I admire the man as a player, but I'll also be thrilled the day we don't have to face him anymore.

Almost certain we'll get at least one primetime game. Hopefully MNF since at least in my memory, we tend to excel there while we lay stinkers on Sunday night. Jake beating the Packers in 2005, Double Trouble running over the Bucs in 2008, Cam beating the Patriots in 2013 and beating Andrew Luck in 2015. With the Bucs coming up, here's an instant Cardiac Cats classic finish for those that weren't around at the time. Jake throwing that lollypop to Moose still scares me to this day. Almost like Young's throw to Tremble while getting whacked but on steroids.

It's a bit odd considering he's been rather quiet recently.

Well, this MNF game is awful as expected. But it's the Saints getting utterly destroyed, so I'll allow this.

Apparently, Chargers also tried getting him but Texans had priority. Talent really does give a guy a lot of chances. At some point, he'll run out of them if he doesn't sort himself out.

I'm counting on having Brown, XL, and Wallace being ready to go. Everyone else are likely either gone or should have the expectation of having a reliable fallback option in place. Neither of our current centers are starter-worthy and I can't trust Corbett at this point, so I'm inclined to say that's the priority.

I was wondering who that was running out there among the players. Way I see it, the path between trying to win and trying to tank split off with our game against the Giants. Since then, we've gone head to head with some of the best teams, we've had our QB resurrecting his career to where there's potential for more, our rookie WRs are making plays, Chuba is becoming a big time player and we have some stability with our HC/GM for the time being. Us fans got a nice win for Christmas and a sense of optimism that the worst is behind us. The Giants meanwhile paid their starting QB to go away, fans are flying signs to fire everyone, they are getting utterly embarrassed on the field, and who knows who is making the decisions on draft day. I can't even imagine what all the players on that roster feel right about now, but I guarantee a lot of bridges have been burnt and there's going to be players heading out. Their fans got two lumps of pick-six coal for Christmas and a dread of things to come. I don't know about you but I prefer the football team that doesn't require putting a paper bag over my head anymore.