outlaw4

Whatever they're using, chuck it in the trash. Grant you, the odds would be rather dire but 0%? Even someone like me could conjure a hypothetical where we could win and - as such - the odds would not be zero.

1. Most of our offseason moves end up working. Better O-line play, BY has more GB 2023 like games. Run game becomes top dozen. We constantly win TOP which keeps our defense fresh.

2. We're in the NFC South. A ticket to the playoffs only requires winning the division, even with a losing record which we've done before.

3. Playoffs is a lot about matchups. You get a team that limped in and/or lost their QB late. Or you get the Cowboys and they beat themselves like they usually do. Or we simply get opponents that are quite suspectible to what we do best. Obviously, there's a ton of luck involved but given how Canales seems to want something that may be a reminder of John Fox Panthers football, well, that type of thing actually works better in the playoffs. 

4. And of course, the Super Bowl. Yeah, you could get the Chiefs or who knows, maybe the Texans make a run. We inexplicably won against them last season. Maybe we somehow simply have their number.

Yes, all of this is very much a long shot but at least for me, the biggest factor is "Can you get in the playoffs in the first place and have the stars align?" Play with the variables enough and you'll find a path.

Eddy P is going wide right on this. Kicker job security makes runningback job security look great in comparison. 

16 hours ago, Bear Hands said:

 

• Seeing his page and commentary on our defense really puts in perspective how much turnover we have.  It should feel like a much different team (hopefully better) especially that front-7.  Jewell is going to be better than people expect, he was super unheralded for Denver and is just a smart closer who played against the Chiefs routinely well.    

Based on how discussions go around here, you'd think this is a one player team. Finally, someone is mentioning the defense.

Honestly, I am rather unsettled about that side of the ball. Insisting we keep certain coaches between regimes blew up in our faces last season. The fact that we basically forced Evero to stay and put the bulk of the effort this offseason/draft on offense... say what you want about being a professional but I'd probably feel a fair amount of resentment in that situation. Also, losing Burns is going to hurt. How much, I just don't know. Finally, as the video mentioned, we are wafer thin with depth. That bit us losing Shaq in 2023 and with our luck, we'll lose a key defensive player we can't afford to lose this year.

The potential to have a significantly improved run defense might be our best chance. If we achieve the ground game play action offense and win TOP, that will keep the defense off the field longer. Their run game is stuffed and so a lot more third and long.

I want the conversations at season's end to be more about what else we need to build onto the foundation to be playoff contenders and less about the fultility of drafting yet another QB and hiring yet another coach because as long as Tepper is the owner, it doesn't matter what this team does.

1 hour ago, WUnderhill said:

Love how this has already turned into the same few posters rehashing their same talking points from every other Bryce Young related thread and completely ignoring the video.

That's why I rarely read what anyone else says on threads like these. Opinions aren't really going to change in the offseason, only once actual football is being played.

I don't envy anyone having to watch last season's tape, however. So many things went wrong that even just getting a realistic opportunity to succeed for anyone was too few and far between. 

9 hours ago, Paa Langfart said:

I can still remember watching that game - one of my favorite all time.  It was a prime time game wasn't it? 

2008 Bucs at Panthers MNF: https://www.panthers.com/video/nfl-throwback-double-trouble-jonathan-stewart-deangelo-williams-mnf-2008

There can only be one J-Stew. That guy was just built like a truck. Brooks strikes me more of an all-rounder that can do just about anything.

Tremble is just a guy but at least not Ian Thomas. Wouldn't call him a bust at this point since he was a third rounder and has some value in the red zone. Just not TE 1 material.

Part of me wanted Caleb last year but his occasional struggles during his final season gave me pause. Can't put too much stock on OTA performances but I have this feeling that Caleb is going to be rather erratic, some real big highs but some absolute stinkers.

The safe bet would be that at least one win will come from within our division. Those games are the most unpredictable, regardless of how the two teams are doing within the season. Everything else is a crapshot. However, we are still well short on talent and that's going to limit opportunities. Honestly, I feel we're going to have games where our offense is competent enough to win games they would've won last season but we won't because our defense will take a step back.

Does anyone actually think we won't get yet another thread where we trash whomever is under center? 

Then again, it's tradition around here. Only thing I probably missed was how we trashed Rodney Peete.

Not going to complain too much about adding depth. At the least, these types of moves show actual commitment on running the ball to set up play action.

Couple of things after watching:

1. Seems like he doesn't have a great initial burst. This really stuck out on all those plays behind the LOS and screens. Concerned he's going to have the same fundamental issue our receiver corps have had recently; lack of separation.

2. Does have the top end once he gets going. Could be useful for slants and intermediate digs.

3. Do like how he puts himself in position against corners. On one vs one situations, he may be worth throwing to and letting him win those matchups.

4. Rattler was drafted why? For all the grief BY has gotten, I'd say Legette is getting an upgrade in terms of having someone that can throw with some degree of anticipation.

Ask me in five years whether this draft class was good or not.

Having said that, I'll grade the 2019 draft...

R1 P16: Brian Burns - I'll argue this was a good pick. At the minimum, he was worth enough to have gotten a seriously good offer of picks which, in retrospect, we should've taken. But we still got something for him and his new team gave him a ton of money.

R2 P37: Greg Little - Utter and complete flop. Only real value was somehow getting a 7th rounder from the Dolphins.

R3 R100: Will Grier  - Played godawful the rare times he was on the field. Somehow still in the league.

R4 P115: Christian Miller - Nothing of note.

R5 P154: Jordan Scarlett - I don't think he even lasted two years.

R6 P212: Dennis Daley - Some flashes of promise but we eventually traded him for some picks. Was terrible in Tennessee. I'll consider this a success since we got picks back.

R7 P237: Terry Godwin - Did not last here long at all. 

In summary, we got one quality starter... who is now gone. Daley might've been the second best player of this class and he was a middling backup at best. Burns saved this class from being a complete disaster. 

D+

21 minutes ago, Jackie Lee said:

 

Oh, no. What will we do without Ian Thomas on the field?

7 minutes ago, Jon Snow said:

This^ I think the Cowboys wanted him bad.

Screwing over the Cowboys by stealing their coveted player is a bonus.

1 minute ago, Jackie Lee said:

 

The real question is whether Tepper threw some beer sitting on a table at the owner.

This could be a banner year for QB's... or the biggest group of busts of all time.

Falcons, never change.

This time last year, I would've wanted Caleb without a doubt. Today... well, I hope my gut feeling is right.

Chark doesn't really move the needle much for me. Packers game was really the only time he caught everything whereas he seemed to drop every other big play chance he got.  Also the injury history and the fact that his statline for his Lions stint was quite similar albeit with one less start. 

500 yards and 3/5 TD plus unreliable availability? Yeah, I'd rather roll with a rookie.

This shouldn't even be a question. When a defensive player got so much recognition from the national media - and is a player from our often ignored team of all things - Luke should be an easy 1st ballot.

Feels like a firing for the sake of blaming someone although the SF defense seemed worse overall last season compared to the year prior. Shanahan's going to run out of chances soon, especially once the cheap guys start asking for big money.

5 hours ago, Sean Payton's Vicodin said:

https://www.espn.com/espn/betting/story/_/id/39504923/nfl-betting-early-odds-win-super-bowl-2025\

TLDR: Panthers are dead last at a whopping -25000 to win the SB

Sports betting is being legalized in NC soon, how much are you throwing at the Panthers

https://youtu.be/z-q29hbEP04?si=BfsguBQoxTHWVDLf

Hope he does well. Obviously, his performance during our Super Bowl run is highly regarded. Just couldn’t stay healthy and had a problem with fumbling. 

Just saying, I'd rather have a Super Bowl problem than the problems we have right now.

That said, I'll echo what others said in that there's not one singular issue one can point to. But I'll go over a few:

1. KC Defense - A lot better than people gave them credit for. All the talk about Mahomes hides the fact the KC Offense isn't the high powered machine it used to be. This unit carried them all the way to the end.

2. Injuries - Awful way for Greenlaw to leave. Deebo also got banged up although how much an impact that had is unknown. 

3. Special Teams - Muffed punt was a critical mistake that completely changed the game. Less mentioned was the blocked extra point which proved relevant at the end of regulation, as KC only needed a FG instead of a TD. Not to say Mahomes couldn't get that TD at all but one never knows.

4. OT Coin Flip Decision - Did not agree with the decision to receive. If first team scores, the other team effectively gets an extra down because you’re obviously not punting; you do not want Mahomes getting that de facto extra down. And if facing Mahomes, you absolutely do not let him have the ball last in that situation.