Mr. Scot

Jeff Howe is a former Patriots beat writer recently promoted to a national writer by The Athletic. As mentioned in previous discussions, he's pretty smart and fair with his analysis. His latest piece is an examination of how the Panthers got to where they are now, and where they might go from here. (subscription required) Some insights found in the article... Where Rhule might have been tempted to be conservative with a lead against the Texans, Brady pushed to stay aggressive and trust Sam Darnold Brady, who creates the weekly game plan and calls the plays, wanted to keep pushing. And Rhule and Brady have trusted Darnold to execute. As Darnold closed the game with three consecutive scoring drives prior to running out the clock, the quarterback was 10 of 14 for 146 yards, and Brady called an even split of 15 passing plays (one Darnold scramble) and 15 runs, including Darnold’s 1-yard touchdown sneak. “We’re only three games in,” Rhule said. “But for three games, (Darnold) has protected the football and at the same time been aggressive. With each week, we’ve gained a little more trust – not just in him but just all of us and what we’re doing. I think you saw that last game when we kind of turned him loose in the second half.” During the offseason, the Panthers did look into Deshaun Watson, but balked at the asking price before the scandal hit There were more changes. The Panthers replaced quarterback Cam Newton with Teddy Bridgewater in March, and they fired general manager Marty Hurney in December as they sputtered to a 5-11 record, which led to the final segment of the organizational overhaul. After hiring longtime Seattle Seahawks executive Scott Fitterer as general manager, the Panthers went to work to upgrade at quarterback. Early in the offseason, the Panthers had multiple conversations with the Houston Texans about a trade for Deshaun Watson, but the Texans wanted three first-round picks and two or three more high-end assets including picks or players – well before 22 women accused the quarterback of sexual assault. The Panthers also offered the eighth pick in the draft and Bridgewater to the Detroit Lions for Matthew Stafford, but he was ultimately traded to the Los Angeles Rams. More insight into the process of acquiring Darnold, and confirmation that he was never an "insurance policy" “We’ve seen him be resilient. When you talk to people, he doesn’t make excuses. He embraced everything at the Jets. He always tried to win. He had a toughness that I liked. In the end, we made the decision to go get him and figured if it works out, then we have an elite quarterback.” Rhule saw explosive plays, quick reads, the power to step up into the middle of the pocket and an underrated ability to run for big gains. They also believed Darnold would again thrive with wide receiver Robby Anderson, who signed with the Panthers in 2020 after four years with the Jets. There was no denying some of the concerns, particularly 39 interceptions in 38 starts, and Darnold only completed 59.8 percent of his passes with the Jets. But Darnold, now 24, was the third pick in the 2018 draft. He was young enough to think a change of scenery could be beneficial. Rhule was confident, so he walked to Fitterer’s office to see if they could pry Darnold from the Jets. Fitterer called Jets general manager Joe Douglas, but the Jets didn’t want to trade Darnold until they were convinced they would use the No. 2 pick on a quarterback. They were still grading Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields and Mac Jones. The Jets privately determined Wilson was their target over the ensuing weeks. After several trade offers and counterproposals, the Panthers acquired Darnold on April 5 for a 2021 sixth-round pick and 2022 second- and fourth-rounders. They flipped Bridgewater to the Broncos for a sixth-rounder three weeks later. And yes, the Panthers are indeed thinking of Darnold as a long term franchise option if he continues on his current path It’s only been three games, but the marriage of the coaching structure and Darnold’s pedigree has offered an intriguing glimpse into the Panthers’ potential future. He has completed 68.2 percent of his passes for 888 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and a 99 passer rating. His three rushing touchdowns are also tied for the league lead. Darnold is on pace for career bests across the board – completion percentage, yards per game, passer rating and interception percentage. It’s also important to note Darnold has never played more than 13 games in a season, so he will have to prove he can stay healthy to reach that potential. The Panthers exercised Darnold’s $18.9 million, fifth-year option, so they’ve got him under contract through the 2022 season. There’s been no rush to work on a long-term solution as a result, but that will be the Panthers’ preference if Darnold maintains his trajectory. ____________________________________ There's plenty more of interest within, including more from the offseason and commentary about the dynamics of Rhule, Brady and Ryan. Definitely recommend the whole article for subscribers or those considering subscribing.

Could we lose this game? Sure we could. And if it happens, I expect weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth from people claiming we were "exposed" and the like. But FYI: that'd be a silly reaction. People did the same thing in 2003 when we lost (badly) to the Titans in game five, bit that season turned out okay.

MDS = Michael David Smith

I'm getting there.

PFT: Florio picks Dallas, Simms picks us.

Similar story on MMQB. Almost everybody picked the Cowboys. Albert Breer picked the Panthers.

Sure, when I have been. That's not something that happens too often when I'm debating with you, though. Actually so far, pretty much never.

I'm avoiding the subject best I can

Your math is bad. The Panthers have also been in 17 playoff games since 1995 with a record of 9-8. Oh, and two Super Bowl appearances to none for Dallas. Outside of their 95 Super Bowl run, the Cowboys are 4-10 in the playoffs, with two of those losses coming from...guess who?

Just remembering when we had that line of Reggie White, Eric Swann and others. Boy did that line fall below expectations.

Trust me when I say there's a lot of interesting stuff in this piece. Revelations from "It's better to be feared" Mind you, the content is only tangentially Panthers related (lots of talk about Spygate) but based on what I read I'd expect there'll be some Panthers discussion to be found in the book when it comes out. Included within the article though is some hysterical stuff about Roger Goodell, Eric Mangini and Bill O'Brien plus Tom Brady sounding like he just wants a hug.

I...don't wanna

FYI: Being reported that Sherman is now visiting Tampa

Their offense didn't exactly look like world beaters either.

Phil Snow judges you (he judges me too but that's beside the point)

Yikes Lemme just caution you dude, if you're really going to push this notion that Hurney deserves credit for what Fitterer is building now, you're gonna get, shall we say, somewhat negative feedback. (and given that it's one of the stupidest ideas I've ever seen on here, you'll probably deserve it)

First off, Frank Alexander? Ian Thomas? Wow But anyway, Hurney had all those guys to build around too, and yet continuously built losing teams. Part of it being that for every one of the guys you named, there were guys like Greg Little, Rashaan Gaulden and Jordan Scarlett. And that's the key: a GM builds the whole roster. Not just part of it. Even sh-t GMs like Matt Millen are capable of drafting good players but if you can't put a winning roster on the field, you're not good enough. Happily, the vast majority on here are smart enough to be glad Marty's gone. Only one or two numbskulls remain. The rest of us are living in the present. If you wanna pine for the dumbass GM that we used to have, feel free. Just don't expect a lot of company.

Nope

I should add I've heard the phrase "my Boys" repeatedly tonight.

Maybe...if I don't get injured first