Mr. Scot

Yeah, sorry. As others have mentioned, teams that have a good kicker aren't likely to let them go. And nobody I know of is carrying two on the main roster (not even Washington). Shopping for a kicker at this time of year likely means trying to pluck somebody up and coming off a practice squad (like what happened to us with Butker) or find a surprising free agent (a lot less likely).

I know Evan Neal from Alabama has generated a load of buzz.

Absolute dumbest coaching decision I can remember was Marty Mornhinweg winning the toss in an overtime game (under the old "Sudden Death" rules) and choosing to go on defense first. Naturally, the other team scored and they lost

Yeah, heard about that story yesterday. His choice was... interesting

Ive seen a lot of Super Bowl seasons, and if there's one thing they all have in common it's that a little luck never hurts. (that's not to say this is a Super Bowl season; just an observation)

Call me crazy, but what he's describing here sounds like...ya know, audibles. And yet it's something that almost seems to sound new to him. That can't be right, can it? Was Gase really that bad?

From his Monday Afternoon Quarterback column (link) Honestly, this contrast was tough to miss on Sunday: Panthers QB Sam Darnold: 26-for-38, 305 yards, 2 TDs, INT, 99.1 rating. Jets QB Zach Wilson: 19-for-33, 210 yards, 0 TDs, 4 INTs, 37.0 rating. Now, I really do think Robert Saleh is going to do better with Wilson, over time, than he did on Sunday—remember, he told Wilson on draft day that the organization would lift him up and wouldn’t ask for things the other way around. But, man, does Darnold look in control and competent with less asked of him (and Christian McCaffrey next to him). One key, I was told, was Panthers OC Joe Brady’s tailoring his scheme to Darnold’s strengths and taking some of the mental load off him in an effort to get him playing fast and instinctively. Another, Darnold himself told me, was Brady’s giving Darnold options within the structure of the scheme out on the field—and building in alternatives so he never has to snap the ball into a bad call. “It's just progression football,” Darnold said. “It's getting in the right play, if we're not in the right one, we got certain alerts for certain coverage. It's good football. To be able to get in the right play, if [Brady] calls a play and I feel like it's not a great play or it's the look we didn't want for that play, then I can check out of it and get into a good play. So that's kind of what I really like about this offense, is you kind of have options to be able to change things at the line of scrimmage.” And having those defined options, without forcing Darnold to run the whole show, brings natural buy-in, since it’s Darnold himself seeing it and adjusting as he goes. Then, there’s the presence of McCaffrey (“It's all up to the defense and how they want to guard Christian and if they want to double him or maybe cloud his side or bring two guys to his side, and we got other guys who can beat them as well, so it's fun when 22’s in there”) and a fleet of complementary pieces (D.J. Moore, Robbie Anderson) around him. Long story short, Darnold has a lot of help. And for a young quarterback—whether it’s a rookie trying to get his footing or a guy trying to find solid ground after a shaky start—having that’s almost always a big factor in whether you make it or you don’t.

Cam was never very good at it.

When the GM search was on, I was a little worried that Rhule might just install one of his own people, but that didn't happen. Was also worried that Tepper was gonna install a non-traditional type just to be different, but thankfully that didn't fly either. (hell, none of his candidates even made it to round two)

Belichick and Carroll are the prime examples these days. As far as Rhule, it's not a big shock when you look at who some of his mentors were. Tom Coughlin had a similar arrangement. Likewise, Bill Parcells before him (remember his "shopping for groceries" comment). Rhule's nowhere near the control freak those guys were though. Prior to his being hired, Rhule gave an interview indicating he wanted a Belichick type arrangement, but he didn't get it. Evidence suggests that once he got to the job and realized everything that was involved, he didn't want it anymore. That's why if you go back to his comments when we were looking at hiring a GM, he specifically stated that he wanted someone with scouting experience who could help him build a roster.

It's not at all uncommon, honestly. Or at least it hasn't been. Lots of teams gave the head coach final authority in the past. Seattle's been doing it since Pete Carroll was hired. There's a difference between final authority and full power though. Rhule doesn't run the personnel department. Fitterer does. Likewise Fitterer ran the draft and free agency. Naturally, he works with Rhule, but that's not unique either. Every GM works with their head coach to determine what they need to run their schemes and set the roster. Our friend Sanjay has it in his head that this is something unique, never done before and created by David Tepper. None of those things are true.

Two games in...nobody knows.

I'm going to guess they went to Watson to ask if he was willing to play, and in response he gave them a very clear "no".

Brown has been one of the better left tackles in the league and is still pretty good. Leno was never that great and is pretty bad at this point. Plus with Brown, you have the added advantages of Fitterer not only having a connection to him but also one to the people with whom he'd be negotiating. With that said though, Brown would have been a two-year stopgap while we tried to find our left tackle of the future. But obviously, all that is now water under the bridge.

Sando's not a moron. He may in fact be one of the smarter analysts out there. What he may be guilty of though is not doing the thing that Albert Breer said he should, i.e paying attention to the Panthers. That's something a lot of national analysts have done for a lot of years. And to be fair, we generally haven't given them too many reasons to do otherwise.

This is me, as well.

For the record, I did not pick against the Panthers in the Yahoo Pick Em contest. And if the board shows that I did, it's a frigging liar

Sando's generally pretty fair.

New meds?

Slow starts in the first and third quarters of games were a pretty common thing under Delhomme. From what I've seen, it seems to be a characteristic of gunslinger QBs. Saw that in week one with Darnold. In Week 2 we were slow starting in the third, not so much in the first.

From Albert Breer's latest MMQB... You need to pay attention to the Panthers. Two weeks, two wins, and each had a very identifiable look. They were fueled by a menacing defensive front that none of us thought enough about coming into the year and complemented by an improving, efficient offense that Sam Darnold’s steadily getting better at running. What’s more than just that, it sure looks like the program in Charlotte’s taking on the edgy, physical look that Matt Rhule’s been working on cultivating. As such, D-linemen Brian Burns, Derrick Brown and Haason Reddick set the tone in holding the Saints to 2.8 yards per carry and sacking Jameis Winston four times. And the offense maintained balance with a 33-to-40 run-to-pass ratio, that kept a diverse New Orleans defense from getting too aggressive. Which is sort of how Rhule drew this all up. “I think the way that we practiced during training camp, we had two joint practice weeks early on against Indy and Baltimore, and I feel like that helped us a ton, to be able to practice against those teams, really veteran teams, teams that know how to practice,” Darnold told me over the phone, after the 26–7 win over the Saints. “I think that really helped us, and we had a hard training camp in Spartanburg, South Carolina. I think that kind of gave us our edge a little bit. Again, Albert, it’s early in the season, I don’t want to speak too soon. But we’re in really good shape right now. We just got to continue to stay healthy and keep getting better every single week.” And the interesting thing to me, from my talk with Darnold, was that I figured this one would be significant for everyone there because it wa the Saints, who’ve won the division four years in a row and were gangbusters against Green Bay in Week 1. But it didn’t really feel like that was ever part of the coaches’ or the players’ messaging. Maybe it’s because the Panthers have to play again Thursday (against the Texans). Maybe Darnold was just being guarded, after all he’s gone through in three years as a pro. Either way, the quarterback was hesitant to assign meaning to a Week 2 win, impressive as it might’ve been, and even if it reinforced the progress that was visible in Week 1. “Again, it’s Week 2,” Darnold said, laughing. “It is a good win, don’t get me wrong. We’re really happy about that win and the way that we played. But we gotta execute a lot better—in that second half, I feel like we left some points on the board, and just didn’t really end things the way that we wanted to. But a win’s a win, and it’s a good division win and we’re happy about that.” And now, they’re a few days away from, potentially, going into a Week 4 showdown in Dallas on extra rest and with a 3–0 record.

About the only viable scenario I could have seen was a trade for Duane Brown before that situation got resolved. But it did, so it's kinda hard to imagine now.

Speaking as someone with several birds, I can tell you that ain't how it works

You'll never hear me complain about fans being happy. Heck, that's what it's all about.

Look, I know some folks love hitching a ride to the North Pole on The Bipolar Express, but I'm just not one of them. I try to keep an even keel during the season. Don't get too hyped up over wins. Don't get too depressed over losses. That's especially true with only two games under our belt. That's not to say you can't celebrate and enjoy a victory. Absolutely you should. I just wouldn't get cocky. It's a long season and stuff happens.