Mr. Scot

WCO still employs a deep ball. Maybe not as frequently as a Coryell but it's there. Personally, I used to not be a big fan of WCOs but I've warmed to them over the years. When you saw how effective Sean Payton's offense was, it became pretty hard to hate. In the end, I honestly don't care that much either way as long as we win.

Mayfield's had to learn from four different OCs in his career and still managed to look at least decent doing it. To be honest though, I feel like the whole "QB competition" thing is just coachspeak anyway.

Again, all very easy statements to make as a fan who doesn't have any consequences. I don't have a high opinion of Matt Rhule and my expectations for him are very low, but not so low that I expect him to slit his own throat or look at roster decisions with an "eh, whatever" attitude.

About 18 million dollars... Ask yourself this: What happens if Mayfield is lost for the season? Sure, as a fan you may not give a sh-t, but the guys whose livelihood actually depends on team performance? They kinda do Part of running a team is that you do have to plan for possibilities and eventualities. If all that you look at is "right now", then you'd probably do well at the Marty Hurney School of Cap Management.

Statements like this tend to have disappointing answers

Well, somebody did. Probably wasn't Ben McAdoo...

I don't like Mayfield. Not sure I'd say I was against this trade though so much as I just wasn't for it. I'd rather Corral sit first.

Does he really have that much of one, though?

I know people want to make the worst possible comparisons with Darnold, but let's be real. PJ isn't an NFL quarterback. in a situation where some other team loses a starter, there does exist the possibility that another team would give Darnold a try. No NFL team not coached by Matt Rhule is going to trade so much as a ham sandwich for PJ Walker. And I know people like to make these edgy, big ball, "cap be damned, I'd cut him anyway" posts, but that kind of thing puts you on an even lower tier of football knowledge than David Tepper.

The college game isn't as much about adjustments as the pro game is.

Side Note: Just because I found this amusing...

Panthers social media will probably post pics when he arrives.

Remember our last quarterback competition? (Will Grier vs PJ Walker)

One kind of odd dynamic going into this season... Offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo goes into the year with a rookie quarterback he's a big fan of and two veterans of whom he's not been all that fond. Will be intriguing to see how that plays out.

That's not necessarily a positive endorsement.

Looked up his OC history in Cleveland... Mayfield started out with Todd Haley under Hue Jackson with Ken Zampese as his QB Coach. That's a mix of Coryell and E-P influences. Didn't last long of course since Jackson and Haley were fired midseason. Freddie Kitchens took over on the offensive side and did well enough that he got promoted to head coach. Kitchens installed Todd Monken as OC and Ryan Lindley (the guy you might remember as the hapless opposing QB from our playoff game against the Cardinals a few years back) as his QB Coach. You probably remember how that went. (Side Note: Panthers OL Coach James Campen held the title of Assistant Head Coach on this team) Things stabilized somewhat the following year with the hire of Kevin Stefanski and the installation of Alex Van Pelt as OC. To my knowledge, Van Pelt is primarily an E-P guy. Overall, it doesn't sound like Mayfield has had a lot of WCO influences so it'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

I definitely get the style comparison, though I'd say Mayfield is probably a lot more talented than Delhomme was.

McNabb is just one example. You'll find several others with one guy in common, that being Andy Reid. And let's just say that if a change of scenery never worked, teams wouldn't still be trying it.

I don't know if I'm an optimist or a pessimist on this season yet. I'd say I'm like a lot of folks in that I see improvement to the roster but I still don't trust Matt Rhule.

Do we see Ben McAdoo running that kind of system though?

Gotta disagree, primarily because coaching and systems matter a lot more than people sometimes think. Donovan McNabb was long looked at as one of the best quarterbacks in the league...until he left the Eagles. His time in Washington is probably something he'd like to erase off of his resumé. I've seen quarterbacks change teams or even change systems within the same team and look markedly different from before.

I'm gonna throw in the 33rd Team's analysis as well (it's free). The basic take courtesy of Mike Tannenbaum and Marty Mornhinweg is that Mayfield primarily provides a short-term solution, possibly a bridge to the long-term one. Excerpts: Carolina Panthers Outlook Baker Mayfield will now get the chance to compete for the starting QB job in Carolina, and he should be the frontrunner to take the job as it currently stands. ad Tannenbaum says that Baker Mayfield will be challenged this season, and this may be a quick solution to a long-term problem for the Panthers: “Baker will have a challenge to play at the highest level possible. He is the best option at quarterback this season, but this is a marriage of convenience more than anything else.” Mornhinweg also sees this trade as a short-term upgrade for Carolina: “The Panthers upgraded. Yet probably not the 6-8-10 year type QB for them. Real good ‘band aide’ as a solid plus type player – one that the Panthers can win more games with. Carolina can now have the view of winning more games with Baker and in 2-3 years acquire a talented young QB to insert into a winning team. This would allow Carolina to add a QB with no major cap hit to a Super Bowl type team.” Insiders see Baker Mayfield as a band-aid for Carolina

(subscription required) Good article, with my favorite line being a quote from Steve Smith: “He wears his emotions on his sleeve. I do, too. I was an emotional player. But the difference between Baker and I is one, I won the triple crown — I led the league in something besides crying.” Ouch Smitty has since changed his tune, of course...

I don't know what Mayfield is here. Heck, I don't know what Corral is here. Those things lead me to the ultimate conclusion that our quarterback room is a great big unknown. I do know that coaching and ownership are a mess, the front office seemingly less so but it's difficult to say for certain.

To be clear, I'm not so much asking the question of whether you believe the team is going to win or lose this year. I'm asking how it happens. If we become winners, what sparks the change? If we remain losers, what was the nail in the coffin? Does McCaffrey find a way to stay healthy? Do we lose a key defensive starter to injury? Can the new coaches make things better or will the holdovers maintain the status quo? Does a young player suddenly catch fire? Does an older one finally hit the wall? What are the stories we're talking about at the end of the season?