Mr. Scot

But what if...he's not?

After reading Joe Person's "alignment" article, I get the feeling Matt Rhule isn't looking to draft a quarterback. But Scott Fitterer is. Fitterer has talked a lot about "doing things the right way", drafting a young quarterback and building around him. But that requires patience. Rhule can't necessarily afford to be patient, and David Tepper apparently just isn't. So and it seemed that if Scott Fitterer gets his way, we'll be drafting a quarterback. If Matt Rhule wins, we'll be going after a free agent.

NFLrums is bullsh-t.

Scenario I could see playing out... Fitterer wants to draft one of the three QBs rather than go free agent. Rhule is talked into it, but on the condition that Pickett is the choice. Tepper agrees and that's the pick.

According to Joe Person at the Athletic, head coach Matt Rhule was much more interested in trading down for more picks but in the end general manager Marty Hurney wanted Brown and overruled him. Link

Fletcher?

Would you be okay with him on a trade back scenario?

Penning?

Correct. Hurney specifically wanted Derrick Brown.

From what I read, it sounds like Fitterer wants to do things "the right way", i.e. draft a quarterback and build around him (with Person noting that a lot of the pieces have already been put in place this offseason). Rhule and Tepper, on the other hand, seem to be wanting to win now. Rhule especially so because he needs to save his job. Basically, it sounds like if we draft a quarterback it'll mean Fitterer won the debate. If we sign a free agent or trade for one, it'll be Matt Rhule.

How well are Fitterer and Rhule synched when it comes to the direction of the team? Joe Person asks that question here: Panthers QB decision could say a lot-about how aligned Matt Rhule and Scott Fitterer are Excerpts... Scott Fitterer laid out what he called the ideal scenario for building a roster around a drafted quarterback. This is what the Seahawks did with Russell Wilson when Fitterer was Seattle’s college scouting director. This is not what the Panthers did the past two seasons with Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Darnold. “Ideally, you have a young guy that you can drop in there. That’s the most cost-efficient way to do it,” Fitterer said. “Surround him with veteran talent, have a young quarterback on a cost-efficient contract. That’s a great way to build your team. We did that in Seattle. That’s probably the right way to build it — draft and develop. That’d be a really good plan for us moving forward.” And then Fitterer felt compelled to add a caveat: “But,” he said, “we’re open to all options.” ... And as the Panthers prepare for their third season under head coach Matt Rhule, the quarterback decision gets at the heart of a bigger question hovering over the organization: How well aligned are Rhule, who has final roster say as part of his seven-year contract, and Fitterer, who arrived a year after Rhule and has the reputation of being a sharp talent evaluator and a consensus-builder? “I think we’re very aligned,” Fitterer said. “We believe in building it up front. We want to build on defense — offensive and defensive line. Obviously, quarterback is a part of this. He’s very aggressive, and I think that fits my nature, as well. We’re aggressive as a staff, as an organization. That’s our philosophy.” ... That aggressiveness starts at the top with team owner David Tepper, whose affinity for shiny new objects was most recently evident in his unsuccessful yearlong pursuit of Deshaun Watson, despite the allegations by 22 women of sexual assault or sexual misconduct by Watson during massage sessions. Aggressiveness is a close cousin to impatience, and both were evident last season when the Panthers misjudged how close they were to contending, prompting them to bring back quarterback Cam Newton and make in-season trades for defensive backs C.J. Henderson and Stephon Gilmore. ... But back to quarterback: As Fitterer said, the prudent approach would be to draft a quarterback and continue to add players around him while he’s on his rookie contract. ... Experts say this year’s quarterback class pales in comparison with last year when the Panthers passed on Justin Fields and Mac Jones with the No. 8 pick. But some around the league — including a couple with the Panthers — believe this quarterbacks group is better than people think. The Panthers would have to be willing to accept some growing pains if they took one of these quarterbacks with the sixth pick, or later if they were to trade back. That will require patience — from an owner who’s endured four losing seasons since buying the team, and a head coach who might be coaching for his job this year. Thus, Fitterer’s caveat that the Panthers are open to all options. ... When the Browns won the Watson sweepstakes, the dominoes started falling in a quarterbacks market that has been pretty well picked over. But there are some guys out there if the Panthers want to try the retread approach again, including Jimmy Garoppolo and Baker Mayfield. The Panthers can afford to play the long game with Garoppolo since A) he’s still recovering from shoulder surgery; and B) no one else seems to be clamoring for him. Both of those points mean the Panthers wouldn’t have to give up much for Garoppolo, which is helpful considering the Panthers don’t have much to give. ... Garoppolo might get the Panthers into the playoffs if everything around him is just right and he stays healthy. He’s certainly an upgrade over Darnold, who — along with his $18.9 million salary — remains on the roster and serves as a reminder of what happens when teams reach at the position. ... As he did at the combine, Fitterer was clear the Panthers plan to add another quarterback. Depending on whether it’s a stopgap guy like Garoppolo or one of the quarterbacks from the draft could tell us a lot about who’s calling the shots. “Quarterbacks are hard to find,” Fitterer said. “Sometimes you have to swing and take a shot at these guys. And if you miss, you can’t stop swinging. You have to take a shot again.”

Newton was a Brett Favre level passer. He improved significantly in his short to intermediate throwing once Norv Turner took over as his OC.

Te-bow is probably the best example of a running quarterback I've seen in a long, long time. His mechanics were so horrible I wouldn't even call what he did "passing". It was more like "flinging".

I never understand why people think everything posted in here is part of some kind of mission or grand purpose. I posted this because it was Panther related and I found it interesting. Sheesh

Nothing against him. He just wasn't that good.

They already did.

Standard canned response from the Panthers...

Count yourself lucky.

Which is hypocritical for an organization (and an owner) who have promised to be better than what we had under Jerry Richardson.

Carter wasn't really a starting quality MLB for us. He basically won the job because Denzel Perryman was a dick.

He definitely torpedoed himself.

To which I'd respond "Is it okay to do stuff like that as long as you can play quarterback?"

Heard the Browns introductory presser didn't exactly present great optics for them.

I'm guessing that was before the story came out that he doesn't want us and we don't want him.