Mr. Scot

My worry with Tepper is that he seems to believe he's one of these guys who can just big ball his way through the world, do things any way he wants and still be successful. Obviously, that's not working as an NFL team owner. Nor is it likely to. When I see him turn over the reins of the team to somebody that actually knows what they're doing, that's when I'll believe he's learned from his mistakes.

Balls, or lack thereof, isn't the problem with this team. It's a lack of brains that's at the heart of the issue.

Yeah, a bot posting stories doesn't mean they care what we think. Maybe if they had an actual person, you'd have an argument. They don't. Hell, if they really cared what we thought, Matt Rhule would probably be done by now. As to Newton, he was on the roster for six games, and didn't even start all of those. When Darnold was healthy they put him back in, even in obvious short yardage situations. So as far as Newton coming back, a few things: One: Sources, including some who would very much like to have Newton back, think the Panthers probably don't. Two: Newton isn't what he used to be, and while he did okay for a few games, he might not have a full season in him. Three: Perhaps most important, Newton has said that he's "not coming back for 5-12", and it's not real hard to figure out what he meant by that. I get that you want Newton back, and prime Newton back, but at some point you'll need to start accepting reality that it's likely not happening. And no wacky scenario your brain can come up with is going to change that.

My honest thoughts are that I worry a lot less about the process than I do about the people in charge. Put smart people in place and let them do their jobs.

It'd probably help if the interview process actually looked into issues like this and asked questions related to how a head coach approaches adversity, failure, etc. I mean, I'd take that over "He sounds smart, I've got good feelings and these meatballs are delicious. Let's hire him!"

If the biggest concern with Deshaun Watson were that he was getting older, I don't think too many people would have a problem. There's...other issues.

I prefer the "hand it over to somebody who knows what they're doing and get your dumb ass out of the way" approach myself.

Interesting choice of words I don't believe we're tanking. I think Tepper is indeed giving Matt Rhule a legitimate shot to turn it around. Mind you, I think it's a bad decision, it's going to fail and we may have missed out on a chance to get a far better head coach in place for the future, but hey...

Know how I know you haven't read their job histories?

Newton didn't get signed because someone from the Panthers read the Huddle and thought "Hey, that's a good idea". The whole notion is stupid and delusional. Not to mention that if any team official was dumb enough to go on the internet looking for ideas, we'd be even more screwed than we are now.

No, it didn't. And no, they're not. Nor should they.

Same as yours

Quick tip, dude: This board has exactly zero effect on what the Panthers do. So basically, even if you create a hundred more IDs and spout a thousand number-based theories, it's not going to make any difference whatsoever on what happens. This mission you're on is an utter waste of time.

Fixed

From Albert Breer's latest mailbag (link) From Mike Liddle (@mliddle17): If the Panthers were to sign a veteran, who would be the best option? Or should they stay away and get a young franchise QB in the draft? Mike, the Panthers are sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place here. The rock is Matt Rhule’s situation. It’s no secret that owner David Tepper wasn’t happy with the way last year ended, and the fact that Tepper hasn’t come out and publicly endorsed Rhule or his staff, fueling perception that Rhule’s seat has gotten toasty, won’t help the Panthers convince a veteran quarterback that Charlotte’s where he wants to be. If a Watson or Wilson has options, why go to a place where upheaval might be a year away? The hard place is the draft class. I had one veteran evaluator tell me that Ole Miss’s Matt Corral had the best week of any quarterback at the Senior Bowl—by virtue of being the only one of the top guys who wasn’t in the game (Corral wasn’t eligible). It was that bad, and there will be teams that don’t have a first-round grade on any of the quarterbacks in this class. So if the Panthers can’t get a guy like Watson to come and don’t like the quarterbacks in the draft class? We’re probably going to be talking about someone like Garoppolo.

I'll grant that there are some good free agent linemen out there, but I'm not so sure it's a very deep class. Once the top one or two are gone at each spot (and some may never hit free agency at all) it's kinda underwhelming. For whatever talent is out there though, I have two questions: 1. Can we recognize it? To me, the answer to this depends on whether Rhule listens to James Campen. I'm hoping Campen tells him, "You know, versatility isn't necessarily needed in starters". 2. Can we acquire them? THis is the tougher question. It's up to Fitterer to find the answer here. OL talent is likely to be at a premium this year, and we don't have a huge amount of space.

Anybody look at that formula and see the Panthers?

That's gonna require someone explaining to Matt Rhule that versatility isn't the most important characteristic you need to look for in a lineman.

I've said before that there's been enough hyperbole about Tepper's persona to build a Chuck Norris style "David Tepper Facts" website. That's probably still true in a lot of the media (Schrager giving credence to the idea that we could get Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson, for example) but for many Panther fans it would seem the bloom is off the rose. Granted he's still got a few fawning, slurping sycophants here but pretty much nobody pays those guys any heed.

I've heard a hundred different huddlers say basically the same thing on this board pretty much since he bought the team. Yet to see any of it actually play out in the real world.

Person actually mentioned something I hadn't thought about regarding Garoppolo. Panthers VP of Player Personnel Pat Stewart was part of the Patriots scouting group that drafted him. That connection could make a difference, dependent of course on what Stewart thinks of Garoppolo now.

Makes a lot of sense...

If he wins 5 games again but still gets another year then Tepper is even dumber than we thought. (which I grant is legitimately possible)

You laugh, but he might actually believe it. Said elsewhere he clearly thinks Rhule can still succeed with a few upgrades to his coaching staff. (and then Tepper can step up and take credit for suggesting it, of course)

I'm still not convinced that Tepper understands yet just how truly dumb a hire Matt Rhule was. The coaching staff thing would indicate he believes that, with a little tweaking, Rhule can still be a success and, by extension, he can still look like a genius. I'd say it's way more likely that when this season is over, he's going to come off looking like an even bigger doofus than he already does.