Mr. Scot

Getzenberg was talking about that in the article referenced by the other thread. Unless we settle our QB issues soon, we're probably gonna be talking about that for years.

Finally got to where I could read it. Excerpts: The Panthers have holes all over the field, from offensive and defensive line to tight end and cornerback. Those needs have to be addressed, especially the lines, for any quarterback to come in to help lead a team to success. But there’s no denying finding a quarterback for the long-term is a key element in the NFL. It’s the reason why so many teams are in the hunt for one this offseason. Deshaun Watson’s surprise potential availability simply shifts the landscape for finding one. ... Just a year after the signing, the Panthers are including Bridgewater in trade proposals (see Matthew Stafford) and no public support has been given from Tepper, Rhule or Fitterer for Bridgewater being the Week 1 starter in 2021. But despite that, there’s a solid chance he will be. ... Tepper is very interested in bringing Watson to Carolina, as The Observer has reported over the last month. That sentence a year ago would have been shocking, which is another lesson that predicting anything too far into the future in the NFL is a waste of time. The quarterback dominoes continuing to fall, including Carson Wentz heading to Indianapolis, are evidence of that. It’s something to keep an eye on, but first the Houston Texans have to agree to trade Watson or engage in conversation about doing so, which they’ve said they won’t do. Taking a quarterback in the draft is of course on the table. Bridgewater being the starter in 2021 is arguably the strongest possibility; his $23 million cap hit makes a trade for him less likely, despite any wishes from Carolina. With regard to Bridgewater, she pretty much echoes what Voth was saying.

It's kind of like Two Face's coin. Probably not a stretch to say that Tepper was likely to move on from Newton regardless. We either needed to get a replacement that was going to be really good (with Justin Herbert likely being our best shot at that, but we fell one pick short) or just roll with somebody that was going to help us get the highest pick possible. Instead, we did what we always seemed to do under Marty; be just bad enough to miss the playoffs but just good enough to keep us out of range for the best draft prospects. I'm hoping those years are behind us. I won't miss them at all.

Our resident Kung Fu Master said something similar, and it's valid.

I could live with giving up Donte but both Rhule and Fitterer have talked him up as part of the future. I'd say they think more of him than I do. And of course it's their call.

Yeah, if I had that signature now it would probably be four empty slots and a picture representing the franchise tag

I'd say we're a lot closer to having a great D-Line than we are to having a great O-Line.

The word out of Houston has been that if they do the trade (which is definitely not happening right now) they'll want at least one and possibly two defensive starters in return. Brian Burns, Jeremy Chinn and Donte Jackson have been mentioned as examples. Burns probably makes the most sense since he'd give them a shot of replacing what they had in JJ Watt.

Me too, but it's been a while since we've had a line that I felt good about putting there.

Have done that before and might do that later, just not in a position to do it right now.

Any chance you could talk about the offensive line situation without using the word "Little"?

She's really good. Was just talking in another thread about Tepper being a bit of an ass to her at the Fitterer press conference.

Judy Batista thinks the Carson Wentz trade could serve as something of a "market correction".

I'm hitting the pay wall. Is it by Alaina Getzenberg or Jonathan Alexander?

My thing with Stafford is that we made an aggressive but still reasonable offer. Obviously it would take more to trade for Watson, but as long as that deal can still be considered "aggressive but reasonable" I'd be fine with it. If we don't get him under those conditions, that's disappointing but it's not the end of the world. If we do get him, but it's because Tepper stepped in and directed his football people to do more than they otherwise would have, that might be a good short term outcome but it's a bad precedent for the future.

I don't really think anybody is saying Teddy can be "the guy". It's more a thought that despite the team doing their best to replace him, that's what it might come down to. It's kind of like with the Matt Stafford trade. They gave it a good shot without overpaying, but weren't able to deal the deal. I'm okay with that. Another year of Bridgewater would suck, but I don't think it would be because of a lack of effort.

There are some people being stupid b-tches, but they're not players.

I definitely believe he should be. I seriously don't know if he is.

No it's not. In fact, it's a disaster waiting to happen. Tepper indicated during Scott Fitterer's press conference that he was going to let the football people do their jobs without interference. And if he's smart, that's exactly what he'll do.

He's one of those guys that I definitely think is better off not doing many press conferences. His getting a little snippy with Alaina Getzenberg when she was having technical issues was kind of a "come on, man" moment too.

I don't doubt he'll be aggressive, and I'm all for aggressive, but there are a couple of things worth noting. My biggest concern is the Jerry Jones scenario. Let's say Fitterer and Rhule see a proposed trade scenario and say "no, that's too much to give up". I'd prefer Tepper accept their judgment. If he comes in and overrides them, that's a bad thing. Also worth pointing out that Tepper is on a level playing field here. Yes, he typically gets what he wants because in most cases he's got more money and power than anybody else, but that's not the case here. Being the richest NFL owner doesn't necessarily make you the most powerful (again, ask Jerry Jones).⁰

Impatience is the source of a lot of bad decisions.

No argument. I know there are some folks who think we're just a good quarterback away from being a contender but I look at the roster more like you do.

The part about needing Houston to make a wise choice is where the plan fails.

I like Sam Howell better than any of the three options behind Lawrence. But planning for a quarterback in next year's draft isn't really practical.