Mr. Scot

This is probably accurate. Hate it for the kid, but...

Guys, please. You're gonna draw the numerology guy out of hiding

Here's the full discussion of the Watson saga... AFTER TWO YEARS together, Rhule and Tepper were spinning in a circle entering the 2022 offseason, facing an identical scenario at quarterback from the previous year: Pursuing a splashy quarterback trade that was difficult to consummate while sifting through bridge options. And all this while owing nearly $20 million to Darnold. A desperate organization considered an explosive option: Deshaun Watson. The Panthers had eyed Watson after he requested a trade from the Houston Texans in January 2021 but before he was accused by more than two dozen women of sexual misconduct during massage sessions, behavior that ultimately resulted in an 11-game NFL suspension. But the allegations didn't end the Panthers' pursuit as Rhule, Fitterer and Tepper plotted ways to land the former Clemson star. Watson was scheduled to meet with four teams -- the Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons and Cleveland Browns -- shortly after a grand jury declined to pursue criminal charges against him in March 2022. A source close to Watson said the quarterback thought "super highly of" the Panthers after a meeting with Tepper, Rhule and Fitterer. On the day Watson agreed to a trade to Cleveland that included a market-shattering, fully guaranteed deal of $230 million, ESPN reported the Panthers had balked at Watson's demand for the full guarantee. A source close to Watson says that doesn't tell the whole story. Carolina was not Watson's first choice, though the Panthers were heavily in the mix at the end. Also, the notion throughout the league that Rhule was on the hot seat was a concern. "The uncertainty with the coaching staff was a factor," the source said. Yeah, no solid clues from any of that

I don't know how many chances I give him if they keep running him like they did last game. Honestly, that's one of the reasons why I question the idea of Ken Dorsey as a head coach because I'm worried he might be doing the same to Josh Allen. (Allen certainly has better talent around him, of course)

There actually is a systemic reason, but it's not just tied to Ohio State. Some years back, a guy with some experience in an NFL office (forget his name, might have Floyd Reese but I'm not for sure) talked with an NFL analyst about how colleges were producing a lot fewer NFL quality quarterbacks then they had in the past. Changes in the systems, including a lot of teams going from "run the offense" quarterbacks to "be the offense" guys was a factor. Same sort of thing with receivers as it had become hard to find anybody who could run a full route tree. There are still colleges who run a pro style offense, but they're way more rare than they once were. And it means the adjustment from college to the pros is a lot bigger deal now than it was.

I'll give you that the coaching change might make a big difference, but at least at the moment Fields isn't doing him any favors. (granted, Matt Nagy didn't do Fields any favors either)

All I know is that a lot of people said Darnold looked good. Technically he was supposed to have looked good in camp last year as well, so how seriously do you take it? What I ultimately take from the story though is this question: If Rhule had no intention of starting anybody but Baker, why the hell did he have that dumbass quarterback competition in the first place? Was it just so he could look like he gave Darnold a chance? Great. That means you sacrificed reps that could have been used to get the starter ready just to bolster your own image. And then after all that, he came out saying that the quarterback competition "really brought the locker room together". Good grief I think that statement is the one shining moment in the entire dung pile where he looked the most like a complete clown.

I don't necessarily get a lot of agreement, but I've said before (and still think) that a lot of quarterbacks who wound up busting in the NFL could have been successful if they'd gotten the right coaching David Carr is generally my prime example, but Justin Fields could very easily be another one.

It was a story that came out during the ownership bids. Source was probably Albert Breer but I can't say that for certain. Breer was the one who had the best information during the process. (heck, it's probably still posted on The Huddle if the archives go back that far) Rubin now owns or partially owns an NBA team (I forget which one).

It's valid to add that Tepper had the cash when Navarro didn't. But Michael Rubin likely had the cash too, and the NFL effectively bluffed him out of the chase.

Stroud may indeed be different, but it's also fair to point out that people said the same thing about Fields. What's uppermost in my mind right now is who we get as a coach. The type of offense they want to run might have a significant effect on our choices.

I'm just talking about Buckeye quarterbacks. Those guys weren't taken in the first for a reason. I've seen the LSU and Oregon lists too. Thing of it is, for as much as people decry "scouting helmets" there's usually a systemic reason things like that happen.

I mean, when you have an "auction" where something is supposed to go to the highest bidder and it ends up going to the lowest, there's just a chance there's been some shenanigans afoot

I've seen Stroud play, I've seen Young play and I've seen Hooker play (Young and Hooker in that amazing Alabama-Tennessee game). The others I've mainly only seen highlight tape of, or haven't seen at all. Clearly I've got a lot of catching up to do since it's pretty much a given we're gonna be taking a quarterback this draft.

Before Haskins, there was Cardale Jones, Terrelle Pryor and Troy Smith. My worry with Fields now is that I think the Bears are going to try to use him primarily as a runner in the kind of offense we ran with Newton and the Falcons did with Vick. (we did it better, but Newton was better than Vick anyway so ..) The problem with that kind of attack is that it's not really sustainable for any kind of long-term. It also has an unfortunate tendency to shorten your quarterback's career.

Wonder if Wal Mart guy would've bought the Panthers then. As far as Tepper, I know the NFL told one of the other potential buyers (Michael Rubin, I think) that if he wasn't prepared to spend at least 5 billion he should drop out of the race. He did. Tepper ultimately bought the team for less than half that.

The thing with Walker is I think a lot of us are wondering when the proverbial clock strikes midnight and he steps out of his glass slipper. (probably some saying the same thing about Steve Wilks for that matter) Wish him the best, but I wouldn't say my expectations are high.

That seems to be a thing these days...

Navarro was the guy a lot of people wanted, me included. I did have a concern though. Specifically, that he seemed too friendly with the Richardson family (Jerry;s son Mark actually endorsed him). It made me worry that he might listen to Jerry regarding team direction and such, like keeping Marty Hurney around as GM for example. But then of course Tepper did that anyway

And a lot of it

This one line... "He expects football guys to be 100% right, like they are evaluating a balance sheet, and sometimes they are flat-out wrong," the source said. ...chills my soul. Dear Lord, I hope he's gotten that idea out of his head by now

The NFL was never gonna allow anybody but David Tepper to buy the Panthers.

Guess they took the Panthers seriously when they said they weren't trading Burns. (which was smart because...they're not)

I see the hip twist you're talking about. Makes it look easy... (been trying to coach my grandson to use more hip motion to help his soccer kicks) Pretty good sales job. I'm intrigued.