Mr. Scot

Maybe we just need to sign the kid on the right. He plays defensive tackle. The fact that he's only 14 could make it difficult though

Something like that... I think we can all agree though that Snow isn't going anywhere unless Rhule is fired first. If Wilks were elevated to interim head coach, Al Holcomb (currently listed as assistant head coach for defense) probably gets the DC job.

Still not official. Possibly tomorrow...

Sorry guys, but you can't go retiring every number that belonged to a player you liked. This is one case where I actually agree with Tepper. With all the Hall of Famers in their history, the Steelers could retire a load of numbers, but they don't. Retiring Sam Mills number made sense because Mills was more than just a good player. Newton? Kuechly? Smith? I can see equipment managers holding them back for a few years, but retiring them? Nah.

Talented players? Sure. We had that last year too. What we didn't have was a DC who could effectively counter pro-style adjustments by opposing offenses. We still don't. Snow might get more help from guys like Steve Wilks this year but I think he's in over his head...just like his boss.

I can't speak for you, but the notion that we should be excited about a bunch of guys who gave up and quit last year being a lot better going into this year... Isn't one that I find especially logical

If they "mailed it in", then they're not the second best defense in the league by any stat. And frankly, I don't care if they gave up the fewest yards in NFL history if in the process they still gave up a load of points.

It's totally bogus. Yards are a sh-tty stat to judge by. Can you seriously tell me you watched that defense down the stretch last year and call them the second best defense in the league with a straight face?

"I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to retire as many, ... you know there's a lot of Hall of Famers on the Pittsburgh Steelers, you know any of them? I'm going to retire as many numbers as the Pittsburgh Steelers have." "How many is that?" Smith Sr. asked. "None," Tepper said with a laugh. Link Equipment managers are sometimes reluctant to resissue numbers, but Tepper isn't holding ny back. And let's be honest: Newton could be in his 40s and not having played for 10 years and there's still going to be a vocal portion of the fanbase saying we need to re-sign him.

Did you miss the back and forth between Tepper and Steve Smith during one of last year's preseason games?

Possibly, but I also think a pretty solid portion of the fanbase realizes Newton isn't coming back.

Pete Carmichael has been the Saints OC since 2009. Probably more important how well he knows the offense than Dennis Allen.

I don't know that it'd be as huge a "nightmare" as you think, but I also don't believe they'll go that route either way.

He's not official yet. Person says the official signing likely happens tomorrow.

That #2 ranking is bogus.

Actually, there is one other QB number available

Only if our college coaching staff actually figures out that pro teams adjust at halftime. Hopefully guys like McAdoo and Wilks being on board makes a difference there.

I'm hopeful on Gross-Matos, but not convinced yet.

The factors for me... Personnel acquisition prior to this offseason was skewed to the defensive side of the ball. Defensive player acquisition has tended to emphasize speed over power. Rhule and Snow basically built a defense that was heavily geared toward defending the pass. Defense looked good early but once teams figured out they could run on us, it fell apart. Not sure if Snow tried any major changes or adjustments, but if he did, it didn't show. Bottom Line for me: What defensive improvement we've seen is probably due to the personnel emphasis, but the coaching and scheme have been lacking. Not sure that changes this year.

Who replaces him that's better against the run, though? General read is that the pass rush opposite Burns is "by committee" at this point.

Winston's got a lot worse accusations in his past than the crab leg thing

Honestly haven't seen any... Have read loads of "cougar" jokes

General concensus is the Mayfield trade "slams the door" on Newton being a Panther again. That's probably reasonable to conclude.

Uuummm... Don't know how credible this is but it's all over the place.