Mr. Scot

Well, we moved up one spot in Peter King's rankings at least. He puts us above the Texans.

The basic premise of the article is that the Panthers needed to fix two things after last year - those being the offensive line and the quarterback position - and they look to have seemingly fixed one of the two. Hence the primary question and discussion now revolves around how to correct the second issue. Mayfield is one option, and in Alexander's opinion, the best one. In my opinion, that conclusion is highly debatable.

More info on the quarterback situation from Albert Breer... The Panthers’ quarterback situation remains in flux. New offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo had hopes he could turn Sam Darnold around, and there’s reason for cautious optimism there—coming back from the weekend following the team’s first week of on-field work, Darnold made a big jump. Meanwhile, rookie Matt Corral picked up the offense nicely, coming from Lane Kiffin’s simplistic, RPO-heavy scheme at Ole Miss. He flashed competitiveness and a whip for a right arm, has had no issues through lighter install days and managed himself well through the heavier installs. Corral is lights-out after the snap but still swimming mentally a little before the snap. So where does that leave the Panthers? The two operative questions, along those lines, then are whether Darnold can build enough belief in those around him after the way last year went, and how quickly Corral comes along. I don’t think Carolina has the answer to either one of those questions yet, and may not for a while, which leaves the door open for Baker Mayfield. But for Carolina to do it, my sense is the Browns would have to eat a healthy majority of Mayfield’s $18.858 million number for 2022. So for now, they’re monitoring that situation, with how the spring goes for Darnold and Corral, one way or the other, over the next month a big variable that could change their posture with Cleveland. Of course, if the Browns eat more salary sooner, I think the possibility exists he could be moved to Carolina (or Seattle) in the next few weeks. MMQB

As far as quarterback, their time is being spent evaluating veteran options and whether that's the best path forward. As far as other spots, I have no doubt those are being evaluated as well.

In a non-paywall article, The Observer's Jonathan Alexander talks about how that Panthers can improve for the coming season. Analysis: How the Panthers can avoid their fifth consecutive losing season (fifth consecutive? damn, that hurts) It's a good article overall, and includes a surprising note regarding draft night. Alexander says that Matt Corral could have been in consideration at pick six, but the more highly touted Kenny Pickett and Malik Willis were not. In a trade, Carolina wanted Cleveland to pay the majority of Mayfield’s $18.9 million guaranteed salary, somewhere in the range of $13-14 million. Those conversations stalled and Carolina traded up to get Corral, who was their favorite quarterback in the 2022 draft class, with the 94th pick. They also strongly considered quarterback Sam Howell, two sources said. Neither Kenny Pickett nor Malik Willis were under serious consideration. Regarding veteran possibilities, Alexander called Baker Mayfield "the best and most likely option"... Finding a veteran rental who is an upgrade would allow Corral to sit and develop. Mayfield seems like the best, and most likely option over San Francisco’s Jimmy Garoppolo even if Panthers receiver Robbie Anderson isn’t thrilled with the idea of Mayfield coming to Charlotte. But Garoppolo’s recent shoulder surgery, as well as his injury history, is a far greater concern for some within the organization. The Panthers want no part of his $26.9 million salary, and the 49ers haven’t shown a willingness to take to carry those payments in a trade. The Panthers are open to signing quarterback Cam Newton, but he would not enter camp as the starter, and would have to agree to a smaller salary. Discussions with the Browns and other teams will likely continue, but the Panthers are more likely to wait until the Browns potentially cut Mayfield to pick him up, sources have said.

Anymore, I'm not confident I could do 72 laps in my bathtub

For context, the poster I quoted is most likely the latest version of our most persistent recidivist, aka Chuck.

Sizzlebuzz supporting Jimmy was likely to doom that scenario anyway Thing about Mayfield though is that we're not the only team reported to have interest in him. As an aside, there's apparently a story that he and his wife recently visited somewhere in the general vicinity of Seattle. Mind you, that doesn't constitute a definitive connection to the Seahawks.

There are several. Here's one: Back when Brady was a free agent two years ago he wanted to join up with the 49ers. They were his first choice before the Buccaneers ended up winning his favor. Alas, the 49ers elected not to pursue Brady after consideration. They decided that sticking with Jimmy Garoppolo, fresh off of a Super Bowl appearance, was the best move for them going forward. SI.com It's one reason why many believe the "y'all are gonna stick with that motherf--ker" comment was referencing the 49ers and Garoppolo.

Newton ran a Zone Read offense, not an RPO. There are similarities, but they're not the same thing. RPOs have emerged more recently while use of the zone read has been significantly reduced (at the pro level, at least). Those of us who haven't been banned a dozen times or more by them might feel differently.

Meanwhile... What could go wrong?

Hopefully...

Sounds like it might actually happen...

Do we need a kicker though? Gonzalez did pretty well last year.

Granted he's probably better than Rhule (that's a low bar to clear) but I'd like to aim for higher than consistent 7-9 records.

Best wishes, LP. Lady Cowboy Fan is almost walking normally again. She took me out yesterday to get a new phone. They've told her that her next surgery will be in August so I guess we'll start the whole process over then.

The idea that the next option might be bad is never a sufficient reason to stick with one that you already know is bad.

This may be a difficult concept for you to grasp, but things...change. There was a time when the Texans flatly refused to even discuss trading Watson, but over time, their feelings on the topic evolved. To his credit, McClain was actually one of the first to predict that the Texans would eventually back off their stance and deal Watson, and he was of course proven right. But heck, even if he did make mistakes, someone who's never correctly predicted anything certainly wouldn't have any room to talk about him

Lots of questions about Lance...

Don't really care how low the price is if I don't want him.

From Vic Tafur in The Athletic... Panthers Under 5.5 (+115) The Panthers improved their offensive line. Too bad Sam Darnold is still the QB. There is still some question as to whether Matt Rhule knows what he is doing, which is not ideal in Year 3. They have a shot thanks to their friendly schedule, but if they don’t split their first four games against the Browns, Giants, Saints and Cardinals, or sweep the Falcons, they are in big, big trouble. NFL win totals, over/unders and best bets for all 32 teams Tafur is a long time Raiders beat writer now working for The Athletic as a national reporter.

I feel like that a lot, but I guess that's why I'm seeing a neurologist