Khyber53

You're right about all of this. I do think, however, we have from Burns what we will get (unless the attention he garnered from o-lines was what broke Reddick free). And if this is what Burns gives us every season from here on out, he'll be fine and have a long career. Peppers was never the same without Rucker on the other sideline. If Burns is this generations Rucker then, yeah, we're good with that. YGM, I believe, is going to just be a rotational guy, but an important one. Fox as well. And Brown needs to make this his biggest year, either as a disruptive force or an immovable object. Leadership along that line is needed, too, as evidenced by the lack of strength vs the run. Luuvu was good, better back there than any LB not named Shaq Thompson. Can he be a starter for a whole season? I think I'd be willing to see it and see him develop. But I also want to see Chinn move back to LB where he had the biggest impact. Still, we're only going as far as our coaching and team building and that means we're not going far under the Rhule regime. Sad, but true.

I've wondered about that and thought maybe it was partly a case of New England wanting to get Gilmore off the books and out of the locker room, so we did them a solid in hopes of building a trading relationship for the future. Or we just kinda overpaid for a short-term resource because we weren't very savvy . That could just as easily be the case.

Um, not in the least. Cam couldn't function behind a bad offensive line during his career (2015's line was better on the field than it was on paper) and no one can mentor you on surviving behind a line when play designs take five to seven seconds to develop. We shouldn't take a QB this year unless it is late in the draft as a future back up. They build the line, they might salvage this coming season.

I'd postulate that sometimes bad coaches get players hurt. And Taylor's coaching should be commended. He and his staff made a team that was supposed to be a year or two away into something really remarkable. Burrow is amazing, but Matt Stafford was too in all those years in Detroit. Coaching matters.

So eloquently and efficiently put. You are exactly right on all counts here.

To quote Yeats: "Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world," Without a great center, you'll never have a line that lives up to its potential. Take Linderbaum.

Thanks for trying but we hired a rank amateur as a coach and he is showing signs of regressing. We also were bought by a rank amateur and regressing or not, we're stuck with him. On the management side, he may also be a dud but the other two guys are so bad a clear picture can't be made of him yet. As to the losses of stars/coaches on other NFCSouth teams, there's still better built, better coached and better motivated teams in each of those cities than in ours. And that hurts. Years back I warned before we jettisoned Ron Rivera that while the change was needed, what was coming might very well be worse than he was, just because that can be the nature of things. History has so far proven me right. And I really want to be wrong about this.

Honestly, though, how much positive is there to talk about? I'd love to have something to talk about on the good side, but we're in a tough straight right now. Three years of five win seasons and some honestly embarrassing play on the field hasn't left us with a lot to go on for upbeat discussion. And by God, I really need something upbeat about right now. In truth, so many of us are just stuck wanting to see a change because what is happening in Carolina right now doesn't seem to be working... at all. I want us to be pushing deep into the play offs, I want to be excited about upcoming games and the draft. Heck, I'd be excited as can be just to say we were competitive. Maybe there will be a miracle this year. Maybe not. I just don't know. Wish I did.

We'll take anything we can get for him.

Wins the thread. Hands down.

Exactly the same arm length as Ryan Kalil. That'll do. Spend the pick.

Am I not right in thinking at one time recently we had a decent amount of cap space? WTF did we do? It's like we sent the kids to the store and they came back with a six pack of Tab, two bags of Cool Ranch Doritos and $1.38 in loose change. Is this the crap we have to show for close to $200 million??? Of the top 3 we have effin' Sam Darnold and Robby Anderson??? I know, I know Shaq Thompson is #2 between those guys but he's more valuable than the two of them put together! Do I read it right that we've got $14 million in dead money tied up in Matt Paradis, Haason Reddick and Tre Boston???

He had some successes. So far, Tepper hasn't had a one. Hate all him all you want, and it may well be justified, but you still have to give the Devil his due.

I'm beginning to think of the trio, Tepper was the worst.

Man, that was a great article on technique. A bit of jiu-jitsu and a lot of physics there. Thanks!

D'Marco Jackson's game shares a lot with how Will Witherspoon used to play here, but with a bit more snaky-ness to squeeze through gaps in the line. Picking him up in the late rounds would be great. He could be a rotational player in a 3-4 right off the bat and might be the answer to filling the LB spot Chinn left when he was moved to S. Definitely would make a special teams impact if played there -- great sideline to sideline speed and a solid tackler in pursuit.

Or whatever @Verge says. They're always the most learned when it comes to draft prospects. Pure respect here.

Linderbaum. Excellent blocker in pass and run game, but more than anything he just has an immense football IQ. He could be a Luke Kuechly for linemen. Whoever gets him, and I hope we do, will see a massive improvement to their line, not just because of physical skills but because of his leadership and ability to correctly call protection. Some scouts say he is just shy of the optimal weight, but a pro weight room and nutrition program could solve that before training camp. And center is traditionally the smallest guy on the line. We can't go forward with Elflein or Paradis at the position. They were both decent in their days, but injuries and time have downgraded them mightily. Take Linderbaum, make a lasting commitment to the line and don't look back. It's the best pick for the long term improvement of this team.

They gave him a new contract. And they had to have known he did this last summer. Not to mention, they had to have seen his play on the field. And they still gave him a contract.

I know what I want the Panthers to do (take Linderbaum at 6 and not look back). I know what the Panthers will do, though... try to be the smartest guy in the room again and either trade way back and miss the cream of the crop, or take something silly like another DB at 6.

Sometimes the truth is that way.

The guy is speaking the truth. And Rhule won't make it past our bye week unless something truly miraculous happens. Hate that it didn't work out, hate that we're still working on it, just thinking all parties need to move on before the effects really become long term.

One idiot interviewing another.

You're going to find better and quickly. If they cheated you on that PTO, then it says a lot about who they are when the times get tough. Your next employer could be 10x better. Good luck!

2022 is turning into the monster sibling of 2020 and 2021. It looks like it will tear through our Panthers, too. Please, let someone like Tampa start pursuing him instead.