Khyber53

Right now we see shade in every movement and moment of this organization. I think less is being thrown on purpose than is being cast by simple shrugs and hands thrown up in the air in exasperation. We've got to quit acting like the organization actually knows what it is doing and is actually doing what they have planned.

It's kind of funny that people think fans could make a team owner sell...

I've been wondering about this for a long time. Right now, he's our star DE and he just isn't meant to be that guy. When we drafted him, Rivera was looking at moving the defense to a 3-4 alignment and Burns was perfect for the transitional team and then to be a rushing LB. The guy is just built for that role, not as a hand in the dirt DE on a 4-3 alignment. He gets sacks, and he gets pressures, he gets tackles for losses, but they are all against his natural position. If he had a 3-4 DE in front of him tying up blockers, you'd be seeing some really disruptive play out of the guy. If we are planning on staying with a 4-3 alignment, then he's not going to be worth the investment we'll have to make and he'll never hit his full potential. And I like the guy, I really do. He's always been a great Panther, he's just not built to be on the line. And let's not get into his rush defense... he's great in chase mode, but he can get trucked if the play is designed to go his way. It's all going to depend on what the next HC wants this team to be.

He sure thought that one time would help, according to what he said. So if it could help him in one dose, it could also harm him in one dose. The Packers have an Aaron Rodgers problem, one that has gotten bigger over the last four years. Of course now, his on field performance is falling off, so it's a bit more obvious. He's that crazy girlfriend that was soooo much fun and full of life until the crazy eyes started popping.

Why do I get the feeling that Frank Reich is going to do much better in his next HC gig? He just strikes me as one of those that really makes a move after a failure. (And honestly, his overall record there hasn't been horrible...)

I sure wouldn't.

True but looking at Mayfield and Darnold on our squad, it shows how frikkin' hard it is to make a good pick at the top of the draft... even when it should be a no-brainer. I'm not a big Fitt fan, but he seemed to nail this one. And I think the kid is still on the learning curve. He could be great in time.

Thanks. I'm on a lot of cold meds right now. My brain is a little more fuzzy than normal.

Nobody is saying it, but maybe it wasn't a good idea for an NFL QB to take some time to "expand his consciousness" with mind-altering hallucinogenics in the offseason. I mean, sure, what could it hurt to mess with your brain chemistry when your career and legacy depend on your processing ability, film study and fine manipulation of the game? I think the guy did this to himself.

A lot of folks said that for the Giants coming into this season. And there they are, right in the thick of it. Right folks, right coaching... and stay away from injuries. And it's not like our division is highly competitive anymore, by any stretch of the imagination.

Our run defense shows that he's not that great of a linebackers coach. Shaq and Luvu look out of position on every play (probably because they are called on too much in pass defense). This has not been a Carolina-style linebacker group, yet we have the personnel for it to be one.

I really, really like DJ and I really can't stand Rodgers. Win-win in my book.

Right now, I think PJ is making a case to be in the QB room next season. Mayfield won't be there. Darnold probably won't either and he definitely won't if he doesn't see the field this year (which has a good chance of happening). I think we look at PJ and Matt Corral going into next season. Depending on how Matt has done with the play book and how he recovers, he could be the starter or the back-up still on the learning track. That would allow us to address DE immediately and I think we need to do that. Burns can't get it done without someone on the other side to really press a defense. YGM isn't doing it and he's really just a rotational guy. We need someone that will command double teams on the outside and pull some of the pressure off of Burns. You never know, we could enter the arms race for a proven vet QB who is looking for a new contract. Jackson from Baltimore may not have a deal done before the legal tampering season opens... Still, PJ shows more promise now than I ever thought he would. Good on him and I hope he continues to grow. It sure would a miracle for us to find out that the answer really was on the roster for once.

Honestly, this one has upset written all over it. The Bengals have no DBs out there and their offensive line is terrible. We could make this work for us today and swing back into the weird contenders position in the NFCSouth. I'm going out on a limb here and saying Panthers 28 Bengals 10.

Something tells me this is going to be an interesting game.

Yeah, we've heard these things before from those other guys I mentioned, too. Herbert's got to prove himself someday.

My thing is, you mentioned Justin Herbert... Honestly, I think the guy is another Phillip Rivers or Carson Palmer... all the stat guys bring them up and they get a lot of love from the pundits, but there they are just kind of spinning their wheels, never winning enough games to get their teams anywhere.

I can't believe I am going to say this, especially with all of the criticism I leveled at the guy after he was hired on... McAdoo might very well get the chance to stay as OC and right now, I'm not hating that. Since Rhule left town and McAdoo had a full week without the guy looking over his shoulder, we've logged a win and one helluva close game. The difference in how our offense has played in the Tampa and Atlanta games versus all the others is pretty astounding. We look aggressive and we are beginning to start pushing the ball downfield. Also, the run game has moved into a pummeling, crushing instrument of destruction out there. I'm not sold that McAdoo is the guy to keep, but he's making one helluva case for it, just like Wilks is. And if we let our OLine and DLine coaching assistants go, we'll be making a huge mistake. Edit to add: Honestly, I'm beginning to think we may have inadvertently found a good all-around coaching staff that can be competitive. We just had to get rid of Rhule to see them really work.

We can't really judge it at all until we see how those picks get used.

Another billionaire's trash gets turned into even more billions. These guys are parasites on the planet. But at least they give us a product that's worth watching on Sunday afternoons.

We are far too early in this to fully judge Steve Wilks as a head coach. What he has done, though, is jump into the middle of a burning building and started pulling people out of harm's way. The building is still on fire, there are valuables still inside and this isn't the time to start saying he's got this. Let's let the man work. He seems to be doing all the right things, but he's got a mighty, mighty task before him. On a personal note, I like him and have a growing confidence in him. The team is playing very much like they believe in him. And we do seem to be playing without handcuffs on. If he can turn this into wins... but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Can we just quit with the calling for someone's head when they fail at something? This is freaking childish. The guy has been money as a kicker every time he's walked out there before. Had the refs followed the rules and realized that wasn't a penalty on DJ, this wouldn't be a topic and Eddie would have given us the walk-off score. Please, let's stop judging people at a level we wouldn't want to face for ourselves.

It's not an insult to either player.

Right now, yes, I am sold on him being the HC. There's still a lot of games left to be played, though. He's made this team tougher and grittier than they've been since about mid-way through Rivera's tenure. They aren't as resilient and scrappy as the 2003 Panthers, but for a bit yesterday they sure felt like that team. C'mon, admit it, you cheered and you about lost sanity when PJ and DJ connected on that long bomb to tie up the game with seconds left. No matter the outcome, for a moment there you believed. And I see that there's a team out there that finally believes in their coach and the Keep Pounding attitude we need. Can he maintain it throughout what will be a long, tough season? That's a helluva question and a helluva task for any coach stuck where he is. I think, I think, he can make something out of this. I can only imagine what he could do with his hands on a team built more to his specifications. And after the half yesterday, you could tell he put the spurs to McAdoo and told him to open the game plan up. When was the last time we made halftime adjustments?? So yeah, right now I'd be happy if we lost that Interim title from his name. Let's revisit it again during the bye. We really ought to know more about whether this enthusiasm and toughness of the team is sustainable by then.