Khyber53

Slye has been okay. Has the leg to make the record breaking kick, distance-wise. If we keep him, okay. If he loses out in camp competition, okay. Right now, it's just not getting me worried or excited either way. If we cut him here, he'll find another home. There are a lot of worse kickers out there circling for roster spots, he'd move to the front of the line pretty quick.

Said it before and I'll say it again, Robbie is a meathead. He can run and catch, but he makes stupid decisions off the field and careerwise. Rhule gave him an opportunity here and he made the most of it. Honestly, though, if you look at the stats (or just watched the games) Robbie's production tailed off last season after week 5 (Falcons) and there were games he barely showed up on the stats sheet, generally when the opponent had a good to great corner to put on him. Sure, his overall performance netted over 1,000 yards, but the lion's share of that work was by week 5. And when it came to scoring, Teddy frikkin' Bridgewater rushed for more TDs that Anderson netted. By the end of the season, Anderson wasn't the WR1 or the second choice on passing downs. He was a third choice at best when Mike Davis had to stay in and block. If Anderson's agent is telling him to push for a new contract or a trade, it's probably because he senses that the performance drop off could be even more dramatic going into 2021 and Anderson might find himself in the mix of middling skilled receivers trying to find a spot on a team. And don't get me started on his "veteran presence" credentials. If Anderson is smart, he shows up soon, plays his heart out with the idea that anything less than 700 yards and 5 TDs won't get him a guaranteed spot on the next season's team. And if he takes a pot shot tweet at the new QB during the season, then all bets are off. NFL careers are way too short for a marginal starter to just blow off OTAs.

Unless all the other soccer team owners get domes...

Honestly, I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid yet. It's going to take a winning season and probably the playoffs before I can say Rhule is the guy (and Fitterer, too). It all comes down to wins. After last season, we could see Rhule and Co. were different, but really no better in the record book. I know, I know, inherited the team and still had Hurney around. Didn't have CMC. Let's call it a Mulligan, even though they don't give you those in football. The majority of head coaches that come over from the college ranks don't successfully make the transition the first time around. That's a reality. Some supposedly great ones moved to the NFL and just laid massive eggs. They looked great in the off season, built the teams they wanted and then had their butt handed to them. As much as I like Rhule, and I really do, he's got that big hurdle to clear and last season he just hit a wall and could not get his team to win games. And then his coordinators. Joe Brady was and is hailed as an offensive genius. Well, like in real life, it's easier to be a genius and get ahead in school than it is in the real world. So far, well, we piled up yardage but couldn't seal the deal. A timid QB plus little redzone/two-minute drill practice might do that to a team... And Phil Snow, the grizzled old college defensive coach that could whip that team of lackluster players into gritty, disciplined stalwarts? He fielded the least aggressive defense I've ever seen from the Panthers (and I've watched them since Day 1) for 15 of the 16 games last season. In one game, against a flailing, wounded Lions team, Snow turned the aggression up to 10 and we got a shut out and a win. In all the others ... they played like old ladies and there were numerous games where the opposition never had to punt. That isn't going to suffice. I want, I really want this to work out. I want Rhule to be the genius coach with the smartest plan and best coordinators. I want them to not just live up to the hype but to create a new paradigm in the league on how to build a team. I'm not demanding a dynasty, but I want to see someone come in and literally run the tables in the NFCSouth for the next ten years. And lengthy contract or not, if we have another year like last one (or heaven forbid worse) then I think the crowd is going to start calling for blood. On paper, we've improved. In coach speak, we've improved. In fanbase optimism, we've improved. None of that stuff is real, though. All that matters are wins and losses. We've got to improve that before I can believe.

Good write up, @saX man. Honestly, this is the best set up at TE that we've had in a while and I had been thinking the new staff just wasn't interested in the position. Was I ever wrong! We still don't know how these guys will do out there, but they give good reasons for optimism. A good TE combo like that makes things easier on both the line and the WR group. Let's hope it pans out that way.

And a lot of folks have watched their team rattle apart in recent years. They are still kind of a contender thanks to Wilson, but let's face it they've become a one man show.

Big ol' paychecks just ruin some folks.

I'm thinking there's something wrong here. Julio went a little too cheaply. Missed what, like seven games last year? It's fully within reason that a team up against the cap could come to one of its overpaid, injured and/or older stars and says, "Let's work on this together. You aren't the same you were when you signed this contract. Either we can release you and take the immediate hit(s) or maybe you can publicly ask to be traded and maybe we can pass that big contract on to another team that can afford it/you. Win-win, millions of dollars on the table for you." And maybe a smart guy like Julio bets on himself and agrees to make that tweet saying he wants out and starts the pot to boiling. Not saying it happened, but it isn't out of the bounds of possibility. Either way, the NFCSouth's DBs can breathe a sigh of relief.

Hope you're right! We'll see.

Seahawks drafting over recent years, ummmm... well... errrr... yeah. Panthers have had trouble in recent years after the first round. Seahawks have often had troubles from the first round on back, riding on the reputation of the Russell Wilson and Richard Sherman picks. This move isn't impressing me, but maybe he was the best of their scouts and just couldn't catch the coach and GMs ear. Sure hope so.

I fell for the USFL back in the day, even had one of the hoodies given out at the Charlotte event. I was a fan of the Breakers... I think they went from Boston to New Orleans to Portland before the whole thing had run its course. That first draft they had truly competed with the NFL's, but they just couldn't sustain it. I think the only way they could do it and really make it work is find a way to get some real names and hold a competitive draft. Perhaps do it with a no salary cap system and just see if gobs and gobs of money will work in this day and age. Back then, the NFL didn't salary cap and they were able to out spend the NFL. In the end, though, it's not going to work. And bandying about Donald Trump's name doesn't inspire confidence.

Thoughts and prayers for both families involved in this.

Thanks for the write-ups! This is what I've been waiting to read before I get too excited about who we have and where we are headed. Unlike national beat writers and pundits, you've been watching these guys for a couple of decades. You know who we have, can really tell who has improved, who has regressed and you're not just trying to hit a byline count by catching the coach's comments and running with them. If Zod says the player(s) are good or bad, chances are he's on the money. We've got a lot riding on Jaycee Horn this season, not just because he's a no. 1 draft pick, but because we need the best corner in the league because we're in the frikkin' NFCSouth. He's got a massive amount of work ahead of him against the best QBs and WRs that anyone will face. I hope that he can completely disrupt some game plans. Thomas and Grier, are probably gone after this training camp. Both have seemed like underperforming disappointments for a while now and I think Rhule is giving Thomas a bit of good PR for a release or trade. And you are right on the money as to needing a solid back-up QB. I think we'll wait and see who shakes out and maybe get Darnold a vet presence who can be an extra set of eyes and no threat to start. Shi just looks fast as can be and has good hands. Hope he gets a break and makes the most of it.

I hope you're right. But if we lay an egg this year, do you think it's going to be all fine and dandy?

Honestly, Snow coached a really non-aggressive defense last year that cost us game after game after game. I know, "he was working with what he had" and all that, but most of the time they looked like a bunch of old ladies out there that didn't want to get their uniforms dirty. Let's actually see some defense before we start talking about how good he is. I mean, how about we make the other teams punt at least once a game? As sad as that benchmark would be, that would be an improvement over last year.

While you make some good points, the truth is that we still don't really know if this direction the team is taking will work either. Last year's 5-11 didn't feel that much better than the prior year's 5-11. Right now folks are patting themselves on the backs about how well the draft went with all the trade backs and how well we picked up in the free agency period. In truth, though, we just have no way of knowing if we've made any progress or not. And honestly, this season is Rhule's prove it season. We've got to see major improvement. 6-11 isn't going to cut it either.

Honestly, we don't know for sure if we've improved anywhere. That last season of Rivera's we were all ooohing and ahhhing over the big name defensive free agents we picked up in the offseason. And then the season rolled out and those old dudes played like they were happy with the paychecks and the opportunity to travel and sleep in late. We look better, on paper, if you read it the right way, but reality could be way different. Once again, that's why they don't give an offseason trophy. Still, I'm optimistic for our chances, but let's not make marriage plans before the second date.

It may have also just been being the old guy out there in training camp, fighting through the aches and pains to run drills, being the alpha dog he always was but up against hungry players a decade or more his junior and all without the long tenure on a team that cements your place in the pecking order. And sometimes, it just drives it home that it's time to take in your accomplishments and go enjoy what you've made for yourself. Hope he does!

Gotta agree. Titans and Doom Patrol are great.

Certainly could be a benefit.

Just look up what he threatened the cop with when he was arrested. I hope Anderson has grown up a lot since then.

Robby caught a lot of passes for us last year and put up some serious yardage, but it started tailing off as the season went on while both DJ and Curtis got more of the lion's share of the work. That being said, he was still a valuable asset for us and one you'd think we'd want to keep. Anderson is a knucklehead, though, and has a way of talking himself into trouble. Not the brightest tool in the shed, perhaps he said some things as the season wore on that weren't taken well by coaches and management, but that didn't make it to the media. In a system like what Rhule is building, having a naysayer or grumbler on the team can be a big problem. I haven't heard anything to speak to, just conjecture on my part.

You have summed up why our Week 1 game is incredibly important for the franchise right now. It will say volumes about our coaching staff, where they are going, the quality of their thinking and coaching. If they can't beat the Jets on opening day, I am serious that we should expect to see Rhule on the hot seat and a lot of talk about not being able to make the transition. If we beat the Jets on opening day, then you have to start looking at Rhule as an improvement on what other coaches are out there and available. We will be able to see there is progress and that we can beat a hungry, rebuilding team. That opening game is probably the most fair test our coach will be given. And we should really pay attention to the results and the ramifications.

This is how you end up on the Jets.

I'd like to see us actually need a punt returner in every game this year. And maybe not need so many do or die field goals. Neither of those things happening are actually dependent on our special teams, though.