Khyber53

We've won one game. They are all scary from here, at least from where we are looking right now. Ask me again after the Bengals game and I might be a bit braver. Right now I've still got that thrilling feeling of getting off of a roller coaster and I'm still alive.

Right now, it's just rumors.

Time to hunt tigers.

Chuba is playing like a man with a payday ahead of him. Great guy, amazing progress he's made here. I'd love to see Brooks and him doing the double trouble thing here a la Williams and Stewart. Right now, Chuba has the reins and he deserves them. Let Brooks come along as he heals and see what happens.

That really did look like he just glitched away from the tackler. Amazing move, might have even gotten past Luke with that one.

What I saw was an offensive line that played like a unit and one that had the proper pass protections called. it was also one that knew where the QB was and was supposed to be at all times. See, panic is contagious, so is competence. Veteran presence in the pocket is immensely important. And on the d-line... I was not expecting them to be nearly as cohesive and impactful considering the injuries. They played lights out.

Looking and playing five years younger. Absolutely in control of that defense out there. Guy's only 30 years old. Welcome back, man.

Yesterday's game was a welcome drink of cool, cool water to a fanbase that has spent years wandering in the desert. I hope it wasn't a mirage.

He's right and knows more about football and the current team than any of us do. It's obvious, more than anything, that Bryce was not ready for what he had been thrown into, either last season or this one. Will he be able to make that transition? I don't know. But it didn't look like Sam Darnold or Baker Mayfield could either. And well, they're seeing a resurgence. I can't see down the road that far, though for Bryce. I can see what is standing right in front of us, though: A sturdy team with a steady, veteran hand at the tiller. Right now, you've got to go with that and let Bryce ride the bench and study.

And honestly, I'm cool with that. We need to move on and he deserves a second chance at a career. What we spent for him (and will continue to spend for him with that 2nd rounder this season) is a done thing. Sunk costs and all that.

Can they play QB? And some stuff from Ride the Lightning, too?

When dementia gripped my grandmother (and eventually took her), we each spent time with her and would try to correct her to what was reality and what wasn't. It was very tough on my Dad who she lived with for as long as they could care for her. It seemed like she had become detached from her own timeline and would slide up and down it wildly. As my Dad said, "somedays I'm me to her, somedays I'm my Dad, somedays I'm her father, somedays I'm just the guy who works here. I tried correcting her but it just upset her. I found out that the best thing is to just not correct her and let her live out where ever and whenever she is." And I'm not going to lie, it gets tough and eventually they leave their own timeline and it becomes unmanageable. Hold on to yourself and the ones you love through it all. Prayers for you and yours, man.

I have a thing about trying to find the orphans on a restaurant menu. And the black walnut milkshake was one of those. On a lark, I ordered it and was blown away with how darned good it was. But hey, I've never been able to pass on banana pudding. And it shows.

Next one is up. Thanks for watching. I really, really do appreciate it.

Our health care system is broken, and the patients and workers within are suffering mightily. There's got to be a better way. So glad she made it through well and praying that there will be some relief and smoother times ahead for her and your family.

Cookout is the best bang for your buck when it comes to drive-thru burgers. And don't sleep on their hushpuppies -- best tray addition. They have great onion rings, too, but honestly, they could be a little more generous with them! And the black walnut milkshake is incredible.

There are some glimmers, that may be the light at the end of the tunnel ahead of us... but it may be a very long tunnel yet to go. We have some foundational things going well for us. Hopefully we see things get a bit stronger this weekend.

Before the draft of 2023, Bryce had every reason to believe that he was large enough to play in the NFL. And then he took the field. In effect, he saw the elephant, and it was bigger and scarier than he ever realized. Or at least that's the way it all looks. Still, he suited up and took a beating for his team and his contract. Can't take that away from him. The water was really deep out there where he got thrown.

"Bryce, we'd like for you to meet your new coach." "Hey, is he like a quarterback rehab specialist." "Um, not exactly." "A sports psychologist?" Nope, he's from Charles Schwabb and he's going to help you make sure those millions we've already paid you last you for a long, long time." "Now if you'll hand over the playbook, I have some investment pamphlets for you."

The league didn't intervene and make Richardson sell. Richardson wanted to move the franchise fast before his sons could inherit it (or take it to court to challenge any inheritance issues) and so he got them to "put the franchise up for sale" as a "punishment" for what to billionaires is nothing. Don't believe me? Think of all the crazy effed up stuff the owner of the Colts has been busted doing over the years. Richardson let go of an investment he didn't have the time or health to enjoy anymore. And he made a mint from it. Tepper isn't going anywhere unless he wants out.

Alabama's coaching staff is a remarkably good sales and marketing team.

I think he's a back-up level QB now and he'll possibly see the field that way. And that's probably his career going forward if he can get a shot to prove himself that way. And let's face it, back-up NFL QB is one heck of a dream job.

They were hoping for Drew Brees pt. 2.

The next couple of weeks should be very important for the jobs of a lot of people in the Panthers organization. I'm speaking particularly about our entire scouting department. Was Bryce just a one shot mistake that has hurt the whole team or is he just the biggest symptom of a systematic inability to assess talent honestly and extensively. And I don't just mean our college scouting group but also those who are assessing free agent players out there. We've been watching a degradation of the team since the year before Rivera was fired. We've made bad pick-ups in free agency and have a love for grabbing old guys who are using their names for one last paycheck. For every Adam Thielen who balls out, there's a Bruce Irvin to balance him out or even two of them. It is our GM situation that has slipped, but there's a whole cast of folks behind that guy. If we don't see a competent and competitive team out there in the next two weeks, we've got to look at taking an axe to the whole department and cleaning house on our scouting groups. Or maybe it just was one undersized guy screwing up the whole thing. I'm personally not sure it was just one guy, though.

We're going to learn a lot about this team Sunday in Vegas. Not all of it will be pretty. This is a team with some major issues. That being said, we just benched our biggest issue on the field.