Khyber53

Anyone who says Bryce is this or isn't this is just basically pulling it out of their ass at this point.

No one knows whether Bryce is the man or if Bryce is a total washout. I don't know it, you don't know it. Canales doesn't know it. Heck, even Bryce doesn't know it.

He's either learning his game or he's just getting lucky. He's either putting the team on his back for wins or he's causing the losses and deficits all on his own.

The only thing that Bryce is, at this point in his career, is a quandary. 

We'll have to just keep watching to see how it turns out. At least it's interesting in December for the Panthers for once in a long, long while.

Someone who is quiet in the defensive backfield is a good sign.

Chris Gamble, back in the day was the silent assassin. They never said his name on TV after the first couple of seasons because other teams just gave up trying to throw to his side of the field.

Scott might not be that level, but he's sure holding down his end of the job.

On 12/2/2025 at 6:21 PM, Aussie Tank said:

We just beat the Rams anything is possible 

This! It changed everything, didn't it?

As did the Green Bay and Dallas games in their own rights at that part of the season.

This is a remarkably scrappy team. It just keeps getting up off the floor and goes back into the fight. That's not something you want to see ahead of you on the schedule, twice, as you try to get into the play offs.

It's all playoffs for us from here on out. Won or done should be the team mantra.

22 hours ago, tukafan21 said:

206 yards passing gets nominated for this now?  What are we even doing here?!?!

Might have more to do with three touchdowns.

Gimme 3 TDs and 84 yds passing and I'm going to be okay with that.

Give me 1 TD, 422 yards passing and 3 INTs... well, nah.

The number of yards matters much less than where those yards were on the field.

Right now, all that means is that an option is likely to be exercised. We were keeping him for year four no matter what and we will probably keep him around for year five. Both of those years would be at what could be considered reasonable fees for a QB.

What kind of QB? Where on the depth chart? Doesn't say a thing. Not one damned thing about it.

And that's because we don't know what we have yet from Bryce, still.

But let's be honest about a few things since Canales came along. We are actually showing the kind of progress you want from a head coach. He inherited a run down, poorly assembled team that was more used to being doormats and losers than anything else. And he elevated the squad with limited resources last year, even at one point benching the starting #1 pick QB for poor performance and keeping him from starting until another injury forced his hand. And somehow, with a historically bad defense, we managed to win some games that we had no right doing and playing a couple of other championship level teams to a near deadlock. And we moved into this season with Bryce back under center and we've had some serious ups and downs for the third year QB. And the rest of the team. We're getting better but we are far from a finished product, especially at QB. But we are sitting here with a winning record and two wins against teams where the betting line had us at 10 point underdogs. We actually have a shot at the playoffs. Last year, that would have been completely unbelievable.

So, here we are looking at giving Bryce that coveted 5th year option and the money and commitment that comes with it. What does that do? Well, it gives Canales and Bryce another season to fix what is broken and to grow, which he is (in fits and starts). Can Canales coax that record setting Bryce out a bit more? He did against LA last week. Maybe there's more growing to happen there. And well, as much as we might kick the walls at that thought, it would be good for everything to finally pay out on that gamble we made. 

But what it doesn't do... It doesn't lock us into not drafting a QB again, possibly one on Day 2 or 3 of the draft to keep Bryce's seat warm and to groom for the future. It also doesn't prevent us from snagging a FA QB out there if the right one comes along that Canales feels more confident. And if another team with a desperate need at QB or a good team in need of a quality back up comes sniffing around, there are two years on a decent contract available for trade.

There's no lose in exercising the option. There are some opportunities.

39 minutes ago, UnluckyforSome said:

The 2003 win at Tampa.

It was their home opener following their Superbowl season, so banners were going up, rings were distributed, and they were opening up with a patsy team from some hick town in NC that was coming off another losing season, and still had 1-15 in recent memory.

The way the game played out was also shocking.

This 100%. 

The "nobody saw this coming" game. Okay, Jake apparently believed it could happen.

Pay it now rather than later. Steady has a value all on its own and that means if you have a top 12 LT, they are probably going to need to be paid like a top 5 LT just to hang onto them.

Give him top 5 salary today and it'll be a bargain compared to what it will be next season.

1 hour ago, Mr. Scot said:

This matters...

More than people, myself included, want to acknowledge.

It's not just a coach that players need to want to run through a wall for.

17 minutes ago, electro's horse said:

23rd in ypg, 27th in ppg, -50 point differential on the season.

they won that game because of the defense which again he has nothing to do with. 

Those three touchdown passes were pretty decent, though. Even the most cynical has to agree to that.

It's been many a year since we were in December talking about how games mattered for something other than draft order.

This crazy, mixed up, unpredictable, maddening, uplifting and teeth gnashing season has certainly not been boring.

This is maddening because, well, it's so up and down. When the kid's on, he can be great. When he's mediocre, we can still win based on a strong running game and good defense. When he's bad, and over his history he's this more than not, then it's a sad show that no one could win with.

How can anyone know what is going to happen right now? Really. It's like picking one flake in a snow globe and shaking it once a week... there is no telling where it will end up.

Things I did see on Sunday from Bryce: his teammates love him; he can make the big throws with good protection and good effort from his receivers. He isn't afraid to run. He can rise up against the best in competition (but he can also sink to the level of bad competition). 

All I can say is if Canales goes with an aggressive game plan for Bryce that leans on a hot-hand running game, the team can beat anyone. If there's any wishy-washy play calling, then Bryce melts and couldn't beat anyone. 

Maybe the person Bryce needs to win over more than anyone is Canales. 

On 11/30/2025 at 10:58 AM, electro's horse said:

Good coaches win games and score points with bad qb play all the time. Sean Payton is doing it with Bo fuging Nix.

obviously Canales isn’t Payton but this is a situation he hasn’t improved on or shown he can overcome in close to two seasons.

He’s had his own qb. He came to Carolina to coach him. Thats a choice he made. Bryce being here isn’t a positive argument to give him a pass for the past nearly 2 seasons. 

Sunday threw another monkey wrench into the equation. 

Evaluating Canales right now is like evaluating our WR corps. You can't take Bryce out of the equation, so you can't give it a fair judging. Bryce just throws the math off.

And no, Andy Dalton games don't count. As good as a guy as he is, I think all the tread has worn off of his tires.

Keep Canales and let him go into next season picking the QB he wants, either in the draft or free agency.

Here today it's ground lamb burritos for the feasting on the foes exercise.

And changing it up a bit in hope of luck with  Nacho cheese-flavored Bugles.

21 hours ago, mav1234 said:

I agree the post is a bit ridiculous and there's so many worse players overall because of off field attributes. Bryce is seemingly pretty likeable off field.

But in terms of on field, I would argue he has done more damage to my personal enjoyment of watching Panthers football than any other player because we're 40 games in to it. There are absolutely worse players. Fields may be the only one that's been given more chances, and (I know this is purely subjective) I find him more fun to watch even if he is also infinitely annoying in his inability to put it together.

I'd still never say he's my least favorite player. But man, I can barely watch Panthers games these days and I get so deflated when I realize it isn't one of his decent games we get every 5+ games. But at least the D resurgence has me enjoying seeing DB chuck people across the field.

Oh, I agree on many things there.

And Fields is mainly enjoyable because he plays on other teams. 

Yeah, this experiment has gone on far too long. 

Sheeesh, he's a disappointment, but there are soooo many worse football players, judged by on or off field attributes.

22 hours ago, MHS831 said:

I agree.  I hate to keep repeating it, but an Alpha makes everyone better.  Not Nice bryce slapping hands at the locker room gate after giving the opposition points.

Here's my deal. I hate the whole "Alpha" bullshit, because it has been turned into an act, a marketing ploy and a wonky set of qualifications.

What I think you need as a QB for your team is the happy, smart leader that brings his teammates along rather than throwing them on his back. And they need to be a stone cold killer when they get to the field. As much as I dislike the guy, it's Brady over the Mannings. It's Montana over Marino. It's Bradshaw over Staubach. 

And here's the one that'll get me killed around here: It's Jake over Cam.

Canales has the problem of an amateur lifeguard. He's trying desperately to save the career of a floundering young QB, not realizing that he is being pulled underwater by the kid and that there are 52 other players who are about to be pulled under as well.

Sometimes you have to let the one go to save yourself and get to the others.

2 hours ago, kungfoodude said:

I think this is a damning thing for Dave Canales. He is going to end up losing the team over his confounding decisions on the offensive side of the ball, which he is directly responsible for.

I think he's been trying to prove a point and also allowing it to play out in case his team owners were right. Also, by listening to him, he doesn't give up on people and wants to keep at it until there's a breakthrough.

And I think that it's come to that undeniable spot, the lynchpin of the entire exercise. This team would be playoff bound without a doubt with a QB that had been in the top 24 of the league. Not top 4, not top 10, not even top 20... but a QB that was barely better than the bottom quarter of the league as a passer. He's given everything here and we had that moment against Atlanta where Bryce shined in a desperately dark moment. But this week showed that he can't push the rock over the finish line. He just can't compete at the level needed.

Canales got the defensive performance he needs as a HC to win and we've seen Evero get that out there (surprisingly) on a number of occasions this season. And Canales called his own plays against SF, called a pass heavy game like he did in Tampa and Seattle. That's his bread and butter. Bryce couldn't bake the bread, though. It's as simple as that.

We have the rest of the team pretty much. We've got a good receiving corps (I'd think given better passing). We have a better o-line than we're given credit for had the QB behind them been braver, taller and more decisive. We have an excellent running backs group. Our defense is strong on the back end, needs linebackers and a better rush, but it's marginally okay and sometimes surprisingly effective. Got a first class rookie kicker and a solid punter. 

If you evaluate the team and put just a marginally, even average QB in the mix and we'd be two to three games ahead of where we are now. 

So the math is simple. The only question remains: draft QB and start at square one again, or has Canales got his next QB reclamation project already in mind?

Head coach keeps calling passing plays, even when the running game shows some promise in the face of adversity. Coach is giving the QB every, every, every chance to prove he can be the guy that is needed to fulfill what he needs from the position.

And it just is disappointment after disappointment. One big game and the rest are nothing burgers except for a twinkle of light here and there.

You just know Canales is looking at Bryce going, "He's just such a great kid, I'm giving him every chance, but..." 

Prepare for a change next season in QB. Bryce will end up as the QB2, a role he will be pretty darned good at, here or wherever. 

And I think his teammates are in the same boat as the coach. They love the guy but they are chained to him right now.

New one's up. It's a longer one. Tough one to do, hopefully it turned out well.

Young men playing a violent game for our enjoyment, just got to pray that he and they all make it through this.

And save a prayer or two for the day to day working folks going through countless injuries and illnesses without these resources available to them.

1 hour ago, strato said:

Well I can make a good barbecue sauce. I can make good gravy. Pizza sauce. Pasta sauce. wing sauce American style. 

This had something in it. Dark, kind dried blood colored. Not red blooded. Like paprika but not paprika. I have no idea where to look for it.  
 

Gochujang. You can find it in the Asian section of most grocery stores now. Comes in a red plastic box with a flip top lid. Warning: Once you start using it, it's hard to stop using it. 

There's just not much left to say is there?

Our defense gave us every chance we needed to win that game. And we really couldn't do anything with it.

Lot of folks injured for such a let down.

It's time to look down the road and let him play out whatever happens.