KatsAzz

https://www.yahoo.com/news/panthers-were-worst-last-season-230000162.html What the Panthers were worst at last season may now be what they’re best at Trying to figure out the rotation at cornerback for the Carolina Panthers in 2020 was like playing chess. The pieces were always moving. It was perhaps one of their biggest struggles in Year 1 of the Matt Rhule era. Donte Jackson dealt with a toe injury for much of the season. Rasul Douglas was inconsistent. Eli Apple never became the player the Panthers were expecting, and they later cut him. And Troy Pride, then a rookie, went through struggles of his own. But with the addition of former Pro Bowl cornerback A.J. Bouye, No. 8 overall draft pick Jaycee Horn, and a healthy Jackson, the Panthers hope their cornerback room can be one of their better units in 2021 and not a hindrance “We have a lot more flexibility rotating,” defensive coordinator Phil Snow said Wednesday. “Even Keith Taylor, he’s a fifth-rounder, but I thought he was going to go in the second or third. “My biggest concern is making sure I can get all these guys on the field to make plays.” That wasn’t so much a problem in 2020. With Jackson having to sit at some point in almost every game last season because of his toe injury, the Panthers often had to rely on then rookies Pride and Stantley Thomas-Oliver to fill in. As a result, they often struggled, particularly Pride. The Panthers had hoped Pride could sit and develop, but the lack of bodies forced the Panthers to use him earlier than they were hoping. Pride wasn’t the only problem. Douglas had issues, too. While he played well in some games, like Week 6 against the Chicago Bears when he was targeted six times and allowed two completions for 29 yards, he struggled in others. Against the Denver Broncos in Week 14, Drew Lock passed for 280 yards and four touchdowns. Douglas allowed four catches in coverage that week for 132 yards and three touchdowns, according to Pro Football Reference. The Panthers had the 25th-worst pass coverage grade out of 32 NFL teams last season, according to Pro Football Focus. But this offseason, the Panthers upgraded their cornerback room in a major way. Not only did they sign Bouye, and drafted Horn and Taylor, but they also signed veteran Rashaan Melvin. And Pride and Thomas-Oliver should be better in Year 2, having had more experience. “We feel like in a 17-game season, especially in the NFC South, we’re going to need a lot of really good corner play,” Panthers coach Matt Rhule said. “We like to have a lot of depth and like to have more variability.” Horn, players and coaches say, looks as good as advertised. He was one of the best shutdown cornerbacks in college football last year. He was targeted 24 times through seven games last season and allowed only eight catches, three for touchdowns, but intercepted two passes. He also had six pass deflections. Bouye should add another veteran presence to a young cornerback room. While he hasn’t put up the same numbers as he did in 2017 when he made the Pro Bowl and was voted second-team All-Pro, he’s still been solid. And despite Jackson’s injury last season, he showed flashes of potential. Though he played in only 57% of the team’s snaps, statistically, it was his best season. He intercepted three passes and allowed four touchdowns. Opponents had a 79.2 passer rating when targeting him. This year, with a healthy toe and an expiring rookie contract, Jackson hopes to continue to improve. He said he’s trying to learn from his mistakes in practice. But he’s most excited about the group as a whole. “We can be dominant. We can be dominant,” Jackson said. “Especially with a front seven like we have ... We have the IQs in the back end, the physicality and we have the speed. It’s just going to be all about detailing, and being consistent and working.”

1usctrojan, I meant to send this message (" Just curious and for the record, are you male or female? ") to Train Wreck but sent it to you by mistake and could not delete it. Sorry about that.

The Panthers reportedly shopped Robby Anderson during the 2021 NFL Draft, which would have been a real surprise considering his contribution last season. Anderson has one year left on his contract at $8 million, and sources say the Panthers were hoping to unload him, but could not find any takers who made an offer they liked. The Panthers drafted two wideouts in Terrace Marshall Jr. and Shi Smith. So Anderson could become expendable if both of them transition smoothly to life at the next level. There is also the small matter of Andersons contract to consider, which only has one more year to run and the Panthers might not be in a position to offer Anderson an extension with the likes of Donte Jackson, D.J. Moore, and Taylor Moton needing their own big deals sooner rather than later. Since Anderson was a notable absentee from Carolina’s OTAs this week , trading him might still be on the Panthers’ radar before the 2021 deadline.

Just curious and for the record, are you male or female?

Exactly!!!

" I am optimistic. I think I like the way we are headed." We may or may not be a year away from becoming a playoff team but i like the way the Panthers are thinking long term and building to have teams that will be successful year in and year out, instead of the previous up and down seasons we are used to.

Exactly. The Falcons will receive a 2022 second-round pick and 2023 fourth-rounder. The Titans reportedly will also get a 2023 sixth-round pick in the trade.

© 2021 ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED One of the most curious phenomena in football is the historic struggles of dome teams in the playoffs. The basics are this: home teams have gone 234-110 in the playoffs since the AFL merger. That's a rock-solid .680 winning percentage.. Dome teams simply underperform in the playoffs, in some cases badly. All three, meanwhile, are famed for their postseason failures. It's not a lot of data, but in all these cases these teams underperform the average NFL club in the playoffs, both at home in their domes and on the road. Domes, to put another way, seem to be an organizational handicap come playoff time. This handicap manifests itself in three different ways: 1) Dome teams simply do not deal well with the wintry elements when they go outdoors. This is a fairly widely held opinion. And the data certainly supports this opinion. In each case, they perform worse than the typical road team in the playoffs. 2) More interestingly, outdoor teams seem to blossom when they experience the climate-controlled conditions of the dome. 3) Cold-weather teams that build domes take away a huge organizational advantage: Mother Nature. The cold-weather Packers did not suffer a single home playoff loss from 1939 through 2001, before their streak was ended.

Presently, the Panthers are the only team in the NFC South that does not play in either a dome (New Orleans, Atlanta) or in a warm weather climate (Tampa Bay). And in football, there is a certain common wisdom that teams in such environments are at a disadvantage come December and into the playoffs. If teams like the Saints or Buccaneers go on the road, the idea that they “can’t play in the cold” because of their home environment becomes an easy talking point, something that former Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden had to deal with for years, and now still deals with as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Wikipedia defines a gunslinger as ... "Term for a quarterback who plays in an aggressive and decisive manner by throwing deep, risky passes. These quarterbacks usually possess the strong arm needed to throw deep effectively." I've always loved this QB archetype because these players are almost always fun to watch. Few moments are more enjoyable when watching football than when a ball is thrown so far that it briefly leaves the television screen. We've seen all-time greats such as Brett Favre literally make a career out of playing like a maniac, while busts like Johnny Manziel still at least provided a few moments of off-script goodness along the way. You see, being a gunslinger QB doesn't necessarily have anything to do with being good.

The fact that Sam Darnold tried to make magic happen on a bad Jets team should not be a surprise. I can easily see where a QB that is a high competitor could develop a tendency to press and try making things happen on their own when surrounded by poor coaches and low caliber players on a losing team.

On May 12, 2018, the Carolina Panthers signed Gaulden to a four-year, $3.44 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $847,656. On November 25, 2019, Gaulden was waived by the Panthers. (Nuff Said!)

If Sam Darnold can be as good as Jake was in his prime i will be happy and satisfied.

I fully agree with the reports that Sam Darnold’s athleticism, anticipation, quick release and ability to make every throw on and off platform flash enough on film to hold on to optimism that he can salvage his career here with the Panthers.

No doubt it was not a normal season but i am proud of the way they have played.

The Panthers carried a large number of developmental projects on the practice squad last year, so it will be up to the coaches to have some of these players ready for a back up role. They'll want to bring back those practice squad lineman and give them an actual offseason and maybe some preseason games to see if any of them develop. If those guys could become viable depth pieces, it would be a significant benefit to roster construction. As they head into the start up of the 2021 season, the Panthers' offensive line, especially the left side is most certainly still under construction.

Why did Earl Thomas leave Ravens? OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- The Baltimore Ravens are abruptly parting ways with seven-time Pro Bowl safety Earl Thomas two days after an on-field altercation with teammate Chuck Clark, the team announced. The Ravens announced they had terminated Thomas' contract for personal conduct that has adversely affected the team.

Some NFL Scouts had a higher draft grade on Sam Darnold than those of Wilson and Fields. Wilson produced one great season against a "cupcake schedule," according to them. Fields had a couple of poor games in 2020, raising eyebrows. Sam came out with a high grade and he has shown flashes he can be a really good quarterback. He hasn't had much around him. Now you think about the change to a better Panthers team and that makes me feel he has shown enough to warrant the benefit of the doubt.

After weeks of speculation surrounding star wide receiver Julio Jones, the Atlanta Falcons are trading him to the Tennessee Titans. The Falcons will receive a 2022 second-round pick and 2023 fourth-rounder. The Titans reportedly will also get a 2023 sixth-round pick in the trade. Ian Rapoport was the first to report the deal, which is also pending a physical.

Sure you did!

Some people are never satisfied. I bet money a lot of fans in Tampa Bay complained when the Bucs signed Tom Brady, then he goes on to win the Super Bowl.

I trust that you have sound judgement pertaining to our new QB Sam Darnold after seeing numerous Panther QB's work out in past OTAs. I feel good about our starting QB situation but would like to see us bring in a veteran QB that has experienced several NFL seasons for a backup role to Sam Darnold.

Myles Turner American professional basketball player Myles Christian Turner is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association. He played one season for the Texas Longhorns before declaring for the 2015 NBA draft and being selected by the Pacers with the 11th overall pick. Wikipedia Born: March 24, 1996 (age 25 years), Bedford, TX NBA draft: 2015 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11th overall Education: The University of Texas at Austin (2014–2015) Playing career: 2015–present Listed height: 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) Current teams: Indiana Pacers (#33 / Power forward, Center), United States national basketball team (#12 / Center, Forward) Awards: NBA All-Rookie Team, Parade All-America Boys Basketball Team

The Panthers said they wanted to get as many good players as possible at all positions and then eventually, the team figures out how to win together. Despite the present changes, the number of actual starters that are new on the depth chart may be low, so there has to be constant churning to be assured you have those good players as starters and backup positions .

Interesting to notice that Kofi Cockburn is from Kingston Jamaica and Charles Bassey is from Lagos, Nigeria.