CRA

The Jake comparison is largely decision making and simply doing stupid things. better arm or not....Sam's play and talent doesn't put him in the next tier where the Cam Newton's are (who also did dumb things with the ball). So Jake is probably as good of a Carolina comp as their gets. What's between the ears is what essentially defines every NFL QB. Jake brought a steady mix of good and bad. But when he lost his moxy.....the bad made winning with him too hard. That has been Sam to date. Steady mix of good and bad.

* Sam Mills made it to the semis last year

in the end, a max of 8 guys can actually get in but they don't always put in 8. Think it was 5 last year. I don't think 89 is going to be a first ballot guy. 122 guys also competing. I think 89 will go in year 2. I personally think Hester is technically the most deserving for being a first ballot guy. He is the GOAT at return. But that is one step up from being the GOAT at K.

I think it gets complicated. While our OL hasn't literally imploded like some thought it would....it still isn't great. CMC skews things. I think if you were to put Chubba behind a top OL that simply put him easily into holes....he would look pretty explosive. But if you are asking a rookie RB to evade a lot of tackles/contact in the backfield or at the line.....he isn't going to make a lot happen. Especially one that doesn't have a NFL body yet. Heck, CMC had to put in a lot of work after his rookie season getting a NFL body and to get where he could shake off the first contact he saw.

Delhomme had weird mojo. It actually was meant as a positive. An intangible bump Delhomme got. Tommy Jone stole it though. And he needed it

there is starting to be a real trend under this staff. to date in 2021, we are 31st in 2nd half scoring. in 2020, we were about the same, we were 29th in 2nd half scoring.

boring answer, but probably most interested in watching special teams. We will need them to start showing some improvement. The 3rd phase will matter more and more as our competition gets tougher. Especially as we enter the 3 game stretch after Houston.

Well, let me start by saying that my goal/preference for Carolina is to find a special/franchise QB. I think you need that in the NFL to consistently compete for a title. The league continues to evolve more and more in that direction. Especially, since the era in which Delhomme made his debut. Cam made lots of bonehead plays...but he countered that with being insanely special in his prime with the ability to carry a team on his back. And once he was no longer insanely special to outweigh his negatives? Well, he no longer was a our QB. Could Sam be a Jake Delhomme minus his weird mojo? Maybe. I've always thought that was the Sam ceiling and likely ending to this. And I wouldn't advocate for dumping Darnold if that is all he is. I'm not interested in Rhule doing what he has done for a 3rd go next year. It just means you would have to keep searching for a special QB and prioritize it going forward.

The questions and knock on Darnold have never been arm talent, ability, accuracy etc. Sam will have a better record in Carolina vs NY if he is the same dude he has always been…because our talent is significantly better here. I’m on the fence about Sam because the questions about Sam still remain….can he avoid consistently making bonehead plays. NFL - 40 games - 48 turnovers College - 27 games - 36 turnovers * 2 games thus far in Carolina….and he has bad turnovers in both. And hasn’t even hit a game with a lot of pressure yet…the need a play kind or under constant pass rush variety

If jinxing a team actually worked….I would have monetized my ability and retired

be a lot funnier if he did like that Bama kid did Saban and just put it out there....

Texans vs. Panthers - Game Summary - September 16, 2007 - ESPN I can't really recall this one. Johnson did have a nice day. But Delhomme was the QB. Jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first and then got smoked.

well, as I said, I feel it is safe to call the Jets bad. Just like it is safe to call the Chiefs good. The extremes. I'd lump the Saints in with everyone else overall. But I think you have to acknowledge what injury and covid did to them week 2. Which limits what the Panthers have had the ability to prove. I didn't have us as a bad team. 7 to 9 wins is where I had them. I am not coming off that one way or the other (higher or lower).....until they play more and prove more.

good lord, our TNF record is horrific. 2-9 on Thursday.

I mean, that literally WAS his first career NFL drive. Botched handoff, handoff, INT.

Davis Mills' first career drive in the NFL Sunday. Snap 1 - attempted hand off to wrong side (no RB). Busted play scramble. Snap 2 - handoff Snap 3- INT

last time we lost to the Texans was 14 years ago.

I think you can make an educated assumption about teams like the Jets and Chiefs. Based on the talent they currently employed coming in and the seasons they came off. The extremes of the NFL. It's everything in-between that you don't really know what is what until about a 1/4 to 1/2 of the way in. I mean, go check the last several Panther seasons. Depending when you logged in.....you would here a tale of a very different team. People were hyped about the Teddy era, the Kyle Allen era, the Cam comeback......until things settled in. Then of course there is the polar opposite, no one was hype about going in to the 2003 or 2015 seasons. (the collective fanbase) was not calling Super Bowl runs 2 games into those seasons.

yeah, you are defending things I am not even arguing about. its too early in a season to think we have teams figured out is all. Especially this Carolina team. And that comes from watching football for years and years. I'm not discrediting the wins. I'm merely arguing we haven't played the games yet...to answer the questions on what we really will be this year yet.

true.

we are one of the youngest teams in the NFL. I would wager we probably have a very healthy percentage of guys who aren't the best decision makers yet in life.

you play who you play. But yeah, if you kicked off the the season playing the Jets and Jags and another team kicked it off playing the Bucs and KC......you would know more about team #2 than team #1. Fans should be able to handle that a concept without getting their panties in a bunch IMO. Weeks 4-6 will answer a lot more than 1-3. Then we will have a real idea of what we are working with.

I don't feel the first two weeks can really cause anyone to drastically change their opinions yet. Outside of maybe not thinking we have the worst OL in the entire NFL if that was a belief coming in. But I still have us at 7 to 9 wins lead by a very promising and emerging defense. Which is where I had us before week 1. We have only proven to date we can beat bad teams. Weeks 4-6 we will face competition that will answer legit questions IMO that still exist.

Yeah, I separate sneaks into their own category. I mean Tom Brady might be right there with Cam in terms of getting that one yard. But Brady isn’t part of a rush game.

Yeah, weird turnover juju in general though. It’s always been all over the map. Fumbles and picks. He averaged a turnover per game at USC, NY and now Carolina. And his two here have been weird and ugly. I simply don’t see the need to insert him into the rushing game given that juju. We have the best RB in the NFL. Hand it off to him. I mean, scramble and take a lane if it presents itself….but I’m not looking to see a lot of called Darnold runs