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36 minutes ago, PanthersATL said:

We were beat in the 2015 season at that game vs Falcons. They kept us from going undefeated

(okay, I have other opinions as to why that happened, but even so -- we were THE dominant team that year, and still found a way to lose a game)

Packers lost to the Browns this year 

heck, in the disaster finale Rule season, with an interim HC, the week after we cut CMC and starting PJ….we whipped Tom Brady. 

good teams lose to bad teams all the time,  good teams lose to meh/average teams every single weekend in sports, multiple times over.  You can not be a good team and have good wins.  Really bad teams generally can’t stack multi good wins but average teams can 

Just now, Gapanthersfan said:

This. If Bryce can just be a game manager  and Canales leans in to the run game, this team can beat anyone in the league. Bryce can make clutch throws in clutch moments, but asking him to do it all game is a recipe for failure. 

 

well, would be a disclaimer on that, they could beat anyone w/ that strategy if a team doesn't show up or plays poorly. 

We could play the Rams 10 times and play well in most, they are going to beat us the majority of the time.  Pretty big disparity in talent still exists IMO.    

12 minutes ago, GarthMcGrath said:

We were very banged up going into that Rams game. Our second best player (Horn), our best safety, and both starting ILBs were out. I feel like our defense has really been impressive considering a year ago. If our offense learns how to be balanced like they were against the Rams, we can honestly beat anyone. Those losses to the Saints and 49ers may have been what we needed to figure out that when we depend too much on either running exclusively or passing exclusively that we are no good. That Rams game showed what we can do when we are in sync offensively and it was so much fun to watch. If that offense shows up this week then go ahead and cancel your plans the second weekend in January as you will have a game to watch.

if you didn't watch 3 plays.....the D that played the Rams looked exactly like last years.  I mean the Rams are a very good offensive team but just how easy that walked the field us on all game is a tad concerning.

and the Panthers should 100000% roll out the same gameplan vs the Saints.  All you need is Jaycee Horn not to give up 2 massive TDs and it's an easy ugly win.   We know how the winning forumula.  It isn't balance.  It's leaning on the run and having Bryce make very few throws that matter.  Hope he can when the few moments call. 

16 minutes ago, *FreeFua* said:

I’ll view this more like 2014 when we had no business being in the playoffs but got in. Playoff experience is never a bad thing especially for a young team like us

 and we won a game in the playoffs.....where our leading receiver was Fozzy Whitaker w/ just 39 rec yards.  That feels like a 2025 Panthers type winning setup. 

15 minutes ago, *FreeFua* said:

Yep this.

This board will do a 180 if we lay a stinker in NO on Sunday and rightfully so. So let’s pump the brakes here

Yep, the board has amnesia to the weekly swings and declarations made.  The same cast of characters has been talked about vastly different repetitively and you only have to go back as far as the game before the last one....and just keep repeating that pattern largely backwards. 

I personally feel confident that this team is not bad and it is not good.  And while that is nice to get back to be out of the literal dumpster......I don't view this team as an average team w/ a puncher's chance.  All average teams are of different molds.  We are more the, if a really good team plays bad, you will lose to us variety.  We aren't bad enough where you can get away with a bad day vs us anymore. 

10 minutes ago, PNW_PantherMan said:

We’re not a Super Bowl winning contender but the stars are aligning for that home playoff game from winning the NFC South.  It’s only going to complicate things further.

Yep, we really have risen from being so that you almost have to try to be that bad….to average (which the league is basically engineered for you to be average)….and I do worry that the brainiacs at BOA will do and treat that as.  We basically have a team that doesn’t stink yet not a thing scares someone.  Division being down also complicates real perspective.  Bucs and Saints have the 2 easiest schedules to date this season and one team stinks and the other likely is .500ish off that advantage 

37 minutes ago, WhoKnows said:

I really hate when we get this optimistic and act like this team is right at the cusp. We beat the Rams by 3 even though we had a pick 6, forced another 3 turnovers, had no turnovers and scored two long TDs on 4th down. All that and we still needed Brown to strip Stafford to keep them from forcing OT.

 

yeah, with a 7-10 finish and borderline top 10 pick still being on the spectrum of finish possibilities (at still wouldn't log as the best Tepper season given we have gotten there in a different really weird season that didn't make a lot of since). 

7 minutes ago, csx said:

The focus of criticism the first game was not pushing it downfield to prevent NO from stacking the box.

Bryce hasn't been pushing the ball downfield in a lot of wins.  I think that's basically how lose games.  Asking that of him.  Not sure why people want to lose a game we can win with the proven hide Bryce most of the game and win ugly approach. 

and people sort of skew the Rams came up.  he did not push the ball downfield nor was he asked in that game.  It was the same thing as the Saints game.  There were just 2 random 4th all or nothing plays that present take shot gambles

Just now, mav1234 said:

Yup unless you're in a dome... Bryce is pretty good in domes, lol. But I do agree on sticking with the run.

He is just so weird.  Bryce Young makes no sense.  I still don't like the word inconsistent because that's not it.  I do think there is a lot of consistency in what he is.  I don't know. 

and in theory, I think Bryce should be better indoors.  But his indoor games are so slim even that is hard to figure out.  As good as he has been in Atlanta, he is equally bad in the Saints dome.  

5 minutes ago, mav1234 said:

I think you need to stick with the run but you also need plays to execute on 3rd and 4th down. It will come down to Bryce.

and in a lot of games, executing and coming back has involved being willing to stick w/ the run a fair amount on 3rd down.  I just think the formula is pretty clear at this point.  Maybe 2 or 3 real throws. That's really all you are wanting to ask of Bryce and you want them to be favorable.  Anything more? Generally makes it a bad plan. 

38 minutes ago, DeAngelo Beason said:

I'm ready to believe, but my money says we're right back in second place after Sunday's game... I just don't have faith in Bryce Young.  I am also extremely worried with the return of Mike Evans.  Mike Jackson is going to need some safety help when we play the Bucs.  We know they won't line Evans up against Horn, and they won't let Horn play man on Evans, so I expect Evans to have two huge games.  We are still very, very much in the woods.  

Mike Evans looked a billion times better than I was expecting last night. 

10 hours ago, raleigh-panther said:

It is New Orleans

it  has never been Tampa, Atlanta  or Bucs

their fan base  is obnoxious as well 

Yeah, the Sean Payton Saints were.  That was driven off the players we and them had, coaches like Payton, fights and the games. 

I’m just saying, present day there just isn’t that feeling that exists for me with any team.  No bad blood and no personalities or moments drive anything with the present day rosters.  Feel like we are waiting for a modern day rivalry to naturally manifest somewhere.  

7 hours ago, strato said:

Last time he stuck with the run, very stubbornly, and people were pissed off. We thought, or some of us thought, he did not want it in Bryce’s hands until it absolutely had to be. Like after we went down 10 late.  
 

The players need to execute because I don’t think he will do that again if it is just running into a wall. 
 

Yeah I am saying it will be on the players more than whatever the strategy is. 

People just emotional about a loss.  Thats a winning gameplan.  Jayce Horn of all people giving up those 2 TDs just imploded it.   Which doesn’t make it a bad plan because who would have called that. 

a repeat of the last NO gameplan is a 1000% better a better gameplan than the 49ers gameplan.  And the NO gameplan was the Rams gameplan and Packers gameplan

50 minutes ago, frankw said:

It's past time for an exorcism with our previous perfomances against our most bitter rival.

Anything less than a convincing win should be met with fierce scorn and ridicule.

It’s weird, but I don’t feel like the Panthers have a real rival present day. 

20 minutes ago, *FreeFua* said:

Atlanta is by far the worst team in this division right now

Would take a miracle for them to win tonight

tonight has the trio in play. 

well, it's football.  it's a division game.  and it's TNF. 

which means I feel there is no way to predict what shows up on the TV tonight but I need Bijan to score me some big fantasy points

51 minutes ago, OneBadCat said:

I think we have to hit that head on and show that Bryce can exploit it. If we don't and squeak by with some Rico runs we will run into the same problem down the road and get shut down.  Not totally disagreeing with your assessment but we need to show adaptability.  

I'm not in favor of shielding Bryce. Let him sink or swim, I'm already convinced Canales is the guy for the time being.

Horn doesn't give up those TDs and we would have won it ugly last time.   How many times has asking Bryce to do some early lifting put us in big holes?  I just don't see why.  If the goal is purely to win. 

but overall, yeah, I don't like watching that brand of football.  

but yeah, I think it is best in theory to ask Bryce to be legit QB attack what the Saints are daring him too.  But that's generally not what Dave does w/ Bryce.  He knows.  Every once in a while he forgets (SF) because of the annual Falcons game.  But I do think their is a formula Canales knows is the way. 

to me it's the simple.  The D needs to keep being there improving version.  Run game has to be steady.  And outside of that, you need others not to implode a boring way to go about winning. 

but it's a hard way to win and you need a lot go right

9 minutes ago, Mage said:

Only the Panthers could beat the top 3 teams in the NFC and still miss the playoffs lol

the most predictable Panthers ending based off how this season has gone. 

-The Saints beat us.  Tampa also loses tonight.   Folks are really mad at Bryce and Dave but hey, still in this. 

-The Bucs beat us.  Go a game up.  Complete board meltdown.  100 cut Bryce and Dave threads 

-Panthers beat the Seahawks by 10.  Bucs lose to the Phins.   Now, Bryce and Dave deserve deals.  Today.  200 threads on that.  People are guessing about playoff destinations and BigKat rents a hotel room in every imaginable city. 

- Bucs beat us.  Board melts down. 

9 minutes ago, Donald LaFell said:

I forgot about that. Worst game of Horn’s career by far. One of those felt like he was trying to sell the OPI too hard when he fell. Looking forward to redemption. 

I still think the game he shadowed Nuk Hopkins was his worst.  Horn just fell on one.  Life happens.  Not bad DB play.  I so think it it's a little over generous to give him both as pure trips/slips.  They were brutal plays but he was largely solid outside of those 2 random plays.  Nuk I think got in his head and he was just really bad that whole game. 

8 minutes ago, OneBadCat said:

We need to be aggressive and hit big plays early to back the safeties up. Then run Rico and Chuba. 
 

I don’t expect another bad luck game from Horn either. If the team comes out determined I think we’ll win handily. 

That seems like a bad gameplan IMO.  Just run the RBs.  Hope no one on D has a disaster game.  Play for the turnovers. 

Bryce's downfield throwing doesn't really work as means to back the S off.  Never really has.   That's how his bad play happens IMO.  Canales basically has to wait it out and find the looks Bryce might can take advantage of.  Which is man coverage/single coverage and you don't roll that dice often.  

Crowded boxes are a risk/reward strategy.  One mistake and your RB can make some really big plays.  

11 minutes ago, Navy_football said:

I really think Bryce has been given so much time due to what they've put around him. In a vacuum, he hasn't been good enough. But I think we tend to be overly judgemental with him because he's our QB. Every fan base does it. You see every mistake, not just the highlights/lowlights. I've listened to Cowboys fans crap on Dak and Ravens fans crap on Lamar. 

How many WRs from Bryce's rookie season are still making plays today? Probably a few starting olinemen from that year are out of the league too. Hell even his HC is out of the NFL and his OC is a TE coach right now. How many WRs from last season, Bryce's second year (other than the rookies) are making plays in the NFL today? And now in his third year, he's been passing to rookies and second year players. And the only one that was highly touted was TMac. Heck Coker wasn't even drafted, and he's easily been the second best receiver on the team. And let's not even get started on how bad the defense has been. When a team is constantly playing from behind, and/or being ran off the field (time of possession), it greatly impacts the offense's chemistry and playcalling. Look at the young QBs that are playing well right now. All of those teams have great defenses. Houston, Denver, Patriots, Cleveland, even the Saints defense has been on a bit of a tear recently. 

I agree he needs to be more consistent. But to be fair, so does his supporting cast. He had some horrible fumbles early in the season. I beat him up over that just like everyone else. But we wouldn't have said that if it was Stafford. We would have rightly blamed it on the oline for allowing jail breaks when they weren't even outnumbered on blitzes, and to top it off he was throwing to a bunch of young receivers. He killed teams for blitzing him the end of last season. I don't think he forgot what to do. I think his receivers didn't know what to do. They were all young and new, other than XL, and DCs exploited that. The team is developing right now. And amazingly Bryce is playing better. Funny how that works. Let's just enjoy the ride and see where it takes us. Getting there is half the fun, and the team is actually ahead of schedule. 

I think some of that, how many from 2023 still making plays thought.....ties into what the vision was.  I mean, before Bryce Young took a week 1 snap, it was universally deemed the best place for any rookie QB to land.  The reason of that was because on paper, it all made a lot of sense.  A solid yet unspectacular HC.  Surround the rookie with a stable of super safe vet JAGs that could all do what they were supposed to do for the young QB (safe vet JAGs don't have much of a career ahead of them).  I think they tried to create a high floor, low ceiling start for Bryce to take off from.....and it just didn't work. 

On paper it made a lot of sense.  Which most locally and nationally all thought too.  I still think the fatal flaw, is Frank didn't want Bryce.  And Bryce was never going to succeed being a Frank QB.  And that's all Frank had in the bag. 

8 minutes ago, Khaki Lackey said:

I saw her on the sidelines with the headset on and thought, "Man, that's going to be a mess." Read an article about it, and by all accounts, she is well liked, and not meddling as much as trying to learn the business. They say she sits in team meeting and never speaks or disrupts, and when she talks to players it's strictly "how's the family" type stuff and not football related. Her wit the headset is a bad optic, and who knows how she will act in the future, but so far, she seems way more stable than her old man.

well, the Colts are winning.  Heck, they are surprising or were.   My guess that has a lot to do w/ something not okay being totally okay for the moment.  And the PR machine likely is running really hard for her at the moment.    

It's weird stuff.  I mean, she was in the HC hip pocket working Rivers on the practice field.  Really weird.  I still would be willing to play the odds when things go south.....we find out there is more than one bonkers person in the Isray family tree. 

Tepper got nothing on the old Colts owner or the new one.  

Not only is she in a full head set on the sidelines every game with the coaching staff.  You got her at the practice w/ the HC working on Rivers lol. I don't know when it is going to happen but something crazy is going to go down in Indy sometime in the near future IMO. 

I mean, wait til the Colts hit a rough spot.  

13 minutes ago, ForJimmy said:

Wouldn't that fall on Morgan and Tillis?

if anything occurs we/someone doesn't like it's all David Tepper's doing.  If something good happens, Tepper was hands off.  That's seems to be the general logic applied w/ Dave for some time.  

I think Tepper is probably an average owner in terms of involvement.   I think he just really botched the big hires and the big hires did a bad job personally.