d-dave

Man, there's a lot of subpar OL out there...

I think if it's still unanswered by the 5th season, then it's already answered lol.

Tim Donnelly had a good point about teams that overpay QBs. There are a dozen or so true franchise altering $50m a year QBs. We don't want to be in the Jags shoes of paying $50m for Tlaw when he's not proven to be that dude. Bryce is playing like a $20-30m a year QB (on an extension/market). Someone who can play within a system, make some plays, but isn't going to lift your team out of the dumpster. I don't think it would be a good idea to give Bryce that kind of raise. 5th year option, today, I'm down for it. Give it time. If he does stink after the option, that's a much easier cap pill to swallow than the remains of a fugged up $50m contract... If Dan and Brad sign off on that...well...it's their butts!

The sample size is too small right now. Sure it looks good because we've only allowed 50 yards the past two weeks combined. Cool, but not sustainable. Teams will get you. It happens in the NFL. The eye ball test is that our D is playing MUCH better. Are they world beaters? Nope. But they are playing so much better than last year. Putting the Dot on Wallace is having a LOT of positive effects for our LB play. I'll take being a below average team right now as opposed to the dumpster fire we had for years.

I agree that perspective is important. I also think that it's fine to take the wins when you can. So the Panthers have started playing a lot better against bad teams after the first couple of weeks. Cool, I'll take that. Will it continue? I don't know. The Jets could be the uber trap/Steve Wilks revenge buzzsaw that sucks all the life and wind out of us. Or we could beat them and the narrative still wouldn't change because they are a really bad team. Here's my long perspective: We've been one of the worst teams since we traded for Bryce - talent level, wins, etc. Any metric will show that. This year, we are improving. Maybe we're not bottom tier trash. Maybe we're just to below average. That's growth as far as I'm concerned. I'll take that.

That's pretty cool. I don't care about the garbage versus not-garbage time non-sense. You play what you have to play, and everyone has garbage time one way or another. After all, if you don't win before the game starts, then are you really a winner? Isn't it all garbage time anyway? (Sarcasm with a capital S)

Good to see you back @fieryprophet! But I disagree with your point. QBs are ultimate chad alpha winners! Unless your QB is an uber-mega-alpha-chad-winner, you got a beta-cuck-loser. (tell me huddle, am I doing this right???) In case anyone isn't quite sure, yes, I am being extremely sarcastic Great post

Look, no one is ever a perfect player. Since the QB handles the ball on 100% of plays offensively (unless there's a direct snap to a RB or something), I can absolutely see where they get an outsized blame and gain from what happens at any given snap of a football game. Theoretically, there shouldn't even be a stat or idea to a 4th quarter comeback or game winning drive because you should already have done that during the game. Losers! Right? Just because you win late doesn't take away the fact you tried to lose the game for your team! I'm not a fan of that opinion, but again, I'm just a moron with a keyboard. Bryce has limited tools. Bryce has not inspired the same level of confidence in us as Cam Newton did in year 3. I certainly get that. We traded a TON of assets to get Bryce, and we still suck. (I mean, since we've lost games, we're losers right?) I completely understand that some fans are just unhappy with a limited QB and a team that isn't performing well, unless the other teams are worse losers than we are. I will say this: Bryce will fight until the end. Sure, he's has some real loser football. But in close games, he's doing his best to comeback (even against a winner of prevent D). Now is it better or worse if your QB plays their best ball in the first half and sucks 2nd half so long as they finish with 300 yards, 3 TDs for your fantasy points? Who said stats are for winners anyway? The Panthers and Bryce has a long way to go. I'm enjoying the winning right now. Though I do start each game thinking "how will we fug this up today?" Because it's been such a poo show in the Tepper era. Will he prove to be a legit starting NFL QB? Maybe not here as evidence by our record with QBs who were high draft picks.

How long did we spend looking for a LT? I remember those years. You pay the LT. That's the nature of the game. How did the OL look when Icky missed time? Like a poo sandwich? Yep. He's a good starter, you have to resign him. Is anyone really worried about Bryce breaking the bank at this point? I mean, he's looked better, but he's not looked like a $50m a year guy, much less a $30m year guy. Some might even say he's a replacement level. Regardless of QB, Bryce, FA or Draft Pick in 2026, having a good OL is important. Also in another two years, a bunch of money will coming off the books from recent FA. So it's not like we're tying our hands completely up by resigning Icky.

With as long as the Panthers have been horrible, it's important to understand that some people aren't ever going to be happy with the Panthers again. Year after year, we've had hopium highs only to be dashed by the regular season. I get it. There are also plenty of Bryce critics, which are very fair. I think Bryce had a pretty good game. Not great, but good. He made the plays we needed. Now why aren't we seeing the explosive plays more often? While some will point to his physical limitations, which are there, we've also seen him throw the ball downfield successfully. He didn't forget how to do it. I think that a lot of fans want to know that by year 3, we can see why Bryce was No. 1 overall over more physically talented QBs. We're not. The inconsistencies, the turn overs, the timid play. There's a LOT going on from Bryce's play which makes a lot of posters(and fans) nervous and unhappy. Again, no issues, fan how you want to fan. The fact that while behind or tied, Bryce was 10/10 for 158 and 3TDs... So that's a thing. I'm not convinced that Bryce is THE DUDE, but he played pretty well Sunday. He's got to string more strong games, keep protecting the ball, and he's going to have to try some downfield throws again.

I love how he just performs when his number is called I'll take it!

I think Bryce had a good game over all. Not perfect, but good. He made some good throws again, but also didn't push the ball down the field as much as he could have. More yes, but not quite enough to satisfy most Huddlers. I'm still in the "see what happens crowd" Bryce needs to either prove that he's the QB1, get us to the top 5 pick, or we need to move on if he's just average. I'd love for Bryce to be the guy, but I'm not convinced yet. Thought he did have a good game today.

Mike and Alex from the Observer had a pretty good discussion about Bryce in the most recent Processing Blue podcast they did. I listened to it on the way in this morning. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s6A012S6vA&t=984s Bryce will give you 5 or so "wow plays" versus 5 or so "WTF plays." There's just a nuance to any discussion of Bryce. There's a lot to be made of his physical limitations and his mental errors. No matter what, Bryce is just so polarizing. Personally - I still think Bryce is going to have to prove it this year. Can he prove to us that he's the franchise? I don't know. He's going to have to play better and elevate the team. We haven't seen that yet. Let's let him develop. It will lead us to a top 10 pick or a more competitive team.

If only those guys grew on trees? The 2015 team was really special. That was such an incredible year until the Super Bowl. What happened was the owner let the football people handle football decisions. We had a front office that made some really good decisions. Just hit on FAs and draft picks at a high level. Those guys became GREAT players. Our head coach held the team to a standard, but allowed them to be themselves. That let so many of those guys grow into vocal leaders and tone setters. Then we had Cam play lights out for the entire year. We had a defense led by Luke, one of the best to ever play. We had guys like Greg and TD who were so smart and tenacious. That was a special team. The biggest question is how do we bring that back? We don't because we can't. Instead, we need to build up the team again. Bryce is not Cam, duh. Maybe he's not even the guy next season. But there are some dudes like DB, Horn, Chubba who are all high character, effort productive players. As team, they need to lean into what they do well, and give Bryce his opportunities to prove himself. If not, you keep building the best team and work on that QB.

Panthers won, heck yeah! Did Bryce prove that he's the dude? Nope. He was a big reason we were down 17. Two early turnovers again. The first fumble was stupid. The tipped ball wasn't a great throw. But he was also part of the team that didn't give up. So there's a little star for him. Bryce continues to be in a prove it year. So far, not great. Not good. Subpar.

Like Mirror Images....wait a sec...if one team wins, who ends up with the broken mirror and 7 years of bad luck Jay-Z program building?

Well, this is going to be interesting. I was feeling confident we could beat them to death with Chubba and Rico, but it looks like that's not going to happen. I think there's a real chance we can win this one. Miami's D is not good, and their offense is beatable so long as you harass Tua.

If we were going to go for a new coach, then I'd like to see someone from a proven system with a track record. I'm also with @MHS831 in that firing Canales before the end of the season is not a great look. He's not been perfect. The meta storyline for the Panthers organization is that Dave Tepper is a meddler, impatient and a douchebag. All of his actions have proven them true which makes people with head coaching buzz either wait or take other jobs. I think letting Dave start the next season on a Matt Rhule kind of leash isn't the worst idea. I expect a new DC, someone who is a leader of men type with a good 3-4 scheme. I think Evero is a good communicator, I enjoy his pressers, despite the terrible results of his Defenses. I know he's limited with his LBs, but that's a GM problem. The Panthers have to start hitting on draft picks. That's the worst thing we've done for the past 5 years. Four players from the 2022-2023 drafts are still on the roster... That's forcing us to spend our money on pricey FA (with the poo team tax) instead of keeping guys around on rookie deals, freeing up cash. The 2024 Class isn't the worst: Round 1, Pick 32: WR Xavier Legette, South Carolina - Still on the team...young/old WR. Let's see Round 2, Pick 46: RB Jonathon Brooks, Texas - probably the worst pick, maybe he'll recover??? Round 3, Pick 72: LB Trevin Wallace, Kentucky - 2nd worst pick, needs to improve Round 4, Pick 101: TE Ja'Tavion Sanders, Texas - Starting TE in year 2, not bad. Sucks he's hurt Round 5, Pick 157: CB Chau Smith-Wade, Washington State - Pick 6! Solid nickle Round 6, Pick 200: DL Jaden Crumedy, Mississippi State - Late round flyer - depth/bottom of roster Round 7, Pick 240: LB Michael Barrett, Michigan - Traded for Mike Jack = best pick of the draft lol 2025 - Let's see how the season plays out. So I think I'm in the "let's be patient" with the coaching and the management. Maybe Tepper has turned a new leaf. If Bryce sucks the rest of the year, we let Dave & Dan pick their own QB and see what happens. Tepper looks like he's learned to own, and maybe we lose some of that stigma.

Yeah, you can't turn a 180 degree. But instead of saying "C'mon guys, you're pros!" Dave has to find a different messaging style that demonstrates urgency.

I'm not good enough at Xs and Os to be honest. But I say that Dave isn't serving Bryce because we saw what happened last year after the benching. They had an entire offseason to put their heads together to create, modify, improve everything that worked last year. When things aren't working in games, they should be fixing them during the week. Again, I'm not a how football plays work kind of person. But I have to strategize, solve problems, deal with high pressure parents, kids, and overbearing administrators while delivering high quality results. No, I'm not a pro athlete, nor coach a sports team, nor am I as handsome as I want to be. But looking at this from a problem solving situation, I'm at a loss.

The entire offense is fugged up. It doesn't help we have a sieve for a defense that can barely stop teams that aren't from Atlanta. Bryce came out with physical limitations. The play calling and design isn't helping him. Dave wants an offense that doesn't work for Bryce. In another thread, I said Bryce could probably do well in a Shanahan style WCO with a lot of movement and horizontal routes. We were all sold the bill of good that Bryce was the outlier and he would play bigger and better. We didn't see that his rookie year. We didn't see it until he was benched. Now we're back to an uncomfortable QB who is indecisive and can't play with anticipation. Not a great combo. I'm still in the camp of let Bryce suck, keep the team rolling to a top 10 pick and take another shot at the dart board of QB picks. I'm OK (for now) letting Dave Canales pick his own QB and see what he can do. If we have another 20 games of the poo, then we just start over again.

Here's what I would say: he's trying to solve a lot of problems and he's not sleeping a lot. The NFL head coaching gig is HARD on people. Dave is trying to be too nice, make everyone happy, and keep the vibes and smiles going. I get it. But leadership is hard. You have to be a hard person. In the NFL, you have to crush dreams daily. Sure, you can lift guys up, but you also have to cut, demote, and fire people. Whether it's his religiosity or his personality, Dave is going to have to learn to be ruthless. We haven't seen that too much. Stop blowing smoke, kissing butt, and just be honest. Certainly be respectful, but you have to be 100% honest.

Yep, that's what will happen. I could see a Shanahan style offense that's more horizontal and less vertical do better for him. I could see him going to Miami as an insurance policy behind Tua. Canales has not built a system that suited Bryce. He did after the benching, but since then, he's trying to make Bryce do things that he can't do. Draft pedigree will cause people to over pay on depreciating assets. Like Darnold, with all his bad tape in NY.

Both can be true We can be poop, and a lot of the NFL can be in a similar boat!

I'm back and forth on starting over again. On one hand, what has Dave showed you? The offense isn't anything special. He's not putting his players in position to win. He may have done that when Bryce came back last year, but he's not this year. That's unacceptable coaching. On the other, what is Dave holding back? While we can talk about effort and fight, the players aren't turning on each other (yet). They are fiesty and giving effort. Dave also has Bryce forced upon him, and he's tried. At the same time, Bryce has not been as billed. Would things work better with a more aggressive minded QB? Everything sucks on this team - time to pour baby out with the bathwater and try again. How much more time is this going cost? Is there a redeeming quality about this team that a new coach could come in and build up next year? Who will want to come to the most temperamental owner in the NFL? I can't wait to hear about the meeting of the Daves. I think Canales needs to get this team playing well. No more BS with fundamentals. Get them executing plays on the field. Show me a team that makes plays instead of giving them up. I don't expect 12 wins the rest of the year, but show me some life.