d-dave

I think the grass always looks greener else where. The hard work is figuring out how to make you own grass green. (the metaphor - not the actual grass) I've lived in Charlotte since 1985 when my folks moved from Lynchburg, VA to here. After college, I came back because this is my home. For some folks, there is an appeal to home, others don't have that same feeling and need a change. Nothing wrong with that. And it has zero to do with success in sports. The reality for the Hornet and the Panthers is that they just missed out on those superstar players by bad luck or bad drafting. When it comes down to signing a big time FA, sure, taxes make a difference, but at the end of the day they want money and maybe someone who can win. We're not there in either case. Maybe things will turn for one of the teams. But it would be happening anywhere. That's just the nature of sports. Once you get a star, you need to hold on to them for as long as you can.

@MasterAwesome, careful bringing nuance to the huddle.... Few posters here have the time for that! Jokes aside, I didn't realize that. That's quite an interesting statistic. And while some would say "statistics are for loser," I appreciate how they can be contextualized to better understand what the heck we're looking at. As an idiot with a keyboard, I can see that Young is struggling to get the ball down the field. Is it because he's got a weak arm? No. It's not a great NFL arm, but it's OK. Not weak. Is it is height? Nope. Is it the horrific guard play? There's got to be something there. Is it because our WRs can't get open, like at all, especially versus man? Indeed, probably something there. To me, the Panthers' struggles in the passing game are a combination of problems instead of simply one big glaring issue. But it's so easy to place the blame in one place! I'm looking forward to seeing how we play against Houston. Maybe we'll learn something. Or we'll see more of the same. Who knows!

Man, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult you. That last bit is more for the constant trashers we have who's end argument is that there is nothing to look forward to with the Panthers. I didn't mean that towards you! Sadly I'm outside of the edit window, but again I have proved I am an idiot with a keyboard! I don't disagree about the potential, I just happen to think he's a little more than a JAG, more of a role player. To me, a JAG is someone with average NFL performance, and I just happen to think that Haynes gives us more than that as a situational pass rusher.

https://dragonmount.com/forums/topic/118626-brandon-sanderson-s2-finale-reaction-video/ I saw this pop up in a news feed (Google Discover) and I thought it was interesting as he was consulting pretty heavily on the show. TL/DW - He's not a fan of how the show is changing characters and plots. Though I do agree that the sword aspect with Rand is not really done up in the show at all. In the books, Rand's father's sword is integral to his identity and figuring out how to become the dragon. I don't really disagree with that, but I still enjoyed the series. Here's a better link discussing the reaction: https://winteriscoming.net/2023/10/18/brandon-sanderson-harsh-criticism-the-wheel-of-time-season-2-finale/

I'd say he's a JAG++, as someone who has been a pretty decent situational rusher the past few years. I'm not expecting him to save the season by any means, but he's actually a halfway decent pass rusher to rotate in situationally. I mean, consider that we haven't even gotten a single sack from Houston - maybe we just need someone else. Please pardon my rose tinted spectacles... It's just who I am. If you're more interest in trashing the team: "Panthers suck, fire everyone, trade everyone! We are the worstest evar!!!"

For everyone that takes the rumored Rams trade as gospel (this is the NFL -it's a rumor/unsubstantiated until it's done), it wasn't going to help us at that time. Sure, now it looks great - but you also have to consider what you're losing in Burns. They were offering the '24 and '25 1st round picks. Burns is still one of the top 10 edge rushers in the NFL, and he's shown improvement in run support. You can point to his lack of sacks versus the other premium guys, but his win rate is still top 10. He's also playing on a bad team so there aren't enough opportunities to get after the QB. He can also do more if he wants to get paid like a top 10 edge guy. Let's accept that he's probably the most talented player on our team, but he's not showing it. Given where the Rams are now 3-3 (spot 19 at tankathon), that puts us outside of the top 15, generally when the talent between the 16-45th picks have similar value player by player. Certainly, having a 1st round pick gives you more ammo to move around and pick up more picks by trading down, but can you replace Burns? His game is speed and bend. Those guys do not linger very long. Looking at some rando top 75 (pff if your curious) - are we getting someone who can replace Burns between 19-33? Nope, I just don't see it. Please let me know how wrong I am. But the Panthers didn't get two draft picks. Chances are if a winner trades you a first round pick, they are counting on at worst it being a mid-low first round pick. I just don't think there's the value in trading Burns without anyone here or in the draft who can replace him. You still need a pass rushers in the NFL.

Hold on, that doesn't fit the narrative from social media, therefore, it's a deep fake put in place by the NFL/Bryce defenders with the goal of ensuring that parts of the Panthers fan base continue to attack each other instead of....anything??? Jokes aside - people keep saying there are a lot of smart people in the Carolina front office and coaching staff. Not just Panthers reporters and media talking morons - but even other vets and retired players. Is Evero a bad DC? No. His resume is pretty darn good, and he interviewed for a Head Coaching job here and else where this past off season. Chances are he's trying to make chicken salad with chicken poo. The thing is, you could do this for a lot of the Carolina staff and FO people (Dan Morgan, Samir Suleiman, and Cole Spencer). There are lots of people who a great many people have said are smart and good. So EITHER: the media is lying to use and we need to march on NFL HQ! OR The Matt Rhule years really fugged up a LOT of things. Everyone is working hard to fix it, but things just aren't there yet. Personally - I think there are too many cooks in the kitchen. The problem with bringing in too many high level people is that sometimes they don't listen and work well together. That's not an excuse for being winless in the NFL. Guys can be some of the best people in the world, and still fail. If things don't get better, folks will get fired. Not because they aren't great at their jobs, but because they can't help this team work better. I apologize if I'm being too nuanced, too rational, or too positive. For those of you who feel that way: burn it all down, trade everyone, and sell the team to Sir Purr!

Thinking about how the use the Saidar/Saidin in the novels; this is WAY smaller scale. Season 1, everything was pretty low budget, and this year they had a little more cash to play with when folks channeled. From what I see of Rand in the show - he doesn't really know very well how to channel intentionally. Looking at the combat -it seems that most of the other characters were trained but Rand's sword training was very light. It makes some sense because it was kind of odd that Rand became a sword master after a few weeks training with Lan... I agree whole heartedly that adaptations should put their own twist on a story - especially since The Wheel of Time is FAR TOO CUMBERSOME!!! Why didn't an editor tell Jordan to cut the crap...??? Rings of Power was flawed, but fun. Hopefully it makes a jump for the second season similar to Wheel of Time.

He's had some good and some bad. Just the bad seems to hit at the worst possible time... I'm going to go with the sophomore slump. I think Icky will be fine long term. As others have said - having to deal with a revolving door of bad, young guard play has hampered his work. It's almost as if he's having to play both positions. In some of these plays, have you seen him look inside to see what's happening next to him before he tries to move out? Icky has plenty to improve himself He still get's beat far too often for a top five pick. He's also trying to cover for bad play next to him. Hopefully things can get to get better for him and the team after the bye (or burn it all to the ground - depending on your perspective around here).

What's been so disappointing is that the "talking heads" of NFL media have loved a BUNCH of players out of our drafts. TMJ was highly regarded. Butler was loved. Zavala and Mays were both "great value picks." But they aren't panning out. Is this an issue of talent or development? At a certain point - it does become apparent, but we're so bad right now, it's hard to determine did we just draft duds, or is it primarily a coaching problem? I know winning cures all, but we're still at a point where we need to improve the team - one way or another.

Remember when Indy ran into the sword guy in Temple of Doom? How he solved it with his revolver? when Rand ran into Turoth, instead of the sword masters' duel from the books, there he just ended them all. Why do you think that they are writing Rand out of being the dragon? I don't see that, what am I missing? I can understand not having them fight in the sky because the Ishamael from the books is quite different from the show. I have no idea what they are doing with the rest of the Foresaken. I guess I'm so excited because it's telling a great story in a way that works (for me) in an episodic format. I'm just digging it.

I picked it back up at book 9, and I'm working my way through 10. The key is 90% of what happens isn't terribly important. Again, why didn't the editor fight Jordan more? I skim until I see something interesting. But the TV show really hits so hard! I feel MUCH more invested in the characters. I know Season 1 got messed up in production and had a LOT of issues in the writing, but season 2 really just flows so well. Wait until you see the Indian Jones moment. It made me laugh so hard!

The big thing that Reich needs to do this bye week is hand over the play calling duties. Reich needs to concentrate on a head coach. He can be a good head coach if that's all he does. Spread his energy and focus to running the team, putting his assistants in the best possible positions to put their players in those positions and be the rah-rah guy in the locker room. The offensive game has passed Reich. While things have been looking better in spurts, there is no consistency. The quicker Reich realizes that, the better. Can Thomas Brown bring that? Maybe. When you look at the better teams in the NFL, they are able to stress a defense. They force them to make a choice so that you can go after the 2nd option. Will Brown be better able to coax this from our offensive system? I'd sure like to find out. I fell into the trap of "we have a billion years of NFL experience!" and we'll be pretty good. Lord knows that's what EVERYONE was saying. But what are we seeing in the NFL now? Success comes from teams who are smart over experienced. Teams that understand how the NFL plays in 2023, not 2003. Will Reich be fired? Who knows! If he loses the next two winnable games (and anyone who thought we'd Any Given Sunday the Dolphins...I've got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you!) - then I can absolutely see Tepper losing it and firing him. After the bye, we have a chance to get things rightened with winnable games. If not.. We'll we know that Tepper is impatient, wants to win, and can eat billions in contracts to get what he wants... So there's that.

Jay Glazer for what it's worth says that Young was always the pick.

Here's an interesting one as well: I think it's good to look at a large set of opinions in order to really read between the lines. I was dead to the world yesterday so I had a chance to watch them. For me, based on watching the game, and laying on my couch petting my dogs while watching youtube, there's hope. We still have issues with guys not doing their jobs. From the OL to WRs and TEs to the coaching - there are SO MANY issues with our performance, it becomes hard to hold Young completely accountable for the terrible performances. While Young is not playing perfectly, he's a rookie, it's OK. I'm not going to mention other QBs because everyone has a different situation. Young is getting better, which is all we can ask. The coaches need to do a better job of scheming guys open, of using motion, of making everyone's life easier. Tepper needs to just fug off - be a fan, go drink beer with ugly guys at the Huddle Tailgate, just leave the team operations to Frank and Scott. You hired them - let them do their jobs. The Bleav in Panthers podcast (https://bleav.com/shows/bleav-in-carolina-panthers/) had a really good episode this week with Curtis Whitley and some guys from the Miami show. Whitley made a great point, when dealing with this kind of adversity - you find out what guys are playing for. You have to have the leadership, which in our case is going to be developing. Overall, despite the losses, I don't feel like we're that far away from turning a corner. I think after the bye, getting some of those injured players back, we can make some noise. Then again, I am trying to be optimistic. Why? I'm happier that way. I know, crazy stuff!

Yes! I didn't even realize it was back. It maintains the same story of Rand becoming and accepting the role as the Dragon; it's so different and fun. I just enjoyed the heck out of it! Some really great performances.

Unpopular opinion - Three years. I get it, it's hard to be patient considering the long term stench that has invaded our franchise. But QBs take time to develop and get good. So while many of you are in favor of burning things down because we missed on CJ Stroud (who is a HOF after five weeks, right?), I'm looking at the long term here. We invested heavily in Bryce, and regardless of what's happened in his first five starts, you don't give up a QB you think can be YOUR QB. While there is a fair amount of knee jerk reactions in the NFL, look how much leeway first round QBs get. You have to see that they don't have it, like Tre Lance, to move on that quickly. Or in the 49ers case they found a great QB fit in Purdy. Then you look at Mac Jones in NE, still getting starts despite the lack of success in NE (is it him or NE? Both?). I get that we're all frustrated. We were sold a retool and a playoff run, and we got an 0-6 start. How very Matt Rhule - except he actually won some games in those first few weeks. So yeah, we're in a poo place. The draft capital we lost is already a sunk cost, and we have to work on getting better each day, week, and season. That's all you can do. No one is going to save the Panthers except themselves. Or - there will be a LOT of job openings on Mint Street coming up.

We got sold a lot of wonderful hope this off season. Got to hand it to the NFL and their ability to sell hope like a drug, lol. Now that we are crashing back down to reality - the Panthers have very little depth. We are bringing guys off the street weekly it seems to fill holes. I know every team deals with injuries, but our Defense has been hammered. They are doing the best they can, but again, we aren't playing complementary football. The offense makes it as hard as possible for the defense to stay competitive. Our defense can make a good stand: then turnover or 3 and out. That's demoralizing when it keeps happening. Honestly, the offense needs to play better. The coaches need to coach better. Despite all the signals this was a retool - this is a rebuild. We weren't one QB away, and our QB is not playing as well as we'd hoped (cue all the Stroud fans to chime in). Hope in one hand, piss in the other, see which fills up first. I keep hearing that we have a lot of smart football folks in the building - and they need to show it. I know there were going to be some adjustment and growing pains, but we're getting to the mid point of the season soon. Time to put on the big boy pants or get that resume on indeed ready.

That's what I thought too, add in more Chubba Hubbard. I'm curious if something clicked for Bryce in the 2nd half. Sure, we lost, but we were much more interesting than we were first half. Whatever it was, you have to make progress, and there was some. Not enough, but something.

Was it just me, or did the left side seem to settle in better with Mayes came in for Zavala? It is great to hear that Zavala is coming back with the team, but he was played like a flaming bag of dog doo. Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt the bash on Panthers party, but I was just wondering if anyone else noticed that?

Thing are not going well, but trying to constantly run out of the shotgun is not going to work. Sure, our guards are pretty terrible, especially Zavala; and Icky is defiantly having sophomore slump as he is being transitioned away from what he's really good at (power run blocking). We do not have the guys who can win in that set up. What many in Panthers social media have been saying: we need to get back to power running, that's the coaches issue. The lack of motion is a coaching issue. The fact that defenses don't have to defend past 10 yards is an offensive issue. What made Bryce special was his ability to improvise in and out of the pocket. Again, I think we have a coaching issue where Frank and Co are trying to put a square peg in a round hole too often. Bryce has looked his best when he's able to make plays, and there aren't enough opportunities to do so. Many teams move to the RPO/Read Option game is because they have QBs they can use for that. Bryce is a brain - not a Jalen Hurts, Cam Newton, AR or anyone else who has run ability in their game. The Panthers and Reich need to stop calling so many plays based on the RPO and find 5 or so power runs and Play Action from them. Get a 300 lb fullback out there. The Panthers need to figure out how to lean on a D, even if it's with 5 plays. Sure, we don't have a hammer back, but Chuba is running hard. Reich is far too predictable because most of his run plays are RPO to the interior OL on first down. If a moron like me see that, then smart NFL folks do.

I'm happy for CMC. He's back home (he's a west coast kid), playing for a coach who wants to maximize his talents, and they are a legit contender. I do watch his highlights each week, which hurts my heart a little, but that's just the way it goes. Would the Panthers be better? Would CMC be having the same success on the Panthers? Who knows. You can't change the past. You have to move on. If you can change the past and you still let some of the horrors of the world happen....you have MUCH bigger issues than CMC in a Panthers' uniform...

Hindsight is always 20/20. We were sold that these people were serious football people. We haven't seen the end result. If you fire Reich after less than a full season - what kind of candidate are you going to be able to pull in? Will EE want to stick around? Or will he be looking for a better, more stable franchise? There's of course some professional arrogance that someone would take it - but are we going to end up with a better coach? I hate to tell many of you knee-jerk reactors, but we're going to have to let this play out. Rhule got 2+ years. Reich is going to need the same. Does it suck right now? Yes. Does it suck knowing that we gave Chicago a top 10 pick (probably higher)? Oh yeah. Embrace it for now. We have to keep going and try to fix things as we go.

Possible hysteria from Panthers fans...

I didn't realize until last week that it was back! The first season was a little rocky. A bit of a hard change from the books, but as the Wheel turns, right? I think when you put it into that context, things get quite interesting. I'm here, watching the 2nd season playing catch up, and enjoying the heck out of it! Yes, there are A LOT of differences, and I'm here for them. The books are too long and wordy. Look, I do love a good story mixed with some politics and stuff, but Jordan spent WAY too much time on boring stuff that didn't help or move the plot forward. The show on the other hand is really moving forward and I love it! I'm here for it! Season 2 is fun and engaging! Anyone else watching? Anyone else have opinions?