d-dave

23 minutes ago, Jackie Lee said:

Yeah let's stick to the draft

 

Yeah, I saw that and was a bit taken aback.  The past few years, the high end WR market has been insane.  And Mooney is not a high end WR...  Good for him for getting the generational wealth though!  

I'm fine passing on WRs right now, and waiting for the slow rounds of FA...

1 hour ago, PleaseCutStewart said:

Umm.... what???

Pretty sure he was like 2 out of 7 (at best) in games where we had the ball down 1 score in the last few minutes of a game. 

How dare you interrupt my rose colored glasses!!!  Pass the crow, lol.

I'm a dumb dumb, thanks for pointing me out

Here's mine.  From PFN (Image)

Next, here's a list from https://www.nflmockdraftdatabase.com/user-mock-drafts/2024/user-mock-2358601

33 Keon Coleman WR | Florida State LogoFlorida State
39 Graham Barton IOL | Duke LogoDuke
65 Payton Wilson LB | NC State LogoNC State
101 Cam Hart CB | Notre Dame LogoNotre Dame
155 Malik Washington WR | Virginia LogoVirginiaTRADE
160 Tanor BortoliniI OL | Wisconsin LogoWisconsinTRADE
170 Chau Smith-Wade CB | Washington State LogoWashington StateTRADE
175 Mohamed Kamara EDGE | Colorado State LogoColorado StateTRADE
178 Jared Wiley TE | TCU LogoTCU
189 Ty'Ron Hopper LB | Missouri LogoMissouriTRADE
196 Daijun Edwards RB | Georgia LogoGeorgiaTRADE
204 Myles Cole EDGE | Texas Tech LogoTexas TechTRADE
209 Keith Randolph Jr. DL | Illinois LogoIllinoisTRADE
217 Jalyx Hunt EDGE | Houston Baptist LogoHouston BaptistTRADE
239 Drake Nugent IOL | Michigan LogoMichiganTRADE

The trades in this one were hilarious.  I will say, if we were to actually get this kind of a draft, I would apply to be Useful Draft Idiot for the Panthers..  I feel like I got some good value out an algorithm that doesn't care about picks or value, LOL.

While losing Burns for only a 2nd and pocket lint, having that 2nd high 2nd round pick means we can get some quality players pretty quickly!

How many games did we lead in last year?  Zero.  What was the next worse team?  No really, I can't find it.

We were historically bad in many ways.  How often does that happen multiple seasons in a row?  We're all hoping we don't have a repeat.

We're going to have a weak defense.  They will be well coached, but there will be a real lack of talent out there.  We're going to rely on our offensive line, Bryce Young, and the coaching staff to get us to some wins.  If we double our wins, that's still a poo season.  If we triple our wins, it's not a good season at all.  

Either of those scenarios are a sign of real improvement, even though both are pretty poo seasons.  I think we're in that 4 to 6 win area.  I think we'll be competitive, but teams will drive on us at the end because we're going to have a bunch of practice squad guys playing.  When we can get Bryce a chance to come back for the win, he will be pretty good there (he was 2/2 last year).

Thinking we go for a goose egg is very unrealistic.  Though more realistic than us winning the Super Bowl against the Chiefs (good AI laughs there). 

10 hours ago, CRA said:

 

It really is terrible when you look at it that way.  Though we still have our 2025 1st round pick, I'm not sure where that one comes into play unless thy reconning the LA trade. In my own copium, let's look at it this way:

1. Keep CMC: continue to muddle about, maybe win two more games under Wilks, slip out of top 10.

2. In 2023: we'd have to trade the farm to go up and get one of the top 3 QBs, or else we have to find a one year rental QB.  Which do we choose?  Win more with a rental, or embrace the suck.  Is Reich the coach?  In this alternate dimension, does Wilks actually get his shot?  So we keep Wilks, playing with JAG QB, running and playing tough D, we extend Burns for the money he wanted since he's the franchise.  We win 8/9 games, close to the division.

3. So here at 2024, we DO NOT have the first overall.  We are at a 12 to 17 for ours, the Rams a little later.  Who do you trade those with to move upwards?  

You could absolutely argue we're better, but again, playing revisionist history is exhausting lol.  Better ask an AI to do it!

Right or wrong, good or bad, it doesn't matter.  We're where we are because of past decisions.  Scott Fitterer was a pretty terrible GM.  Now Dan Morgan, for better or worse is left to pick up those pieces and try to rebuild.

It is a real poo show to look at that way, but it's just not that simple, given how fluid the NFL is.  If one thing changes (like we don't trade CMC), it moves everything else.

11 minutes ago, LinvilleGorge said:

Imagine being as bad at something as Sam Darnold is at NFL QBing and it still being worth $10M a year.

If you can look the part, that's 90% of being one of these wealthy journeyman NFL QBs.  Sam has some talent, but his major problem is he's not a good player.  Teams still think they can polish a turd and have something that doesn't look and smell like poo on the field.

Counterpoint: what if this is what we needed to do?

Look, we were the biggest losers last year with that roster.  Dan Morgan was stuck between a rock and a hard place: either you keep things going in the current direction or pivot?  If he went in the same direction, signing Luvu, extending Burns for $30 million, keeping the D together, and we go out and suck; then what's the review on that?

Instead Morgan had to pivot, clean out some players that Scott signed.  New direction, different outcome?  Who knows!  That's why they play the games.  It does suck to again trade off a successful player we selected with a first round pick for pennies on the dollar.  But no one else was willing to make that deal.  When Scott didn't take the deal from the Rams, that was it.  I thought the Panthers were going to build around Burns, and my opinion about Burns > 2 1s has been proven VERY wrong.  It's ok, I'm not losing sleep here.  

So as fans we can choose to abandon the team (though not the Huddle, never, right?), or watch and see, or be really angry, or be however we want to be!  It won't change things.  Chris Lee on the Panther's Notebook (99.9 The Fan) made the point about damned if you do, damned if you don't much better than I did.  I'd check out their episode from last night to hear someone actually smart talk about it.

What a surprise to wake up to.  Two guards, $150 million in funny money.  The huddle going bup, bup, bup.

Somethings never change!

I'm glad they are investing in the OL.  We'll need that to run the ball and for Bryce.  I'm not ready right now to give up on Bryce without seeing him play through this coming season, but IF we decide to move off of Bryce in a year or two, these guys will still be here to keep a Qb clean.

The salary cap is more of a suggestion.  This is our first mega deal from Brad Tillis.  We'll see how it works out for us.

Looking at the money going to guards, the cash was only going up.  Sometimes, you just have to pay the market rate.  Hopefully this is the kind of injection our OL needs to shore up.

I love Frankie and want to keep him, but Burns is the bigger priority.  I'm not sure why there is this impasse between the FO and Burns.  We've watched CMC and DJ Moore, two other first round picks mind you, go off with new teams, setting career highs and making the Panthers look like fools.

So now, let's take our very talented edge (thanks @MHS831 for the great stat breakdown), trade him off for pennies on the dollar only to watch him go to a team and make them better.  We used to do a great job of keeping our best players (I know Hurndog made plenty of contract mistakes), but we kept our good core together.

If we trade Burns away, we lose the rest of our pass rush.  Even if we can keep Frankie, who will rush the passer?  Teams will just double Frankie and we can hope DJ Johnson or Amarie Barno suddenly become NFL contributors? Can pick 33 give us 10 sacks as a rookie and a consistent rush?  Will prime FA pass rushers be willing to come to Carolina, a team that used and abused Brian Burns?  The more I look at places like Spotrack, the more I feel like I'd much rather over pay for Burns today than hope and pray some FAs workout.

The Panthers need to get some contracts worked out for Moton, Frankie, DB, and Burns.  Those are core players that we can resign to get our cap in order for this season.  If you don't take care of your core, the rest of the team will suffer, either from lack of talent or poor morale.  Pros can see what we did to Burns, and they will remember.  Which just makes it more expensive for us to sign players.

I'll pass on him.  Wilson works best when he can "cook" i.e. improv.  He's lost his sudden burst as a runner.  Now he's a QB that wants to do it his own way instead of what an OC wants.  You are who you are, and Russell Wilson has not been great lately.  Maybe if he went to a place with good weapons in place, he could find success, but here....what weapons?

Nope!

I imagine that this is more likely an extension to get his cap number down for a few more years.

Prior to last year, Moton has consistently been good.  Good pass pro, good run blocking, great leadership.  Let's be real honest: the Reich/Brown offense was literally a flaming bag of feces.  Everyone ended up rolling around in it, covered in poo.  Moton is really good, and he needs to be retained.

I'm all for keeping him.  Also, I've about given up on caring what the salary cap is.  You have tools to continue to move money, contracts can be manipulated, etc.  Just get the guys here to play.  

What is the option?  Hope that Brady C is a good enough RT?  Draft one?  Spend capital on another starting quality RT?  I'd rather allocate more resources else where than try to replace a good, quality player.

I did not like the speed comps for Coleman.  But I do like the player.  He plays like a dawg as Dan Morgan would say.  He can beat hand fighting.  He's strong.  So there's some good traits there aside from his underwear speed.  I'm curious to see what he does at the FSU pro day.  He did look fast in the gauntlet.

I think he could be an interesting player.  

45 minutes ago, ForJimmy said:

Yep the top 100 players will be gone by pick 33.

Nope, not just the top 100.  Teams will be doubling and tripling down on picks to draft all 6,000 players before our pick!!!

I hope you know I'm kidding.  Huddle Logic is always "the last good player was picked before our pick."  Happens every draft.  I'm just being silly

Hey, hold on guys.  Remember, there are never players available at our pick.  They'll all be long gone.  As it always is, the draft ends before we pick.  Remember past year

Sorry, love the huddle logic lol.

As far as speed merchants go, at least Worthy has the ability to run routes too.  He's not just a vertical route guy.  He can operate in space.

Well, that's a choice, that's for sure.

But that's our culture for you.  If you're exceptional enough, you get to bypass the rules.  If you're rich enough, you don't face consequences.  

I'm with @rayzor in that I'd rather be enjoying that dreading.  I'm not sure how you can enjoy football dreading each game or season.  Not for me!

I expect another struggle bus season, but I do expect Bryce to play better, the defense to keep chugging along (depending on what happens with Burns).  I think we'll see improvements in many areas, maybe chase .500 for the season.  I think they can be a scrappy team.

I know many are ready to just drop Bryce like a child at a fire station, but he was widely considered a top 2 pick by almost the entire NFL media machine, and many teams as well.  So there's no question of his talent or ability to play.  The problem is the system in 2023 sucked horribly.  It's up to Bryce and the rest of the team to show us who we actually drafted.

If nothing else, he's seen up close and personal what bad decisions look like.  I'm rooting for Dan, Dave and the Panthers.  I want to see our team get better and be fun to watch again.

I've enjoyed the hopeim that the NFL has spun for us.  Good lord these guys make me hopeful.  But I'm also careful not to get too wrapped up in that.  Burned too often.  

Hopefully, things work out.  I want a fun Panthers team again.

Funny topic.

It's a pass for me.  I'm not giving up draft assets for a guy we already passed up who hasn't shown that he's an improvement over what we have.

This season we'll either see Bryce improve, or he'll deliver us another top 5 pick to use on our next QB.

I love Cam Newton.  For his time as a player, and I do enjoy his post career interviews and youtube.  Though I still hate his social media font.  I do have to be critical though of some of the conflict videos that come out when he's around a bunch of other football players and coaches.

For all that Cam is, he's still got thin parts of his skin.  He still get's really upset at certain issues and will pop off something inflammatory.  Like when he was getting ragged on by kids about the Super Bowl fumble and his response was "I'm rich."  There are aspects of his history and personality that, despite him being so out there and proud, are the tender underbelly of his ego.  Cam has to toughen up.

Cam is rich.  He's still an athletic marvel of a man.  He's got plenty of businesses and opportunities that most of us could never dream of.  He cannot let the mud and slings of the rest of humanity cause him to lose composure.  I've been teaching for 20 years.  Do I care if a kid calls me old or fat?  Nope, because they are immature kids who will be just as old and fat as I am in 30 years LOL.

I can't really comment on how one makes jokes or rags on folks at a 7 on 7.  I know when someone does something better, I give them credit and work on getting better.  Cam should remember it from his playing days: if you don't like the celebrations, stop me.  Just when they do, give them their credit and congratulations.

I've also had plenty of times in my career when I've had administrators or other teachers say things that embarrass me in front of my kids. I have never thought about raising my hands in anger.  If Cam Newton came in and was tearing me down, I still wouldn't throw punches at him.  If he puts his hands on a kid, I'm not going to fight him either, but I will get in the way.  I will stop that, but I won't escalate.  The reality is Cam has a LOT more to lose than I do.  If Cam punches me and breaks my jaw, you know who's getting sued?  Celebrity can be very fickle, and Cam ought to remember that when dealing with the common people of America.

This is hilarious.  I just did one, and picked up a LOT of extras:

https://www.nflmockdraftdatabase.com/user-mock-drafts/2024/user-mock-2238722

I did like the idea of Trent Brown making two positions better.  That was an interesting idea.

As far shipping off Burns...  I think we need to keep our really good football players.  That's what it comes down to.  I'd put a transition tag on Burns.  Let him test the market, and we can workout the compensation with a team willing to sign him to big money.

https://www.nfl.com/news/2023-nfl-free-agency-explainer-vital-information-on-franchise-tags-contract-term

As I read through that, I think the hangup is in the guaranteed money.  The rest of it is all made up money.

I've heard and seen a lot of great things about it.  I just don't have friends, lol.  I've heard its much more fun with friends.  So I'll watch on and cheer from the sidelines.

Opinions are like feet, we all have a couple and think your's stinks.

Will Bryce be a franchise QB?  That's going to take time.  Last season was an absolute dumpster fire for the entire team with very few bright spots.  We'll have a much better idea how good Bryce can be after next season.

Either he will improve and we'll be an improved team, or he'll escort us to finding his replacement.  There's no point other than generating the clicks to keep making these kinds of statements.

1 hour ago, SCO96 said:

Here's a look at the Panthers' 2024 picks:

— Their own second-rounder (No. 33 overall)

— Their own third-rounder (No. 65 overall)

— Their own fourth-rounder

— San Francisco's fifth-rounder

— Tennessee's fifth-rounder

— Arizona's sixth-rounder

Thanks for the handy breakdown @SCO96!

I'd see who wants what after round 1.  I can almost guarantee that we'll have a fair number of suitors for at the top of 2 and 3.  Listening to Bucky Brooks the other day, he said this draft was really deep in OT and WR, but after the first 100 or so players, it all gets really thin.  I'm all for more darts at the dart board of chance!