SCO96

Purdy is a 2nd year player drafted in the 7th round. He was forced to come in and start in 2022 after Trey Lance (a first round pick) got hurt and never relinquished the job. 2023 was the first time Purdy started a complete 17 game season. Even the great Patrick Mahomes sat the bench during his rookie year. I blame this loss largely on KC winning the coaching battle in the 2nd half. If Reid had been coaching that Niners offense with Purdy behind center last night I'm sure he would have dialed up some plays to get Deebo and Kittles more involved. Neither guy had a "major impact" in the SB and it ended up hurting SF in the end.

Agreed. But, I don't think Shanahan would abandon the run as much if he had 2 beasts to hand the ball too.

No one does it alone. I actually think Shanahan needs to draft a big back to come in spell MaCaffrey during the game and to use in short yardage situations. Their backup RB is ok, but I think SF could continue to run effectively with CMC on the bench if they could find 6ft+/225lb+ back in the middle rounds of the draft to complement MaCaffrey. If Shanahan had one of those last night he would have a much better shot at winning that game.

MaCaffrey had about 160 total yards in the game. He scored a TD and led his team in rushing and passing yards. Yet, CMC only had 2 touches in the 3rd quarter...the quarter that saw KC get back into the game after the 49er offense stalled and the special teams muffled the punt that resulted in a go ahead TD one play later.

I think Purdy is getting too much blame for this loss. 1)He didn't have any turnovers. 2)He didn't take any big sacks that cost them points or knocked them out of scoring range 3)He didn't fumble away a scoring opportunity in the red-zone (ie:CMC) 4) He wasn't on the field when the muffed punt occurred in the 3rd quarter. This is where KC got the big momentum swing. All Ray-Ray had to do was fall on the ball instead of trying to pick it up to run. 5) He didn't miss any extra points. When the 49ers needed to score to take the lead or tie the game in the 2nd half, he came through. Had this game been played under the old OT rules he'd be a SB champion today. Let's not forget that this was his first full season as a starter. Not bad for a 7th round pick. He should get better with time. He could have played better, but I don't see how anyone can blame the loss mainly on him.

Shanahan reminds me of Tom Landry. Landry was super intelligent...and arguably the only guy in NFL history during the SB era who could be his own own offensive and defensive coordinator. Yet, the Cowboys often chocked in big games under Landry. He tended to over analyze things and make big mistakes in crucial moments of championship games. Pete Gent (North Dallas Forty author) has said he never understood how someone so smart would freeze up at the worst possible times. The Cowboys were preseason favorites to win the championship from 1967-1970 and fell short every year. Each loss was to a less talented team. Landry finally got over the hump in 1971 when Staubach took over at the QB position. Shanahan has lost 2 SB's to Reid. And both times his team outplayed KC for the majority of the game. His offense lost their first half momentum in both losses. He was also the OC for Atlanta when they blew a 28-3 to NE and lost the SB. He needs to figure out why his teams can't put games away when it counts. Had his teams scored 1 more TD in the 2nd half in any of the above 3 SB losses, they would have walked away as world champions.

I tend to agree with you on the run game aspect. They should have run it a little more to: a) wear down the defense and run down the clock b) Keep Mahomes off of the field . CMC is a beast. But, he is still a small back. I really think the 49ers should consider drafting a big back in the mid to late rounds. Someone who is about 6'2/235 to complement Christian. They need someone who can convert in those 3rd and short situations. I'd be looking for the type of back that no defender wants to tackle late in games. It would give them a 1-2 punch and keep both backs from tiring during the game. If Shanahan had our "double trouble" duo of Williams and Stewart, they would have run all over KC last night.

If he had serious reservations about taking the job then its in his best interests, and Washington's, that he turned down the job. "He is considered a coach who prefers holing up in his office, coming up with game plans and playing with mad scientist vibes rather than leading a locker room." He may have a good understanding of his limitations. Norv Turner and Wade Phillips were excellent coordinators in their prime. But, neither excelled as a HC. Another source though said that he didn't like that Commanders executives were "basketball guys" who he believed didn't really know football. Johnson needs to feel comfortable in the team environment. He very well could be right in his assessment. If he went to D.C. and bombed, it could affect the way he's perceived throughout the NFL for the rest of his coaching career. I'm looking forward to seeing if he and Campbell can get Detroit over the hump. The really should have made the SB this year.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/stats/team/_/season/2023/seasontype/2 This link should take you to the team stats for offense across the NFL this year. We had the fewest passing yards and fewest total yards in the league this season. We were 20th in the league in rushing. We scored a league low 13.9 points per game...a slightly skewed stat because we were shut out the last two games of the season. Carolina was clearly the worst offensive team in the NFL for the 2023 season. https://www.espn.com/nfl/stats/team/_/view/defense/season/2023/seasontype/2 If you click on the tab towards the middle of the scree you can see the team defensive rankings. In terms of total yards allowed, we ranked 4th with 293.9 yards per game. We ranked 29th in points per game allowed with 24.5 pts. Point differential -10.6 points per game. Most successful teams are going to have a positive point differential or at least break even during the course of the season. https://www.espn.com/nfl/stats/team/_/view/turnovers/season/2023/seasontype/2 Carolina was -9 in turnover differential (26th in the NFL) https://www.espn.com/nfl/team/stats/_/name/car/table//sort/sacks/dir/desc We only had 28 sacks as a team https://www.espn.com/nfl/team/stats/_/name/car/table//sort/interceptions/dir/desc The team had 8 INTS. Those last stats are down from 2022. When you factor in the bad offense, injuries, and lack of sacks/INTS, lack of a true superstar, the defense was more than respectable in 2023.

He's done a great job in the Cowboy front office. I think he'd be a good addition for our organization...which means he won't get the job. I fear this could be a Rooney Rule interview and nothing more.

I wouldn't bother trying to tag and trade him unless had already worked out a deal with another team and he was aware of what was going down . You may not find a buyer. If we don't want to pay him $30 mil per year, why would we expect someone else to after an 8 sack season? Then we could be stuck with him on a big 1 year deal and go an entire season with him "playing scared" again. Or, Burns could decide to hold out over the tag issue and create a messy preseason distraction. Id be ok just let him walk. We might be able to get a 3rd round comp pick for him in 2025.

The Raider messed up by not keeping the guy (I forgot his name) who replaced Gruden when he was fired. He actually got them to the playoffs only to be replaced by Josh McDaniel, who has now been fired. McDaniel get fired and Pierce comes in and goes 5-4 to close the season. Marc Davis has a coach already on the staff that has changed the tone in the locker room. He could end up alienating the locker room if Pierce doesn't get a fair shot.

If I were a talented WR (or TE) with more than one solid offer to change teams, then playing for the Panthers would be my last option. I’d only consider Carolina if 1 )no other team made me an offer 2) the other offers were extremely low and below market value 3) I had a burning desire to live in the Carolina for personal reasons Outside of the above reasons, I can’t think of another reason for a top FA to come to Charlotte. We are literally the worst team in the NFL record wise We appear to have the worst owner in the NFL. We arguably have the worst GM and front office in NFL We have had 6 straight losing seasons and never had back to back winning seasons in almost 30 years of existence. Our 1st round QB not shown (at least so far) that he can become even a solid starter in the league. No first round pick in 2024. I think a lot of people are going to be disappointed if they expect a horde of top free agents to pack their bags and head to the Carolinas this offseason.

Hopefully an important lesson has been learned. Never trade up into the top 5 for a QB unless the team is solid on both sides of the ball is truly only a playmaking QB away from contending for a conference title. Too much draft capital is used to make such a move; and sometime as was our case...you may lose a talented player in the deal. I wouldn't trust Fitterer to draft a fantasy team. But, a good GM could have filled a lot of holes in the 2023 draft if we had kept the picks we had on Day 1 (ie no trade up for JAGS like DJ Johnson). I would have been content to take Levis in the top 10 for our QB(he has all of the physical tools to play the position). We'd still have DJ Moore at WR. If you didn't like Levis you could have used that for another position of need and signed a veteran like Dalton or Flacco to hold things steady thru 2023. The 2024 draft would have been the ideal year to try to move up. Take a look at the guys who may be coming out this year (from the USA Today site). Jayden Daniels, LSU (QBR: 95.7) Bo Nix, Oregon (90.9) J.J. McCarthy, Michigan (89.3) Michael Penix Jr., Washington (83.2) Caleb Williams, Southern California (82.1) Jordan Travis, Florida State (80.0) Drake Maye, North Carolina (79.5) Quinn Ewers, Texas (78.9) Michael Pratt, Tulane (65.8) Shedeur Sanders, Colorado (63.0) I think most of us would take any of these guys over Bryce based on his 2023 season in Carolina if we had a do over. One of these QB's would have likely fallen to us. Or, we could be in a position to move up because the talent from the 2023 draft should have moved us closer to contending in the NFC.

Will Levis wasn't picked until round 2. I thought he would have been an excellent choice for us at our original spot in the top 10. If we had stayed put we would have had him inside the top 10 and kept last years #2, this years #1, the #2 in 2025, and DJ Moore. Too many people think you have to trade up into the top 5 to get a franchise QB. If you are set on both sides of the ball and the team is in a position to compete with the QB already on the roster, move up and get your guy. If the team is poor, use the picks to build a solid roster or let a talented prospect fall to you and keep your picks. It's too expensive to give away all of those picks. Hopefully we've learned our lesson.

At one time I would have said that Bryce needs all of the snaps that he can get. After watching his last two game, I think I may be inclined to agree with you. If Dalton comes in and everyone starts playing better in the dame scheme, then we know BY is the main issue. That could lead him to work on his game in the offseason. He needs to hire a professional QB coach and completely overhaul his game. Such a move could ruin him mentally. That's a risk worth taking. We're going nowhere with him QB if he continues to play this way. The team really does need to see what the offense would look like with someone else under center.

Here’s the sad thing, if we had Alex Smith at his peak, we’d probably rule the NFC South (the worst division in pro football) for the rest of the decade.

I wouldn’t take the job if Tepper told me that BY had to go into the season as starter. I’d Id insist that he had to earn the job in the preseason to start in 2024. If Dalton, another FA, or a lower drafted QB played the best ball so be it.

Based on how bad this team is in 2023, Burn's lackluster season, and no 1st round pick in 2024, I’d take a late first round pick for Burns right now. Forget about not taking the Rams offer for 2024 and 2025 draft choices. Scott F’s draft record does little to inspire confidence. He’d probably blow those picks on JAGs that wouldn’t start on any contender in the NFL.

If a solid QB prospect drops to #32 you almost have to take him. Last month I would have said go with the best interior lineman or LT prospect because I don’t trust Scott F to draft a competent WR if his life depended on it. Now, I can’t imagine having to sit through another season of BY playing this poorly at the QB position. Anything can happen, but I don’t see any chance of us making the playoffs with Young at QB unless our division continues to suck and somehow we become like the 85 Bears, 2000 Ravens, or 2001 Bucs on defense and rely on them to win games.

I see things pretty much the way you do. Those 3 positions need to be our top priority. But, do you really think a top FA is going to want to join the worst organization in NFL? If I was in my prime and had the power to choose my fate, you couldn’t pay me enough to join the current day Carolina Panthers. I know this sounds bad, but I’d be giddy if we found a legit #2 to complement Theilan in the slot and took our chances on speed receiver in round 2. Unfortunately, I have no faith in Scott F. To pick the right guy after the round 2 selections of TMJ and Mingo.

Tepper isn't likely to throw in the towel on Bryce after year one and would probably veto that but I definitely understand your reasoning. You mentioned that the TE class was weak. Do you have any insight into the LT and WR classes? I wouldn't be opposed to taking a 2nd round center if had the potential to turn into Ryan Kalil or Creed Humphry for the rest of the decade. Sure up the center position with a STUD, Put Brady at LT (his natural position), move Ekwonu inside and our O-line would improve immediately.

In this scenario you go into the 2024 draft knowing that Bryce will be starting the season as the #1 QB on the depth chart. What would be your top priority in round 2: O-line, WR, TE, dare I say it…pick another QB, or would you trade down for additional choices (big mistake if you ask me)? I think this draft is critical. I just don’t see Carolina acquiring top free agents after the disastrous 2023 season. This team is sorely lacking in talent so we can’t afford to miss on this pick. We need to find a starter in the 2nd round (and round 3 to be honest).

I totally agree with you on this. Bryce fooled a lot of people since he played at BAMA, but even the anti-Bryce crowd will admit he didn't look this bad in college. He made a lot of big time throws in college. I'm sure playing on a stocked roster helped, but he still had to deliver the ball to the receivers. Saban wouldn't have started him otherwise. If BY's game tape at Alabama looked as bad as it has thru 12 games this season I don't think he would have even been drafted.

I think we are all in agreement that the Carolina organization made the wrong choice at QB and gave up way too much capital in doing so. That said, we need to slow down before we totally bail ship on Bryce Young. We're stuck with him for at least another year. The team needs to go all in on improving his situation next season. Adding a WR (or TE) who can get separation, better interior line protection, and improving the LT play are a must to not only better evaluate Bryce, but to also lay the proper foundation for a potential new guy to come in 2025 if BY fails to improve in 2024. A large majority of next seasons success falls on Bryce himself. He needs to realize that he's not a good NFL QB. If he's going to have a successful career in the league, then he's going to have to work his butt off this offseason. He needs to beg Tepper to find him a QB coach who'll be hard on him. He needs someone to coach him on his footwork, his throwing mechanics, teach him how to play under center, and address, any other weaknesses in his game. As someone said earlier, he's going have to reinvent himself and become a new QB. Is it likely he'll live up to his draft slot, probably not. But, it ain't impossible. Bryce strikes me as the type of person who'll at least be willing to put in the work to get better, but he needs a lot of coaching and an offense that will maximize his ability. Bulking up wouldn't be a bad thing. He needs to get stronger to endure QB hits; and to also improve his ability to push the ball downfield with better velocity. Tepper, Bryce, and the new HC all need to enter 2024 on the same page and go all out to improve Bryce's passing ability because at the present time he isn't good enough to lead a team to the playoffs in a crappy division; and definitely not into championship contention.