SCO96

Back in August I had to go to Hilton Head for a business meeting. I listened to a podcast one morning while I was getting dressed. The guest was Eric Dickerson. During the interview he said that he was told by a very high placed source inside the NFL office that teams were told to NOT DRAFT SANDERS in order to send him a message. I guess after the NFL felt he had fallen far enough, Cleveland received a phone call from the league telling them to draft him, who had no intention of doing so until they got that call. This is why I'd like to see him at least get a shot at competing for a starting job somewhere on the league. If he turns out to be a jerk, let the team cut him. The NFL shouldn't be telling someone not to draft someone who doesn't have a criminal record and isn't a source of embarrassment to the NFL brand. They let Deshaun Watson back in the league and get a FULL GUARANTEED CONTRACT 5 YEAR CONTRACT FOR $230 MILLION after being accused of sexually assaulting almost 2 dozen women. Start at the 1:47 mark.

I'd wouldn't have a problem with that at all. The Browns could then walk away with a higher draft pick than the one they used on him and losing a 4th round pick wouldn't damage us too much heading into 2026. I was browsing Cleveland website yesterday. There are already rumblings that Berry and Stefanski are on the hot seat. Some are saying Stefanski is more in danger of getting fired. Some are saying thst goes for both of them. If the GM goes, then you know the coach is right behind him. A new GM/Coach combo are going to want "their guy" and would likely be more than willing to nab a 4th to get Sanders out of the building.

The interesting things about these 3 guys is that they each one can throws to all areas of the field. This allows you to open up the entire playbook. They're also still young and would now be humble enough to accept some good/tough coaching. Our team has improved in terms of depth on the offensive side of the ball. Anyone of those guy would come in and have some talented pieces to work with at the skill positions. The O-line is solid. We could use the draft to focus on building up the defense on the first two days of the draft. And as you pointed, under no circumstances do you trade up. I wouldn't even trade down this draft unless its 5 spots or less and still put me in position to get the guy I wanted and pick up an extra pick.

I think the ideal situation for both parties would be for the team to let Bryce know that they will not be picking up the 5th year option. Then you tell him that a viable QB (via the draft, trade, or FA) will be brought in with the intent of him becoming the starter next season...unless Bryce clearly outperforms them in in camp and in the exhibition season. Then Bryce, as you said in your post, would feel insulted and asked to be traded. Hopefully, we'd have an interested party and who'd be willing to give us a day 3 pick that we can turn into a depth piece or a viable O-lineman (most starting centers and guards in the NFL are Day 3 selections). Problem solved. He'd no longer be on the roster to cause any tension and be able to get fresh start elsewhere. If you can't find a trade partner, and he's ok with the back up role that would be fine. if he isn't willing to remain on the roster as a backup then you release him.

Canales is overmatched...in every game...because he has the least talented starting QB in the NFC and possibly the entire game. Some of you are saying that Dave could have called a better game, but I just don't what you guys expect him to do with Bryce at QB. Is he going to have Bryce attack the 2nd and 3rd levels of the defense with his powerful throwing arm and pinpoint accuracy? He could have maybe tried to work more play action passes into the game, but that's only effective when the run game is clicking...and it was not CLICKING yesterday. Maybe you could try running a no huddle to keep the defense on its heels and try to get Young into some type of rhythm. Screens can be an effective means to slow down an aggressive pash rush, but the team only gave up 2 sacks yesterday. I didn't see the Saints do anything so unique in their pass rush that a competent QB couldn't have handled yesterday. There's only so much you can do when your QB cannot consistently make throws to all areas of the field beyond 10 yards.

Good work TN05! You put way more work into this post than I did when I started the thread Didn't Tepper say he wanted to use more analytics to make decisions for the Panthers? He needs to see this. I wonder if after a careful analysis he'd be able to interpret all of the data from this thread and come to the conclusion that he needs to allow Dan and Dave to move on from Bryce...or at least bring in a player in the off-season to have a legitimate competition for the starting job.

There is some truth in what you and Mr. Scott are saying, but you really can't make that many adjustments in the passing game when Young is your quarterback. He literally cant pass the ball downfield on effectively on consistent basis. All a DC has to do on long passing downs is double TMAC and drop every one down to the sticks. Bryce isn't going to throw the ball more than 20 yards down field so all the DBs have to do is keep everything in front of them and see if they can even jump a couple of routes to get some turnovers.

1977 was a landmark year in NFL History. Defenses were so dominant that season that the league had to change rules to limit their effectiveness. Drew Pearson led the league in receiving yards and he didn't even crack 900 yds in a 14 game season (870). The passing yards leader was Joe Ferguson who finished the season with 2,803 yards. He averaged 200 yds game. Pass blocking and pass coverage were relaxed in 78' in order to favor passing game. This marked the end of "dead ball era". DB's were no longer allowed to contact a receiver more than 5 yards downfield after the institution of the "Mel Blount Rule" 1977 Average yards passing per game (team): 141.9 1977 Yards per attempt: 5.9 This season Bryce is averaging 154.0 yds/game and 5.7 yds/attempt in his 9 starts. Let's put this into perspective. The type of numbers Bryce is putting up in 2025 were deemed so unacceptable in 1977 (48 years ago) by the NFL rules committee that they actually changed the rules to increase passing efficiency. Every rule favors the offense now, and Young is passing at a clip that would make him an average QB during the Disco era. He's cracked 200 yards one time this season (328 yds in week 2 against the Cardinals in a loss) Tyler Shough passed for 282 yards in 2nd career start. Bryce has only passed for 240 yards in his LAST 2 STARTS COMBINED. Bryce Young's has passed for 364 yards in his last 3 games. That's only 82 yards more than Shough had in week 10 against Carolina. I think in this case the the numbers/statistics tell the story of what is really hampering the Carolina Panthers. PS--Sorry for the typo in the Topic line.

If I were defensive coordinator I’d go into game against Bryce with 8 men in the box to stop the run and double TMAC all game long and dare the offense to beat me thru the air.

And, let’s not forget this fact. If that pass rusher had not hit Young in the helmet on that opening drive, then that INT would have stood and we probably would have been shut out today.

I’m gonna press you on this one just a bit. Once the Saints locked down Dowdle, how would you as a HC altered your game plan with BRYCE as your QB?

I just posted this on another thread, but I really do believe this current Panther team would be a legitimate threat to win our division and make a playoff run if the 1997-2000 version of Steve Beuerlein lining up under center this year.

I think most of us agree with you. Unfortunately, we don't have anything close to Jake on our roster. Honestly, I believe this team could earn a playoff spot Kerry Collins or Steve Beuerlein at starting QB.

Who might that be? He certainly didn't start for the Panthers today.

I think past drafts have shown that there are no "sure things" at the QB position in terms of the college draft. It's always a gamble. The Panthers are living proof of that. So, it's risky trading away a solid player like Brown for an unproven rookie. That said, if you had the gift of prophecy and knew for sure that the guy you were drafting via the trade was going to pan out, then I wouldn't think twice about making that deal. I'd gladly give up a top run defender for a legitimate starting QB. Brown has been with us since 2020 and we've never had a winning season with him despite his Pro Bowl level play at times. Going into this game, I though the Saints were possibly the only team in the NFC with a worse QB situation than ours. Already, it appears that their rookie QB is a more of threat on the field than our 3rd year starter.

Just want to let you know that I really like this post. Chubba is really a complementary piece on a good team but you really can't build your offense around him. That said, if we didn't have Dowdle on the roster, and had a stud at QB, he'd be a nice back to have. Until your post, I'd totally forgotten about Brooks being on the team. It would be a great story is he could bounce back, but at the end of the season he'd be halfway through his 4 year rookie deal. I don't hold out much hope for him but I could be wrong. A 3 year contract sounds perfect if he's extended if the cost is reasonable. He'd be 30 when it ended. If he were some how playing at an All-Pro level you could always extend it for an extra year. As you pointed out, if he wants to a change of scenery, you should be able to move on with another RB (via draft, FA, or return to a RB already on the roster...Chubba or Brooks if healthy).

Howell really doesn't have a chance of seeing the field in Philadelphia outside of injury or mop-up duty. If Howell isn't under contract, you don't think the Eagles would be willing to let him go for 4th or 5th? If they did that's a trade you almost have to make. Even if never became starter that wouldn't be a bad price to acquire a backup QB. Howell would be an immediate upgrade from Dalton.

"Better QBs" just don't grow on trees. We had the top pick in the draft in 2023...and totally blew it. As one poster pointed out, if Carolina plans on keeping BY as starter for 2026, they need to keep Dowdle. I don't think we'd have a win this season if Dowdle isn't on this team. We are literally a different team when things are clicking for him. Depending on the situation, you cannot assume that all running backs are the same. They are not all replaceable and expendable parts in a machine.

The pro-Bryce fans (not saying you're one of them) are leaving a major point out of the equation. Bryce is nearing the point where most starting QB's in his position receive major contract extensions. Bryce has shown that he can't put a team on his back an lead them to success. He doesn't make anyone better. The team has to carry him. I don't think its wise to build your team around a QB who needs everything to be just right in order to "win some games". How is the team suppose to build and maintain good O-line and running game, stout defense , Wideouts, etc. that you mention in the post if we have to give Young a 50 mil per year extension in the next year or two? QB's shouldn't get that type of money if they're merely "serviceable". I'd rather draft/acquire a serviceable QB for 2026 to keep the QB cost manageable and continue to build up every other position on the roster until we can find a real franchise QB. We literally go into every game outmanned at the games most important position. I said this in a post last week. With the possible exception of New Orleans, every team in the NFC has a better starting QB than Carolina does.

They definitely aren't among the top 10 in their professions, but I really don't think our major problems on this team are due to Canales and Evero. These guys would have us in solid position to compete for a playoff spot if they had just a little more talent on the roster. Canales needs a viable QB and Evero needs a ball hawking safety, a thumper at LB, and one more pass rusher.

Well said. We don't have a quality starting QB, a back-up QB, or a 3rd string QB.

Unfortunately, we don't have an alpha at QB. I never go into a game thinking that our QB is better, or even as good, as the QB on the other side.

The guy who is really hurting us is wearing #9 and taking snaps under center. 9/16 for 83 yards thru nearly 4 quarters of play is not going cut it in the modern NFL.

9/16 for 83 yards thru 3.5 quarters of play. This team is sunk if they pick up that 5th year option. Its's time to bring in someone else to play QB going into 2026-27. Bryce is holding this team back. I can see going with a defensive player in round 1, but if a quality QB is on the board in round 2, the front office needs to SERIOUSLY consider taking him.