BlazeCarolina

No diss to DJ, but even with him, I feel our room is much more talented right now. He wasn't making or breaking us as talented as he is. He also can't do it all. I don't think he was happy here, either, after Curtis left. Something changed.

Awesome to hear. Although...if he ends up in a structured settlement and he needs cash now, I know a guy...

What about hiring a driver makes them immune to car crashes?

I just want the kid to get a fair chance. Talking about moving on before he has stepped on the field is bananas to me.

The mindset of trying to move on before the kid has taken a snap is crazy to me. Fired before he starts the job?

How many seasons has Fitz been unstable for us? Crazy he is being condemned already.

I never said that you shouldn't try. We may have the best right now. He is untested. Going out there expecting to find the best ever is fantasy land. It could happen, but better to talk realistic expectations.

For further discussion, a lot of what I am pulling is from this site. Here is a quote, and I will link the whole thing afterwards. I feel they didn't talk this well about the #1 guy on the list. "Fitzgerald projects as an immediate NFL starter with the potential to become a franchise cornerstone at the position. His remarkable improvement curve, particularly his perfect 2024 campaign, suggests a kicker who's figured out both the mental and physical aspects of his craft. The leg strength is NFL-ready, as evidenced by his ACC-record 59-yarder, and his near-perfect accuracy on PATs will be particularly valuable given the NFL's longer extra point distance." https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Ryan-Fitzgerald-PK-FloridaState

I am not grumpy at all brother. I didn't even know what the stats would be before I posted them. I just thought, hey, we are both talking out of our ass here on our opinion. Let's introduce some facts. I just happened to come out looking good on that statistically. I prefer facts over opinion when I can get them. I would have just as easily said maybe you have a point. I didn't know, so I looked.

The answer may already be on the roster. If he starts shanking them in game, maybe we revisit this. Right now is not the time to panic. We just signed a guy with an outstanding resume. Did you guys not see how he was being talked about before being signed?

Yeah, and trying to say we will find the best kicker ever (or even need to) is a bit ridiculous to me. He was one of a kind.

I only pay attention to the Panthers. I was just trying to prove the point that you don't have to draft a kicker. 4/5 of the top kickers right now were undrafted. I believe kicking is just one of those positions that is a bit fickle and you have to have a bit of luck. It takes some trial and error sometimes. We have to trial Fitz to see what we have.

Just for discussion sake, let's take a look at those stats going down the ranking list. #1 Chris Boswell UDFA #2 Brandon Aubrey not even in the draft. #3 Cameron Dicker UDFA #4 Jason Sanders 7th round by Dolphins #5 Kaʻimi Fairbairn UDFA

Every kicker this year was undrafted except for two of them. (ranked #1 and #5)

I was just looking at pre draft rankings for kickers because I don't really think drafting one is usually necessary. Out of the top 5 guys, only two were drafted. (oddly #1 and #5) Fitz seem to be tied for #2, and he was obviously our choice for some reason. Ben Sauls (tied Fitz for #2 was signed bit Steelers). That leaves Gino and I didn't see a team listed for him. I agree on the winning culture, I am just not freaking out about Fitz already like a lot of people.

I just value his resume more than practice. That, coupled with the fact that I don't see us REALLY competing this year (I hope I am wrong), I just don't see spending money on finding THE answer, when kicking is kinda fickle anyway. Isn't Gino Garcia still available? If we somehow KNOW that Fitz is shot, why not pick him up cheap?

Why is there so much kicker hysteria? Let the new kid have a shot. He has the resume. Not like we are winning it all this season anyway. Calm down.

I mean, I realize this is true, but it also hurts my heart, so we are gonna pretend this little convo never happened. Dan Morgan, Luke, TD, Sam Mills, and even Beason will forever be tacklin' fuel for my mind.

I have heard the Spurs mentioned in a lot of the motivational content I consume. Might be a good read. Reading Arnold's book Be Useful right now, though.

That seems to be a common theme, but it makes sense. Dan Morgan was a high volume guy. Liked to be in on the action.

I thought we were one of the only teams playing starters like this. Has that changed?

I feel like Jaycee Horn is a good one. Would love to see a compilation of him vs TMac from camp. Moton is solid. Still...we talkin' bout practice.

Idunno man. I feel like that Shaq gif lately and I don't remember feeling this way in a long time. Maybe I am forgetting the hopium high of 23'. https://tenor.com/view/yes-ayye-zoom-shoulder-shake-gif-14839794

I'm not saying it is smart...I am saying it is the disease of nostalgia. I much prefer this approach. I may change my tune if we are garbage on the field...but we can't be, right?

I understand it. It is just that time of year. We have always been historically above average at linebacker, so this one is an abnormally large pill to swallow. Everyone has a weakness. Just unusual for ours to be LB. I am actually more enthusiastic about this roster and front office than I have been in a very long time. When was the last time we talked about WR being a strength? That alone is exciting.