BrianS

Thus is ever the fare of those who come first. Magellan was ridiculed because the world was flat. Carl Benz for his automobile patent. Etc. Likewise the establishment is often only interested in seeing the status quo maintained. At times, this is simply prudence. At others, obstructionism. It's the purview of everyone to think for themselves and establish which is which. /soapbox off Cam was a trailblazer who should have been protected and celebrated. It sucks for Panthers nation that he was not. But it has given us Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, etc. I enjoy watching them play. It simply came a little too late for Cam.

Cam's "problem" in the NFL had nothing to do with his abilities, but the abilities of the OC we had for most of his career. If Norv Turner had followed Rob Chudzinski instead of Mike Shula it is very possible that we have multiple SB appearances and Cam might still be healthy. Even with a very injured and depleted Cam, you could see what Norv did for his game. He made Cam a better passer and student of the game.

Assuming Washington cuts him, it's possible. He has no guaranteed money that WTF would have to deal with, so given how his year went, I wouldn't be surprised if he was cut. We've all seen how critical system is to the QB. Maybe Reich just has a system that works for Wentz. As long as it's cheap, with little to no guaranteed money, I don't really care.

Wilks is a good guy. A good story. A guy you can root for. But philosophically, he's not the guy we need to compete in the NFL today. Wilks would make a great college coach at the mid-major level. If he isn't retained, I'll certainly root for him. For the Carolina Panthers however, I'm happy to see we are setting our sights higher. Even if we miss, we are trying.

No one is celebrating mediocrity. However, turning a mediocre team around is a lot easier than fixing what's become an established level of awful at places like Cleveland and Houston.

Disagree. We are mediocre. Far from a bottom feeder. Here's stats since 2000:

No. As good as Burrow is, still, no. If you had an extremely talented GM, you might be able to do that trade and still be competitive before Burrow's rookie deal ran out. However, if you had an extremely talented GM he would negotiate a better deal from the start.

How much does it suck to be the Browns, paying Watson all that guaranteed money only to have the second best QB in the division.

Exactly. Burrow + Chase is nearly a cheat code. And then Mixon. And then Higgins. Etc.

I like Kafka, I don't love him. He clearly has made an impact there, but we're still only talking about an average scoring offense in the Giants. Only four spots ahead of the Panthers offense this year.

I like Tabor as well. Seems to have really good energy and connection with the players. Our ST were quite good this year. Pinero was the second best kicker by percentage this year among kickers with more than 20 kicks.

Yea, saw that story yesterday. Not sure what his possible motivation might be to stay in school. Not sure he can really improve his stock, but he sure could damage it or even get hurt. I also saw another story about the QB competition at Ohio State say how tight it was. Even in that story there seemed to be some question about Stroud leaving.

Because for a running QB, he is getting toward the end of his prime. If he was a straight drop back QB, 26 years old is a non-issue. But he's not. His nearest comparisons are Newton and Vick. With Cam, it was around age 26/27 (2015/2016) when he had his biggest / best seasons and thereafter started to tail off due to injuries. Yes, TJ Watt was the final straw, but he was nicked up, dinged up, not 100% physically well before that. With Vick, it's more difficult due to his suspension which occurred around that age. But, when he returned after, it was clear he was NOT the same QB he was before. Jackson is definitely a better passer than either of those guys. But it doesn't mean that he will be able to continue at a high level if he can't run. Just the threat of his running changes a defense - very much like Vick and Newton. A guy with that many question marks surrounding him just isn't worth a top 5 fully guaranteed contract. In fact, a guy like that is one who should be getting a hugely incentive laden contract in a sane world. As a franchise, drafting a QB in the first round doesn't end your franchise for the length of his contract. In fact, it's well proven that there are teams who will take your first round QB who you no longer believe in and give you a decent haul in return. With a fully guaranteed deal, your franchise lives or dies with the guy. Give me the rookie every single time. Even if our next three first round picks are QB, we still come out ahead.

Uh, no they weren't. They were 24th in the only offensive stat that matters: scoring. Their "questionable" running game was actually the offensive category they ranked highest in, at 12th.

Rhule is a recruiter and administrator.

Just to play devil's advocate here . . . yes, Hurney is gone . . . but now we have Nicole Tepper involved. You really cannot make this crap up.

Didn't see this anywhere but . . . The Panthers’ search to replace former head coach Matt Rhule continued Monday evening as the organization requested interviews with Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen and Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, as reported separately by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.

There is a new report out that the Panthers / Harbaugh conversations were actually heavily driven from the Harbaugh side - and the Panthers decided to look elsewhere. Full info here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/report-1-nfl-team-turned-down-jim-harbaugh-after-speaking/ar-AA166lrJ?ocid=entnewsntp&cvid=49862d5002f4437981dfe329aade457a I'm personally happy that we didn't just cave in to another used car salesman. Maybe we did learn our lesson.

Where did we get the idea that Wilks is a strong DC? He's not. Wilks is a motivator, a man-manager . . . just like Rivera. Wilks had the opportunity to work on a staff with Ron Rivera and Sean McDermott for FIVE YEARS. How many people remember how badly our defense tailed off in the second half of that season where Wilks was our DC? It was bad. People figured him out, and in a shocking twist, Wilks couldn't make adjustments. Wilks is an exceptional DB's coach. Never forget this. He is among the best in the business at it. However, forcing more on him at the NFL level isn't a great path to success. As a college head coach, Wilks could likely be outstanding. But his lack of X's and O's will hold him back forever in the NFL.

The guy made Tua look like an NFL QB. The guy has looked trash until this year, when he suddenly looks like one of the better young QB's in the league - when he isn't concussed. That's coaching and system. Would instantly wash the Rhule out of our system.

Agent89 will get in. His stats speak for themselves. But it was always an uphill battle this year. I'm disappointed for him, but not concerned.

In a vacuum we definitely should have traded Burns. Those picks would go a long way. But you can't make the trade. The optics within the locker room and within the league just wouldn't work. You can't trade away all your talent and hope that the picks you make work out. Potential coaches see it, agents see it, players see it. We're going to lose Burns. No doubt. We can't keep him, not for what he wants . . . unless we suddenly switch to a 3-4. The guy is an OLB, not a DE. We need a edge defender for whichever system we're running. We currently have a 3-4 OLB who we keep trying to hide as a 4-3 DE.

When I look at Frank Reich led offenses, I see a disturbing amount of mediocrity. 2014 - San Diego OC, 17th scoring offense 2015 - San Diego OC, 26th scoring offense 2016 - Philly OC, 16th scoring offense 2017 - Philly OC, 3rd scoring offense (Carson Wentz plays out of his mind) 2018 - Indy HC, 6th scoring offense (Andrew Luck's final season) 2019 - Indy HC, 16th scoring offense 2020 - Indy HC, 9th scoring offense 2021 - Indy HC, 9th scoring offense 2022 - Indy HC, 30th scoring offense Overall, his offenses are averaging about 15th in scoring. It appears that Reich needs a QB to play amazing in order to have a good offense. I think he would have a better chance than Wilks, but I don't think it's any sort of home run that he'll turn the team around.

The greatest ability in football is availability . . . and our CB's just don't seem to have it.

Also a Carr fan, also don't want him here. The only ways I want to see a veteran QB here are as a backup / mentor or as the final piece of the puzzle for a perrenial playoff team that just needs to get over the hump.