BrianS

Ah, yes, the second of two kickers we had who are head and shoulders better than the cheap option we kept.

"Gano sucks. He is too expensive. He needs to go. Slye can do it." "Slye sucks. He isn't consistent. He needs to go." All Gano did was go 31/32 last year for FG's. No biggie. Slye's best season kicking barely edges Gano's worst with us. All Huddling aside. Slye is bad. Yes. We had our "good" kicker (some would argue twice). We decided that Slye was the answer. Apparently we were asking the wrong question. Fortunately, for the current regime, they can lay all that on Ron and Marty.

We discussed this here:

I think he makes the team, largely because Tremble is also (effectively) our FB.

Best of luck to him.

How?!?!? Were you at practice? Do you know our offense and the calls like a coach would? You realize how important it is for a receiver to run a precise route, yes? A couple yards too short or a couple yards too long can make the pass look really wrong . . . and it may not be on the QB. If the receivers were really at fault, he's placing the blame where it should fall. Darnold will be judged on his performance in games that count. Likewise will Matt Rhule. Let's give them both the opportunity to play it out and see where we end up. Knee jerk reactions like that aren't helpful. Just like with Kyle Allen or TB5, you need more than just a few games of data to see the truth.

Sam Darnold is a career 60% passer. Today he was a little under, with some drops. Are we seriously doom and glooming over one so-so practice? Darnold will succeed or fail. We'll know by the end of October assuming he isn't injured.

I think you're missing my point. We cannot replace Kuechly, the MLB. He was generational. We'll never see another like him here in our lifetime. What we can HOPE to replace is what he brought to the defense, the leadership. What we miss most from Kuechly is not his ability to play MLB - as exceptional as it was. What we miss is that guy who can call out the play that's coming, the guy who can get us into the right defense to counter it, the guy who puts his teammates in position to be successful. I think / hope Chinn can be THAT guy. Another season playing at the level he played at last year will give Chinn the "street cred" with the rest of the defense to start taking over that sort of role. If he can mentally get to that place where Kuechly lived.

Don't sleep on Chinn taking over that role. He's got the athletic ability, it's all down to whether he elevates his preparation to Kuechly levels at this point.

Darnold. First, last and every option in between, it's Darnold. If Darnold can be just "good", my expectations for this team will go way up. We have talent at a lot of spots now. Yes, we still have weak spots, but every team does. The question is do your strong spots cover for the weaknesses.

Context! This is a *VERY* good Colts team. If they had any sort of QB last year they may have had a chance to get to the big dance. I'm not saying we should be accepting of getting beat up, but it's not like the Jags came out and beat us up. My only concern is the intensity with which our players approach the situation. Sounds like we might have been a little flat. That's a concern, 100%. As long as we play hard, we'll be fine. That's what I want to see.

GL Agent89.

I think people confuse the read option with the RPO. Read option is what Shula ran here with Cam. Some read options have a throwing component, yes, but mostly the read option is what Cam did when deciding to keep the ball or let Stewart have it. RPO is when the QB reads the defense and decides if the play is a run or pass based on what he sees. I don't think Darnold is a good candidate for read option. Yes, he's decently athletic and mobile, but do you really want to expose our only real QB to any potential hit he doesn't have to take? With this line? I prefer Darnold focus on becoming more like Aaron Rodgers than Cam Newton.

Why is age relevant at all to a rookie? Yea, it sucks for the player, it means his potential football career will be shorter. But for the team? There is no downside. You're getting a player who is, in theory, mentally more ready to put in work and learn. One who will likely only need one more contract done in his entire career. BC either works out or he doesn't. Like any rookie. But his age isn't really a negative as some folks would like to make it out to be. If he takes a year or two to acclimate to the NFL, and we then get five productive seasons of a "good" NFL lineman, it's a pick well spent.

So two thoughts. 1. There is always room for a possession receiver on a team and if this is "that guy" - the one who always gets 9 yards when you need 7 and never drops a pass - we have room for that. 2. As a coach, you've got to motivate ALL your players. By talking up Saunders, you're giving him motivation to keep pushing, which is great. Simultaneously, you're sending the message to the other guys competing for seats 5 - 7 in the receiver room that they need to step up.

He's pretty good about posting a thread here when he releases a new one.

The best case scenario for Tremble is he becomes a decent catcher of the ball. We already know he can block, regardless of where we line him up. If he can become a reliable catcher of the ball, it just adds that much more uncertainty to the opposing defense. Consider the options if Tremble becomes a reliable reciever. DJ, Robby, Terrace, Tremble and CMC are in the huddle. What do you do? Replace Terrace with Dan Arnold . . . now what? Our offense has the potential, assuming Darnold gets his act together, to be the best we've ever seen here. Yes, we have OL problems, but with those sorts of weapons any little slip up by the defense and SOMEBODY is taking it to the house.

Not sure Deonte makes the team at this point. Yea, he's big and physical, but historically we've asked our guards to be able to move. Not sure last year really gave us the best read on our offense, but I can't see Deonte being able to do the sorts of things Norwell did as far as movement goes. He looks like he'd be a great fit in a power run scheme, just not sure he's mobile enough for Joe Brady. Maybe we keep him around for first and goal from the 2. Hard to argue that our red zone offense was worth a dime last year.

Surely you did not just try to equate Tepper with Dan Snyder. That can't be what you just did, right? The two couldn't be any more different. And what's the problem with other events going on at BofA? I think it's a good thing. I'm pretty sure most folks would agree that getting more use out of your stadium is a win for the community as a whole. No one is forcing you (or any other Panthers fan) to attend these events. Pretty sure you'll see a stadium full of Garth Brooks and Elton John fans who are thrilled to be there.

Won 5 games with our best player out all year and a QB who couldn't get the ball downfield. And now we're worse? Shenanigans.

Of course, but holding this particular rep up as evidence that Horn is "the answer" for us outside is ludicrous. Agree. That's why I don't think this particular clip is all that exciting. Horn lined up with the right leverage for the route. After that, not much to see. Had the route been outbreaking or deep, we might have had an opportunity to evaluate something. I'm excited and hopeful that Horn turns into another Gamble / Norman / Bradberry. I want to see something special. Something that really shows a spark of that potential. We'll know a whole lot more in 11 days.

Don't get me wrong, I want Horn to be good . . . but that video . . . Horn had the leverage the entire time. In a game, you simply don't throw that route. Or the receiver options to an outbreaking route so the leverage works in his favor.

You may well be right on that. My only worry is how many guys we have on the team who also fit that narrative.

The tin-foil brigade is actually saying that the Wentz injury was not actually a serious injury, but designated as such specifically to trigger the clause that keeps the Eagles from getting a better return.

Honestly, any situation where Brady Christensen starts for us - even at guard - is nothing but a win. It would mean the draft has yielded at least three starting caliber players from three different rounds. That's the sort of drafting that builds a franchise from inconsistent to perennial winner.