Raleigh PF

I'm fine with them thinking the Panthers are not worthy. Let's hope the Cowboys think the same.

It gets better? Worse?

The 2015 team was rather top heavy in talent. This year's team has better overall talent throughout the roster.

CMC is a lock, provided he stays healthy. If Burns and Reddick continue to terrorize QBs, I could see them in there, too. Shaq is an outside possibility, if he continues to up his game. Brown and Jones just aren't going to get the recognition. Horn *might* get some, but to do so, QBs are going to have to throw his way and help improve his counting stats. Chinn doesn't look like he's going to be included, as his counting stats are on the way down. He's still playing well, but in his new position, I don't think he gets the attention.

Figured Payton would be pretty hot after being taken to the woodshed, but dayum...

To be determined... If they continue to improve then yeah, they probably are, but injuries happen to every team. Hoping they won't be significant ones for the Panthers.

Marshall could have a big day.

Saints 24, Panthers 13. That OLine... It's close until the 4th quarter until the Saints score to make it a 2 TD lead. Panthers squander a couple of Winston interceptions along the way.

Dallas Cowboys @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers W Philadelphia Eagles @ Atlanta Falcons W Pittsburgh Steelers @ Buffalo Bills W W Minnesota Vikings @ Cincinnati Bengals W San Francisco 49ers @ Detroit Lions Arizona Cardinals @ Tennessee Titans W W Seattle Seahawks @ Indianapolis Colts Los Angeles Chargers @ Washington Football Team W New York Jets @ Carolina Panthers W W Jacksonville Jaguars @ Houston Texans Cleveland Browns @ Kansas City Chiefs W Miami Dolphins W @ New England W Green Bay Packers @ New Orleans Saints W Denver Broncos @ New York Giants Chicago Bears @ Los Angeles Rams W W Baltimore Ravens @ Las Vegas Raiders

If it comes from ESPN, it should immediately be discounted as bullshit. ESPN has always had a northeast bias and Max is from New York. He's probably butt-hurt that Darnold didn't work out with the Jets and was traded away. He's a boxing analyst trying to pose as an NFL pundit. Please.

Seattle signed Muse to the practice squad. I really thought this would be a no-brainer for Carolina to bring him in. And that's all I've to to say about that.

Also thinking the game will be closer than expected. Panthers win 20-16 with the Jets final drive ending in a sack or interception. I think the defense is way ahead of the offense at this point.

Part of the problem is the market the Panthers are in. When teams are being evaluated, let's just face it, the Panthers are not a sexy team, which means most articles written about the Panthers are lacking depth. Part of that is just lazy reporting. Peter King usually does a pretty good job covering all teams, even if he has a northeast bias. He has the Panthers as a near .500 team with either eight or nine wins and points out that the last month of the season is going to be incredibly tough. The Panthers really need to win early to have a shot at the playoffs. I agree with King.

If the guarantee is no other championships, then no. From just what I can gather, Tepper is free to voice his opinion to Fitt and Rhule, but they have the authority to make the call. Time will tell.

Is he vaccinated?

The ranking makes sense. No one knows what Sam Darnold will do nor what the Panthers are capable of. I hope they are really wrong, but time will tell.

I have concerns for both Sam and Jameis. For Jameis, he loses the script...often...resulting in bad plays at the worst times. I don't care for Sean Payton at all, but think he'll have a better influence on Jameis than anyone the Bucs had. Having said that, sometimes he's just not wrapped too tight. It's bound to pop up sooner or later. For Sam, I just don't trust him. I don't see the fire in his belly or the overwhelming desire to win. I see a guy who can be comfortable doing what he's doing and hoping for the best. He's not an alpha and at the QB position, that's not a great thing. I'm hope I'm wrong, but am expecting to be underwhelmed.

On the flip side, who would want to trade for Shaq Thompson and that contract? He's a fairly league-average linebacker making better than league-average money. Besides, it would put Carolina on the hook for nearly $19M in dead cap money.

Don't we have other linemen that have experience at center?

Seems extreme to make a trade for a player just because you don't want to change the name on the back of the uni.

Quite honestly, unless Fletcher was just horrible, I'm trading JJ. Hate to see him go, but he is 35. Might not be a better time to make the change.

The conspiracy would be around the decision not to draft Fields. That move seemed at least somewhat questionable at the time. This could explain the thinking.

Take this primarily as humor, but conspiracy theories have at least a modicum of truth sprinkled in. I don't believe any of this, but offer this for a thought exercise. - The Panthers have long been identified as a team with interest in Deshaun Watson. This was tempered a bit when they traded for Darnold, yet those rumors persist. - The Texans are going to have to make a decision very soon regarding Watson's status. He hasn't taken any meaningful snaps and it's clear the Texans have no immediate plans to play him. Sounds like they plan to trade him instead. - PFT is reporting increased trade chatter and is calling out the Panthers as the best fit. https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/ "It’s hard to imagine a team giving the Texans what they’ve wanted for Watson — three first-round picks and more. So either the Texans are taking what they can get (if a trade happens) or the Texans will accept a package tied to the number of games Watson plays over the next two or three seasons. Between Miami and Carolina, the Panthers make more sense. Owner David Tepper has made no secret of his desire for a franchise quarterback. Sam Darnold could still become one. Watson already is. And Tepper, who once kept a set of brass balls in his office, seems willing to roll the dice, despite the lingering uncertainty surrounding Watson." So *maybe* the Panthers didn't select Fields because they (1) put all their chips on Darnold and/or (2) felt they still had a shot at Watson. If they trade for Watson now, it would likely be at the lowest price the Texans would accept. I would expect the trade to hinge on several contingencies. I don't think there is any way Watson slides by without some vacation time provided by the NFL office, which means the team may have to get by with Walker/Grier for a few games waiting for the suspension to end and/or the court cases to be resolved (provided Darnold is included in the trade). So yeah, maybe the Panthers do trade for Watson. Maybe long-term it works out, but there's going to be a lot of turbulence in the meantime and you can likely kiss playoff chances for 2021 goodbye.

Sign me up for Moton-Daley-Paradis-Brown-Christensen. It might not happen Week 1, but I'd be willing to bet it's the lineup by Week 8 (if healthy).