Raleigh PF

Morale may be a problem, but I think a MUCH larger problem throughout Rhule's and Reich's tenures has been the absolute lack of leadership. 

Rhule really screwed up when he let Olsen, Cam and Luke walk out the door, not because their of their skillset, but the leadership they provided. There hasn't been a leader in that locker room since then. 

The coach can provide some leadership, but you also need the players to provide their own. Who is going to hold their feet to the fire when the coaches aren't always around? 

Until that problem is addressed, I don't think the Panthers move forward. 

Now, it's possible Derrick Brown steps up. I could certainly see that happening. And maybe Bryce will, once he establishes himself a bit more, but I don't see any other obvious candidates.

On 12/19/2023 at 7:46 PM, Khyber53 said:

Third fewest yards allowed in the NFL, but 4th most points... that's more about the field position of our opponents than anything else. It's not about good coaching.

At all.

I don't disagree with this take.

Additionally, Evero needs to discuss Jeremy Chinn and why he isn't playing him more than a handful of snaps per game. That is some seriously wasted talent.

27-13 Bears.

Falcons out there doing Falcon things...

34 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

We are going to have a very tough decision with him in the future, I suspect. 

It sucks for him and us. Us a lot more, TBH.

It is going to be a tough decision.

Imagine he comes back and balls out the rest of the year. What's the team's best option then? Keep him and sign him to an extension or try to trade him for draft capital?

At this point, if a team comes calling with a high 2nd round pick, how tough would it be to turn that down?

This team is just difficult to watch, so I'm turning it off. I'll be back next year to see if there's any improvement, but I doubt they beat a good college team right now.

Looks like Trevon Diggs suffered a torn ACL in practice.

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/report-cowboys-fear-a-torn-acl-for-trevon-diggs

Brandon Thorn provides a nice analysis of the matchup between Derrick Brown and Chris Lindstrom during the Week 1 matchup vs. the Falcons.

NFD. No F*cking Defence

Former Cowboys quarterback Will Grier, who lost his spot when the team traded for Trey Lance, has a new home.

Grier will sign with the Bengals’ practice squad, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.

...per NBCSports

With the hundreds of millions of dollars the NFL makes every year, they should designate a small percentage towards a stadium renovation/replacement fund for the teams. It really wouldn't take much out of the owner's pockets to fund improvements and new stadiums if they understand that it improves their profitability to do so. 

Problem is, most owners don't want to own a stadium. That's a lot of upkeep for a facility they only use 10-12 times per year.

I'm interested in seeing if Young and Mingo can develop into at least a lite version of Burrow/Chase (or Montana/Rice for us older folks). That's less likely to happen with Hopkins in the mix. 

Additionally, the timing just isn't right. Hopkins is expensive and looking for a contender. The Panthers window hasn't opened yet and may not for a couple of years. It wouldn't help if Hopkins was leaving about the time the Panthers were turning into legit contenders. He's a nice thought, but not now.

Wherever he goes, it will be interesting to see who the "winning" team has to get rid of from their WR corps.

Rhule:

Wilkes:

Reich:

How to take the "special" out of special teams.

The NFL pulled in just over 18 BILLION last year in revenue. You would have to think that taking a percentage of that money and setting it aside for "Infrastructure" would be a prudent course of action.

Let's say they take 5% off the top. That's about $900,000,000 per year they could set aside. Surely they would be able to collect enough money to provide "loans" to NFL teams who would pay them back, meanwhile writing off a good chunk of that on their taxes. Kinda seems like a win-win just waiting to be exploited.

And then there's depreciation.

What am I missing?

If you've been around a boss like Tepper, you'd already know the answer to your question.

Reich/Fitterer are going to make the pick. Tepper may have his preference, but at the end of the day, he hired them to make decisions just like this. It's their job. 

Likewise, I'm sure they understand that they need to make the right pick. If their pick at QB doesn't make the franchise markedly better, they'll have to answer for it. It's just simple accountability.

2 minutes ago, Shocker said:

CJ Stroud QB, Florida

k

 

Yeah, that about sums it up for me, too. Sounds like someone's boss told him to toss out article ASAP and this is the result. Pure crap.

I don't think a cap for QBs would work. Let's say that Hurts hit the cap limit with his deal. Where does that leave Burrow and others after him? Who's going to tell him no?

Having a QB cap limit just kicks the can down the road a bit. 

Honestly, nothing needs to be done. Yes, it's a trade off. While your franchise QB is getting top dollar, it would be a good idea to draft well and don't hand out stupid contracts. 

And maybe be sure your franchise QB is actually a franchise QB (looking at you Carson Wentz, Jared Goff, Russell Wilson).

1 hour ago, Mr. Scot said:

Breer on the QB question...

From Fid (@RandyFidler): You're the Panthers GM draft day. Who are you selecting and who would you target with the 2nd round pick to complement?

I think Bryce Young. Everything I’ve heard about Young as a kid is A-plus-plus. His OC from Alabama, Bill O’Brien, told teams in the fall he’s never had a player like Young, and O’Brien coached Tom Brady. Scouts will tell you his accuracy, instincts, pocket movement, football IQ, competitiveness and toughness are all A-plus. I’ve also heard he absolutely blew away Carolina coach Frank Reich when they sat down and talked football.

If he was 6'3" and 220 pounds, there’d be no discussion. He’d be the first overall pick. But he’s not, and that is not a cursory issue for teams.

And it could be a problem for Young, too, because CJ Stroud does have closer-to-prototype size (6'3", 214 pounds) for the position, and brings a lot of what Young does to the table. The questions with him are more on his willingness to run, put his body on the line and create off-schedule—things he actually did flash in his final college game, which happened to be a national semifinal against Georgia.

Ultimately, I think there’s a good chance Stroud winds up going first, because he’s close enough to Young traits-wise, and you’re well within the scouting guardrails size-wise for a quarterback with him. But I’ve heard enough people call Young special—really special—to the point where it’d be hard for me to pass on him.

Link

What do you know? He chose my question!

In the end, I think the three teams that make the most sense for Lamar are Indy, Detroit and Tennessee (Atlanta and Washington have stated they aren't interested). Can't imagine Lamar is too happy with those potential destinations.

1 hour ago, PanthersFan1234 said:

Keep telling yourself that to help you sleep better at night, now shut up

Take your juvenile hijinks elsewhere squirt. You've earned the block.

Your mother must be proud of himself.