Seltzer

We absolutely should try to trade for Hendrickson. We have plenty of cap, and I can't imagine the deal will be longer than 3 years. We're saving a ton on QB and most of the skill positions. Invest in the lines. Pass rush is definitely the biggest concern on this defense right now. The normal goofs who secretly root for this team to be bad are against it, but anybody who actually supports this team and wants to win knows this would be a great move.

Thank you for stating reality. It doesn't always mean anything in here.

I'm perplexed by the whole situation with Evero. Dude came in here touted as the next big thing, future head coach, etc. And in 2023, I think Evero was decent all things considered. He still had a lot of old "4-3 parts". I think he also got a lot of credit in 2023 from Tepper for at least holding his side of the ball together while the offense was a cluster fug mostly from beginning to end. I'm surprised all that goodwill didnt get thrown out the window last year, though. It's true we didn't invest that much in the defense coming into the season and we had some devastating injuries, but he could never adjust the defense to even give us a chance. A lot of other teams also had a lot of defensive injuries. We were the only one to be historically bad. It's just shocking Tepper didnt force Morgan to fire him after that bad of a performance, regardless of context. It's not like he hasn't been willing to burn bridges with franchise greats. Look at Cam Newton, the franchise's greatest QB. Still hasn't completely mended that fence. Look at Frank Reich, the franchise's first QB. He went from having one of the greatest fan fares at his introduction to being unceremoniously fired after only 11 games. Tepper has been heartless. It's why this with Evero remains a mystery.

He was on the list of players not playing. Not sure why. He had a hip issue but I think he practiced on Thursday. lol maybe he's already got his roster spot locked up since he's Evero's pet project. Seriously though, we need all the pass rush help we can get. DJ Johnson ain't it. Was a bad draft pick from day 1 for where we drafted him at. He was a 6th/7th rounder because he was a project in every sense of the word. 5th at best since he does have insane size & athleticism. Think about it, we basically drafted him in the same range as Princely Umanmielen, a guy who had double-digit sacks 3 consecutive years against SEC talent. He mostly played TE at Oregon before converting to OLB. He had some highlight sack plays against inferior Pac 12 OTs and a great combine. I guess they thought they could mold him into something special. He really has turned into a decent run stopper and special teamer, but we need some more pass rush juice on this team in the worst way. I think Thomas Inccom has shown much more as a pass rusher and is also a good ST player. I think he gets the 5th OLB spot. He flashed some here last season too. I have no problem with bringing DJ Johnson back on the practice squad, but unless something unexpected happens, I think this is his last season here.

The Panthers offensive starters looked good for the ~40 snaps they got against the Texans starters on Thursday. They looked bad for the 6 they got tonight. I think the biggest overreactions on here are the ones who act like the 6 tonight portend something awful while acting like 40 on Thursday mean nothing. In reality, neither will matter much in 3 weeks. Its about how we perform then. And IMHO, the concerns about the offense are overblown big time. This is the best offensive personnel we've had since 2021. I firmly believe that. Too much talent to not be good unless the Oline suffers too many injuries or Bryce regresses. I dont think either happens. Far too many of y'all either didnt watch the 2nd half of last year or have forgotten. Bryce was balling at the end of last year. He's been balling all camp. Its OK to have some confidence in Bryce. CJ Stroud & Tetoria McMillan both believe hes one of the best QBs they've ever seen. But what do they know?? As for the defense, yeah I get the concerns... we better hope Derrick Brown & Jaycee Horn stay healthy, especially DB. We still have plenty of cap space. Between that and roster cuts, I hope Dan Morgan is still active trying to improve the defensive depth. These 2 preseason games havent been promising. I thought the biggest issue with the ILBs last year was the awful Dline. And maybe it was. But they are definitely bad in their own accord. That and/or Evero's scheme doesn't do them any favors. It's ironic in a year where we may have the deepest WR room in franchise history, where we've historically have been weak, this is probably the weakest ILB we've ever had, where we've had greats like Sam Mills, Jon Beason, Luke Kuechly, and Thomas Davis. I did want to mention one undeniable positive story on the defense though. Corey Thornton is a beast. Hell of a find. Glad we look to have another CB who can play bump-and-run man bc i feel like Evero is going to have to dial up blitzes for pressure yet again. And here's another thing. Our offense has been kicking ass in camp. If they weren't, I'd be more concerned about the limited reps in the preseason games. But, our pass rush has been bad in camp since the pads came on, it's wasnt great in joint practices, and it hasn't been good in the games. That's enough data points to be concerned IMO, preseason or not. I hope Nic Scourton is back Week 1- it seems he will be. We may need him to play a big role in this defense from the jump. The run defense has been better, and it should be given the investment, although the guys who probably wont be here in 2 weeks didnt do good at all tonight stopping the run. If I never see another down of Shy Tuttle miscast as a NT in this debacle of a scheme, it wont be too soon. Hell, you guys want something to actually worry about that I think is grounded in hard data and reality... why is Evero still here?? Its one of the worst things about Tepper... getting rid of people but keeping guys from the old regimes around... I dont get it... and there was no real justification for keeping Evero last year other than they thought he wasnt given a fair shake. I know Evero was touted as a good coach, but he has been objectively awful here. And he's gotten worse over time. He was better in 2024 when we still had 4-3 misfits and spare parts. And say what you will about the (lack of) talent, this defense can't get pressure and can't tackle no matter who is out there. It's Year 3... he's had plenty of time to bring his guys in and draft the guys he wants, and will still suck. It is the scheme... first and foremost. I hope Canales has a contingency plan at DC. Anyway, I'm mostly positive for this year. I genuinely think the offense once it gets rolling is going to be good. And it will probably have to be to overcome this defense. Please stay healthy Derrick Brown!

A man who is somehow simultaneously glass-half full and glass half-empty lol. I'll cheers to that... Maybe you have found the secret zen of being a long-suffering Panthers fan!

Im not on the field so I have no frame of reference except for what I see and read, but every single NFL coach I've heard says joint practices provide the very best reps for evaluation they can get for a QB in the preseason. I mean, every single team does joint practices, and probably at least half dont even play their guys in preseason. That alone speaks volume about what coaches (who's jobs are on the line), actually value. I mean JJ MCCarthy missed his entire rookie season, and yet the Vikings staff feels like joint practices are going to prepare him for the regular season, even after a year off completely from football. And no, the QBs are getting taken to the ground in joint practices, but it is full speed. Guys are able to get live reps against other starters in real game environments, and in a much more structured & in-depth way, than the arbitrary nature of games. I think you are underselling the intensity & quality of these joint practices. Coaches wouldn't rave about them across the board if they weren't valuable. I know its not the exact same, but I think coaches would rather have 40 reps at full game speed but no tackling with a much lower injury risk than 20 reps at full speed & tackling with a much higher injury risk. I understand your point about not getting hit and the psychological effect, but these QBs have been hit their whole lives. I think its more about playing at game speed and getting the timing down with receivers, which joint practice allows. In the end, we're all trying to extract value out of the really limited data we're able to see as fans. It's undeniably frustrating regardless of the context to watch a shitty game like that. And its 3 weeks until we really get to see what this team will be like. So until then, we have to trust the coaches to make the right calls, and I understand why anyone could or would be skeptical of that given how things have went for a long time now.

I remember having a collision at home plate in high school playing catcher. I thought I just "got my bell rung" as we were told back in the 90s. I saw stars the rest of the game and couldnt really remember what happened once I got home that night. My head hurt for a couple of days, but I was back at practice, and I guess I was "fine" after that, but I certainly wouldn't be that cavalier with my kids and sports injuries. Things are much better across the board in all sports now. Concussions are actually taken seriously, from youth all the way through the pros.

Canales said Scourton wanted to push through and the trainers wouldn't let him. It was a good call. His recovery time could have been a lot longer had he tried to keep going and made it worse.

1) Today in 6 snaps that is true. However, Im assuming you are totally discounting the ~40 snaps (6 TDs) the starting offense got against the Texans starting defense on Thursday? Because to me, of the two, that actually seems like a sample size big enough you can glean information from. Every single Texans beat reporter mentioned how good Bryce and the Panthers offense looked in their reports from Thursday. That's not the end-all of course, but it is a strong data point from multiple people with no pro-Panthers bias. Also, I dont see the logical consistency. If you want to discount both the joint practice and preseason game bc we've been poo for 7 years, i understand. But this seems like cherry picking IMHO to pick 6 snaps as more representative than 40. If you were going to pick something as a reference point, to me (and the Panthers coaching staff), the joint practices are a better point of reference. It still sucks like Hell to be excited for a game and watch 2 duds like the ones we've seen the last 2 weeks. I get that. And we can leave Jack Plummer in Houston. But, it is still preseason. It's clique, but it is true. I've seen too much from the offense in camp to not be excited. But, I've also seen enough of the defense to not be concerned. Our pass rush has not been great all TC since the pads came on, although the run defense has been better. I think that is a legit concern, and I think there are enough data points you can't brush it off. 2) I agree 100%. But every indication is that he is actually letting football people run the show now. I think objectively Dan Morgan did well last year building after the mess he inherited from Rhule/Fitterer/Tepper trifeca of roster/franchise destruction. I'm not saying there is no validity in what you're saying. But I do think you are extrapolating the most negative take possible. And maybe I'm giving too much of the homer perspective. Truth probably lies somewhere in the middle... we'll find out in a few weeks!

I hear you. Hopefully Bryce stays healthy and Father Time gives Dalton a reprieve. I agree we need a different/better plan next year

By every single account, Bryce's had a great camp, including joint practices, after finishing the final 3 games with 10 Tds and no interceptions. Trying to extrapolate what you've written above out of 4 preseason dropbacks is wild AF to me... And one of those was a perfect throw that was dropped... Bryce finished last year tearing up the league out of messy pockets. Thats where he's at his playmaking best- playing out of structure. Your statement above is completely detached from reality. Bryce did struggle with "messy pockets" if you could call it that as a rookie. Though I think most people reviewing film would call it a complete pocket collapse most of the time. And this Oline was great at run blocking last year, but they still had their moments in pass blocking that sucked. Do you watch any film? Did you not see all the TDs he threw from "messy pockets" last year, especially towards the end of the season?? This is wild stuff for real...

I agree overall with what you said. But the idea the front office just went with Dalton when there were obvious better backup QBs isn't backed by fact as I see it. Who do you think they should have brought in? Andy has a much better resume than most backup QBs. I think Panthers fans are (rightfully) concerned by what weve seen in preaseson. But still, look at this list... I bet half the teams in the league would consider Dalton, even as is, as a potential upgrade. https://www.si.com/nfl/2025-ranking-nfl-backup-quarterbacks I mean take a look at this list... Arguments could be made for some of these guys, but when you look at it, you realize Andy ain't that bad. Still, though, I do think this needs to be Andy's last year and we need to look younger. Immediately I would like to see us try to upgrade at QB3.

cool story bro

Not one single coach is making decisions in the preseason to placate the fanbase. I wanted another series too to be clear, but Canales was super clear in the presser that what he saw in the joint practice was much more important in the grand scheme of things. 31 other NFL coaches would say the same thing.

WTF are you talking about? And talk about the pot calling the kettle black... why even respond if its going to be something this intellectually stunted... And yes, I stand by overall the discourse here was better in the past. Braindead responses like yours just confirm it.

Fair enough, but to discount the 70 snaps in a padded joint practice that is game conditions except for tackling, and focusing on 4 dropbacks ain't it either. Thats the point im trying to make. Ultimately, I think everyone here is entitled & justified in how they feel. It has been the most putrid stretch in franchise history. I've lived it just like everyone here has. We'll see in 3 weeks. Sucks we really won't have much to analyze until then.

I understand that. And it's a perfectly reasonable take after 7 years of poo. But at least for the offense, I am confident. Too much talent and Bryce turned the corner last year. Only way that goes sideways is Oline injuries IMHO. As for defense... I do think we will be better, maybe much better, against the run. Of course statistically it would be almost impossible to be worse. I do still worry about pass rush. Im betting we still blitz a lot like last year. Honestly, a lot about the preseason games is meaningless. But we were struggling with pass rush in the joint practices also. Hopefully, we have 3 guys now in Jaycee, Mike Jack, & Thornton who excel in playing man. That is probably going to be our best bet for getting pressure. I dont understand the Nick Scott obsession. 75% of the time it seems like hes on the wrong side of plays. I want to remind everyone we have plenty of cap space... The coaches, especially on defensive side, have said they can win with the guys we have...

Smitty was stupid after that INT, and really annoying overall. Bryce saw Sanders get pulled down & the flag was thrown right in front of him. He 100% knew it was a free play. And you're right, the throw to T-Mac wasnt bad (but not perfect). The throw to Sanders was. If Sanders wants to be TE1 he's got to catch that. And the sack was bc it was 3rd down and Bryce was buying time for someone to get open beyond the sticks. Again, it was 4 effing dropbacks... The man threw 6 TDs in a game-simulated practice on Thursday. So many people want to hate on Bryce with zero logic behind it. And it's more insane when there is a defensive side that does deserve plenty of criticism... And it goes all the way to the top... keeping Evero will prove to be a mistake IMHO. His scheme sucks no matter who's in it

I think you're missing the point I was getting at in response to the other guy... He was implying we brought in Andy to not be a threat... which isn't true. Andy was brought in to be a high-end backup. And he once was. But as I've mentioned several times... I saw this same story play out with Derek Anderson... He went from looking like a high-end backup to unplayable in one preseason. Everything I've read about Dalton in camp has been positive, but hes looked old AF in the games.

Where is the narrative that this team doesn't look competent come from? Every single report from national writers from camp has been how much better the talent is. This team has cooked in the joint practices where there are actual legitimate reps in a true 1 vs 1 environment to replicate a game. The game reps in preseason are extremely limited and dont generally even give the scenarios for evaluation coaches are looking for, which is why they dont prioritize them. Yeah the games have been tough to watch. But how upset can people really be over 3rd stringers who mostly wont be on this team in 2 weeks... I genuinely dont understand it. T-Mac already looks like a true #1. There is video evidence of him running away from Stingley (who is touted to be one of the best CBs in the league) twice. How can you not be excited about that? Scourton looks really good. He was the top rated rookie defender last week. Hope hes back soon. Corey Thornton looks like a legit starting caliber CB as an UDFA. That is a massive win. Princley flashed out there today both and a run defender and pass rusher. Etienne looked the best out of the RBs although he got the most chances. People who can't see some positives... i dont think you really understand what preseason is for. I am concerned about the defensive depth. I thought we might be good there but I think Dan Morgan needs to be scouring the waiver wire there. Im not blind. But there are plenty of positives. Anybody getting upset over Bryce’s 4 dropbacks today (which included a perfect ball to Sanders) needs professional help. The next 3 weeks are the hardest bc so the coverage will be limited since TC is over and the practices closed. Bring on Jacksonville... Keep Pounding!

Dalton was ranked the 3rd best backup by PFF going into this season. People just make up shitty narratives and people actually believe it. No wonder this country is in the shape it is... Does anyone understand context or critical thinking anymore? You're literally just making up nonsense.

He played 4 drop backs and hit Sanders in the numbers on 3rd down. After he put up 6 TDs on their 1st string in the joint practice. This place is goofy sometimes...

Canales literally said in his presser a guy with a similar injury played the next week. It's 3 weeks until Week 1. Pointless fear mongering

Also, only 12 RBs even crossed 1000 yards last season. Its a still a big deal, especially as the bell-cow RB is becoming more rare. I agree with your point about opportunities to a certain extent, but the reason both these guys got those opportunities was bc they were good and both excelled at yards after contact. So, it kind of a chicken or the egg argument. Still, there ain't 50 guys guys thay could do that. Maybe 20-25. The math dont math. Anyway, im excited about Hubbard & Dowdle and think we are going to have a good running game again this year.