tukafan21

1 hour ago, CarolinaLivin said:

Mediocre is more of a best case scenario IMO. Going from one of, if not the worst defense in NFL history to middle of the pack? Maybe im not as high as others on our off-season additions, but i dont see that as being realistic. Would love to see it though. 

Also remember that essentially Derrick Brown is an offseason addition to the defense too, that’s not insignificant when we’re talking about improving the defense from last year.

If we win the conference and it's not because of injuries in TB or Penix being a dud, then it means Bryce is in the MVP discussion and if that happens, then T-Mac probably had one of the best rookie seasons for a WR ever.

Because this defense has added some nice potential pieces, but it's nowhere near ready to compete at a level to win the South this year unless the offense just goes nuts as one of the highest scoring teams in the league with Bryce doing the Mahomes thing and winning close late games on a weekly basis.

So sure, I'm in.  I'm proven right and my guy looks like the next big thing and I'm proven wrong and Bryce is also the real deal and we're set up with an elite QB-WR combo for the next decade.

3 hours ago, Jay Roosevelt said:

I'm not sure he makes the roster, TBH. He's a name at this point, but I'm not sure what he brings to the table that we don't already have with Adam Thielen. I suspect we keep 6 WRs this year:

LOCKS:
T-Mac
XL
Thielen
Coker

LIKELY:
Horn Jr. (as a return specialist if nothing else)

That only really leaves one open WR spot between Renfrow, Moore, Jacolby George, Kobe Hudson and Moose III.

The final spot has to be between Renfrow and Moore and pending how he looks after the year off, I might lean Renfrow.

We now have our offense of the future in place if they pan out, this season has one main goal and it's expediting the growth of this very young group of skill position players.  

Chuba, Rico, and Tremble have each played 4 seasons (all the others are 2 or less) and are the most experienced skill position players on the team other than Dalton, Thielen, Moore, and now Renfrow.  With Moore and Renfrow then being cut at the expense of one of those UDFA's if we kept one.

Having Dalton and Thielen as the only two skill position players on the active roster with more than 4 years of experience, and only 3 others with more than 2, doesn't seem smart.

We don't need more lottery tickets, coaches can only do/teach so much, we need vets for these guys to learn from so we get the best out of them and have our offense for hopefully the next 5-8 years in place pending being able to afford them all.

1 hour ago, *FreeFua* said:

TMac and the Panthers have already confirmed that he’s wearing 4

https://x.com/panthers/status/1916536027788763269?s=46&t=W75E23VenL1ei42iX22E5g

Exactly, hence the real question in the OP, does anyone know if they've started selling them in Charlotte this weekend or even today, like at the team store?

If they have, then the online orders probably would be going out in a few weeks.  I'd rather not order it now and it still take a few months and by then I could have got the blue one that I prefer instead.  But if the blacks are going out soon, then I want to get that now, I'm too excited still, hahaha.

I was going to do the authentic, but saw they're like $400 now (what the hell?!?!), so figure I'll wait on that one for a few years as I do think we'll get new uniforms sooner than later and will do the authentic then.

7 minutes ago, Aussie Tank said:

The man eats raccoon give him time 

XL and T-Mac are basically as polar opposite as possible with XL as backwoods southern kid and T-Mac a Hawaii and So Cal kid, but they both have big personalities and neither is remotely shy in front of the camera.

The team should have them do some ongoing social media segment together as I think the two of them are going to be a hilarious combo off the field to watch together, it would be gold.

If T-Mac is the player I expect him to be and XL can improve, they will make for a very fan friendly WR duo for a while.

34 minutes ago, TheSpecialJuan said:

This was a fascinating trade. I'd never seen any draft trade quite like it before. Of course non of our "beat reporters" asked Dan about it during his 3! draft day press conferences. I would have asked him who thought up/presented this trade. Was it the Panthers (maybe Eric Eager) or Broncos who thought this up

Maybe they let some fans do the deal, because it was basically like the type of trades you see the fans do during their mock drafts all the time, just keep adding picks to the deal until the values about balance out, hahaha

16 minutes ago, *FreeFua* said:

The +800 on getting to 10 TD's looks quite tasty, if he plays 17 games I think he gets to double digit TDs.

XL was our best Redzone target last year, T-Mac is an insane upgrade in that role next year, he's going to be a target monster in the end zone

3 minutes ago, *FreeFua* said:

I should’ve clarified Pittman’s numbers minus the rookie year but with 6-8 touchdowns a year. 

I wouldn’t be upset with 70-800-6 rookie year numbers 

Marvin Harrison Jr put up 62-885-8 

So yah somewhere in that ballpark are my expectations 

For me it's very much situation dependent like I said above, so if anything, I think I'd actually prefer this type of stat line because I think it would bode well for overall team growth and success.

Harrison had McBride there to "steal" 111 Rec and 1,146 yards, it's going to be hard for any rookie to put up better stats than he did when that happens, and he was supposed to be the best WR prospect in the last few decades.

For me the big stat for T-Mac this year will be TD's, because I can see a scenario where the massive yard totals isn't there because of all the options Bryce will have and he's still a rookie, but he should be the clear top dog in the redzone playbook and hope we use him accordingly.

8 minutes ago, *FreeFua* said:

What if he goes for 6 tds and 800 yards as a rookie? 

I'd expect more TD's at a minimum, as I really think he's going to be our go-to redzone option from the first snap of the season.

But realistically, if Thielen has 800-1000 yards as a Bryce check down favorite, while Bryce himself has a good season, and XL/Coker both improve because of it, then I don't think that's a bad rookie year if those are the numbers he puts up as that's the type of season that then sets up for him to get 1,200 and 10 the next year once Thielen is gone, which would be a great 2nd season.

We're still going to be a run based team with the OL and RBs we have and and Thielen is still going to be a legitimate option this year, so expecting much more than that in the above scenario would be asking for a lot from any rookie.

If Thielen only plays 10 games again (or less), our running game can't perform again like last year, and/or XL/Coker don't improve or even take a step back and we then need to rely on T-Mac more and he only puts up those numbers, then yea, I'd say he underperformed on the season.

2 minutes ago, Aussie Tank said:

It would be available now if he could separate better. Sorry had too 

Well played

1 minute ago, Aussie Tank said:

You know who OP is right? 

7 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

I ain't telling anyone how to live but I rarely even consider a jersey until the second contract.

Sure, very fair point, but given what this player and draft pick means to me, that rational thinking goes out the window, lol.  I obviously don't think he'll be a bust and even if he were and/or we traded him before that 2nd contract, it's still a jersey I'd have to own.

21 minutes ago, methodtoll said:

Just keep in mind that #4 may not even be his first choice... He did State during the presser that he originally wanted #11 in college before settling with #4.

He wanted 11 in high school but it was taken so he went with 4 and then stuck with it in college (actually, his QB he'd played with since 8th grade was 11 at Arizona).

And I know he at first said he wanted to go with 11, but seeing as it's an open number and he went with 4 anyways, gotta think he's going to end up sticking with it at this point for at least his rookie year.  

Especially as it works with both of his nicknames too, as he can do N4LO and T-M4C, which he's done with some of his NIL gear the last couple years.

If he changes his number after the season, then I'd still be fine with it, because I need to have his rookie year jersey in my closet

The website says it's still a pre-order and will be shipped 2-4 weeks after the number is officially confirmed, which might not be until the start of the season.

But does anyone know if they're already selling these in Charlotte now that he's chosen his number and it's already listed on the team's website?

I was going to try and wait and see if they start selling baby/infant stuff with his name/number like they have for other team's top players on fanatics, as if they do, I'm absolutely getting my 1 year old Nephew one, especially as I was hoping to get the blue jersey as most of the ones I have already are black, so was hoping by then you could order his in the other colors.

But if they're about to already start shipping them out soon because he's picked his number and I might get it in a few weeks, might have to go and get my order in right now and then just order a blue one later.

Just now, mrcompletely11 said:

If tmac only has 2 1000 yard seasons and never tops more then 6 tds in 5 years then he is a bust all things considered.  If his stats mirror pittman as your post suggests then we should be upset.  

 

I think the "terrible logic" part was about Pittman being a 2nd Rounder.

Because yes, I 1,000% expect T-Mac to put up better stats than Pittman has, but where they are drafted is now completely irrelevant and a sunk cost.

3 minutes ago, jfra78 said:

It's not that difficult to lock you computer everytime you leave it.  I always have and I'm not worried about anyone looking at it

It's not about difficulty, it's just not something I'd ever even think about doing or being necessary.

And FYI, this is coming from someone with severe OCD issues when it comes to locking things.  I'll re-check/re-lock things 5-6 times before leaving sometimes because I can't help it, or even once I've left, turn around and go back to re-confirm (I have a real issue with it lol).

But locking my work computer in my own home while I go get something from the kitchen for a few minutes, it has never one time crossed my mind to do that.

1 hour ago, PNW_PantherMan said:

I work in software and I can't imagine leaving my work laptop unlocked while unattended.  Home computer, sure.  Work machine?  I could lose my job.

So you're saying if you are working at home and decide to go make a sandwich in the kitchen while you have family members are in the house, you lock your computer for those 5 minutes to make sure one of your own family members doesn't go and do something stupid and mess with your job?

Unless you work in the highest levels of national security or something, that would just be a bit extreme, as nobody is thinking their own son is going to do something like that (again, unless he's done things in the past to make you think he is that dumb).

3 minutes ago, PNW_PantherMan said:

If we accepted a trade, some people would be saying we got fleeced and should have taken TMac instead.

11 minutes ago, ClawOn said:

But the huddle guaranteed me it was Walker.

Even beyond this place, the entire world was convinced it was Walker.

The day of the draft I was listening to a radio show and they were talking about how unpredictable this draft was going to be, that nobody really knew what was going to happen and that anyone betting on the draft was dumb and throwing their money away.

At the end of the segment the guy said something like, "well, everything we just talked about is true, but if anyone wants some free money tonight, there is one guaranteed surefire pick, go put your bets in right now, Jalon Walker is 100% going 8th to the Panthers."

11 minutes ago, CRA said:

well, you got two present day GOATs at QB there....so they can make stuff happen like a 2015 Cam Newton did.  Yeah, they would all have success here.  Not sure that is the fairest point. 

I mean, skill talent, Mahomes and Allen probably got the slight edge today. Maybe not tomorrow.  So it's still back to our OL being the defining different in Carolina. 

I don't see any way the Chiefs or Bills have more skill position talent than we do right now.

T-Mac and Thielen are both better than any WR on either of those teams right now and yea, Cook is the best RB of the 3 teams, but I'm taking Chuba over Pacheco, and our OL might be the best of the 3 teams too.  Sure KC has Kelce and the Bills have their two TEs, but I still just think we're better suited at the skill positions right now and in the near future.

And yes, I realize they're GOAT type talents, but the point is if they'd put up MVP type seasons with our offensive players, then if Bryce is a franchise QB, he should be putting up a pretty good season with them this year, if he can't, it's a bad sign, not that he needs to also have an MVP type of season, that would be beyond the wildest expectations for even the biggest Bryce truthers.

1 hour ago, CRA said:

I think is overstating things on our O that should be said if we are going to position the convo as a make it or break it thing for Bryce.  I consider this year 2 for him and you often see regression year 2. 

AT is not in reality a top 10 slot WR.   We force feed a vet WR in the slot that can catch.  Which generates statistics for AT.  He is more savvy rec TE at this stage than anything. 

We just drafted TMac.  You can't really count him as anything except for a promising young WR that is about to have a rookie season.  XL is on the development train. 2 promising young WRs that both are going to have to grow into legit NFL WRs. 

TEs are presently a below average group. 

RBs are in reality are probably a pretty average group in reality. 

Where we currently stand out IMO is our OL talent.  

Not that I think you said anything wrong here, but also look at it this way.

Outside of QB, I think there is a genuine argument to be made that we have a better offensive starting lineup than even teams like the Chiefs or Bills right now.

No, Bryce isn't Mahomes or Allen, but those guys would have MVP caliber seasons with our OL and offensive weapons at their disposal.  If Bryce can't have a successful 3rd season with that grouping, then it's not a good sign for his long term outlook, even if yes, some of those weapons are on the younger side and need to gain experience.

Just now, Davidson Deac II said:

Mine is set to auto lock after a short time period. And if it has confidential data on it (as this one did), then it should be a short time period. 

Again, yes and no.

Mine is also set to an auto lock of like 10 minutes, but that's still more than enough time for a stupid college kid to go do what he did while his dad went to grab a drink from the kitchen.

Coaches aren't out in public somewhere that having a quick lock is a necessity, they likely are only using their laptop/tablet in one of 2 places, at the team facility or in their own home, so fear of someone doing this in the 2 minutes they're away from their desk is basically 0% outside of something like this happening where it was his son.

2 minutes ago, WUnderhill said:

Thanks for the exact quotes, I just went back again to refresh myself because the overall sense I got from it was that Tet was “their guy” before the draft even started. I still get that when watching that whole presser as a whole, though there is certainly some ambiguity and room for interpretation. The question before he was talking about the couple days leading up to the draft and nit-picking Tmac’s film and how it was cool to come together with Morgan and know “unless somebody blew us out of the water, we weren’t gonna let our guy pass.” Sure he could have suddenly transitioned from talking about before the draft to the moment they were on the clock with the 8th pick, but I don’t know. I just think if they were hoping for Graham, his language would have been slightly different. Not in a way that anyone would think anything of it, there’s plenty of room to still be coach speaky about getting their guy and whatnot and nobody would bat an eye.

Yep, it's one thing to only want to talk up the guy you drafted by saying he was always you guy.  But there also wouldn't have been anything wrong with him saying something like "we were just hoping one of the two was going to fall to us and if both did we'd have a decision to make, so when Graham went we just prayed T-Mac would still be there"

If they really wanted Graham first or even just either of the 2, I think we'd have heard them say something along those lines at some point.

Sure, I'll admit this one is likely me just wanting to think T-Mac was #1 on our board just because, but it's also a fair and reasonable take I think.

But at this point that's just all fun discussion points, because all that matters is Tetairoa McMillan is a fuging Carolina Panther!!!!!!!!

2 minutes ago, XClown1986 said:

I actually completely understand this, sadly lol. I had the same reaction when we drafted Luke. I did so much research on him and wanted no one else in the 1st round. He was the guy. When Goodell read his name on the card, I lost it. I called my uncle (another diehard Panthers fan) and got lost in celebrating until I looked up and 10 picks had gone by.

YUP!

But also for me, remember, this wasn't about me doing research on a player and really wanting him.  I'm an Arizona alum and T-Mac is arguably our best player in school history, this was huge for me.

I still don't have much of a voice right now from how much I was screaming that night (although part of that is also from all the celebrating Wrexham's big win this weekend for 3 straight promotions).

18 minutes ago, jfra78 said:

They made a comment in the presser, something like "as soon as Graham went off the board we knew it would tmac." I can't remember the exact quote

Just went and checked the presser, the quote was...

"The 5th pick was a big moment for us, what was going to happen here that was going to help us get our guy at that point, with Cleveland taking Mason Graham there, the board kinda felt like Tet's gonna make it and we're holding our breath there for a few picks"

And the response he had right before they asked the question that got the above quote, he said "unless someone really blew us out of the water, we weren't going to let our guy get pass"

I can see how people took this as saying they wanted Graham first and when he was gone it became T-Mac, and sure, maybe they're just talking up the guy they did take in the end, but it very much sounds as if T-Mac might have always been the selection even if Graham was there.

It's coming out that a whole bunch of players got pranked this draft, saw one player got a bunch of prank calls saying he was picked.

I wonder if the league did something different this year with how that all works or if these things have always happened and they were just kept under wraps in the past and the Sanders family putting this one out there publicly then made all the other players who got pranked come out and say something too.

But it does remind me of a great calling of a draft prospect prank a few years back.  A friend of the player, who was at the draft party, called him to mess with him, but since he saw on the ID who it was, he laughed it off right away as a "why would you call me right now" as opposed to trying to prank them as pretending to be a GM.