Gapanthersfan

Frank really wanted this to be his swan song. His chance to come back to where he started. He was probably dreaming up plays for Stroud after Tep promised that he had his pick of his dude. You can’t convince me that Frank came here with the intention of coaching Bryce. Frank saw that Bryce just didn’t have it after the first few days of camp and it’s a wrap from there.

Every year the pundits seem to get their jollies over whatever new evaluation tool they cook up. They all seem to have a spin on whatever cognitive dimension they want to evaluate… problem is football a game of giant gladiators whose sole purpose is to dominate and break the will of their opponent as quickly as possible. If you’re selling the farm, hopefully, you choose someone who looks like a football player. I’m not convinced that everyone has their own board. It’s all a big echo chamber. They all use the same phrases and buzzwords. It’s all a big collective with detractors being shunned.

I could see that being the case.

So the Sam Darnold panthers had a strong running game, Dawg mentality, and DJ Moore. Sam showed some progress (he still had some damnit, Sam plays, but so did our 2 best QBs of all time)… and it was all burned down, for this. It was moldable. But nope. Too conventional. Right now, I have no idea what the base is because we seem to keep falling through every floor we step on.

Yet another fail on an attempt to show the NFL that he’s smarter than everyone else. Choose prototypical physically limited underdog and turn him in to a champion. Receive praise and recognition for being so unconventional…. only to fail again, demonstrating that the status quo is the MO for good reason. I’ve come to see that Tep seems to loathe winning conventionally, or he just hates winning, period. Is Chuba is the doghouse? He has shown that getting him in to the second level makes for a long day on their defense, yet they have designed 0 plays for specifically him. It’s like they want a 30+ yard play on every throw or they run Chuba up the middle, then throw Sanders in on 3rd down for a failed run up the gut. It just feels bizarre, the energy, like there is something else. Are players weary that Tep’s plan is to 100% put Bryce back in regardless? This team is not able to truly move forward with him still wearing our uniform. I don’t know. I know there’s now tape and all of that and we’ve gone back to being embarrassing…. the whole feel is just weird.

The play calling feels really tankish. Are we running the Tepper playbook?

This is just so odd. The talent is supposedly there on offense… so, what’s the deal?

This team just spent a shi* ton of $ on the offense. Coming due are contracts on a starting quality NFl QB who still has a lot of gas in the tank, a legit #1 WR, and a RB who has been killing it. Does anyone truly think we can retain all 3 while not murdering our cap #? Priority has to go Andy then Johnson then Chuba. Will Andy require ‘please don’t go’ type money? He won’t want a rental contract. Someone will offer him 3 years for a lot of $. Promise you. This has been a showcase year for him. Can we beat that if we’re tied to the other 2? I love Chuba but once Brooks (hopefully) starts getting some snaps, his time is limited. I LOVE how he has developed. You take a second + a defensive starter (if a team is that desperate) and don’t look back. Bryce cap hit in ‘25 is $10 million. In ‘26 it’s $12 million. We HAVE to find a team willing to eat that. Morgan and co are in a tight spot.

Ain’t that some ish? This team, where LB is the ONLY position where we have had any modicum of consistent success. All Pros and HOF’ers. Now it is the most glaring weakness, and it’s really not even close.

No more big moves for offensive players, for now, please. We’re looking (hopefully) for someone fresh and moldable. No baggage. Immediately accepted by fans and players. What if dude decides to get himself in trouble again.

It’s kind of funny. The original person who coined the phrase is the most intense, hard to find words to describe, competitor this team will ever know. The other is the biggest soft spoken lamb this franchise will ever know.

Bryce’s limitations are physical. No amount of standing on the sideline will change that. Players, fans… everyone knows that. The media wants the sideshow to continue so they throw this out to try to influence the team’s actions. Dave doing this is a big F all of you to the locker room. Bryce is a completely embarrassing, mostly on him guaranteed L where 10 fans show up to the stadium and the sideshow can continue. Andy is a probable L where he shoulders some blame but he will perform as an NFL qb should. We are guaranteed to see at least a few ‘hell yes’ type plays where WRs look like actual WRs. Bryce gets the start and keeps playing? You will have guys up for contracts extensions who can’t wait to jump ship, regardless of the $. Keep Andy and draft a guy who actually flashes ability. There is 0.0 to gain putting BY in. He is gone either way. What, so we might, but probably not, get his trade value up from a 6th to a 3rd? What’s to gain? There is no gain. This either an attempt to keep this team a complete clown show or an even more desperate by the Stans to show that they weren’t wrong.

Beware the Ides or March (October). He’ll be cut next week.

We just need to stack the offense with punt returners from LA. I never thought about just how bad this team’s record at drafting WRs has been, but wow.

You either want to be the best and you play every snap like you’re the baddest MF’er on the field, or you don’t. Look at the best WRs, DEs, RBs, etc. Then you have what we draft every year. Soft as applesauce.

Panthers way is to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. We could be heralded for such a sage move to get a future all pro. We could be set for a decade with the hardest piece to get in all of football. The trade could have looked like a bargain. Naw.

The return of Thielen will push Chuba and Johnson’s production to another level. I don’t think either will be wisely spent money as both figures will be cringe worthy. Resources have to be dedicated on defense even if it means offense production slips a bit. The o line has been mostly solidified except for center and LT. Money and draft capital have to go defense in the offseason, or trading Chuba and/or Johnson for good D talent. Trade would be better than drafting. Keep MJ, trade Chuba and Johnson for genuine NFL defensive starters. Lock up Thielen and Andy for 2 more years. Develop XL and the other WRs and see what we got this coming season. If we can add 3-4 quality defensive starters via trade and draft for this coming season, that would be huge.

When there is a strong emotional attachment to a player, people will frequently see what they want to believe instead of believing what they see. They will see 2+2=5, believe it with every fiber of their being, and no one can talk them out of it despite of how truly wrong it is. It’s a perspective that is 180 degrees out of phase. Sprinkle in some good old fashioned never-wrong-about-anything personality characteristics and you’ve got yourself a true Stan. Or team owner.

So Chuba played poorly? Wasn’t Andy sacked at least twice?

I guarantee you that every GM in the league has taken notice.

If it’s me, Bryce doesn’t take another single snap. The last time he took the field, he actually had some completions. This move may have shown a glimmer of potential for some GM in the league who is willing to cough up a 4th round pick. If he takes the field again, everyone will see that it was just a complete fluke. Very slick move getting some completions in garbage time with soft coverages from someone you’re desperately trying to trade. 5D chess move.

Chuba 100% deserves to be the feature guy. He now does everything well. Canales needs to scheme ways other than a screen to get him open in space. Defenses only respect Johnson in the passing game now that Thielen is out and we’re seeing things shrink up again. Dude is just a stud all around. Never goes down with first contact, impressive acceleration and better than average top end speed. Now that he’s added reliable hands… he’s very underutilized. If I see Sanders come in on another third down… omg why? I still think Canales wants accolades in his play calling and actually dislikes running.

Dude is a stud. 24+ touches a game. When Thielen comes back things will open up significantly again. His loss has meant that much.

The game is a foregone conclusion but I haven’t seen give up ball. That tells me a lot. They faced a vastly superior team talent wise. It’s what it is.

If Johnson and Chuba go all pro today and we can limit their possessions, there is a chance. It rides on them and the o line.