MHS831

THANKS FOR THE SUMMARY.

On defense from last year, we lose Burns then Brown. Thompson is now probably done, and we misused Chinn, in my opinion, who is probably an average S in Washington now. I hoped to see development from Barno (injury) and Wonnum (injury until recently) and DJ Johnson, who has flashed at times. Clowney? His play has been decent to good, actually, but he is past the point of attracting the attention of the offensive coordinator, imo. Our DL is scary right now--time to move on from all of them--PFF scores are scary: A Robinson 54.6, Shy Tuttle 43.1, LaBryan Ray 38.2. Jewell? A 58.4 (which sounds about right) and Wallace is rated at 56.0. DJ Johnson is a 58.0. Barno (27 snaps, 2 pressures) is rated at 66.1 (small sample size, but encouraging). Safeties Jordan Fuller 52.1 and Xavier Woods is at 63.0. I mean, if get me some new shoes and limber up a bit, I might have a 100 yard rushing day against this defense. Analysis: Wonnum (61.9) and Barno have shown promise, and Jewell and Wallace might see improved numbers if the players in front of them were better, but we need an edge opposite Wonnum, a better S than Fuller, and a run stuffing ILB. We need a 3T and 2 DTs. We should try to re-sign Jackson. Needs (In my opinion on Dec 17, 2024): Edge Defensive Tackle (how about a NT type at about 330 lbs?) Defensive End (get rid of the Bama boys) Safety Inside Linebacker Corner

Technically, Moton was the highest rated OL with a 60, while Damien Lewis was second with a 56 down through Cade with a 47. I very much agree with your points--and the lack of adjustment concerns me. It is like we are a one-trick pony and if you can take the carrot away, we go limp. This may sound crazy, but I think we could be doing a lot more with the TE position-I see other teams with established TEs lining up at wing and pulling on power, for example. I see them in the backfield. I see them blocking and releasing (chipping too) to create a checkdown--

I am surprised to hear Ewers might go back---I would not advise him to do it. I do not like Milroe, but he needs another year, and NFL teams love that dual threat QB. It all depends on what skill sets you need--if I am running a zone read out of Pistol, for example, maybe. I realize that he is not rated high, and I would not take him until day 3, but Rourke has a quick release, a lot of college experience, etc. He brought Indiana into relevance. There is something there--he is my dark horse, late round QB.

So people who do not share your opinions are stupid--is that what you are trying to say? Don't try it with me, son. I do not need a dolt tell me about watching college football--Now, your opinion was fine, but you had to turn it into a personal attack--only insecure people do that. I am going to post some big boards, and you are going to tell me how smart you are and how dumb everyone else is--let's go: Tankathon NFL Draft Buzz (Milroe average ranking 35.2, Ewers 45.2--that is early to mid second round) I agree with them. And yes, I watch college football. I played college football. Did you?

Not saying that Bryce played well or is without blame, but the entire OL scored in the 50s or lower. The running game shut down--and the pass protection broke down. I watched Ickey try to block Micah Parsons without extending his arms, bending at the waist, like he was going to shoulder block him or something. You do not block him well with good technique, but how in the hell did his brain tell him, "Ick, here's what we are going to do..." Dumbassery!!! So when the OL prevents you from running and they suck in pass protection, it is hard to look good as a QB. Again, Bryce need to read the pressure and hit the open WRs. That pass to Thielen when Sanders was open tells me that he is predetermining who is going to throw to--not good.

the better question: Who will have the longest career--Cam was about a decade--All it takes is one freak injury or the wear and tear starts setting in, causing you to do things differently (mechanics). then other injuries set it. Josh has been in it for 7 years--we shall see.

Allar is smart to do it, but he had a breakout year-betting on himself--he is 20. I read that Nuss had gone back--he needed it--with a little discipline, he can be special-- I really think Rourke has the quick release, size, and x factor we need. I mean, Indiana? I think he is the sleeper--but you know how it goes when your exposure to a player is so limited.

The solution, considering that we will not be drafting Ward or Sanders, is to draft a player like Ewers or Allar or Milroe in round 2. Only Ewers might be ready to start in 2025 if necessary--the others are developmental) My preference? wait until rounds 3 or even 4 and draft a guy with tools who need to be coached up--Beck could be damaged goods who could use time to sit and watch and learn--Rourke is my favorite bargain basement QB whose skills match what we are doing. Finally, we need a veteran backup who might want a shot at the starting gig. Justin Fields comes to mind. I think they wanted a mentor for Bryce, not a competitor, which is why Dalton was brought in. Screw that--everyone competes--nothing is promised. I think Canales could do something with Fields. If we had Fields, Young, and let's say Rourke on the roster, I would feel a bit better about the QB position.

Let's say Hunter is on the board--I would take him. I would use him on both sides of the ball--a dime back on defense, where he might enter the game on second down or obvious passing situations, and maybe in some 01, 10, or 11 personnel packages on offense. It would change the way we view positions, but imagine putting him into a dime situation and taking the (increasingly dangerous) slot in man coverage or the X on the outside. On offense, I would use him on the wide side of the field-pulling the defense's best CB out and listening for an audible to him--if not, he just watches. On passing plays, he moves to X. In 10 personnel, he would play X, Coker and Thielen inside, and XL plays the Z. In the O1 personnel formation, (no RB, TE, 4 WR) we would have 5 targets (Hunter, AT, XL, Coker, and Sanders), but the inability to block a blitzing LB or DB. I wonder if teams are thinking that way?

This may have been said repeatedly on here, but I have not seen it nor do I read 8 pages of posts when it is mostly shirt talk because people do not respect another's opinion-- If the Panthers somehow pick third (and I see it as a possibility) they will take Travis Hunter, and in my view, he needs to play WR. Imagine Hunter as the #1, Thielen, Coker, XL as outside weapons. I am guessing that Sanders (TE) improves and we could try to sign Mike Jackson (CB) to a longer deal- However, I see the Giants, Raiders, and Patriots picking at the top of the draft. Hunter will be in New England in all likelihood. The Raiders, however, have a shot to lose a game. Tonight vs. Atlanta in Vegas, they could upset the Falcannots. They then play Jax on the 22nd--at home--and they should be favored. Then on to New Orleans--a slim chance at a victory--and then the Chargers--who will likely have a playoff spot clinched without a first round bye. I do not know if Harbaugh would rest his starters, but he should. Jax is ahead of us now, but they finish with Vegas, Tennessee, and Indy. Surely the win one of those, but if not, they will pick after the Pats. We want them to lose to Vegas, beat Tennessee or Indy.

good stuff, NAS. Some of us were fans of his before the draft--I was disappointed that we did not take him in the sixth or seventh rounds--we got a break. Imagine where we'd be without him? He has solid hands, runs good routes, and has a mature understanding of the game. Now we know that he has speed. Hmmmm.

The worst thing you can do as a franchise is give up on him before his light comes on-people act like supporting bryce means "Bryce or bust" but it does not--he is an asset, and you keep bringing in people to compete. I do not understand why people struggle with this concept. We want to to succeed, but we should not put all eggs in one basket. However, some folks are concrete, convergent thinkers--it must be black or white, on or off, all or nothing.

Sorry bro. If we could help, we would.

Pull for the man. I hope he shows up and you switch to the Cowboys' forum. 5 catches, 88 yards

While I totally understand this conclusion based on the Panther's defense this season, I still think WR is a bigger need than people realize. Adam Thielen will be about 35--been great--but it is time to start slowing down. XL will be better, but how much better? In year 2, we need 800 yards from him or more. After that, we have Coker-a player I am very high on. I think he can be a solid #4 WR. David Moore has been a surprise, but he will be an UFA and 30 in 2025. Not sure he is a roster spot. We need 2 WRs, and we need a true #1 if possible. Free agency is not the place to find WRs, but I imagine we will find one there; most WRs probably do not want to come to Carolina and the Bryce passing attack. I think there is depth at Edge (through round 2, surprisingly) and DT (through round 3). For this exercise, they had to choose two. I think Carter is overrated and I would love to have Graham, but we get Brown back and a first round DT might be overkill. I think WR is weak in this draft and if you do not grab one early you will miss out. IMO our biggest needs/areas of concern when regarding available talent have to be Edge and WR. As much as I like Graham, there are DTs later who are pretty impressive.

While on the topic of Mike Green, he had 38 SOLO tackles, 81 overall--he averaged 1.5 sacks per game vs. Ohio St. and Va Tech, so the level of competition does not seem to be a factor for him. Tankathon has his as the 11th ranked Edge; NFL Draft Buzz has him rated 12. I expect his stock to rise, but if it does not, I personally think he would be a steal in the second round. NFL Draft Buzz has his 40 time at 4.57 (not sure where they got that). He has the length, the size. I look for consistency too--sometimes a player can have 4 sacks vs a reserve OT from Ricky's School for Wayward Teens and disappears in most other games. He had sacks in every game except three, and in those games, he had 11, 8, and 5 tackles respectively. That probably means (in the 11 and 8 games) that they were not passing the ball. However, for an edge to have 81 tackles/38 solo tackles and 17 sacks is domination. I should note that Marshall had a high scoring offense and the opposition was playing from behind a lot, but top-rated Abdul Carter had 1 sack in two games against Bowling Green and Kent. In 7 of his 13 games, he did not have a sack. Albeit the competition was better, but against a mutual opponent, Ohio State, Abdul had 4 tackles (2 solo) and 2 sacks--a very good game. Against Ohio State, Green had 2 tackles and 1 sack. To put that into perspective, Will Howard and Ohio State were sacked only 10 times all year--and Penn State had 3 of them.

Salisbury High School. He can play in the box, edge, and cover--a three down LB that can be moved around--I actually want him. Keep an eye on Marshall's Mike Green. This year, had 17 sacks, 3 in games vs. Va Tech and Ohio State. Last year? 9 sacks. 6'4, 250--great size. SLEEEEEEPER.

I will say that I appreciate the analysis, Raleigh--it is something that we should discuss if we choose to engage in that issue. The problem with a lot of huddlers is they do not know how to ignore a thread they aren't interested in. They decide to mock it, feeling that they are mature enough to decide what is thread worthy, and what is not--If i read a thread title that I think is redundant or uninteresting to me, I simply do not click on it. "We don't take kindly to no science people 'round here. We gots common sense facts that are are more righter than science--and don't try tellin' us your 'pinions, either. We played pop warner and participate in fantasy football. We don't need no 'science.'"

Just saw this--posted the exact same comments on another thread...100% CORRECT.

I get it--we are treating players like we are a farm team-stop drafting projects and raw players early-- You have 1 job

I get this--he is not where he needs to be yet, but the team is playing better, and some of that is based on improved play from Bryce. It has to be consistent, it has to improve, and it has to lead to wins and playoffs before I am satisfied. He is a game manager on good days right now. Did I feel confident when we got the ball vs. Philly with a chance to win? Nope--to me, the mark of a great QB is when their opponent takes the lead under 2 minutes in the game and everyone thinks, "They gave XXXX too much time."

I do not know of anyone calling Bryce a "Franchise QB," (not to say it was not said, I just did not see it) and I do not think the current Bryce is the answer. This is about potential and the performance of the team. I now watch the second half. In this draft, you have Ward and Sanders at QB, maybe Allar makes round 1 and maybe someone takes a chance on Milroe--I would not. After that, you have Ewers who is probably not going in round 1. Nussmeier has decided to stay in school. However, after that wave of QBs I see some potential if you have patience. I don't look at performance as much as others--I see system QBs in college who play in conferences that don't believe in defense and I see kids who have not yet put it all together, and some flying under the radar. The reason this group excites me is that there is a Purdy, Cousins, or Wilson in this group. I think we need to add one of these raw, undeveloped, or unrecognized gems to the roster and develop him as if he is to be the QB by 2027 if not sooner. I am assuming that we do not draft this QB on day 1, but we find him possibly sliding to round 3. Who are they? I know---some of you will look at his stats or performance this year and think "He sucks!" I can't help people who do not understand the concept of assessing tools and giving performance less weight. However, I will mention the situation in which each QB was asked to perform--and the things they overcame that are unique to their experience. 1. Ewers, Texas. If he somehow dropped to us at any time on day 2, I would strongly consider taking him. He has been a bit injury prone, but he has arm talent and has had to play well enough to keep a Manning on the pine. He has a quick release, amazing deep accuracy, and he has brought Texas into the national spotlight. Injuries are scary but in the past; if he can avoid them, he has a bright future. Still, with Bryce improving, I imagine we draft WR in round 1, DL or Edge in round 2..... 2. Beck, Georgia. Beck had tremendous expectations in 2024 and he failed to meet them. Most of his problems seem to be mental, however. He has a quick release and is deadly on long balls when he does not hesitate (mental). His mistakes were often when he was taken off the spot. He has the talent to be a good NFL player. Remember, the plan is to develop him for 2 years. 3. Rourke, Indiana. In round 3 or even later, Rourke is my favorite dark horse/sleeper candidate. He is 6' 5", 230 and also has a quick release. He is accurate on short, intermediate, and deep throws. So what is his problem? His concentration is broken with pressure and he fails to recover well when that happens. Not very illusive, with a quick release, our OL, and the 2.7 second rule that seems to have benefited Bryce, Rourke could be special. I think he is a good fit. 1.

Is performance at this point more important that improvement? That is the question I ask. Canales has had Bryce for less than a season, and there are positive results. Is the team competitive now? Have we proven that we can play with anyone? If not the improved play of Bryce, what can you attribute this turnaround towards? Better WRs? (not really, he lost Johnson, AT, Mingo, and TMJ--and XL has been decent, but not stellar). The OL? They were playing when we were getting blown out. The defense? Well, they are ranked 31st in the NFL. The Offense is ranked 30th, but that is due to the horrible start. So what is the difference? "Since Returning from His Benching, Bryce Young is completing 62% of his passes, has gone 55/88 for 521yrds, 4TDs, 3INTs, and has a 80.4 Passer Rating. This while playing 2/3 of the games with 2 Rookie Starting Receivers and a Rookie TE." While that is not Pro Bowl material, it is positive and hopeful. THAT WAS NOV 12 WHEN HE WAS TURNING THE CORNER--people noticed then--they are noticing now. The bottom line--you can't just look at his stats and feel great. You can't look at the record and feel that we are playoff bound. However, if he is improving, do you pull the plug? Do you not get excited about the changes in a positive direction? How many of us saw even this coming? If you didn't, don't pretend to know the future now.

Yeah. You can't be really good at every position, and Cade seems to be improving every week. I think his PFF grade is in the 60s--Let Raym and Cade compete--and focus on your top 4 weaknesses (IMO--WR, DT, Edge, ILB) Every team has a weak spot here and there. The challenge is hiding that weakness as best as possible. Playing between Lewis and Hunt is pretty hidden. Again, Cade has been improving each week. I am OK with him at C--not ideal, but he is OK.