panthers55

To me defensive coaches need to be aggressive and want to dominate their opponent. Blitz and go for it rather than die by degrees and bend until you break prevent type strategies. I hope Evero felt he had no choice but to play that way rather than he played that way by choice. Canales said they would be discussing the defense including scheme and strategies. No matter who plays out there, the defensive coordinator creates the culture out there every day. Somedays you can win even if outgunned if you play for each other and not for yourself.

At 8 I want someone who you can't find a comparable player for later in the draft. So I want a physical specimen who is a beast but also was productive and has that dog in him. Stuff you can't learn but makes it easier to be successful. Obviously Graham is a beast and Warren can get pressure and could contribute immediately. I know folks hate Hunter at 8 but he may be the best defensive player in the draft and could start on either side of the ball. Then again I like TEs who can dominate out of the gate so don't take my advice....

Most folks know that in close ballgames the difference comes down to one team executing on key downs and the other not. 2 years ago our defense was not good but our offense was terrible. Last year we started out terrible on both sides of the ball and the offense really gelled toward the end. Honestly there is no reason to believe our offense will regress. I think it will improve playing together and developing chemistry with each other. And the defense will be better because Brown and Brown will be a wall and shut the middle down while still collapsing the pocket on passing downs. Something that never happened last year. Pressure on the qb makes the back seven much better as they don't have to try and cover for 5 seconds on every play until someone comes open. We still need some linebackers who can bring pressure, tackle but also cover TEs if needed. Is that too much to ask? What I hope is that whatever position we choose, we find more dogs who like to scrap and work hard. Everybody working together without a bunch of prima donnas.

What I hears is that they want a guy that has toughness, is hardworking and likely has good character. At what position depends on who is BPA with those traits

Being optimistic is a choice based on looking at the positives rather than the negatives. The idea that optimists dont see the reality of the situation in that we have had really bad teams since Tepper arrived is totally wrong. Not only do they see the obvious but get reminded daily that they were wrong and foolish for believing in the team. When that happens year after year it is easy to turn to the dark side. Most have. But they like being positive and look for opportunities to be positive about the team. They are just as upset when things go wrong, but have the emotional control to take things in stride and come to the realization that we are not going to turn the corner this season without throwing in the towel on their fandom. Frankly on a message board, optimists should be appreciated because it takes a lot more effort to be optimistic and state it publicly knowing you will be taking a beating if thinks turn ugly in December, than it does to go along with all the doom and gloom. But to think that an optimist is deluded and not a realistic is looking at it backwards. They see the reality and understand that half empty and half full indicate the same amount but the expectations are different. One is a scarcity mentality while the other is a hopeful mentality. While it is totally understandable to be negative or at least taking a wait and see approach considering our dreadful results, I would think that in April we would be more positive given there is lots of time to be angry and upset if we suck once again. I for one am looking forward to the draft and training camp. I am optimistic we will be better. How much I don't know, but I hope it is substantial. But that's just me...

If we do stick to BPA which in my mind always includes being the guy who can help us the most which implies at a position of need, we will be picking guys at positions which are deep in this draft. I expect to draft two linebackers one at edge and on the inside, a safety, a running back, wide receiver, likely a TE and maybe another DE. W need to draft positions that are too costly to acquire in free agency.

Reich's problem was that he brought in a bunch of highly regarded coaches who had different experiences and personalities who all thought they knew how to fix things. But they weren't on the same page. They weren't cohesive and supportive of one another. There were lots of stories about coaches going over Reich's head to Tepper, fighting openly, and more. It is like having a bunch of superstar players who all play for themselves and not each other. It fails most times. Reich wasn't able to manage the coaches let alone the players. And I think he didn't want Brice and had his success with established guys not like Canales who may well be a quarterback whisperer. Reich was a good coach for Indy and I was supportive when we got him. I never thought he would only last 11 games.still between his guaranteed 4 year salary here and what Indy still owed him through 2026, he made 10s of millions while becoming the only coach to get fired during the season In back to back years.

Whether it is due to inconsistent play, injury, or trying to get a look at a new acquisition, we have not had a quarterback play every game of a season since 2017 with Cam Newton. it is also the last time we made the playoffs. Bridgewater played 15 games in 2020 but otherwise it has been very disjointed and inconsistent. When was the last time we had the same starting QB going into a third season? Again Cam Newton in 2017. Does that mean Bryce will be successful or we we will go to the playoffs this season? We hope so, but as we look at the reasons we have struggled under Tepper, I think poor coaching and inconsistent qb play are the biggest. With Canales finishing strong and Bryce coming on, it feels like we have a chance for consistency and more success this season at least on the offensive side. Obviously injuries play a huge role in determining ultimate success but I am optimistic that we can have a very stable and productive offense. BTW, when was the last time we had the same offensive coordinator for 3 seasons? Mike Shula in 2017. Since then no one has made it more than their second season.

The goal of building a team is to find complementary parts which when put together are greater than their individual parts alone. Each year the team is different based on its composition and how well they work together. Just the fact that the offensive players have a year in the system as well as Canales has a year of experience as head coach will make them better. And how do you make the worse defense in history worse by adding upgrades at several positions. Brown being back alone is worth a few less points surrendered. No, we are going to be improved this year. How much is up for debate.

I don't agree that they went into 2024 knowing it was going to be awful on defense. 2023 was pretty good and they thought who they brought in would be enough for Evero to be competitive while we focus on offense. Obviously when injuries hit to Brown, Shaq and others we had no depth and we had JAGs starting. And our free agents underperformed or were overused as we couldn't get off the field playing prevent defense - bend until you break. But I agree that you win games in the trenches especially if you like to run and stop the run. And am glad to see the additions. Thr biggest addition will be getting Derrick Brown back who by himself collapses pockets and snatches runners and tosses them. Canales said that he would talk to Evero about the defensive scheme. I hope he convinces him to adopt a more aggressive style. Seems all the best defenses play more aggressive than we do.

Bryce trended steaming cow patty last year. .w What a difference a year and good coaching can make.

This happens every year as the salary cap goes up. Guys get signed to long term deals often after a breakout year and they are top 10 or higher compared to other guys at the position. It seems like a ton until next year's contracts push it even higher. Contracts are given based on future potential not past performance so you pay the going rate and hope you are right. But you can't judge a contract until you see how they perform in your system and determine their value after the fact.

If you only see the field a half dozen times a game you are not great. And I already said Morgan was the best of the three which you would expect as a first tounder. Notice you didn't mention anything about Jenkins. So let's review. In what was considered our best draft ever we had a role player who was good the few times he played, a good player who was our first rounder and a guy who struggled with weight and desire their rookie seasons. I remember being one of the few posters really excited about Kueckly. I can remember several debates on the huddle about him getting so many tackles because BC funneled all the plays to him when we drafted him. So the point is that you can't always tell if a guy is going to be great when you draft them or even after his rookie year except in cases like Kuechly and you need to wait for a few years to see how they develop. That was my point. Nitpicking an example doesn't negate the whole point. That missing the forest to argue about a tree.

Is Legette a turd? What about Bryce? With the yearly turnover in coaches and systems it would be hard for any player to excel. Hopefully with stability we can actually develop our players and let them grow into their roles.

Smith was a part time receiver and punt returner. He had 3 TDs and 154 yards. Other than his first return he didn't score again as a punt returner. That is not great or that profiting of success. And as far as Morgan goes he didn't have the rookie season that Kuechly had but of the three he's hoped the most promise. So no it took time for them like most rookies to show their true potential.

Yeah didn't want to go into all the details but in general you have to spend between 88.9 and 90% of your salary cap so teams can't chronically underspend. But you can manipulate this rule to some extent like you can the salary cap.

He isn't the only one we bailed on before 3 years. The three years maxim is about the time it takes to transition to the NFL and learn the position at a much higher level. On the other hand if unforeseen things arise like being a cancer to the team or lacking motivation occur you don't need 3 years to cut your losses. Legette is going to be a stud if he can learn to hold onto the ball. Maybe he should have to wear one taped to his hand for 24 hours after every game he drops one until he figures it out.

The issue with Higgins is that the Bengals have said it will be expensive to acquire him and he will want a top 5 contract which is approaching 25 million a year. I don't see it happening. Bryce showed he can do well with subs and JAGs. So I would spend the money on defense and not go hogtied on a top receiver.

I thought the general rule is don't judge for a minimum of 3 years. Go back to 2001 which folks suggest might have been our best draft and tell me whether Smith, Morgan and Jenkins were great their rookie season. By season 3 they helped lead us to the super bowl.

Other than being the offseason and there isn't much to talk about, why does anyone worry about the cap? We can do whatever we want and still have cap space. You don't think the front office hasn't already figured it out and what they intend to do. Me I am just sitting back and watching. After all my job isn't on the line if we lose. Although at my age we don't have forever if I am going to live to see us play in another superbowl

That is ridiculous on several levels. First of all you have to spend 90% of your cap space every year so the idea you can just not spend it every year is against the CBA. Secondly your job is to assemble the best team you can for the fans players and team. Not to save money for the owner. Third many players who are considered great underperform while others like Luvu and Jackson have overperformed. What about a great player like Derek Brown who was injured and missed all of last year. Was he a waste of money?? Sure pay DK a fools ransom and hope he stays healthy. He didn't even get 1000 yards last year which averages out to 60 yards a game or play all 16 games. And lets be real, Jones and Watson aren't great but they aren't being paid that much either. Real glad you aren't the GM.

Defense is shaping up nicely. With our corners set we can keep working on safety and linebacker/edge rusher. Jackson said he wanted to be here so a deal wasn't tough to do.

At a good price this would be a good signing. Very athletic strong and at 335 it is mostly muscle. You can't have superstars at every position. Sometimes you need former JAGs who can become overacheivers.

He said he was doing what we did last year after seeing our results.

Not trying to bust on you but nothing we have done so far is new or unpredictable. Morgan said what he was going to do at the combine. The only thing unknown was how much it was going to cost and even then it is turning out about folks have predicted. You didn't have to be Nostradamus to figure it out so far. Now if we bring in the guys you want then I will be signing your praises as I would love a stud DL and safety signing. Then again so does a lot of other teams with lots of cap.