panthers55

Firing him is an admission it was a mistake. But I think we are much better and will be competitive so that he won't be fired. Not sure if that is good or bad....

I think a lot of what was said about Rhule was true. He preaches and lives his system and the process of improvement. He is genuinely a caring coach who is involved and emotional. That doesnt mean he doesn't have serious flaws which were uncovered. Remember when he said he doesn't fire coaches just works to improve them. Had to change that tune. Remember when he said that he thought he needed a few head coaches on his staff when he rode into town but didn't do it. Yeah that changed too. Rhule was arrogant and cocksure and he has been drug down a few notches. But he did get enough coaches to join him to help elevate the football experience and make us more competitive. So the message is still good but we have to see better execution and scheme which comes from the bottom up not the other way around. Rhule hopefully like Rivera and Fox will continue to learn OTJ. But his learning curve about the NFL was steeper than Rivera and Fox given he had little experience and likely thought it wouldn't be hard to pick up. He was wrong about that too. He will improve as the quality of his staff improves. Hopefully that is this year.

Everyone seems to downplay we were second in yards surrendered and therefore the second ranked defense yet that is the stat that the NFl uses for rankings both on offense and defense. I personally think the only stats that matter are points for and points against. But we were very good given the time they were out there. This defense is going to be good again for a myriad of reasons. We have speed, youth, and aggression. All good traits if directed positively. Shaq is a difference maker and will make everyone better like Luke did. Wilks will help the back end and if the offense helps by scoring more it forces teams to pass to catch up which is our strength.

Don't agree with your analysis about the present staff. Snow get lots of praise from other coaches and coordinators as being smart and creative. Tabor is well regarded as are Campen and Wilks. McAdoo is considered a decent coordinator and poor head coach. Truth is this staff is pretty solid. With this roster and staying healthy we are going to be competitive. I agree that past staffs were pretty bad but this is much improved including the coaching.

I so want this to be true......

It is definitely possible. The last two years injuries specifically to CMC have derailed the offense and we didn't have the depth or the qb to compensate. We may have that now as well as a few additional pieces and Baker the playmaker. Our defense will be good although not dominant and with a good offense that can score late we might be able to win more of those one score games we lost. But Tampa has to take a big step back. They embarrassed us last year and it wasn't close.

Exactly. I think he stopped working for us because he can't do the job halfway and he doesn't want to work all the time.

A lot of players don't want the long hours of coaching which starts before players arrive in the morning and extends later after they all leave every day..

Only saw his highlight reel but he looks like he is big and physical with good skills in open space.

Of course injury derailed everything. My comment was assuming that now that he was injured and out for the year what was the best situation he could have come into. And it would be one with little pressure. No one thinks getting injured and going to IR is a good thing. We already planned to keep 3 qbs.

It was perfect for him because we had no expectations he would play here or we needed him to play. He got a free year to learn behind a playoff tested QB with a similar style to mentor him. He will have time to develop.

This is a perfect situation for Corral. Rehab and watch and learn. Come back next year ready to compete for the starter job. Mayfield and Corral are not that dissimilar. I can see Baker mentoring him.

I hope you are right and that he signs with us. Our cap is going to be tight. Given what teams were willing to do for Watson I imagine a healthy productive Baker will be a hot commodity. If Brady retires and Mariotta sucks I can think of 2 division teams that would be very interested as it builds them up while taking away from us.

What about the can't miss class of 2021. Several are still struggling. You can take a rookie like we did and still get a vet for immediate results. Otherwise you can wait another three years and still be losing. It took Cam to his 3rd year to have a winning record.

There are a lot of teams with young guys who are unproven or guys who are just first starters. If Baker gets us to a winning season teams will be lined up to sign him. Again there are 32 very good quarterbacks in the league.

This is his prove it deal. If he balls out this year the money will be there from us or elsewhere.

If we start winning we might be able to get hometown discounts and players wanting to play here which helps at contract time. If Baker has a good year he will find a landing spot here or elsewhere. There aren't 32 franchise qbs so there are always teams interested.

We all do. It has been tough especially going to games where we won only 2 home games last year. That is why I loved the preseason game even though it didn't count. It has been a long time since we have won anything to cheer about. But Baker is going to get us back to being a tough out if the defense holds up.

The cap can be manipulated a dozen different ways. But no you don't tag a player because then it is due right then. By doing a long term contract you can backload which is what most everyone does these days.

Slow on the uptake this morning I see.

Yep. As long as it isn't all guaranteed, the cap next year won't be that much as his signing bonus will be his salary for the most part and will be prorated over the life of the contract.

Actually lots of fans tired of losing are thinking differently this year. It is the we are afraid we will suck again crowd that are too traumatized to go out on a limb for the team and root wholeheartedly for fear they will be disappointed yet again.

It isn't just going to games it is embracing our franchise qb as he tries to right the ship and get us back to winning.

Suit yourself. We will save you a seat though.....

Some people come to the party early and others come late but eventually they all get there. The sooner you jump on though the longer the ride.