panthers55

Totally disagree. The point of social distancing was to keep what happened in Italy and New York from happening in the rest of the country. It was always about not overwhelming the hospitals which would have pushed the death rate from below 1% to closer to 3 or 4 %. And social distancing has done that. The attitude if not caring about anyone but yourself is a big reason why we have more cases than any other country. The whole I don't care anymore and I'll take my chances is a selfish attitude and reflects the current me versus we attitude which is huge part of the problem in this country. The fact many others are being selfish and self absorbed is hardly an adequate justification. So if I handed you a bag of m&Ms and said 3 were poisoned, would you be the first to eat one or would you let other guys eat them until 3 of them died and then eat with no worries?

People forget that with asymptomatic cases being up to 50% and another 30% being mild, it takes roughly 2 weeks for someone to get seriously sick and a few more days to die so honestly we will see a spike between now and 2 weeks from now accounting for the memorial day weekend. The protest spike won't be really seen for 2-3 weeks.

The cases went down because we social distanced. As soon as we stop doing that it will go way back up. If you didn't notice that most folks still social distance and millions won't go out to eat at a restaurant because folks can't eat or drink and wear a mask. The old saw of heat kills the virus may be true to a small extent but this is the South and folks go inside to the air conditioning when it gets hot. So being inside will be the same in June as it will in January. There are 20 states where the infection rate is going up and many are in the south and west where it is hot already. Georgia and Florida are 2 of them and they were some of the first to open up.

That is going to be a tough decision if he ends up being the odd man out given if we waive him in order to put him on the practice squad he could be snatched by someone else. I wouldnt be surprised if he finds his way onto IR if we want to keep him but don't have a roster spot today. We did the same thing with Hill.

So if KB, Funchess, Hill and Garrett and Ginn were our starting WRs there isnt a secondary that would stand a chance. We would have the speed and size to blow everyone away. And yes I am prematurely putting Garrett and Hill in there over Philly and Bersin and the rest but just looking at their size along with speed and the matchup problems it would cause.

I think this list is very appropriate for May. We haven't even had OTAs. Makes sense that the roster from last year mixed in with some practice squad guys and draft picks would be favorites to make the 53. There is still a good chance for guys to make the roster. For me the most interesting group will be the corners. The success of our defense will be largely impacted by our corners. This division has plenty of talented and big receivers which put extreme pressure on a secondary particularly on rookies with no experience. It is a good thing that our team has several big guys I the mix. I think we bring in a vet corner and put one of the depth backups on the IR list with the ability to return. By that time we will know if we need the vet corner or not.

First of all we have a 50/50 chance of it being defense or offense so not a big risk going out on a limb there. As for BPA, people think that means the general consensus BPA from all positions as if they are all equal. Our board BPA is best player available for our team which has to include our needs and how we would use him. So clearly a quarterback will never be our BPA as long as Newton is performing at an MVP level. But Shaq was not at a position of need as much as Funchess was. But Gettleman saw his flexibility to be a 3 down linebacker, replacement for Davis, and could play the run and pass. So he becomes a great value more than a great need. I think a running back or tight end make sense but I also think that there are defensive players that if they drop will be snatched as well. He loves his hog mollies as well and while you can pick up a RB or TE in free agency, finding an OT or DE is much harder and more expensive. And knowing Gettleman, that is a big concern as well.

I can't deny that some teams are so desperate they way overpay decent talent. Glad we aren't one of them.

It is fine to say that but who would pay him that kind of money. He had one great year not 5 or 6. All teams have to do is throw away from him and he becomes a nonfacto. Look at last year. After he got the four picks early, how many did he get the rest of the year.

I dont know really. Good question. I would think it rarely happens that players are offered contracts from other teams unless the team that franchised them did so with the expressed purpose of trading him and made it clear they could be had for less than two firsts. . it doesnt happen often because not only are you paying the player top five money at his position but also paying the other team compensation of at least 1 first if not 2. There arent that many players that good and most times the team that franchises them also signs them to a long term contract like KC did with Justin Houston did last year. But note the deal wasnt done until the last minute in July. I doubt we would have franchised him if we had no intention of trying to sign him long term. After the Hardy fiasco I would think we would think long and hard before we franchised another player. Sometimes things dont work out but I think we will try hard to sign him. The question is whether Gettleman sees him as a long term solution or not.

I think we will sign him long term because as a nonexclusive franchise tag player he is free to negotiate with other teams to see what he could get on the open market. Most times, teams dont hold other teams to the two first rounders unless they really dont want to lose them since the two firsts really is a deal killer for most teams. If we dont think we can land him long term we will try and have him sign him tender and then find a trade partner who Norman will sign a long term contract. Hopefully Norma's agent is talking to other teams to get some numbers from which to negotiate. That way he gets paid and we get compensation. Gettleman has shown he will pay fairly for talent we have developed and nurtured. The question appears to be what each of them think is fair compensation. I would think that 12 million a year for 4 years would be a pretty fair contract for both sides. It isnt the franchise tag amount but if 1/2 is guaranteed (25 million) then he get some huge piece of mind if he gets hurt.

agreed. I wish other folks understood how important it is for players to buy into the system, play their role and be coachable.. Folks who have coached sports at a competitive level understand that there are often players who have good skills but they are a detriment to the team if they dont buy into the philosophy of the team. They not only underperform their potential but hurt team chemistry and a sense of fairness among the players. I love that Gettleman and Rivera are willing to sacrifice short term gains for long term success. Too many times coaches play guys with great talent who act as if they are entitled or special and dont have to put out the effort that everyone has to put out. That always divides players and the locker room.

This is exactly what I was pointing out to those who think that he should have played all year and that Rivera unfairly played veterans over him. Ealy is just like Josh Norman in that he has very good talent and could be a dominant player. But he wasnt because he came in overweight, showed inconsistent effort particularly in the first half of the year and needed to be shown that regardless of whether he was a second round pick, he was going to earn a starting spot. So like Norman, Ealy was used situationally and didnt start every game. I think like Norman, he now gets it and will come in next year ready to play and prove to everyone his worth and become a leader on the defensive side of the ball. It is up to him to take the opportunity and run with it or continue to underperform and not live up to his potential.

Would love to be on the field before the game. How much do I love the Panthers? I am going to the Superbowl when we make it. Missed going to Superbowl 38 and won't miss this one.

And thank God Rivera kept Shula despite foolish criticisms from posters living in the past.

I signed up for their board a week ago but they never let me in. Unlike our board they keep any opposing views away so they can all circle jerk without interference.

I stopped listening to it unless I wanted to feel suicidal like Kurt Cobain.

Says the guy who criticized Shula for what he did in the 90s. I can see how reality and the present might be less fun.

The problem with all the historical trends and DVOA stats is that they are meaningless untill after the fact and have nothing to do with this game. Football is a matchup sport and all that matters is how we play heads up with Seattle this Sunday. All of the myriad of comparisons are fun to read if your team shows up on the positive side of the equation but totally irrelevant to this game. It is totally who plays better on Sunday, nothing more or less. Just like how Seattle played against Minnesota is totally irrelevant to the game on Sunday or that the Panthers have the longest home win streak in the NFL at 14 games. The difference on Sunday will be how the quarterbacks play on Sunday plain and simple. They will tell the tale. All the other noise is really for the talking heads and casual fans.

The only thing i would have added is that after the first quarter both players and coaches were talked to and told to stop. Norman for the most part did just that while OBJ not only escalated his behavior but in true punk fashion realized that Norman wasn't going to retaliate anymore and took that as a chance to cheap shot him several times without Norman fighting back. So regardless of who started it, Norman dialed it back and listened to his teammates while OBJ ignored his players and coaches and tried to hurt Norman with cheap shots knowing Norman wasn't going to body slam like he did earlier. That is the difference between them. OBJ took it personally and wanted to hurt Norman regardless of the consequences to anyone or the team while Norman tried to intimidate OBJ early and then dialed it back. One was a punk and the other a professional.

I love KK. He is like Warren Sapp was for Tampa and Oakland years ago. It is hard to find a DT with speed and strength. Hard choice between the 3 people though.

I dont think New York can put up 24 on us. We have never scored less than 24. I dont see this as a blowout by any means given they are playing at home but I truly believe Cam and the offense will score whatever they need to in order to win. I hope we have a big enough lead to rest some starters like last week. If you jump on Eli early and often he tends to have a bad game. If they score points and get rolling he is much much tougher. Looking forward to seeing how the secondary plays going forward.

I wouldnt be surprised if Josh plays man on OBJ and follows him all over the field especially if we he scores an early TD. After we shut down the run and make them have to catch us as we score 21 on them in the first half, they will be be dimensional and that is when the defense feasts. Unless this game is close at half, I think we are resting starters in the 4th. This Giants team is not the giant killers they were when they knocked off undefeated teams in the past. If we lose it will be our fault and not due to them playing that great.

I would apologize to him if he returned the 5 million we paid him to play for Baltimore in 2014. Otherwise why bring back a guy who was a locker room problem to a team where all the players rave about how cohesive the locker room is at this point. He is a great player and fierce competitor but not a great person or locker room presence. Did we ever go 6-0 with Smitty?

Smitty wouldn't come back at this point except to retire. He knows we moved on from him and he cemented his future in the hall of fame by playing for Baltimore and getting the publicity he never got in Carolina. Plus we already paid him something like 5 million of his salary in 2014. I doubt gettleman would have him back.