Instead of a foregone conclusion there needs to be a rethinking.

[Marguide]

I honestly beleived right up to the draft that we put the tag on Hardy to try to trade him for picks. Apparently, that wasn't the case. So then I thought, ok, maybe a long term deal is close. Voth and others later stated that was never in play. It's still hard to believe that Gettleman truly just wanted to rent Hardy for one year at a cost of $13 million and then let him walk. Some part of how and why he was tagged just doesn't ring true to me. 

 

 

His absence and the dramatic fall of our defense is the proof.

 

If you can't tell the difference between Hardy at LE and the combination of Adiason, Horton, and Ealy. I don't know what to tell you.

 

1) There is no proof that Hardy's absence is the reason for our poor D. It's certainly a factor, but I don't buy that plugging him back in would turn us into a #2 defense again.

 

2) Hardy wasn't Hardy either when he had the age/experience of the guys named above. It often takes awhile for DE's to develop. One or more of them may turn out to be just as good or better.

[Snake]

Issue with Greg is he commands near top dollar.....yet you can't trust his decision making off the field. So he is a much riskier player than all of your other big paydays.

Do you want to take extra risk with big paydays? We already are suffering the consequences under a tag year

Contracts can be structured to avoid such risks. Hardy has been in less trouble than Steve Smith yet people act as if he has committed murder. I mean Farve was talking pain killers, Ray Lewis killed someone, and Payton Manning used HGH in Europe to fix his neck but domestic is worse???

[WOW!!]

I honestly beleived right up to the draft that we put the tag on Hardy to try to trade him for picks. Apparently, that wasn't the case. So then I thought, ok, maybe a long term deal is close. Voth and others later stated that was never in play. It's still hard to believe that Gettleman truly just wanted to rent Hardy for one year at a cost of $13 million and then let him walk. Some part of how and why he was tagged just doesn't ring true to me. 

 

 

 

1) There is no proof that Hardy's absence is the reason for our poor D. It's certainly a factor, but I don't buy that plugging him back in would turn us into a #2 defense again.

 

2) Hardy wasn't Hardy either when he had the age/experience of the guys named above. It often takes awhile for DE's to develop. One or more of them may turn out to be just as good or better.

 

Addison is older then Hardy so he probably won't get there.

 

And being realistic Horton nor Ealy are anywhere near the athlete that Hardy was or is.

 

Remember Hardy played the gunner role on special teams. That's how fast he was for a man his size.

[carpanfan96]

Hardy was never given a long term deal because front office still felt he was a head case and that he'd find a way to drop his value, plus there was a major question of if he could keep up the high level play "run defense and pass rushing"

Front office gave him a tag because it was the only way to keep him without going long term. Couldn't let him walk and him show up again with 15 sacks, they took the smartest route at the time. Plus the team wouldn't of spent most of the 13m cause there wasn't a FA that fit here worth it.

Hardy went out and proved to still be a head case and now has cost himself millions plus a suspension when he comes back "if guilty"

[panthers55]

Hardy was never given a long term deal because front office still felt he was a head case and that he'd find a way to drop his value, plus there was a major question of if he could keep up the high level play "run defense and pass rushing"

Front office gave him a tag because it was the only way to keep him without going long term. Couldn't let him walk and him show up again with 15 sacks, they took the smartest route at the time. Plus the team wouldn't of spent most of the 13m cause there wasn't a FA that fit here worth it.

Hardy went out and proved to still be a head case and now has cost himself millions plus a suspension when he comes back "if guilty"

Exactly.  Folks thinking that Hardy needs to be signed long-term and believing he is a critical player ignore that while that was the case last year he has done little to prove that he is a long term solution.  He has always been a head case and went around all off season talking about how the tag was fine but he wanted Charles Johnson money. We were never going to pay that to him and it appears it was a good thing we didn't. 

 

Hopefully the games he missed should serve as his suspension with him having to pay back the money for six of them.  But to not let him play and then suspend him for another 6 games appears rather excessive.

[WOW!!]

Hardy was never given a long term deal because front office still felt he was a head case and that he'd find a way to drop his value, plus there was a major question of if he could keep up the high level play "run defense and pass rushing"

Front office gave him a tag because it was the only way to keep him without going long term. Couldn't let him walk and him show up again with 15 sacks, they took the smartest route at the time. Plus the team wouldn't of spent most of the 13m cause there wasn't a FA that fit here worth it.

Hardy went out and proved to still be a head case and now has cost himself millions plus a suspension when he comes back "if guilty"

All that is true but the current state of this defense demands a rethinking in that plan. Others try to find other reason for this dramatic drop of our defense. But the simple answer are mostly the correct ones. You have a defensive team built on getting pressure from your front 4. And you take the best pass rusher out. This is what happens.

People are selling Hardy importance to this team way short.

[CarolinaCoolin]

Don't forget that R.G has to remove Hardy from the list and reactivate him, just like he had to put him on the list in the first place. Just because the Panthers may want him back after six games and request it, means nothing unless it is agreed to by R.G.

It's voluntary. Hardy agreed to be put on the list and can request coming off of it or he can sue. The whole reason the exempt list is a thing is because of the voluntary placement. They can't force hardy to stay under it.