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Opinions: Can they fix this team in one off season?

Jmac

By Jmac,
in Carolina Panthers

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Jmac Grand Master

Jmac

Posted
Posted

There will be another large purge of this roster next year. The one year rentals will be gone. Some vet players will be gone due to salary issues. They probably couldn't afford Hardy regardless of his legal problems and playing status. The holes on this team are numerous and glaring. One draft will not cover all the needs. According to the cap guru's on the Huddle, they are still in dire straights untill at least 2016. So what's the answer? Two more years of medocrity or worse? How can they fix this mess next offseason?

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JawnyBlaze Grand Master

JawnyBlaze

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I think they can fix the team in one offseason easy.  Fire the HC, OC, and by default DC because the new coach probably isn't going to keep either coordinator from the previous regime.  Find someone who can start and play at least reasonably well at LT, send Bell back to RT (because we just won't be able to afford to replace both Ts this offseason).  That right there will be enough to get us back going in the right direction.  Patch the secondary with whatever is available.  The biggest thing is to replace the inept coaching staff and fix the OL.  Coaching staff issue is easy, just have to have the will to do it.  OL will be a little harder, but if they can find a LT, things will fall into place.

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jfo89 Rising Star

jfo89

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Probably not. We need both safeties, both tackles, and we could use another corner and receiver. Even if we can afford to fill all these positions with adequate players and the current staff is fired, it's going to take the players a while to not only learn the new schemes, but also to gain team chemistry.

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LinvilleGorge Grand Master

LinvilleGorge

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They could but would have to hit on everything

Kind of like last season. All of the stop gap free agents came in and performed admirably. Pretty much the opposite of this year when the stop gap free agents have been a dumpster fire.

I truly believe last season made Gettleman get cocky. I think that he thought he was going to be able to pull that off every year. Hopefully he's enjoying some humble pie this season. You're not going to be able to find multiple key players on bargain basement contracts every year.

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JawnyBlaze Grand Master

JawnyBlaze

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We don't even need to get all pros at every position of deficiency.  Our WR corps would be sufficient if our OL play was.  If we can find a way to keep Hardy, we can keep patching the secondary.  There's a lot of ifs, but it can be done.  It all starts with the coaching change though.  Everything would be in vain if Scared Ron and Shula are still running things.

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whatever Newbie

whatever

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I think they can fix the team in one offseason easy.  Fire the HC, OC, and by default DC because the new coach probably isn't going to keep either coordinator from the previous regime.  Find someone who can start and play at least reasonably well at LT, send Bell back to RT (because we just won't be able to afford to replace both Ts this offseason).  That right there will be enough to get us back going in the right direction.  Patch the secondary with whatever is available.  The biggest thing is to replace the inept coaching staff and fix the OL.  Coaching staff issue is easy, just have to have the will to do it.  OL will be a little harder, but if they can find a LT, things will fall into place.

 

Bell starting anywhere on the OL won't fix anything. DG could've/should've addressed the need at Tackle in the last draft. I wouldn't give him a free pass when the pink slips are being passed out. There were options in the 6th and 7th round that were far better than Bell, Chandler, and Foucalt. Knowingly going into this season with those 3 as the top options at OT was completely moronic.

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updownsigma Rookie

updownsigma

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Yes.  One of the things I love about the NFL is how there are sleeper teams that make runs to the playoffs ever year.  The Cowboys this year (despite the recent losses), the Eagles, Chiefs, and us last year.

 

Whether or not we pull it off is another story, but it's possible.

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JawnyBlaze Grand Master

JawnyBlaze

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Bell starting anywhere on the OL won't fix anything. DG could've/should've addressed the need at Tackle in the last draft. I wouldn't give him a free pass when the pink slips are being passed out. There were options in the 6th and 7th round that were far better than Bell, Chandler, and Foucalt. Knowingly going into this season with those 3 as the top options at OT was completely moronic.

 

I want Bell gone as much as anyone, but we made it work last year with him on the right.  At least Cam can see it better when he's getting blown up on that side.  If they can replace him at RT for pennies or for no more money than it would save us if we cut him, then by all means.  But RT becomes much less of a priority if we fix LT.

 

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pantherj Grand Master

pantherj

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We don't need to fill every hole on the team to fix the team. We're always going to have weak spots on the team. What we can't have are terrible players starting on the team. We can greatly improve this team simply by replacing terrible players with average, or slightly below average players. This would involve dumping, or moving to a backup role, all of our terrible players.

 

For example Chandler is a terrible RT. We can draft a LT in the first round, move Bell to RT, and Chandler can become a backup. We would then have no terrible offensive linemen starting. Bell is below average, but not so bad that he can't start at RT.

 

We can then turn our attention to the secondary. In the second round we can pick a SS to replace Harper, who is terrible. We could pair our 2rd round pick SS with Tre Boston at FS. The 3rd round pick could be a CB, or whatever, and the rest of the draft for depth and special teams.

 

We could then go into FA looking for WRs who are much better than Avant and Cotchery. They won't be our of our price range imo.

 

Or we could look to the draft to fill our WR needs, and look to FA to improve the secondary.

 

Now I'm not saying that will be a team marching to the SB, but it could be a lot closer to the 12-4 team that could play with anyone.

 

 

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t96 Grand Master

t96

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Easily. We can make the o-line twice as good by signing merely decent FAs at both RT and LT and either get Hardy back or use that money on safety help, and we'll draft well early like we always do and young guys like Norwell, Turner, Ealy, Bene, Norman, KB, Philly will all continue to improve and help us. Our defense is solid for the most part, we just need to fix the o-line and I think we'll be good enough to be a playoff team.

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