State of the Franchise

[FakePlasticTrees]

A pretty good analysis of 2019 Panthers:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001034726/article/state-of-the-franchise-ron-riveraled-panthers-at-a-crossroads

2019 VIPs

 

Head coach: Ron Rivera. Riverboat Ron! You know, sometimes I wonder if that nickname is more myth than reality. Rivera had a fourth-and-short on the opening series at Atlanta in Week 2. But instead of going for it with one of the greatest QBs in NFL history, he allowed Gano to kick a 54-yarder. And maybe it's because I'm a Bears fan and I don't know what it's like to have trust in a kicker who can boot 50-yarders, but that disappointed me. That notwithstanding, Rivera has been the most successful coach in club history, having led the team to three consecutive NFC South titles from 2013 through '15, a run that included that famed 15-1 season that ended in an NFC title.

But consistency has been a bit of an issue, as Rivera has yet to have back-to-back winning seasons. Which might make you say to yourself, "Rank, you really must be eating paint chips because you just said he won three straight NFC South titles a few years ago." Which I did just write, but remember the Panthers won the 2014 NFC South title with a 7-8-1 record. And with Carolina fresh off a promising-turned-disastrous campaign, the Panthers' head coach is under pressure to show second-year owner David Tepper that he's still the right man to steer the ship. But here's the good news: Rivera has been down this road before and his teams have always responded. This could be the last stand for Rivera in Carolina, so he's going (forgive the expression) "all in" by taking over defensive play-calling duties, a move he first made during the middle of last season.

Quarterback: Cam Newton. You might have noticed I referred to Cam (we are first-name cool) as one of the best quarterbacks to walk the planet, and I fully believe that. He's the most-disrespected great quarterbacks ever. He is typically an afterthought when it comes to ranking signal-callers, but to me, he's one of the best that I've ever seen play the game. And here to illustrate that is this Sporting News ranking of today's quarterbacks: Cam is No. 19. That's right, behind such luminaries as Jimmy Garoppolo and Kirk Cousins. Both are fine quarterbacks, I suppose. I mean, if I were playing a pickup game of football in Newport Beach, I would certainly want to be on their teams. But they are not better than Cam. Our own Gregg Rosenthal was better, having Cam all the way up at No. 15. And here is a list from Chris Simms, who has him ahead of Tom Brady. And, no wait, that's too far, Chris. Chris! I like the spirit, but let's be realistic at the same time.

Listening to Simms talk about Newton, though, I really do agree with a lot of what he's saying. Cam is certainly not going to be a guy who lights up the stat sheet, passing for 5K yards and 51 touchdowns (which can be frustrating to fantasy dorks like myself at times). But he is a matchup nightmare for defensive coordinators. You can't get comfortable against him, and he's a better passer than he's given credit for. Cam can stretch the defense by throwing darts, but he can also tuck it and run to do his damage. And he's one of those players who's just absurdly physically imposing, something that's often taken for granted. He's the best.

So, if he's good this year, the Panthers should be good.

 

[TheRed]

3 minutes ago, FakePlasticTrees said:

But consistency has been a bit of an issue, as Rivera has yet to have back-to-back winning seasons. Which might make you say to yourself, "Rank, you really must be eating paint chips because you just said he won three straight NFC South titles a few years ago." Which I did just write, but remember the Panthers won the 2014 NFC South title with a 7-8-1 record. And with Carolina fresh off a promising-turned-disastrous campaign, the Panthers' head coach is under pressure to show second-year owner David Tepper that he's still the right man to steer the ship.

Reading this, former Falcons coach Mike Smith immediately comes to mind. Who also by the way has an illustrious "coach of the year award" in his accomplishments. You see where he is now. If Ron wants to avoid ending up like that, he has to actually evolve once and for all.

[joemac]

That is a very good take on the team.  I agree with him on most everything he said.  This is a very big season for a lot of people on this team.  Time to nut up or shut up.  I think we are in for a special season.  If Cam is good to go the offense is going to be electric.

[cptx]

1 hour ago, FakePlasticTrees said:

And here is a list from Chris Simms, who has him ahead of Tom Brady.

Damn... I think we ruptured more than just his spleen.

[frash.exe]

for those of you who are into twitter drama, kurt warner started ripping on simms’ QB ranking list, which led to simms doubling down on his list and throwing shots at warner personally

[Adb6368]

State of the panthers: Better than the state of the hornets 

[ColumbusCounty]

Offseason talk:

So we ended up leading the league in Qb hurries allowed @ 70? 

Even with an underperforming Oline, no deep ball, Funchess and Torrey starting, virtually no pass rush, Eric Washington at DC, the shoulder, Adams, Munnerlyn, and Gano's lightswitch foot.....we were still in the playoff race up until Week 15!!!! 

With what we have, If Cam can even come back atleast 75 percent we will suprise ALOT of people. Keep us under the radar..we play better. I think Rivera loves pushing the relevant narrative. 

[kungfoodude]

2 hours ago, Adb6368 said:

State of the panthers: Better than the state of the hornets 

Yeah, I am not sure there is a lower bar than the Hornets.

[FakePlasticTrees]

6 hours ago, TheRed said:

Reading this, former Falcons coach Mike Smith immediately comes to mind. Who also by the way has an illustrious "coach of the year award" in his accomplishments. You see where he is now. If Ron wants to avoid ending up like that, he has to actually evolve once and for all.

I will say that unlike Mike Smith, Ron Rivera will likely have no trouble finding a HC job if this becomes his last year at the Panthers' helm.

[FakePlasticTrees]

58 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

Yeah, I am not sure there is a lower bar than the Hornets.

I use to be a Hornets fan and attend games. Then it became clear that they would never be able to retain their talent and that competitiveness was likely to be fleeting at best, but I still cared. Then it became clear that this team was never going to be competitive and I quit caring.

The irony was that I grew up a Lakers fan and NBA fan, but the ineptitude of my " new favorite team" has completely turned me off to the NBA. The NBA now embodies everything that the NFL should aspire to avoid. 

In any given year in the NFL........

 

[TheRed]

35 minutes ago, FakePlasticTrees said:

I will say that unlike Mike Smith, Ron Rivera will likely have no trouble finding a HC job if this becomes his last year at the Panthers' helm.

I don't disagree based on his resume, which is better than Smith's. Even John Fox found quick work after he left the Panthers, though we see how that ultimately worked out as the league evolved but he didn't. Regardless, Rivera with another team won't have a Cam Newton behind center to muscle his way through the NFL.

[kungfoodude]

31 minutes ago, FakePlasticTrees said:

I use to be a Hornets fan and attend games. Then it became clear that they would never be able to retain their talent and that competitiveness was likely to be fleeting at best, but I still cared. Then it became clear that this team was never going to be competitive and I quit caring.

The irony was that I grew up a Lakers fan and NBA fan, but the ineptitude of my " new favorite team" has completely turned me off to the NBA. The NBA now embodies everything that the NFL should aspire to avoid. 

In any given year in the NFL........

 

I think I will care again when Jordan sells the team. It is pretty clear he is a terrible owner, just as he was a terrible talent evaluator with the Wizards. Right now, it will be a comedy of errors as we extend our streak of top 5 draft picks that weren't elite talents.

Maybe we can get the next Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with a number #1 overall pick.

[steven8989]

If we miss playoffs this year, Tepper will clean house. Rivera and everyone will be gone no matter how Cam does.

[Lumps]

Cam one of the greatest qbs in nfl history? Lol not quite

greatest dual threat qb in history? No doubt, maybe even no 1

is there a difference? guess it all depends on your qualifications