My Observations From All Or Nothing.

[Proudiddy]

Feel free to discuss it or add your own.

*I don't think it was because it humanized him versus the cyborg we see in pressers, but for some reason, I found myself believing in Rivera a lot more than I did before watching it.  You guys know I've been one of his harshest critics, and I repeatedly cited mistakes made on game days that I've never seen before or since as to why I believe he wasn't right for the job.  But it seems he really has the players' ear.  Perhaps it is the way NFL Films framed it, but I don't believe so...  we've saw numerous examples of the players' belief in Rivera, and seeing him lend an empathetic ear and then ripping them a new one in the next scene seems to lend itself to the idea that he is a stabilizing force.  The more I watched, the more I got the feeling that so much of what went wrong was not on Ron...  it seemed to be a combination of things that led up to gamedays that had very little to do with him.  I got the feeling so much of it was a lack of locker room leadership and accountability between the players themselves and poor preparation on behalf of the position coaches and coordinators.  My criticism of Ron's trust in his guys like Washington still stands, but it seems that was really his only fault on what unfolded.  The players believe in Ron, period.

*Funchess is an absolute headcase.  I never was a fan and never wanted him for on-field reasons, but seeing the crap he was doing off-field was even more of a reason to not want him on this roster.  From trying to fight a coach because a family member died and then using that as an excuse even 9 weeks later when your play is presented to you, to that interview he did after the Detroit game that I never saw before, dude seemed like a legit sociopath.  Perhaps it's just immaturity, but I got the impression that that is just who he is - unstable, excuse-maker, and not committed to the craft.  Reminded me of him skipping the workout with Cam because of another death in the family at the time...  that instance alone is understandable, but when you look at it in the big scope of his tenure here, it just seemed like one excuse after another.  Other guys on the team have had personal issues off the field, and you didn't get all of those excuses.  Glad we moved on from him...  it was overdue.

*I'm a Cam guy...  always have been.  And I didn't think I could be any more of one, but I am.  His leadership is awe-inspiring.  Seeing how he actually pulled guys aside and the things he would say to get them in the moment or to get them to lock-in, was amazing.  I know local media has made light of Cam's misquoted cliches in pressers, but that is all filler where he obviously is trying to say something without saying something with pre-generated responses...  but, to see him actually engage guys one-on-one and how he addresses them in the huddle when it comes from the heart and he's saying what he is really thinking and feeling...  man.  We are really lucky to have #1.  I'm hoping he's back and stronger than ever physically this season, because we need him.

*Loved Tepper.  He's a bit brash, but also seemingly a bit of an everyman.  Very approachable and relatable, but no non-sense.  I also loved his level of involvement.  It was interesting to see the scene where he pulled Marty aside and told him they needed to sit Cam because the shoulder was a problem.  Loved seeing him step in and make the call there, bc as we see later, he really believes in Cam and was doing it with his best interest in mind.  Also, loved his commentary and reasoning on signing EReid -"Smart, calculated risks" seems to be his M.O., and I love it.  Also loved his input leading up to the draft, saying the team's success began and ended with the lines, so they needed to be addressed...  and then it appears he sat back and let the FO handle the evaluation and selection of players from that point on.

All that being said, the timing of this was great as it has me primed and ready for our season.  I was already more excited than I probably ever have been before coming into this season bc of the offseason we had, but seeing our leadership at work, behind the scenes, has me even more excited.  This is going to be a great season.

[Moorgan]

I felt the same way about everything you said. Only thing I would add is that I thought Olsen and Cam have a special relationship that was more important than I thought. I saw an important connection between them.

[Datawire]

I never bought into the Rivera mantra of him being a stoic and emotionless drone. Not since I was at a game a few years ago and I saw him pull the defense together on the side line and absolutely rip their asses up one side and down the other, I could hear him yelling from where I was sitting. And they were winning! haha

I was like damn coach!

[TNPanther]

My takeaways:

• Said this in another thread, but we are really lucky to have Ron Rivera.
• Tepper is the owner we needed but didn't deserve. He is such a down to earth guy and a breath of fresh air to the organization.
• Action Jackson needs to do some maturing.
• Brady Hoke and Jeff Imamura were complete jokes who should never have been hired in the first place.
• There's definitely something "off" with Funchess. Glad he's gone.
• We are really going to miss TD's leadership. 

[Proudiddy]

Also meant to add, I (or we) are really gonna miss Ryan...  we had a great one, both on and off the field...  but, I believe Paradis is as good as we could've hoped for as a replacement.

[CashNewton22]

I agreed with everything the OP said and also with Donte absolutely needing to grow up. I’m going to miss TD something fierce but I’m also extremely excited to see this “new age” defense. Pretty wild in what seemed like no time that Luke is now our most tenured defensive player. We couldn’t ask for a better guy in this situation though....I’m so hyped for this season I’ll be there week one with my Wilmington squad loud and likely (absolutely definitely will be) drunk!!!

[Xtreme]

I'll give Donte a pass on his behavior. Young & dumb. We've all been there. 

But my biggest takeaway is what Cam does for this team, the sacrifices he makes. Just an amazing team player & role model.The man deserves a ring. 

[OriginalPantherDan]

I haven’t watched a lot of it yet, but I really felt for Ryan Kalil when he apologized for being old and slow. You could see he meant it, and that he was a man for admitting it. 

[Shocker]

16 minutes ago, OriginalPantherDan said:

I haven’t watched a lot of it yet, but I really felt for Ryan Kalil when he apologized for being old and slow. You could see he meant it, and that he was a man for admitting it. 

Too bad his brother couldn’t say that

[panthers55]

Enjoyed the locker room chemistry. A good harbinger for success this year. I liked when Rivera said he was a defensive coach and the buck stopped there and things were going to be fixed. Between what we saw and the off-season, this defense could be top 10 even top 5.

Tepper and I react the same during the games. Except he is a billionaire.

 

I think Cam and Olsen are going to have a big year. They have great chemistry.

[CBDellinger]

What about that fugly ass draft hat they had burns wearing?  Someone should be fired over that.  

[Go DJ that's my DJ]

12 hours ago, CBDellinger said:

What about that fugly ass draft hat they had burns wearing?  Someone should be fired over that.  

cant be worse than the NBA draft hats from this past year... I think its a league thing so no surprise there.

[Zaximus]

I never had doubt Rivera was a good players coach and a good non-game day coach.    I still think he's just mediocre when it comes to gametime decisions.   Hopefully that person we hired for clock management helps with this.   

[mc52beast]

AON definitely changed how I see Ron. Yes he still has issues on game day and will play a vet over a younger guy even though it’s clear he shouldn’t be starting.

Never doubted Cams leadership. Never doubted his desire to win.  Still wondering about the clothes.

Yes Jackson needs to grow up, and there’s no doubt he will... dude wants to be the best. But when you have Adams and Captain telling you you’re not playing well... 

Going to miss the veteran presence of Kalil, Peppers and especially TD. Not really sure who’s going to step up and replace them.

Really enjoyed watching the series, came at a great time and now I’m ready for TC