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Joe Person: Panthers are working hard to lay foundation for a trade back
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By PNW_PantherMan · Posted
Damn Ghost had a hell of a series then huh? -
The much shorter and less number analytical version of the above is that the T-Mac pick wasn't about giving Bryce an alpha receiver this season that dominates the targets. It was about shifting the rest of the WRs down a peg in their role to give Bryce better options this year while giving us a true #1 to take over next year when Thielen retires or signs somewhere else. It's to let XL and Coker grow this year as the 3rd and 4th option instead of the 2nd and 3rd option, so that they are then ready to step into those increased roles in 2026. While at the same time it's to allow T-Mac to get used to the NFL game without the pressure on him that those rookies last year had to be THE guy. And that's not to say he can't be THE guy, it's just that if you don't HAVE to do that to your rookie, it's better for the entire team, no matter how good that rookie may or may not be. Expectations are different than real possibilities. It's very POSSIBLE for T-Mac to get to 1k this year, but I think it's unfair to put that EXPECTATION on him leading into the season due to the other options Bryce will have at his disposal this year. -
Did you read my post though, I very clearly pointed out why T-Mac is in a situation that is nothing remotely like those 4 last year, so let's try again.... Malik Nabers had 1,204 yards, the next 3 best pass catchers on that team... Wan'Dale Robinson (699 yards), Darius Slayton (573), Theo Johnson (331) Brian Thomas Jr had 1,282 yards, the next 3... Brenton Strange (411), Parker Washington (390), Christian Kirk (379) Ladd McConkey had 1,149 yards, the next 3... Quentin Johnston (711), Josh Palmer (584), Will Dissly (481) Bowers had 1,194 yards, the next 3... Jacoby Meyers (1,027), Tre Tucker (529), Alexander Mattisdon (294) I'm not going to pretend I'm an expert on the games of all those next 3 players behind rookies, but I don't think it's at all a stretch to say that Thielen, XL, and Coker next year will ALL be better than EVERY player on that list with the possible exception of Jacoby Meyers. If you can't see how having Thielen, XL, and Coker on the team will take more targets from T-Mac than Nabers, BTJ, Ladd, and Bowers had taken from them with the rest of their Top 4 options on their teams, then you're just fooling yourself. Even looking at 2 years ago, Puka was the only rookie to get there, and his next 3 leading receivers were Kupp (737 in 12 games), HIgbee (495), and Atwell (483). But this was also with the team having 4,300 receiving yards too, and if we have 4,300 yards in the passing game this year, then yes, I don't care what anyone else gets, T-Mac better be getting 1,000 or it will be a bad season for him. If you can't see that putting expectations on T-Mac in a vacuum because of what past rookies have been able to do, without any regard to the players on the team around him, then that's on you, sorry. So for you then, it sounds like you expect those yard to come from Thielen's total and that's what gets T-Mac over the 1k mark, which is a totally fair and valid prediction or expectation. Again, I'm not saying I don't think T-Mac will get to 1,000 yards. I'm saying it's not fair to have that as the EXPECTATION for him going into the season when you look at the offensive talent we have this year. Those are two VERY different things. If you EXPECT XL or Coker to take a step back and not improve this year, or if you EXPECT Thielen to finally lose a step and not come close to the 1k yard mark himself, then yes, I think EXPECTING 1,000 yards from T-Mac is perfectly acceptable in any or all of those situations and I'd then agree with you myself. But I don't expect those things. I do expect XL and Coker to continue to improve. I do expect Thielen to have one more season of being the same guy he has been for us the last 2 years. He's averaged 60.3 yards per game in his two years here, which would be a 1,025 yard season in 17 games. It's going to be VERY hard if not impossible for XL and Coker to improve, Thielen to be the same player for us, and T-Mac get to 1,000 yards all in the same season. If all 4 of those things happen, then as I've said before, Bryce might be a legitimate MVP contender as it means he's putting up video game like numbers, as it's hard to have 4 WRs who all produce like that in one season. Your argument of T-Mac not getting to 1,000 meaning either he didn't work out or the offense didn't work out, isn't fair, as there is a very real possibility that the offense clicks, all 4 of those WRs work out, and because of it, all 4 of them have suppressed stats this year compared to what they might have been able to put up without one or more of the other guys on the same team.
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