Optimism and triumph

[Jon Snow]

When I heard the team traded for Darnold I was shocked to be honest.  I thought why on earth would they take on that challenge.  But I considered that he couldn't possibly be the only option they would choose to try at the position going forward.  So I like many others tried to keep an open mind.

Then I watched the team pass on adding any viable chance of improvement beyond said reclamation project.  So again, I tried to keep an open mind.

Then the season starts and Sam managed to not screw things up in the first 3 games.  I start to think that Rhule just might pull this poo off with this kid.  It would be an amazing story for sure.

The Cowboys games blew away the smoke and smashed the mirrors that was the Darnold experiment.  By then the opponents had figured out Brady's clever schemes to make a broken qb look like he belonged.  The offensive line could not overcome their problems and those of the qb at the same time.  The offense was FUBAR and by their own neglect were left without any other options on the roster.  My how the worm has turned.  

So my friend, while I was very skeptical of the move I tried support the kid because he was our qb.  That is all was can do as fans. 

Cheers

[ThPantherFan]

39 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

Even if last game was the peak, that was somehow enough for me.

Well said.

[Catsfan69]

I'm glad your brother is doing better. 

[ForJimmy]

First of all glad your brother is doing better. 
This has been a crazy season with Darnold flashing potential early and then rapidly crashing, following by Cam finding his way home. IMO the biggest mistake in the Darnold trade was not having a plan B and picking up his 5th year. A future 2nd, and couple of late round picks doesn’t set the franchise back that much and makes sense if you think you have a possible franchise QB in return. At the end of the day we all want this team to be competitive and we will look brilliant with some takes and completely miss on others. That’s just fandom and luckily none of us are running a NFL team so we can sit back and cheer or curse at these professionals with little to no repercussions. Let’s hope Cam has enough gas left in the tank and KEEP POUNDING!

[GRWatcher]

I'm glad to hear that your brother is doing better and I hope he truly gets better every day. Yeah, I was tearing up through that part of your post. 

I'm an optimist by nature, always have been and always will be. I also 100% support the players of teams I support, hoping for the best from every one of them. As fans, we have no choice but to ride with those we have. So, yes, I was pulling for Sam even though I remained upset that Cam was let go. It was almost like last year with Teddy never happened. It didn't work.

Now Cam is back and I am one very happy fan. He has a lot to teach the team, especially Rhule who I doubt ever had any college player like him. I'm looking forward to it all no matter how it works out.

[1v0]

The Cam signing elevated us fans as much as it elevated the team. Maybe even more. What felt like a chore to go trough (the rest of the season) now feels exciting. It instills optimism.

What makes me feel even better, is that it's not only optimism regarding the sports side, but also regaining trust in the coaches. They s did a great turnaround in a short time, but mishandled the QB situation. I feel like the salvation of Darnold is not ever going to happen. He has all the tools but one. He just seems, sorry to say that Sam, a little dumb.

 

Best wishes to your brother an your family.

[L-TownCat]

16 hours ago, TheMostInterestingMan said:

It feels really silly to admit this, but I slightly teared up after Cam scored and started yelling “I’m baaaaack!” 

If you think that’s silly, then you’d have thought I was auditioning for Cirque de Sole.

That was a collective tear.  It wasn’t yours, it wasn’t mine.

It was OUR tear and it served to remind us all why we loved Super Man in the 1st place.

[glenwo2]

I was fooled.

But for a lot longer than many here.

I watched 3 seasons of him in NY and thought to myself "If it weren't for the Jets ineptitude at Coaching, Sam's career would take off"...

...then when he was traded here, I thought my criticisms of the Jets would be validated.

And for the first  3 games, It looked that way.

Even in the loss to the Cowboys, I saw him throw back-to-back TD's to get the Cats within a 3-and-out of a shot at tying the game.   

Even in the win against the Texans where we lost CMC, I thought he showed moxie or whatever, fooling me into thinking that perhaps he CAN play without his safety net(CMC).

Even in the loss to the Vikings(That should never have happened), I thought he finally turned a corner with that game-tying drive to send it to OT.

But then the wheels came off and I saw the same Sam I saw in NY. 

Though if I were being honest with myself, I was still seeing the same Sam from the get-go.  

It was very disappointing for me personally as I really really believed that Sam would turn it around here in Charlotte.

To see the opposite happen was devastating. 

Now that Cam was signed, I hope to see actual Competent QB play so we can not only salvage the season but still make a playoff-run out of it. 

 

And Best wishes to your brother and family. 

Edited November 18, 2021 by glenwo2

[Khyber53]

Glad to hear your brother is improving and let's hope that keeps happening!

Yeah, I held onto hope that the Darnold move would somehow work out. It was a headscratcher when they made the trade, but as we went into the season I'd made up my mind to cheer him on. I even came out with big support for him after the Minnesota game. But truth be told, he's just not been rehabbed and the old gun shy Sam came back. I wrote the season off and our coaching staff.

The Cam comes back and it feels like a shot in the arm to the whole organization. I hope he can follow up the magic of "I'm Baaaaaaaack" with the continued chant of "Keep Pounding" as we move on. I want to see us get there, climb the hill and maybe write one helluva story. 

Certainly makes tuning in each week a lot more interesting.

[NAS]

15 hours ago, TheCasillas said:

Believing that a kid can turn it around is not an ego move. Mentorship and people development should never be considered egostistical. Rhule (like many others) thought he could coach Darnold to be better. They looked at the Jets situation and hoped that it was poor management and lack of player development. Sam is just too far gone.

It's totally an ego move when you put all of your eggs in one basket and pick up his 5th year option. 

[glenwo2]

1 hour ago, Khyber53 said:

Glad to hear your brother is improving and let's hope that keeps happening!

Yeah, I held onto hope that the Darnold move would somehow work out. It was a headscratcher when they made the trade, but as we went into the season I'd made up my mind to cheer him on. I even came out with big support for him after the Minnesota game. But truth be told, he's just not been rehabbed and the old gun shy Sam came back. I wrote the season off and our coaching staff.

The Cam comes back and it feels like a shot in the arm to the whole organization. I hope he can follow up the magic of "I'm Baaaaaaaack" with the continued chant of "Keep Pounding" as we move on. I want to see us get there, climb the hill and maybe write one helluva story. 

Certainly makes tuning in each week a lot more interesting.

Same here.   After that clutch drive against Minnesota, I was like "THAT'S IT!  That's the moment where it finally clicked for Sam and where he begins to turn into the QB we want him to be!" 

What an absolute downer it was on what happened the following week all the way to now (with Cam being brought back the only bright spot).   

 

Anyway, I've wasted enough time on Sam and it's now time to focus attention on those who deserve it :  CAM F'N NEWTON. 

Edited November 18, 2021 by glenwo2

[TheCasillas]

28 minutes ago, NAS said:

It's totally an ego move when you put all of your eggs in one basket and pick up his 5th year option. 

As Cam would say "hindsight 50/50" ... at the time Rhule/Fitt/Brady all thought they could coach up Darnold and put him in a situation where he didnt have to be the focal point of the offense. Knowing we had plenty of cap space, and the potential of SD becoming great would cost less by taking up his option as opposed to lettting him go to FA. Worst case scenario it is a 1 year sunk cost, and not many years (like Nick Foles and Jared Goff). The reward was higher than the risk. 

That's a business decision, not ego. The way you are stating things sounds like Rhule is sitting on a throne and whining to get his way. That's not how a franchise is run, and its defintely not how a Tepper owned franchise is run. 

This exact topic came up on Keyshawn, Will and Max show. They all 3 stated the same thing I just shared above. It was a short term low risk, high reward move. In this case, the risk didnt pay off. 

[MasterAwesome]

It's a sad state of affairs when you feel it necessary to make an apologetic thread about being optimistic about a QB we traded for lol.  You weren't wrong for being optimistic, there's no shame in that.  My default state is one of cautious optimism because the alternative is a pretty depressing way to live your life.  Never let the Huddle make you feel bad or guilty for being optimistic about the team you're a fan of.

Just remember some of the people who were right all along about Darnold are the same people who also suggested things like: you're a stupid homer if you think we'll even potentially have a Top 10 defense this year, that Shaq Thompson is a JAG who we never should have extended, Donte Jackson is a JAG who is not a willing tackler, Phil Snow would be a disastrous hire because he was the LB coach for the 0-16 Detroit Lions, etc. There is never a shortage of bad takes on the Huddle from all sides of the aisle.  You kinda just shrug your shoulders and move on.