Being aggressive in free agency and trades wins.

[PantherPhann89]

11 hours ago, GoobyPls said:

The salary cap is a myth and the whole cap space for the future is also a bs excuse. The windows in the NFL are so small you better strike while the iron is hot, we missed our chance cause he had a clown of a GM

I understand that there are loop holes in everything but explain the myth and the bs for me. 

[DeAngelo Beason]

1 hour ago, Growl said:

If you’re too stupid to see how important it is to have a Healthy Cap and to not kick the can down the road and to not be dumb then I can’t help you

literally all of the sports places say that a healthy cap is important, maybe you should read more

It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s making sure you don’t run your organization like it’s madden 

I would, right now, without hesitation, trade ten years of cap hell for one superbowl trophy to be sitting at bank of america stadium.

I'd rather take it home with a beautiful woman once a year than settle for second base with a dog once a week.

[SCO96]

11 hours ago, philit99 said:

Sad fact, some players have a say in where they get traded, and most do not want to come here. We start winning that will change, until then, it’s same ol’ same ol’. See Mathew Stafford for an example.

Deshaun Watson didn't want to come here either. I don't know why any top FA (especially a QB) would want to come to Carolina in it's current state. We're gonna have to build thru the draft. If we get things turned around like Cincinnati did in 2022, it'll be a lot easier to attract FA's and/or trade for players.

[Growl]

6 minutes ago, stbugs said:

No, I’m not. People complain about bad contracts. That’s not the same as complaining about using all of our cap space in 2020 and 2021 when were clearly not competing. Again, you don’t get the difference.

oh wow you still think we’re talking about the panthers like lol

[45catfan]

The Bucs bought their SB and the Rams are doing the same.  They got this year and next before their all-star team falls apart.  They can't re-sign all these big-name dudes once they hit FA.  Oh, they don't have a first round pick until 2024 either. 

I have two reasons to pull for the Bengals, for one, that franchise needs a trophy for all those years of sucking and mainly I'd really like to see the Rams attempt to buy a SB victory fall short.

[Cuttinedge]

11 hours ago, philit99 said:

Sad fact, some players have a say in where they get traded, and most do not want to come here. We start winning that will change, until then, it’s same ol’ same ol’. See Mathew Stafford for an example.

Yep Stafford  looks like a genius now first year and in the super bowl.

Can’t blame him he made the right decision 

[PantherBoy95]

1 hour ago, gofightwin said:

You mean like the three years with the future hall of fame WR Steve Smith?  

Smith needed to get out of Carolina to continue that success. I think he's even alluded to being more driven than he'd ever been.  He began to have injuries and was getting older.  That's no disrespect to Smith who I absolutely love.

But yes, I get your point!
He and Olsen were the best that he had.

[SCO96]

28 minutes ago, Chad_Cota said:

Scott & Matt aggressive this offseason and in season. We can't fault them for not trying. 

Darnold, Gilmore, and henderson. 

The Panthers were aggressive this past off season. You didn't even mention the Erving, Efflein, and Reddick deals. In pro sports aggression needs to be balanced with some degree of rationality and a good understanding on how to build a solid team.

None of us liked the Erving and Efflein siginings because we realized these guys were under achievers with their first teams. We wanted the Darnold signing to work, but we all knew there was a good chance things would go south in a hurry (which they did after the 3-0 start). The Henderson trade was a head scratcher because we still had Donte, AJ, Keith Taylor Jr. on the roster after the Horn injury. Only the Gilmore and Reddick moves looked wise on paper. We didn't give up much or mortgage our future away for either player. 

We were aggressive with the trades during the 2nd round. Based on the results so far trading down from the 30's to the late 50's was dumb. We passed on several guys who could have started at T, G, or Center for a WR who caught 17 passes. TMJ may become a baller down the road, but he made no substantial contribution to the 2021 season.

The Rams gave away picks to get players who could contribute immediately...and are still in their prime. Ramsey, Stafford, and Beckham all appear to have several years of productivity left barring injury. The picks they gave away wouldn't have provided as much benefit to the championship run as the player mentioned above. McVey has a much better understanding on how to build a successful NFL team than Matt Rhule.

 

 

 

[BlitzMonster]

Managing your cap well means you will be competitive over the long haul.  That's what smart franchises do.

If a team is close to being ready for a SB berth, sure, go for it with free agent signings.  But first a great QB has to be in place as well as a lot of other big pieces before that strategy makes any sense.  

Carolina is no where near that right now.  

[GoobyPls]

2 hours ago, OceanPanther said:

The common denominator is the Quarterback.   It's true with all good teams. I know we need to have a real offensive line..   but if Darnald is behind a real  O line,  we won't prosper.   

We have to have a top 10 QB to compete ,  and a top 5 would be great. 

That’s why I brought up Cam in his prime

[GoobyPls]

1 hour ago, Tr3ach said:

It does to an extent, but it also decreases your window.  In a couple seasons the Rams will be the oldest team in the league and cap strapped most likely. 

What does that matter if they win it all? In The NFL a injury can happen anytime might as well go for it now. With Mcvay I doubt they will go through a huge downfall 

[GoobyPls]

55 minutes ago, PantherPhann89 said:

I understand that there are loop holes in everything but explain the myth and the bs for me. 

It’s not a myth more if an excuse cheap front offices use to tell fans

[PantherPhann89]

1 minute ago, GoobyPls said:

It’s not a myth more if an excuse cheap front offices use to tell fans

Well there are multiple sites that anyone can view to get an idea of what the salary cap is per team. Of course there are things that teams can do to help their cap...

[SCO96]

1 hour ago, Waldo said:

It makes a lot more sense when you are picking later in the draft constantly and not in the top 10 yearly. Also helps when you have a staff that is competent. 

Good point Waldo.

I read an article earlier this month on some site about the Ram's philosophy of drafting. They've been good for the past several years and tend to have late round draft choices. They don't believe there are 31 legit 1st round draft choices in every draft. They may only have first round grades on 18-20 players. The LA front office has no problems dealing what the consider to be a 2nd round pick (or a 3rd round pick) for a proven player who can contribute right away.

If you nail the FA and trade acquisitions then you have a window to compete for a title. On the flip side, you have shrewdly watch the salary cap. When you trade for proven starters, they're going to cost more than rookies (most of the time at least). If you trade for a guy on his 1st contract you have be ready to extend him as part of the deal if you view him as a long term piece of the puzzle. Guys like Beckham and Stafford are already on big deals. You may want to get those guys after most of the guaranteed money has been paid out and the cap hits are not as large if you let have to cut them.

The problem with the Rams philosophy is that you can create a situation where 8-10 players take up 75% of the cap and you still have over 40 spots to fill on the roster. If you've traded away too many high picks it'll be hard to build quality depth on the roster (or make more trades). You may end up having to rely on late round draft choices, undrafted free agents, and players willing to take reduced pay to stay in the league to complete the 53 man team.