Ask The Old Guy: What to make of Matt Corral

[Carolina Panthers]

With the draft excitement behind us, it is time for wild overreactions to things one cannot possibly know based on the evidence.

View the full article on Panthers.com

[trueblade]

Quote

Sam, with time, has shown he can be reasonably effective. And I think he's getting his shot right now.

I can't believe Gantt is putting this out there. You would think someone like him would have seen the advanced analytics on Darnold in a clean pocket (spoiler alert: they aren't good.)

 

[Luciu5]

13 minutes ago, trueblade said:

I can't believe Gantt is putting this out there. You would think someone like him would have seen the advanced analytics on Darnold in a clean pocket (spoiler alert: they aren't good.)

 

They aren't good.

His TD/Int is better than when he is under pressure though. Just off memory, that's something like 7-6 vs 2-7 last year.

"Reasonably effective" isn't what I would call it, but I understand someone employed by the panthers can't say "the starting QB is trash on a good day and a dumpster fire on a bad one."

[Jackie Lee]

As to the quarterback question, they don't want to rush Corral, but if he's clearly the better option, they have no reason not to play him, either.

He's a longer-term investment. Darnold's on the final year of his deal. So there's time to let Corral grow, but if it becomes obvious that he's ahead of pace, there's also nothing stopping them from putting him on the field.

[CRA]

it's not really fun to hear the Panther beat writer pimping the narrative Corral might jump PJ Walker to become the backup at some point this season. 

 

[CRA]

1 hour ago, trueblade said:

I can't believe Gantt is putting this out there. You would think someone like him would have seen the advanced analytics on Darnold in a clean pocket (spoiler alert: they aren't good.)

 

he is a Panther employee.   He basically gets paid to not to be Darin Gantt anymore.  

Gantt does a fine job.  He generally does in any role he has IMO.  But this isn't the Herald Panther beat writer anymore.  He isn't being paid to be that. 

[RJK]

I feel really bad for corral. The expectations are ridiculously high for a 3rd rounder and he might actually play meaningful snaps this year. Under this regime that could ruin his career 

[rebelrouser]

3 hours ago, trueblade said:

advanced analytics on Darnold in a clean pocket (spoiler alert: they aren't good.)

To be fair, if you have an oline that will allow a rusher through untouched every other play, it's hard to keep your concentration on the plays where the line actually blocks.  My fear about Darnold is that once he loses confidence in the line, he is going to be looking for rushers that aren't there and will be worthless regardless of line play. 

[OldhamA]

4 hours ago, trueblade said:

I can't believe Gantt is putting this out there. You would think someone like him would have seen the advanced analytics on Darnold in a clean pocket (spoiler alert: they aren't good.)

 

What year were they taken from? I didn't see him get to operate with a clean pocket in 2021. 

[OldhamA]

1 hour ago, RJK said:

I feel really bad for corral. The expectations are ridiculously high for a 3rd rounder and he might actually play meaningful snaps this year. Under this regime that could ruin his career 

This fanbase is far too thirsty for a QB - he's talented, but he has enough flaws to justify being a 3rd round pick. 

I hope Rhule and co just play the best QB. 

[OldhamA]

2 hours ago, CRA said:

he is a Panther employee.   He basically gets paid to not to be Darin Gantt anymore.  

Gantt does a fine job.  He generally does in any role he has IMO.  But this isn't the Herald Panther beat writer anymore.  He isn't being paid to be that. 

And he's clearly much happier as a result. 

[trueblade]

4 minutes ago, OldhamA said:

What year were they taken from? I didn't see him get to operate with a clean pocket in 2021. 

2018-2020 (did not include 2021). The articles came in last July so any update to include 2021 stats probably would come out around the same time (July 2022).

 Unfortuantely, Darnold has also had issues when he’s kept clean. According to Pro Football Focus, Darnold has the lowest passing grade (55.7) from a clean pocket since the 2018 season. Bridgewater ranked No. 32 in that stat last year, while Darnold ranked dead last at No. 39.

Those predicting that Sam Darnold will provide a massive upgrade over Teddy Bridgewater in Carolina are in for a rude awakening. Bridgewater was hands down the better quarterback in 2020, outperforming Darnold in completion percentage (69.1% vs. 59.6%) and clean pocket passer rating (105.3 vs. 81.7).

Darnold’s continued woes from a clean pocket — worst PFF passing grade since 2018 (55.7) —  do not bode well for the Carolina offense to take a massive step forward, as a quarterback’s numbers from a clean pocket are a reliable predictor of future success. Even with talented wide receivers and perhaps the game's best pass-catching running back, this entire offense is a work in progress and its fantasy assets remain volatile. 

https://www.pff.com/news/fantasy-football-team-preview-carolina-panthers-breakouts-sleepers-busts

https://pantherswire.usatoday.com/2021/07/19/panthers-sam-darnold-red-zone-clean-pocket-numbers-troubling/

[rayzor]

How much can you say without actually saying anything and still get people to read?

That's Gantt's game now.

[MHS831]

12 minutes ago, rayzor said:

How much can you say without actually saying anything and still get people to read?

That's Gantt's game now.

He totally dodges the first question--and he picked the questions (assuming he did not write them).