Narrative Check: The Roster is "Close"

[GoobyPls]

OP is reaching so hard

 

 

We have talent everywhere on this roster, we just don’t have the 2 most important positions QB and HC. When was the last time the packers had skill weapons as good as ours right now? Yet they are always in contention cause Rodgers is that good.

[Wundrbread33]

Without a QB or a coordinator that can help a crappy QB, I don’t see how you can effectively evaluate offensive talent from where we are sitting. 
 

And that is really the question.

 

Because our defense shows nearly every week that they have the talent to keep this dumpster fire competitive. 

Edited October 11, 2022 by Wundrbread33

[PootieNunu]

15 minutes ago, GoobyPls said:

OP is reaching so hard

 

 

We have talent everywhere on this roster, we just don’t have the 2 most important positions QB and HC. When was the last time the packers had skill weapons as good as ours right now? Yet they are always in contention cause Rodgers is that good.

Last season? Adams + 3 blind mice is better than our skill position guys. 

We have a high end #2 WR and a RB. 

[B_Eazi]

I kinda have to disagree here. I think there is definitely something to build on here. With competent coaching all deficiencies aside I believe we win the browns game as well as the giants game. We’re then 3-2. No going to say we’re playoff bound but definitely with a decent qb along with staff and I’m not as down on us as everyone else. Move a couple pieces gain a little more draft capital and we could be somewhat competitive next season 

[Seltzer]

10 minutes ago, GoobyPls said:

OP is reaching so hard

 

 

We have talent everywhere on this roster, we just don’t have the 2 most important positions QB and HC. When was the last time the packers had skill weapons as good as ours right now? Yet they are always in contention cause Rodgers is that good.

Exactly.  I've watched the Panthers since the beginning.  This team has the most talent of any Panthers team since 2017, and if you take away MVP Cam, I'm not sure that this team doesn't have more talent than the 2015 Panthers.  That's what an elite QB can do for you.  This team with even competent QB play could easily be a playoff team.

No team is stacked across the board.  But this year's team has 5 Pro-Bowl caliber players on defense (Burns, Brown, Luvu, Chinn, & Horn).  The offensive line has played like a top 10 unit.  We have 2 receivers that have put up 1k seasons.  And not to mention CMC.

People overestimate the talent on really good teams b/c elite QB play and complimentary football make everything else seem better.  The Panthers never really had either one during the Rhule Era.

But this is a top 10 Defense with a team that could even muster a little bit of complimentary football.

And with a solid Oline finally and CMC, there is no reason beyond scheme/ playcalling & competent QB play from a top 10 (or at least top half) offense.

To me, the ultimately damning thing for Rhule was that he did finally have a roster capable of competing, but he completely failed to upgrade (or for that matter, replicate) the level of QB play when Rhule started.

Some people I think get more joy from the idea of always tearing down, but when you have a solid foundation like the Panthers do, that would be the epitome of stupid.

The foundation is here, we just need a real NFL capable head coach and QB to bring this house together.

[Seltzer]

4 minutes ago, PootieNunu said:

Last season? Adams + 3 blind mice is better than our skill position guys. 

We have a high end #2 WR and a RB. 

If you honestly think the Panthers don't have the weapons capable of competing, you haven't watched this team very long.  Cam Newton did more his entire career here with less.

This isn't even speculation b/c these guys have proven themselves.  Robbie put up over 1k yards here 2 years ago.  He hasn't lost a step.

If you don't think DJ is a bona fide WR1, you simply don't know football.

Shi Smith, TMJ, Higgins, and Shenault are perfectly decent depth wide receivers.  Freaking all 6 of our wide receivers are arguably better than what Cam finished the season with in 2017!!!

CMC is still all-world.  And Foreman and Hubbard are pretty good in limited reps.

The issue is coaching and QB.  I'm not watching the same game as some of the rest of you.  

Fantasy football is creating a whole generation of fans who only seem to understand the game on those terms...

[PootieNunu]

26 minutes ago, Seltzer said:

If you honestly think the Panthers don't have the weapons capable of competing, you haven't watched this team very long.  Cam Newton did more his entire career here with less.

This isn't even speculation b/c these guys have proven themselves.  Robbie put up over 1k yards here 2 years ago.  He hasn't lost a step.

If you don't think DJ is a bona fide WR1, you simply don't know football.

Shi Smith, TMJ, Higgins, and Shenault are perfectly decent depth wide receivers.  Freaking all 6 of our wide receivers are arguably better than what Cam finished the season with in 2017!!!

CMC is still all-world.  And Foreman and Hubbard are pretty good in limited reps.

The issue is coaching and QB.  I'm not watching the same game as some of the rest of you.  

Fantasy football is creating a whole generation of fans who only seem to understand the game on those terms...

Your talking about guys putting up yards, lol. Adams had 29 TDs in 2 season, our top 3 guys combined have 22 tds over the past 2 seasons.

Sure they are good enough to compete, but lets not act like they are top of the league. 

CMC is a top 5 RB, DJ is a top 20 WR, Robby might be a top 50 WR. 

Too bad our best player is at the least valuable position on the field and is oft injured, so we cant use him that much. 

And FYI, I dont play fantasy football, I just took off the rose colored glasses awhile back. 

Bonafide #1 WR find a way to score more than 4 tds regardless of their QB. DJ is small in stature and does not have the same heart that Smitty had. You need that to be a little guy and be a #1 WR in this league Dj is a #2.

Edited October 11, 2022 by PootieNunu

[GoobyPls]

1 hour ago, PootieNunu said:

Your talking about guys putting up yards, lol. Adams had 29 TDs in 2 season, our top 3 guys combined have 22 tds over the past 2 seasons.

Sure they are good enough to compete, but lets not act like they are top of the league. 

CMC is a top 5 RB, DJ is a top 20 WR, Robby might be a top 50 WR. 

Too bad our best player is at the least valuable position on the field and is oft injured, so we cant use him that much. 

And FYI, I dont play fantasy football, I just took off the rose colored glasses awhile back. 

Bonafide #1 WR find a way to score more than 4 tds regardless of their QB. DJ is small in stature and does not have the same heart that Smitty had. You need that to be a little guy and be a #1 WR in this league Dj is a #2.

You mean Adams who through 4 weeks was on pace for less than 1100 yards. Yeah life isn’t so easy when you don’t have a elite QB. 
 

If Moore played with Rodgers his would average 1500 yards a year.

[Snake]

Define what is close. If close is a good core to build around? Yes we do have more core players than we started with. Is close playoffs? No this roster needs a bit of retooling for that to happen. 

Also talking about resource management is a bit hypocritical because Rhule got full control over who was retained. Like Robbie Anderson getting a sweetheart deal and DJ Moore getting less. I honestly don't even know why Tepper hired a GM because Rhules Wife had more say than Fitt.

[pantherj]

It's basically a QB problem compounded by a less than average OC. Even so, if Baker were better he'd be hitting the open targets down field more often, and we'd be in a much better situation.

MacD doesn't adjust his run plays to fit our players, he just uses the plays he likes regardless of our personally (see Ian Thomas run blocking).

His pass plays don't appear to be setting up anything, they just happen independently, sometimes they work, and sometimes you wonder what the hell he was thinking. Even so, it's hard to cover everyone in today's NFL, and we had guys getting wide open a lot. Baker just didn't want to throw down field, or never saw them at all. These were TD plays if he saw them and threw the ball well. He's not seeing the field.

The combination of MacD not adjusting the run game to fit our personnel, and Baker not seeing the field spelled our doom on the wall. It didn't matter what our defense was doing. 

Priority 1, find a QB in the draft. Priority 2, find an offensive guru for our HC.

[Carl Spackler]

Never understood why @davosis such a devoted DJ Moore hater. Look at what he's done with trash QBs and tell me he's not a WR1.

[R0CKnR0LLA]

Definitely a below average roster overall.

Fitterer needs to go too. Yeah, Rhule was trash, but you can't blame everything on him. Fitterer has not been a good GM overall.

Get a new GM and let him pick the next HC. Clean house from top to bottom.

But I don't think that's going to happen. Tepper is most likely going to keep Fitts, which is a mistake. And we're going to waste a few more years in the process. Feels like Fox/Hurney all over again.

[ForJimmy]

I don’t understand how you are able to properly evaluate these players with this current staff. Let Henderson and Horn play press man, bring Chinn in the box, never drop Burns into coverage, give Foreman some snaps, use pre snap motion and rotate out WRs on offense. This same roster could look totally different with the right staff.

[MartyClemons]

It feels silly to blame all our offensive struggles on bad QB play, while hyping a defense that has played:

Jimmy G

Jacoby Brissett

Jameis

Daniel Jones

As 4 of our first 5 games