PFT ARTICLE: The Panthers slide squarely into tank mode

[WarPanthers89]

ARTICLE:

Tanking happens in the NFL. And the Panthers are now clearly doing it.

They’ll deny it. They have to. The first rule of Tank Club is you do not talk about Tank Club. More specifically, through any and all subtle or obvious efforts to embrace the suck in order to enhance draft status, the team needs to claim it’s not doing that which it plainly is. And the league office will look the other way as long as no one says the magic word.

Owner David Tepper recently used the right words when asked about striking the balance between winning games now and drafting high later.

“There’s no way that every day you can’t go in with a winning attitude, and there’s no other way to be,” Tepper said during the October 10 press conference regarding the firing of coach Matt Rhule. “You have to try to win, all the time. You have to try to win for the players. You have to try to win for the fans. And, yes, I understand what it is about draft picks and getting quarterbacks and stuff like that, and I understand the importance of quarterbacks in this league. But you have to try to win always.”

So why trade one of your best players with 11 games left to try to win, if you’re trying “to win, all the time”?

The truth, even if it never will be uttered by Tepper or anyone employed by him, is that they’re sacrificing 2022 competitiveness for the pieces needed to make moves in 2023. Since Monday, they’ve stockpiled six draft picks by trading away two players. While the deal that sent receiver Robbie Anderson to Arizona falls more into the category of “addition by subtraction,” the deal that shipped running back Christian McCaffrey to the 49ers counts as subtraction by subtraction, with the hopes of adding better players later.

Or maybe a better coach. The assets they’re already added, along with more that could arrive before the November 1 trade deadline, could enhance their ability to de facto trade for a coach, whether it’s Sean Payton or maybe even Mike Tomlin. Remember, David Tepper was a limited partner in Pittsburgh before buying the Panthers. And Tepper knows the value of a great coach. Why not at least make the call to Art Rooney II to see whether the Steelers, Tomlin, or both would be interested in a change, after 16 years together? Maybe Tepper will have his eyes on some other established coach who would be interested in a fresh start, especially if the Panthers can make their situation more attractive by securing the first overall pick in the draft by officially trying to win — and unofficially failing — week after week after week?

The point is this. The Panthers are tanking. The Panthers will never say they’re tanking. The league office will never accuse them of tanking unless and until they do. Or, perhaps more accurately, if they do it in a way that can’t later be described with a semi-straight face as a joke.

That’s the formula for successfully sinking in the standings and simultaneously scaling the draft order. Don’t say it. Just do it.

The Panthers obviously are doing it. And the fans won’t be complaining about it if the Panthers draft a franchise quarterback, hire (or trade for) a coach with a Super Bowl pedigree, and start winning games when they’re actually trying to.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/10/21/the-panthers-slide-squarely-into-tank-mode/

Edited October 21, 2022 by WarPanthers89

[Tbe]

Let’s hope it pays off.

[jtm]

Tanking is such a loser mentality. I hate it 

[WarPanthers89]

7 minutes ago, Tbe said:

Let’s hope it pays off.

I don’t think we will look back and feel good about it. No doubt he will dominate in SF  which will make it tough to watch, but RB is an easier position to replace production wise. We will never do anything in the league without a franchise QB but it does not feel good at all. 

[WarPanthers89]

2 minutes ago, jtm said:

Tanking is such a loser mentality. I hate it 

It blows. This feels worse than the pickle Clausen season for some reason and I never imagined that would be possible with the talent we have compared to that year 

Edited October 21, 2022 by WarPanthers89

[TheRumGone]

I’d cut Sam and baker right meow and let pj lead the tank with Eason backing him up. 

[Tbe]

Just now, TheRumGone said:

I’d cut Sam and baker right meow and let pj lead the tank with Eason backing him up. 

I’d like to see Eason play an entire game.

[FugginPoo]

Tanking is why the NFL needs a draft lottery for like the bottom 5 or so teams

[WarPanthers89]

10 minutes ago, TheRumGone said:

I’d cut Sam and baker right meow and let pj lead the tank with Eason backing him up. 

I agree, no way I would let Baker take another snap and risk giving the Browns a higher draft pick. We are clearly going all in on the draft. Zero benefit to Baker starting another game

Edited October 21, 2022 by WarPanthers89

[TheRumGone]

Just now, Tbe said:

I’d like to see Eason play an entire game.

Same. He’s got all the boxes checked he just sucks still lol. Would be nice to see if he’s worth keeping around with corral and our draft pick tho. Pj is done here after this year.

[Kentucky Panther]

People can hate and complain about tanking all they want but the fact of the matter is, getting a top pick puts us in a better position going forward than winning 4 or 5 pointless games. 

[LinvilleGorge]

Fans have been begging for this ever since we parted ways with Cam. This was what Rhule should've done when he had the good will of being a proudly hired new coach.

[*FreeFua*]

5 minutes ago, TheRumGone said:

I’d cut Sam and baker right meow and let pj lead the tank with Eason backing him up. 

Same

If you’re doing it you do it 100%

Those two idiots might just mess around one Sunday with the defense coming through and we accidentally win. Then this entire plan goes to sh!t because Detroit and Houston most likely aren’t winning many more if any more games too

[Khaki Lackey]

I don't really consider what we are doing is tanking. It's obvious we went into the season attempting to compete. We weren't winning with CMC and we're wasting what's left of his career here.

Now, not playing obviously better players or incentivizing players to eff up on purpose, that's a true tank.