Official "Loving this Offseason" thread...

[MadHatter]

I am defering total judgement until after I see what we do in the latter parts of FA and the draft.

There will be players released to make room for draft picks. This is where we typically work and succeed.

[John Fox]

i disagree with the Hoov decision

[mick eye]

Not a huge fan of the Hoover move either but as a whole i am loving it.

[pantherclaw]

I like it too.

I just wish I could believe this was Fox snapping out of his seemingly being in a slumber the past few years, and not JR pulling the strings.

JR lets his football guys handle the football stuff. JR is no Jerry Jones.

[pantherclaw]

Honestly, when we started cutting our d-line, I was shocked and wondering WTF? But with a lil time to think about it, they feel it's time to move on with our younger guys. I'm excited to see Brown starting, along with the other younger guys step up. I don't see reasons to panic.

This definitely makes for a very interesting off-season regardless how you feel about it.

[JungleCat]

I'm ok with it. Some things in life require risk.

[outlaw4]

It feels like betting your whole life savings on black...

It's either going to be a huge payoff or it's going to be a absolute disaster.

[Lumps]

No risk no reward. I really don't think they are risking much. Personally I love everything they are doing. Keeping the stars and getting rid of overpaid players. Rebuilding the team, but not from the ground up, keeping the foundation in place.

I still don't get what the whiny, emotionally attached fans want from the organization bitching about their tradition bullshit every year and now bitching about this.

PLAYERS GET OLD AND DWINDLE IN VALUE GET OVER IT. Finally the panthers have stopped spending money because this player in nice and the other isn't.

[Swarly]

I don't see a lot of risk involved honestly.

They're cutting a lot of very, VERY average old players. Sure they might have contributed, but they're average. VERY replaceable.

The only thing I don't agree with is Hoover, as he was well above average at blocking and was a huge factor to our run games success.

[outlaw4]

I don't see a lot of risk involved honestly.

They're cutting a lot of very, VERY average old players. Sure they might have contributed, but they're average. VERY replaceable.

The only thing I don't agree with is Hoover, as he was well above average at blocking and was a huge factor to our run games success.

Except it's been all cutting and no replacing. Granted, I'm usually one to wait until training camp to make predictions on our overall talent but I just can't shake that feeling that these moves are more towards getting ready for a lockout and saving $$$ rather than making a big push for next season. I will saw we have a good habit of finding value pick-ups so I wouldn't be surprised if that happens again.

Also, losing veterans means losing leadership which means some of these young kids are going to have to grow up and step into those shoes. Whether that's going to happen or not, I don't have an answer and we probably won't know until the end of the season.

[Carolina Mike]

The moves the Panthers have been making seems to be good. I like the road we are on right now. I'm really looking forward to who they bring in this off season.

[MadHatter]

Except it's been all cutting and no replacing. Granted, I'm usually one to wait until training camp to make predictions on our overall talent but I just can't shake that feeling that these moves are more towards getting ready for a lockout and saving $$$ rather than making a big push for next season. I will saw we have a good habit of finding value pick-ups so I wouldn't be surprised if that happens again.

Also, losing veterans means losing leadership which means some of these young kids are going to have to grow up and step into those shoes. Whether that's going to happen or not, I don't have an answer and we probably won't know until the end of the season.

You need to understand a little about how the waves in Free Agency work.

Outside of a couple of big-named, yet over-priced Free Agents (Pep, Kampman, Chester Taylor), the current FA's on the market are predominantly old players wanting their last payday. There is not much to sign right now that makes our team better. Teams purged their rosters of marginal players...or aging players.

Once the draft happens, teams will make another round of cuts to make room for their draft picks. This is where you will see promising players hit the market. The Panthers have typically been players in this wave of Free Agency.

Also, the current draft bodes well for our need at WR. The draft is deep at WR. So, not only will we be able to pick up a good young WR in the draft, alot of other WR's will be taken by teams. Therefore, there is likely to be a higher number of WR's released in the second wave of FA. This is where we find our compliment or slot receiver.

I personally like the moves we are making. I would have loved to see Hoover and Brayton stay one more year. Hoover is in the twilight of his career, but played solid last season (when not hurt). Brayton is the kind of DE tha tthis teams needs to compliment Brown and Johnson. A solid players...good against the run.

We do still have some holes to fill. I will defer total judgement on this strategy and predictions for the upcoming season until the draft and the rest of FA plays out.

[Soul Rebel]

I too am a fan of our off season. There are few, if any names out there now that we should've even sniffed at. As for the releases and cuts, nobody (outside of Pep) was a serious core player with a bright future ahead worthy of extending. As for Pep, he just costs way too much to re-up. We will see some cuts down the line and get some youth in the draft. For the first time in awhile, we are thinking more than this coming season, and thinking farther down the line (see, Patriots see also, Steelers). It hurts a small market team because you get attached and we haven't seen this kind of turnover in quite some time in Charlotte. It's a business and this team will be better for their moves. When you see espn flash that Smitty, Beason or one of our backs have been traded, then you can start to freak out a little. The media is overhyping what we've done because we released a bunch of older broken down vets. I loved what Hoover, Jake (pre-2008 postseason) and Diggs brought to this team, but have younger guys that are capable to step in and fill these losses almost without losing a step.

The glass is half full in Charlotte and many will commend Richardson after the dust clears.