Austin Corbett's move to center has seemed "inevitable"

[Carolina Panthers]

The veteran lineman was moved inside with the acquisition of a pair of top free agents, but the qualities that got him to the NFL have seemingly pointed him here for years.

View the full article on Panthers.com

[rayzor]

i hope it works. hopefully he and Bryce have that synergy thing going and both can stay healthy.

we still need to draft one, imo, but it would be good to not have to worry about center for a while.

[CRA]

19 minutes ago, rayzor said:

i hope it works. hopefully he and Bryce have that synergy thing going and both can stay healthy.

we still need to draft one, imo, but it would be good to not have to worry about center for a while.

I'd be more comfortable overpaying the first vet cut that has real C experience.  If Corbett fails or gets hurt.....a rookie C is bad news for Bryce IMO.   Not saying you can't draft a kid.  But the whole revamping of the OL and having a makeshift C leaves me uneasy.  If the C spot is a mess, all that money and investment at G gets minimized. 

[Bear Hands]

If inevitable, meaning, Bozeman played awful, it was questionable if it was just a down year or no -- regardless, they go ahead and get rid of him and then sign 2 guards long term in FA, and now have a glaring hole at center with Mays the only other candidate rostered, then yes, inevitable.  

[strato]

Said before, why do you do a major revamp and skimp at C? I think you finish the job.

Corbett is unknown to us as a C, and usually you’d trust professionals to assess, and act if necessary. I like Morgan and he isn’t making me rethink that so far, and I think if one they really like is within reach they will make that move.

I personally feel like it is a more important to cover that position than what amounts to another WR lottery ticket.

And Young, in my mind, sort of puts a ceiling on what you can take advantage of.

It isn’t racing on the interstate with him, it is city racing from stoplight to stoplight. 

[MHS831]

They act as if this is a game of musical chairs.  Corbett needs to be able to do the job.  He is 29 and learning a new position.  I am confident that they are confident, but I do not think this rules out drafting a C late.   I should note that Cade Mays was at different schools and played various positions.  I think if he is given one position and learns as much as possible this year, he could be better than most here envision.  I just don't get spending $150m at G, a $30m RT, and a first round draft pick LT and then saying, "Let's experiment at C"  They must have more information than we do.

[Ricky Spanish]

[MHS831]

9 minutes ago, strato said:

Said before, why do you do a major revamp and skimp at C? I think you finish the job.

Corbett is unknown to us as a C, and usually you’d trust professionals to assess, and act if necessary. I like Morgan and he isn’t making me rethink that so far, and I think if one they really like is within reach they will make that move.

I personally feel like it is a more important to cover that position than what amounts to another WR lottery ticket.

And Young, in my mind, sort of puts a ceiling on what you can take advantage of.

It isn’t racing on the interstate with him, it is city racing from stoplight to stoplight. 

We will know more after the draft, I assume.  But I see your points.  As a former OL coach for a few high schools, I have a very basic knowledge of OL play.  However, I was saying all season that Campen was not doing a good job because there were signs.  Ickey's lack of mechanical development, missed assignments, and head spinning.  Head spinning is when you have no idea where your block is coming from--film study and coaching should tell you, "If the DT stunts inside, maintain inside out gap control...If the LB takes a false step into coverage but keeps his head focused on the QB, he is likely on a delayed blitz..."  Just examples, but we were so easy to fool.  The A gaps were tremendously laughable last year.  Campen was to blame.  Having said that, based on what this article says, it seems Corbett is a film rat and maybe that will translate well.  The OL must communicate.

I think we draft a C in the fifth round.  Calling it--the kid from Penn State maybe? 

[PanthersGTI]

Even if Corbett works out at C, having a long term plan and back up is important. I just don't see how you let a C pass you early in this draft. Hopefully one of the top 3 picks. Years of this, we all know how important it is to have an oline. Cannot win without a good one. You have to always been looking for upgrades and backups who can start when someone goes down.  

[PanthersGTI]

3 minutes ago, MHS831 said:

We will know more after the draft, I assume.  But I see your points.  As a former OL coach for a few high schools, I have a very basic knowledge of OL play.  However, I was saying all season that Campen was not doing a good job because there were signs.  Ickey's lack of mechanical development, missed assignments, and head spinning.  Head spinning is when you have no idea where your block is coming from--film study and coaching should tell you, "If the DT stunts inside, maintain inside out gap control...If the LB takes a false step into coverage but keeps his head focused on the QB, he is likely on a delayed blitz..."  Just examples, but we were so easy to fool.  The A gaps were tremendously laughable last year.  Campen was to blame.  Having said that, based on what this article says, it seems Corbett is a film rat and maybe that will translate well.  The OL must communicate.

I think we draft a C in the fifth round.  Calling it--the kid from Penn State maybe? 

It was insane how lost these guys looked like you said. Head spinning everywhere. 

[XClown1986]

The problem was that we hired Reich and kept Campen from the previous regime. Campen wanted to coach his guys his way. Reich's system asked guys to block in specific ways that contradicted Campen's teachings. So, naturally, it all fell apart. 

In short, Campen coached his linemen, not the system. Reich's system is specific to every position group for it to work. These things never aligned. Guys looked clueless and overmatched, because, frankly, they were. 

Bryce kept mentioning in his presser that it was nice to have everyone "speaking the same language" or "have one vision." It's clear what the problem was. Bryce spills the tea in his pressers. It's subtle, but it's there.

[MHS831]

25 minutes ago, PanthersGTI said:

Even if Corbett works out at C, having a long term plan and back up is important. I just don't see how you let a C pass you early in this draft. Hopefully one of the top 3 picks. Years of this, we all know how important it is to have an oline. Cannot win without a good one. You have to always been looking for upgrades and backups who can start when someone goes down.  

best case scenario is he does well and at age 30, they give him a 2-3 year deal.  We will be needing a RT next season, in my view, so ideally, we would not want a 40% overhaul.  I am not one who thinks Cade Mays is hot garbage--I think he could become a solid backup.  Funny, when we draft players late we call them "developmental" but when they are forced into action before they are ready, we want them gone--we have less patience for the developmental players than we do first rounders.  

[MHS831]

3 minutes ago, XClown1986 said:

The problem was that we hired Reich and kept Campen from the previous regime. Campen wanted to coach his guys his way. Reich's system asked guys to block in specific ways that contradicted Campen's teachings. So, naturally, it all fell apart. 

In short, Campen coached his linemen, not the system. Reich's system is specific to every position group for it to work. These things never aligned. Guys looked clueless and overmatched, because, frankly, they were. 

Bryce kept mentioning in his presser that it was nice to have everyone "speaking the same language" or "have one vision." It's clear what the problem was. Bryce spills the tea in his pressers. It's subtle, but it's there.

Very good points.  I also think you reach an age where your enthusiasm wanes, you quit learning and start relying on experience, and you lose touch with the younger generations of players--it happens.  And you are right about Bryce.  He is frustrated and he took a ton of heat--I can't imagine where he was mentally, but I have some idea.   Bryce is very smart-he needs to beat teams with his mind more than his arm.  He could not play chess when everyone around him was a confused pawn.  This season, he will use more motion to tip coverages and he will use more pre-snap reads.  Than means he should not be breaking the huddle with 12 seconds on the play clock and rushing to get the play off--there are so many things that can impact a QB's play, and there are many signs that he was provided the least possible chance to succeed.  In my view, this is his rookie season.  Last year was a fire drill.

[KBRed]

Get one of the top Centers in the draft and solidify your line for a few years. Would be one of the better lines in the league if Ickey comes back around. 
 

I’d love Center and WR with our first two picks. We can’t fully rely on Corbetts health. 

Edited April 24, 2024 by KBRed