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The Panther QB Question

steve0255

By steve0255,
in Carolina Panthers

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steve0255 Newbie

steve0255

Posted
Posted

Delhomme is gone - and for good reason - poor play and at age 35 not much upside.

Moore looked impressive at the end of last year but at what level of competition and against how many playoff bound teams?

The Panthers proceeded to draft not 1 but 2 QB's this year. What message does that really send about the mindset of the calibur of the present QB picture.

Moore was a restricted free agent this year. The Panthers cut Delhomme. How much faith did the Panthers show in believing Moore was the future face of the franchise? Not so much by offering him a 1 yr tender which Moore signed on 03/11/2010: Signed a one-year, $3.043 million contract and then proceeded to draft 2 rookie QB's.

What does this really mean?

Richardson and Co have not commited to Fox as the future coach of the team. They have also tipped their hand by not commiting to Moore for the long term. Though somewhat annointed as the starter for 2010, the Panthers failed to make any long term commitment to Moore.

Clausen and Pike will both receive multi-year deals. That's a fact that cannot be disputed. Combine that with the fact that this is still a business and Richardson and Co expect to make a profit first and foremost.

Dollar wise, in the long term, who would be the best investment for the team if Moore, Clausen, and Pike maintain a balanced competitive performance level? What will be the price tag of Moore moving forward into 2011 and beyond?

My suspecion is that not only has the team already tipped their hand about the direction the team will be going - IMO, the writing is clearly on the wall.

1) John Fox is in a must win situation. If the Panthers are not competing for a playoff spot clearly and early, his days will be certainly numbered in Carolina.

2) The front office has already determined what type of offense and defense they expect to put on the field in the future. Look for the Panthers to be exploring coaching candidates behind the scenes that will fit the mold.

3) Though I believe that the Panthers will extend Moore's contract if warranted, them not making a long-term commitment to him even after dumping Delhomme is sending a clear message. The proposed price tag for retaining Moore will certainly carry a price tag in excess of 8-9 million per year and involve a 4-6 year commitment. This price tag will be higher than that of Clausen and Pike combined. Keep that in mind as the season progresses.

4) Like it or not, Moore's pressure to perform will be tremendous. Aside from the fact many believe the Panthers are contenders this year, the Panthers lack of commitment clearly signifies that a sub par performance by Moore is a one-way ticket out of town being he will be an unrestricted free-agent demanding a big payday.

5) Don't expect the Panthers to wait very long at all to pull the trigger on Moore and replace him with Clausen/Pike if the team struggles out of the gate. With a lame duck coach and a QB who will certainly be a unrestricted free agent, Moore has zero room for error and the pressure on the young QB will be tremendous.

Look for the Panthers to get maximum playing time for the rookie who backs up Moore. It makes financial sense and team sense with a lame duck head coach and a potential big payday for a QB that has not proven himself to warrant such a long-term deal.

A .500 record or poorer through the first 4 games will find Moore riding the pine and the new face of the franchise will be taking the snaps. It makes financial sense and is even more important for the potential new head coach to see what the future of the team looks like at QB.

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CatMan72 Enthusiast

CatMan72

Posted
Posted

Moore looked impressive at the end of last year but at what level of competition and against how many playoff bound teams?

He helped us whip the Giants and Vikings, Giants would have made the playoffs if not for the whipping Moore helped administer and the Vikings were one game away from the SB.

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Ricky Spanish Grand Master

Ricky Spanish

Posted
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Money and future contracts are clearly the reason.

that's not clearly the reason, it's clearly you're opinion of the reason.

we don't know, we don't work for the panthers, we can only speculate about what's going on.

Personally, What I think is up is that it made a ton of sense that they only signed moore to a one year deal. he showed promise but he isn't a proven commodity. why would you lock up a question mark long term? make him prove it this season and earn his contract extension. it wasn't a lack of faith, it was smart business-wise. Then the draft came along and the second best QB in the draft who was originally a top 10 talent falls into your lap. you have 2 QB's on the roster, one of which has potential to be a starter and the other was on the practice squad. why WOULDN'T you draft the kid that is the most NFL ready as an insurance plan in the event that Moore doesn't pan out?

In my humble opinion, all the moves we made in the offseason don't show a lack of faith in our QB's, they were all just smart business decisions...

except the whole pike thing, i'm still not sure about that one...

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Cyberjag Newbie

Cyberjag

Posted
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QB this offseason was clearly a priority, if only because the backup was Hunter Cantwell. So it makes sense that they were going to take one, and getting Clausen was obviously a huge stroke of luck as far as the Front Office is concerned. That's not to say he'll work out, but at least we're taking the chance. Getting Pike is just gravy.

Even first round QBs bust far more often than they hit, but with his very presence Clausen makes us better at that position. Moore's job is safe for now, but the competition will make him and the other QBs work harder. And as for the commitment, they gave him a one year tender because that's what you give for Restricted Free Agents, and they also gave him the highest tender available.

If Moore is the long-term starter, he'll make between 8 and 10 million per year. That's his next contract, and everyone knows it. But with the tender, the Panthers get him for 3 mil. Moore gets a raise from the 400K he was making. In this scenario, Moore gets a huge raise and the Panthers save 5 million for 2010. It was the right business decision to make, and Hurney's lucky that Moore wasn't mad when they tendered him that high. It cost him some potential money, but instead of looking at that Moore viewed the high tender as a compliment.

Fox's contract is another business decision. If he was in his fifth year, then it would probably be common knowledge that as soon as the Labor dispute was resolved he would be back in Carolina. The reason that's in doubt is how long he's been here. Most coaches don't last as long as he has, and a lot of local sportswriters think that his job is in jeopardy if he doesn't have a strong year. Frankly, I think that Richardson really likes him, and will make him an offer anyway. I also think that Fox may be mentally on his way out because of all this. We'll just have to see.

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Ohio Newbie

Ohio

Posted
Posted

Sure it will Persia, if Moore struggles, the season can be blamed on him as it was Jake. Then Fox can say he will start the "franchise" QB that is young, tough, and ready to start after a year of watching.

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