A dash of optimism (+ team decisions)

[DawgzLife]

Just for matter of perspective here are a few things the team has gotten right (many due to not extending contracts). I'm not saying the team did all of these moves for reasons us fans would agree with, but I think these were good decisions end the end:

Matt Moore: Did not give a huge long-term deal, so it is an easy out without much risk. We cannot lookback & say they should have traded him for value.

Richard Marshall: Tried to strong-arm the team & team held firm. Unless he straightens out (& even if he does), he may be gone...again without a huge hit tothe cap.

Drafting Clausen: No matter how he turns out long-term,they got him at an amazing value & their skepticism towards Moore was a good call.

Keeping both Mike Goodson & Tyrell Sutton: Nough said if you are a fan (Sutton has not shown as much this year yet, but the schemes & game situations have not allowed him opportunities)

Drafting Greg Hardy & Pugh: Both look pretty good & will eventually be starters (Hardy almost is now & provides our only pass rush...still learning though). Also, McClain could turn out to be really good...for now, good ST player already.

Dan Conner: He is a beast like Beason! Beason is the leader & our best LB, but Conner is excellent & it is not a hoax. He knows where to be & when to be there. It will take time to develop his zone skills, but right now...wow (I am excited about him...not in a gay way..."not there's anything wrong with that" SNL reference if you are slow on the uptake).

Letting Peppers go: Was a good move. Hardy is providing us as much as Peppers did, but Peppers always had some other capable players to get him freed up. Hardy give it his all every play.

Gettis: Looks like a good pick. He will likely develop faster than LaFell (so this is both a plus & a minus for the Panthers). Jury is still out on this.

Releasing Delhomme: Is doing about same in Cleveland as last year & is already hurt. Not worth the $, even though Moore is not working out. Still a smart move, IMO. This could be argued aabout a leadership in the lockerroom, but NOT for the $ he was going to get.

Coaching Staff not extended: I have been a supporter of Fox, but he seems to have already checked out, we need fresh blood (not young necessarily, just different). Smart not to extend the contract. Come on Cower. I would say leave that up to Jerry, but he seems to be more concerned with setting league protocol of how to handle the cap/pending player contract issues thanputting a winning team on the field right now; it's sad b/c that was 1 thing I would have never even thought about (Richardson not giving the Panthers the best chance to win).

Okay, that's about all I can think of right now, but just want to get some optimism on the boards due to the harsh realities we are facing. I know there are many negative decisions, but this is meant to at least keep us looking up to some degree. Being a very young roster will pay dividends, but not right now (ugh!).

Add your own to the list...

[House]

End the end I think that the Panthers are heading in the right direction. For peaks sake some of you fans just need to relax and see what happens with the CBA. If the CBA is signed then pretty much, it will be a big time when when for the Panthers. As long as Tommy Jone doesn't show up we are set to have a great team for years.

[C47]

Excellent post I couldn't agree more with your points...

Not trading the first round pick in 2011...I can live with not having a second (I wish we did though) but it's looking like we will have a pretty early draft pick so we should be able to get an impact player with our first round pick...

[AceMan]

I agree with all except the last one part...

Should have fired Fox so we could avoid this "throw-away, lame-duck" year...but it IS a smart business move. Still could come back to bite us in the ass if our team have a 4-12 season and lose out player-wise and fanbase-wise because of it.

I'll add that Ed Johnson and Landri signings were alright.

[DawgzLife]

I agree with all except the last one part...

Should have fired Fox so we could avoid this "throw-away, lame-duck" year...but it IS a smart business move. Still could come back to bite us in the ass if our team have a 4-12 season and lose out player-wise and fanbase-wise because of it.

I'll add that Ed Johnson and Landri signings were alright.

I agree with Landri & almost added that, but I think we need to see if he can provide a pass rush before labeling him a definite positive. I really like the way he plays. High motor/effort & productive against the rush.

Regarding Ed Johnson, I am cautious on him. I like his potential, but I see him taking plays off already 2 games into the season. I hope both of your ponts end up being right on, but definitely agree on Landri.

[DawgzLife]

Excellent post I couldn't agree more with your points...

Not trading the first round pick in 2011...I can live with not having a second (I wish we did though) but it's looking like we will have a pretty early draft pick so we should be able to get an impact player with our first round pick...

I agree completely. Isn't it kind of sad though how we see 'not' trading away a pick as a positive!? (b/c they have done it so frequently recently)

I would add the Armanti pick give-away to a negative list of moves, if we made 1, but I too am glad we have a first rounder next/this year (however you want to look at it).

Not sure why Hurney is so quick to pull the trigger on trades...it worked out, IMO for Otah, but you get burned more than you win in that game (i.e Everette Brown not worth the cost). Winning teams don't gove away picks (except in rouds 3 & later, but usu. Rd 4 & later).

In all, Hurney has done well drafting players though, so I won't complain; look at our roster vs. other teams...we have many of our draft picks, so we've hit more than missed (compared with other NFL teams).

[bleys]

End the end I think that the Panthers are heading in the right direction. For peaks sake some of you fans just need to relax and see what happens with the CBA. If the CBA is signed then pretty much, it will be a big time when when for the Panthers. As long as Tommy Jone doesn't show up we are set to have a great team for years.

not sure how CBA plays a factor when most of the team is setup, except for WR, when we could have set ourselves up for years... whereas, there isn't anyone worth it when football comes back...

keep in mind, we don't need a #2.. we need a #1..

[CharlotteBeer.com]

Dan Conner: He is a beast like Beason! Beason is the leader & our best LB, but Conner is excellent & it is not a hoax. He knows where to be & when to be there. It will take time to develop his zone skills, but right now...wow (I am excited about him...not in a gay way..."not there's anything wrong with that" SNL reference if you are slow on the uptake).

That's a Seinfeld reference.

[Stroupe-a-loop]

Plus we still don't have David Carr which is awesome.

[DawgzLife]

That's a Seinfeld reference.

Guess I'm the 1 slow on the uptake! :willy_nilly:

Thanks for the correction!

[Cyberjag]

Most teams accept a 3-13 record as part of the rebuilding process. We don't.