We could finish 8-8...

[frash.exe]

what if we can win 7 of them and still make the playoffs because the NFC is downright terrible this year and a 7-9 team could probably make wildcard

[Razzy]

8-8 is a stretch. 5-11 or 6-10 is more likely. Get a high draft, trade down for more picks in a deep draft, dominate the next decade.

[mick eye]

8-8 is a stretch. 5-11 or 6-10 is more likely. Get a high draft, trade down for more picks in a deep draft, dominate the next decade.

I agree. 7-9 would be a more watchable season but.. A top 5 pick is very possible. I have seen us picking 1st and 2nd in some mocks. I think we will get it together enough to move out of the top 5. I have us picking 6th overall. And taking Micheal Floyd to make Jimmy Clausen more comfortable.

Gettis, Floyd and Smith would be a dangerous WR corp.

[Snake]

Possible YES Probable NO.

We are a mess of a team right now and most of the mess comes from coaching. Not going to correct that.

[CRA]

8-8? No thanks.

8-8 will keep Moore on board as our starter. I'm fine with him as a back-up, and Clausen isn't better than him currently if at all (no way to know), but I'd rather have a top tier QB here for the future. I'm tired of game managers. Moore is not top tier.

8-8 could technically also cause a re-signing of Fox. Highly unlikely, but 8-8 would ask the question of should we. 8-8 would also give us all hope for the future, which is great to have, but if the FO doesn't do anything in free agency again and drafts poorly, 2011 will not be what we want it to be. We'll have an 8-8 team.

I do NOT want us to tank, mind you. But I think it'd help this team more to continue to struggle the rest of the way. Why? Draft pick spot for one. But also, finishing with a bad record means Fox IS out the door, things WILL change in 2011, etc. Things will get to a point where they MUST improve. Going 8-8 could keep us right where we are, right where we've always been...the land of mediocrity.

It has to hit rock bottom before it gets better. 8-8 is simply average Carolina football.

True, but how many QBs are top tier 10 starts into a career?

I agree, we can't afford to risk finishing 8-8. Fox staying is not worth those pointless 8 wins.

[mav1234]

How many top tier QBs have only started 10 games half way through a 4th season? =|

Not saying Moore has hit his ceiling necessarily or won't get better, just saying I think we'll know pretty well by the end of this year if he is a top tier QB or just a "game manager." We'll see how he does, and hopefully he'll light it up.

[trucpfan]

This would be the worst thing we could do win a bunch of meanigless games something Fox does well but never gets called out for. We all say we have never had a losing season blah blah blah I dont care if we never have losing seasons if we cant have back to back wining seasons or back to back playoff births. This should be more important (see Norv T) I thought it was a crazy move to fire him but EXPECTATIONS must be raised one of these damn days.

[Snake]

what if we can win 7 of them and still make the playoffs because the NFC is downright terrible this year and a 7-9 team could probably make wildcard

[panthers55]

This kind of discussion is ridiculous. We don't want to win so that Fox looks better????? We don't want to win and go 8-8 because if Moore goes 8-3 over the next 11 games, we don't want to keep him????? if we win 8 out of the next 11 they are meaningless wins??????

I can't believe any fan of the team would even entertain those thoughts let alone voice them on a Panthers message board and expect not get to ridiculed.

First of all, when we went 6-2 to finish 2004, many of the players pointed to that turnaround as a huge contributing factor to the 11-5 season in 2005. Honestly I would have expected the same kind of thing this year if we didn't dump all the veterans.

Secondly at 8-8 we could be a playoff team no matter how remote right now.

Thirdly most fans want to win ever game especially those like me that spend money to go and have 5 home games left. There is no guarantee that there will even be football next year and who knows how the draft may go. Fox is gone no matter what so there will be change even if we win every game from here on out.

So seriously if the best you can do is post you hope we lose, remember the old chinese proverb.

It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear a fool, then open it and remove all doubt.

[KatsAzz]

Yeah right! Playoffs here we come. Not!

[mav1234]

what is more important to me than our record is how our players start playing (I don't mean the individual is more important than the team by any means). I would not mind a middling finish if it means our players got valuable experience and clearly improved AND we got to see a bunch of competitive, hard-fought games later this season, no matter who is playing at what position.. If the team itself starts to play better and click, it'll be fun to watch games and I don't care what our ultimate record is, because that experience could potentially be more valuable than a draft position a bit higher, but eh, it is nice having a high pick.

[Swan]

We most likely won't go 8-8 anyways. No need for all the speculation.