ESPN: "Future" Power Rankings

[CRA]

3 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

No, I meant surfing rosters/depth charts for 2025 currently. I didn't take the full data but it seemed pretty heavily weighted towards 25 and under.

young man's game.  because it's a spot teams don't want to spend money at.  Unless you are Carolina.  That might as well be our motto.  

[kungfoodude]

Just now, CRA said:

young man's game.  because it's a spot teams don't want to spend money at.  Unless you are Carolina.  That might as well be our motto.  

Plus the huge influx of RB's in this past draft. It clearly bumped a lot of older vets to being unsigned.

[hepcat]

4 hours ago, kungfoodude said:

I also noted that we have their panels 32nd ranked roster, which I also agree with.

Hence why I get a little perplexed by the minority opinions here talking playoffs. I do understand how weak our division is and favorable the schedule is but.....we will rarely not be the least talented team on the field, if ever.

Dave Caneles should be coach of the year if this team makes the playoffs. Even if it's 9-8 and the final wild card spot. 

[Move the Panthers to Raleigh]

1 hour ago, 45catfan said:

Hey, at least we are ahead of the Saints who are all in on tank for Arch.  If we don't sweep the Saints this year, it will be the ultimate humiliation...losing to a team in full tank mode.

It would be funny if we knocked them out of the #1 pick though 

[Basbear]

Just now, hepcat said:

Dave Caneles should be coach of the year if this team makes the playoffs. Even if it's 9-8 and the final wild card spot. 

I agree, 5 wins feels like red-line. The amount of luck and fortune needed for 9 wins AND playoffs.... its like borrowing it from the future 20 years...

I feel BY would have to be in the MVP race as well.  

[hepcat]

Just now, Basbear said:

I agree, 5 wins feels like red-line. The amount of luck and fortune needed for 9 wins AND playoffs.... its like borrowing it from the future 20 years...

I feel BY would have to be in the MVP race as well.  

Very possible. With how bad the defense is going to be especially if some of the key starters get injured would require the offense to put up 500 points this season to have a winning record. The offense is good enough right now to compete in the playoffs if they had a great to elite defense in line with the best Panthers years in history. The defense though, in reality, is probably in the mix for worst in the NFL again. Although I feel like Evero has been routinely tasked with making salad out of sh*t, I don't think he gets reupped for another contract and mutually parts ways after this season. 

[Basbear]

4 minutes ago, hepcat said:

Very possible. With how bad the defense is going to be especially if some of the key starters get injured would require the offense to put up 500 points this season to have a winning record. The offense is good enough right now to compete in the playoffs if they had a great to elite defense in line with the best Panthers years in history. The defense though, in reality, is probably in the mix for worst in the NFL again. Although I feel like Evero has been routinely tasked with making salad out of sh*t, I don't think he gets reupped for another contract and mutually parts ways after this season. 

I got the chances in the single digit, my friend....low singles.

The biggest saving grace is the pitiful NFC south. I think the Bucs have won the NFC with 8, 9, and 10 wins for the last three years. That is alllll the proof people need for why this division is the weakest. 

 

Helps when you play the Panthers, Siants, and failcons 6 games a year.......

[t96]

2 hours ago, CRA said:

Top half of the league?  We had the 29th ranked offense in the NFL last year and that was with the highest paid OL 

Sure I'm well aware of where we ranked last year. But our offensive ranking last year is not indicative of the argument I'm making being wrong as our ranking takes into account all of the following, none of which are relevant to my argument:

- QB

- Coaching

- Lack of a top 10 pick WR last year

- Trend from latter half of the year

I don't think our offense will necessarily be top half of the league this season -- I'm not sold on Bryce or Canales' coaching yet. Far from it on both counts. But I do think on paper, unless Tet is a massive bust (possible, but unlikely IMO), that our offensive roster not counting QB is top half of the league.

 

2 hours ago, kungfoodude said:

I would push back on that to an extent. Icky has yet to be top 10 and Corbett is really closer to bottom 10 than top 10 at his position. The guards are quite good and Moton can be significantly above average.

It's a very good unit but it does have some warts. Certainly depth being one, although that is the best it has been for us in quite some time.

I know many are kinda down on Icky, I'm not personally but I do get it. I like Icky better than most and think our tackle duo is top 15ish at least, guard combo is top 5. Center is a relative weakness, yes, but it's also by far the least important position on the OL. We have the highest paid OL in the league, it's fair to expect them to not have those weaknesses mentioned but looking league wide I still find it to be quite comfortably top 10 in the league. Again, this is roster/talent we're looking at too, not production. I think our QB play last year made the OL look worse than it actually is, especially in pass pro. Even in his "resurgence" I don't think Bryce did a good job of navigating the pocket or OL coverage at all.

[thunderraiden]

Very accurate list from last year...

[kungfoodude]

51 minutes ago, t96 said:

Sure I'm well aware of where we ranked last year. But our offensive ranking last year is not indicative of the argument I'm making being wrong as our ranking takes into account all of the following, none of which are relevant to my argument:

- QB

- Coaching

- Lack of a top 10 pick WR last year

- Trend from latter half of the year

I don't think our offense will necessarily be top half of the league this season -- I'm not sold on Bryce or Canales' coaching yet. Far from it on both counts. But I do think on paper, unless Tet is a massive bust (possible, but unlikely IMO), that our offensive roster not counting QB is top half of the league.

 

I know many are kinda down on Icky, I'm not personally but I do get it. I like Icky better than most and think our tackle duo is top 15ish at least, guard combo is top 5. Center is a relative weakness, yes, but it's also by far the least important position on the OL. We have the highest paid OL in the league, it's fair to expect them to not have those weaknesses mentioned but looking league wide I still find it to be quite comfortably top 10 in the league. Again, this is roster/talent we're looking at too, not production. I think our QB play last year made the OL look worse than it actually is, especially in pass pro. Even in his "resurgence" I don't think Bryce did a good job of navigating the pocket or OL coverage at all.

I am not down on Icky, I just need to see him make that Derrick Brown leap to being a top 10-12 LT. He is really an average LT overall. 

I would disagree on center being unimportant. I would argue it is the second most important OL position. 

It's a good unit, to be sure. Best we have had in a long time. We just need to keep improving it.

[Panthering]

This entire franchise is firmly in the "believe it when I see it" camp which will have you in bottom 5 everything. Guess what? It's COMPLETELY deserved too.

[t96]

14 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

I am not down on Icky, I just need to see him make that Derrick Brown leap to being a top 10-12 LT. He is really an average LT overall. 

I would disagree on center being unimportant. I would argue it is the second most important OL position. 

It's a good unit, to be sure. Best we have had in a long time. We just need to keep improving it.

Well the rest of the league agrees on center being pretty unimportant...

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/article/salary-cap-evolution-pay-nfl-211159279.html

[kungfoodude]

3 minutes ago, t96 said:

Well the rest of the league agrees on center being pretty unimportant...

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/article/salary-cap-evolution-pay-nfl-211159279.html

Yeah, I mean, point taken. I just view that as being the QB of the OL. It's also the worst possible spot to be very weak, as it's the most direct path to the QB.

The money does say otherwise but I would say that isn't necessarily the complete story.

[UnluckyforSome]

Centers are usually easier to find than left tackles, as there is a difference in the necessary physical skill. Centers don't need to be dancing bears to be considered the best at their position. They do need to be stout enough to be an obstacle in the A gap, and they need to be smart enough to call out coverages.