If I wanted to get slightly better…

[CRA]

Personally, like most seasons, my eyes are now on the best pick possible.  Now, I know some want to win and Dave Canales falls into that camp.    What would I do? 

well, I would shuffle my WRs. Last 3 weeks we our pass game has been 124, 102 and 138 yards.  A very clear step down of late. 121 yards per game is the trend which is a very clear trend down. 

has anything changed the last 3 weeks? One of the top 2 best route runners and most reliable to just his job and be where he should be has been inactive.   While he wasn’t a high production player…..he had demands that defense actually account for a real route runner.  And it wasn’t abnormal to see Bryce miss him for what should have been a pretty decent gain via a bad pass.  And he is still 3rd in receptions by the WR group despite disappearing 

the 2nd part of the shuffle would be acknowledging XL is more of a net negative than positive. 

so my base 3 WR sets would be TMac and Coker on the outside.  Renfrow back to the slot.   Work in Tremayne.  Do what you want with the last spot with Horn or XL.   I say keep Horn active.

and I’m not sure it’s all XL.  But he is too raw to help BY out.  He needs a QB that helps him out.  They do nothing for each other.  

so yeah, Bryce Young needs the best possible collection of route runners and dudes that know how to do their jobs….and we should be treating him like a rookie.  Thats if you actually wanted to get better. 

I don’t.  I do think they should bench XL for Tremayne and just rep him super heavy as he seems to actually be the one most worth trying on the roster to get volume to improve for a post Bryce world 

[Jmac]

You have a QB who has no arm strength, crappy accuracy and can't see over the linemen. I don't think it would make much difference who is running around out there.

[CRA]

7 minutes ago, Jmac said:

You have a QB who has no arm strength, crappy accuracy and can't see over the linemen. I don't think it would make much difference who is running around out there.

I mean, I think Renfrow and Tremayne are better options for a bad a QB than XL and Horn. 

and pass production has gone from weak to horrific the last 3 weeks 

that’s if you wanted to tinker for slight improvement.  Which as I said, I actually don’t.  But I do want Tremayne more involved and XL and Horn IMO would be the ones in the way of additional reps for him 

 

[Khyber53]

13 minutes ago, CRA said:

I mean, I think Renfrow and Tremayne are better options for a bad a QB than XL and Horn. 

and pass production has gone from weak to horrific the last 3 weeks 

that’s if you wanted to tinker for slight improvement.  Which as I said, I actually don’t.  But I do want Tremayne more involved and XL and Horn IMO would be the ones in the way of additional reps for him 

 

And pass production has gone for worse over the last three weeks with our opponents stacking the box versus the run. 

It's not supposed to work that way.

Ever.

But I agree with your assessments on reshuffling the pecking order of WRs. XL is just not cutting it. Renfrow might not have been lighting it up but he was at least getting attention. Coker is regressing. Tet cannot seem to get open, at least visibly. Tremayne needs to be getting playing time and Horn, well, maybe the practice squad for him for a bit.

And someone call Hendon Hooker or Mike White and ask them nicely to come back for a roster spot. Or start scouring other teams' practice squads for a QB to poach.

[DaveThePanther2008]

48 minutes ago, CRA said:

I do think they should bench XL for Tremayne

Treymayne to me is another great find.  IMO he just needs more REPS. XL just seems so invisible on the field and I totally agree we can't have a raw WR on the field.  We need excellent route runners and ballers.  XL isn't a baller IMO. 

[DaveThePanther2008]

18 minutes ago, Khyber53 said:

And pass production has gone for worse over the last three weeks with our opponents stacking the box versus the run. 

It's not supposed to work that way.

Ever.

But I agree with your assessments on reshuffling the pecking order of WRs. XL is just not cutting it. Renfrow might not have been lighting it up but he was at least getting attention. Coker is regressing. Tet cannot seem to get open, at least visibly. Tremayne needs to be getting playing time and Horn, well, maybe the practice squad for him for a bit.

And someone call Hendon Hooker or Mike White and ask them nicely to come back for a roster spot. Or start scouring other teams' practice squads for a QB to poach.

I am all in on giving Hooker a look.  We aren't a playoff team and we need to start looking elsewhere for a QB.  I've been probably one of the most patient fans when it came to Bryce Young but after yesterday it is very clear he can't carry a team.  Hooker showed he could carry a team with Tennessee.  While it was college he had that ability.  We need to give him a look. 

Edited November 10, 2025 by DaveThePanther2008

[Waldo]

Kind of a secondary issue. They need to figure out how to get more out of the run game or nothing else is going to open up either. That means dealing with a stacked box. 

Might as well just send XL deep to try and take a defender partially with him. It's probably the best use of XL at this point. 

Doesn't matter because they probably see themselves at .500 as not too bad and after Atlanta it should look more like the Bills game. I would bet on more of the same for a few more weeks. 'Just got to figure out how to get ridiculous games out of Rico' is probably on a whiteboard as we discuss.

 

[hepcat]

I don't think this is the main issue to discuss because there's a bigger problem. I said this before the Saints game that as soon as a team sells out to stop Dowdle from beating them, we're all going to be reminded of how bad Bryce Young really is. The Saints had a very clear defensive gameplan to absolutely not let Dowdle beat them. They stacked the box and stayed home in the pass rush which caused Bryce to have several balls smacked down at the line and Bryce struggled to see the field. If it weren't for the roughing the passer penalty they wouldn't have scored a single point. 

Edited November 10, 2025 by hepcat

[CRA]

7 minutes ago, Waldo said:

Kind of a secondary issue. They need to figure out how to get more out of the run game or nothing else is going to open up either. That means dealing with a stacked box. 

Might as well just send XL deep to try and take a defender partially with him. It's probably the best use of XL at this point. 

Doesn't matter because they probably see themselves at .500 as not too bad and after Atlanta it should look more like the Bills game. I would bet on more of the same for a few more weeks. 'Just got to figure out how to get ridiculous games out of Rico' is probably on a whiteboard as we discuss.

 

I think they have maxed out the run game.  What we saw the Saints do is basically the final  level of what a strong  run game gives you…..which is defenses comically overplaying it that should allow your pass attack to abuse a defense.   

[strato]

11 minutes ago, hepcat said:

I don't think this is the main issue to discuss because there's a bigger problem. I said this before the Saints game that as soon as a team sells out to stop Dowdle from beating them, we're all going to be reminded of how bad Bryce Young really is. The Saints had a very clear defensive gameplan to absolutely not let Dowdle beat them. They stacked the box and stayed home in the pass rush which caused Bryce to have several balls smacked down at the line and Bryce struggled to see the field. If it weren't for the roughing the passer penalty they wouldn't have scored a single point. 

Yeah this was predictable too. It likely won’t change much until we get a different QB.  

[Waldo]

1 minute ago, CRA said:

I think they have maxed out the run game.  What we saw the Saints do is basically the final  level of what a strong  run game gives you…..which is defenses comically overplaying it that should allow your pass attack to abuse a defense.   

True but it's built as a rushing first team. What is maxed out is trying to hide Bryce's issues behind that fact. Address that or it's not going to matter. I don't think the team has caught up to that fact yet. The fact Dalton hasn't been IRed yet proves that to me. IR Dalton (functionally useless and that's not from the broken thumb) and figure out who is the new #2 who should absolutely be seeing reps sooner than later. 

[kungfoodude]

1. TMac

2. Coker

3. Tremayne

4. Horn

5. Moore or Renfrow

217. XL

 

Been saying this for weeks.

Also, @CRA your simping for Clemson guys is a little excessive.

[kungfoodude]

Also, some of you guys need to finally come to the realization that most of us have.  XL is not an NFL player. Even a little bit.

He is extremely soft. 

[CRA]

1 hour ago, kungfoodude said:

1. TMac

2. Coker

3. Tremayne

4. Horn

5. Moore or Renfrow

217. XL

 

Been saying this for weeks.

Also, @CRA your simping for Clemson guys is a little excessive.

LMAO.  You basically echoed my position of this thread......and then call it excessive simping for Renfrow.  Nice.   

last 3 games - 122 pass yard/ game - 9 pts per game average

prior - 191 yards/game - 22 pts per game. 

and it's not just Renfrow.  It's a collective.  A trio. Renfrow, Tremayne, and Evans.  As their snaps went down or away for whatever reason....we have gotten worse.  All syncs up.  More XL.  More Horn. (and we really can talk about Saunders vs Evans).....is not going to help a bad QB out.   Talent and athleticism? Sure, we have trended more that way the last 3 weeks.  But the results don't lie.  Bryce can't make raw dudes better. 

I don't want to get better.  There is no Renfrow simping going on.  My boldest take coming into the season was he should be rostered ONLY over David Moore.  Literally no one else.   And now my take is simply, better route runners and dudes that do basics better for a really bad QB that can't throw downfield was working out better.  But the change isn't going to be much of one because Bryce is the QB. 

the Panther I was most excessively stanning for going into the season was the Gamecock.  XL.  Not Renfrow.  I started turning on that when he got tossed from his preseason game as the dude is clueless.  Now I want him benched.