The spirit of John Fox lives on?

[CRA]

1) Most of us want to draft the best player available to fill a need. Some of us don't think Cam Newton is that player.

2) Some of us would rather have a quarterback who has a bit more experience operating out of the pocket and who is used to leaning on his arm to win games, instead of his legs. That being said, this isn't a major concern for me, since I think he will change his playstyle no matter where he goes.

3) Some of us really don't like that he didn't listen to his coaches.

4) Anyone who wants to tank next season is a fugging moron and not drafting Cam Newton doesn't mean we want to tank next season. There is a VERY good chance that drafting Cam Newton could cause a lower record than drafting Peterson or Dareus, someone who can play right away and likely have a greater short term impact unless they were to bust. The payout with Cam Newton is more likely to be long term, if it happens.

5) Anyone who thinks our offense won't be better this year, even if we changed nothing, is crazy (note: we have changed some things already and we are changing more).

One of the greatest misconceptions about the majority of people who don't want Newton is that we want Clausen to start right now, or we want to go into camp with Clausen, Pike, and Moore and no one else.

I would like to see us bring in a veteran to compete with those four in camp - because the reality is, even if we draft Newton, we have to do this anyway. We are young at quarterback if we draft one or not. We would be well served to find a journeyman that can potentially take over if our young guys, be it Newton, Clausen, or Pike, don't work out and Moore either isn't here or is injured.

If our offense doesn't get better, our quarterback is going to play terribly no matter who it is, period. So whether you want us to draft Cam or not, you better hope that whatever was ailing it last year is a thing of the past... and no, it wasn't just Jimmy Clausen and Matt Moore.

3) I think that one is overblown. I mean, you don't think Peyton Manning has been told to do A and opted to do something different on a rare occassion?

other than that, nice post!

[blackcatgrowl]

I would like to see us bring in a veteran to compete with those four in camp - because the reality is, even if we draft Newton, we have to do this anyway. We are young at quarterback if we draft one or not. We would be well served to find a journeyman that can potentially take over if our young guys, be it Newton, Clausen, or Pike, don't work out and Moore either isn't here or is injured.

You mean, like Jake Delhomme? :lol:

[mav1234]

who is this vet that you all speak of that will really give us that boost in the offense you guys speak of?

nevermind I guess anyone is better than clausen? amiright?

Really depends who is out there once FA starts.

I would be astonished of Cam Newton beat out Jimmy Clausen in camp, let alone Matt Moore.

But as to veterans, there are some decent prospects.

Obviously, I'd like to have a Bulger, Volek, Hasselbeck some guy with a ton of experience. Though Mr. Scot doesn't want him, I wouldn't be completely against McNabb (tho I understand his reasoning not for wanting him). There are now rumors Hasselbeck won't be back in Seattle. There's guys like Gradkowski, Hanie, A. Smith, T. Smith, Leinart, varying experience, varying success, some who will get strong looks from their current teams... (and some of these guys may also have been signed, I have no idea)

It really depends what we want, what they want, etc. But there are a number of options to bring in to make our QB corps a bit more experienced than a rookie :p

[The Saltman]

true. On that list though Hassellbeck is the only one I would consider. The rest of them are blah. Id rather have matt moore then any of those excluding gradkowski.

[mav1234]

3) I think that one is overblown. I mean, you don't think Peyton Manning has been told to do A and opted to do something different on a rare occassion?

other than that, nice post!

Manning did it first after being with the same OC for 5 years and after that OC told him to take what chances he saw fit. This was after he was an all pro. If the argument is that Newton in Auburn was at Manning's level, then okay, whatever. I don't think it is a major deal and I DON'T think it is a reason not to draft him at all, but I don't have to personally like it :P

You mean, like Jake Delhomme? :lol:

something like a Jake Delhomme when he came to the Panthers, yes, but not like a current Jake Delhomme, no =P

true. On that list though Hassellbeck is the only one I would consider. The rest of them are blah. Id rather have matt moore then any of those excluding gradkowski.

The list was potential FAs who could come in and compete, wasn't necessarily a list of people who would be better than Moore starting. I do believe many of them would be better than throwing Newton in at week 1, but I don't see it likely that happens no matter who we bring in.

the truth is i'd rather have Matt Moore than most of 'em too, but I think competition is good, and I think we should carry 2 veterans and one inexperienced guy (pike or clausen) into the season. I do not think Moore's games last year were a representative of the peak of his playing ability (nor of Clausen's for that matter) and I think if nothing else, Moore would be a good guy to have leading the team until we do find that "perfect fit" of a prospect. Maybe it's Newton, maybe it's not. I'm not sold on him, so I wouldn't use the #1. But I'm not making that decision.

[Udogg]

I look at it like the Phillip Rivers, Drew Brees situation. You had Drew Brees coming off a horrible year, you got basically #1 pick, Phillip Rivers sitting in the wing. All of a sudden Brees is playing better, however when it came down to it, Phillip Rivers being the #1 pick was going to start there. If Matt Moore steps up (Clausen is a lost cause in my book until proven otherwise), then I think it's his job until Newton pushes him out. Then when Newton (using his name because he is the favorite right now), is ready then he takes the job, and we get a boatload of draft picks for Moore. That is of course the best case scenario :) .

I just don't see us having the luxury to pick of a WR, CB or DB when you have been habitually date raped by the QB position for the last 7 years. Using a second round pick on Clausen is no reason to basically handicap ourselves from drafting a QB. The same logic kept Dwayne Jarrett around too long. That's the John Fox mentality. That's what he preached.

As a side note from training camp last year, I think anyone could beat Moore, Clausen and Pike for the position. Moore got the start because he played the least worst in TC. They all were surprisingly underwhelming and we all should have seen the writing on the wall before the season started.

[Mr. Scot]

who is this vet that you all speak of that will really give us that boost in the offense?

nevermind I guess anyone is better than clausen? amiright?

How much boost in offense do you get out of a rookie that sits the bench all year?

[The Saltman]

How do you know he will sit the bench all year? you have the ear of Rivera?

[Mother Grabber]

Drafting a DT isn't conservative, it's filling in a major hole in our defense. If we shore up the D-line we will have a bad ass defense. When we walk out on the field, then, we would have the advantage on at least one side of the ball. Fixing the QB situation will likely take longer. Fixing the Dline is a quick fix to being competitive.

[The Saltman]

Yes fixing the defense that was pretty good last year> fixing our putrid offense.

[Udogg]

Fixing the QB situation will likely take longer. Fixing the Dline is a quick fix to being competitive.

So we should wait longer to address the QB situation? I don't understand that logic.

[BountyHunter]

I just want Bill Polian results. Not Matt Millen's.

[Mr. Scot]

How do you know he will sit the bench all year? you have the ear of Rivera?

I know it's what Rivera and Hurney both would prefer because they've expressed that rookie QBs starting early isn't good. It's one of the reasons they defend Clausen.

That, plus two of the three prospects we're looking at will require time to transition to an NFL offense, and the third is an idiot.

[Panthro]

A punt is a good play