The latest from Mason

[Mr. Scot]

Consistency 101

Pretty good read, a lot of it centering around Panthers-Steelers comparisons.

The last section is likely meant to reiterate that Delhomme is the guy at QB.

Excerpt:

It has so far been a quiet spring in the Panthers’ locker room, with no unrestricted free agent signees walking through the double doors after an average of 5.0 per year entered during the previous four offseasons.

But when you’re coming off a 12-4 finish, that’s probably how it should be. Building for a season after a playoff appearance naturally creates a different mindframe for roster building than trying to recover from a sub-.500 finish. When possible, changes should come from within; success is to be sustained, rather than simply built. The defending world champions and their work in recent years offers a lesson in how to maintain a winning program.

Anyone who doesn't like the "we were 12-4" last year argument probably won't like this article.

[Fireball77]

His sentiment about the QB thing is good if the starting QB is good and/or competent, but some of the teams he mentioned did not fall or fail mainly due to that reason. Yes the Pats lost Brady but their defense sucking was more to blame for not making the playoffs. Though I do believe that with Brady they beat the Steelers, Cassel's lack of experience cost them big time against that D. McNair sucked by the time he got to the Ravens and never really helped them much, hype notwithstanding. I also don't believe that the Bears tumbled because Grossman wasn't starting, it was their defense taking the step back from 2006 levels that killed them.

[Panthro]

I was hoping this was about Anthony Mason

[rayzor]

good read. better written than others he has done.

he had some interesting similarities to draw on. as much as it may be hated to hear...we did have a very successful season last year and found that many of the pieces we have are in place to do it again. we may not get to 12-4 but it will still be a team that can take us to the playoffs. we are on the right path.

[Kyle82]

Very good read...I am really not a fan of Masons academic and bookish way of writing, but he is a good writer and gets the point across nicely.

[scpanther22]

i hear what he is saying but there are so many diff between the panthers and pitt that i dont even look at this article as comfort...fact is pitt has a DEF that we can dream about and a young franchise QB..i think we can win this season but jake will get tested.and he cant afford to have the stinkers he did last season or else he will be gone.

[Squirrel]

Feels like the we are bring back 21 of 22 starters season coming up.

[Fox007]

We hope we are in the right direction.

After all we have had winning seasons and made the playoffs before, only to follow it up with........well you know.

The Steelers consistently have top 10 defenses that they can lean back on. Not the case here.

That being said, I am all for developing our own players and actually using them. We have all seen players play well past their time to go, hopefully that is over with.

[Matt Foley]

Let me be the first (okay, probably the 361st) to say this...the Panthers look like they are messing up a good thing this offseason. They still have the draft to make amends, but I see three critical mistakes already...

1. Getting into a pissing contest with Peppers...man's unhappy...you should have traded him when teams saw him as the sack monster he was last year instead of the unhappy (undedicated?) player they see now. Do you really want to pay all of that money and get what you got out of him two years ago?

2. Letting Hangartner and the other OL go (can't think of his name). Of course, this was tied in to number one.

3. The Panthers need a quarterback of the future. He can learn under Jake for a year or maybe even two, but with Peppers you could have obtained a Mark Sanchez or someone of his ilk in this draft. The backups on the roster now will not win playoff games for you.

[rayzor]

are backups usually able to win playoff games? if they could win them they probably wouldn't be backups. we can find a better QB if we wait another year.

letting the 2 OL go.....they wouldn't have stayed. they wanted starting jobs and weren't going to get that here. they got paid more than we would have/should have paid backups. we would have lost them no matter what. they got a chance they deserve on other teams.

pissing contest with peppers...we couldn't trade him after october 14th. he only had 3 sacks at that point...not exactly a sack monster.

[Fireball77]

I think you mean the LT Omiyale along with Hangman (I HATED LOSING HIM!).

I also think it would have been darned near impossible to get anything for Pep after 2007. He had one year left on a contract and had just had a very subpar year. Trade value wise, it's probably better this year.

I think next year's crop of QBs would be their best shot at a future starter too.

[Matt Foley]

are backups usually able to win playoff games? if they could win them they probably wouldn't be backups. we can find a better QB if we wait another year.

No, but if returning to the playoffs is your goal (and winning a game this year), you have to remember that Jake...

a. has missed significant portions of two of his last three seasons, and isn't getting any younger (how he stayed healthy last year is amazing...great O line, I guess)

b. is coming off one of the worst postseason performances by a QB in the last 20 years. There's no guarantee he'll be back mentally. Probability? Yes. Guarantee? No..

They need a young stud who can come in and learn from Jake and be ready to go when needed late in the year.

[rayzor]

No, but if returning to the playoffs is your goal (and winning a game this year), you have to remember that Jake...

a. has missed significant portions of two of his last three seasons, and isn't getting any younger (how he stayed healthy last year is amazing...great O line, I guess)

b. put up one of the worst postseason performances by a QB in the last 20 years. There's no guarantee he'll be back mentally. Probability? Yes. Guarantee? No..

They need a young stud who can come in and learn from Jake and be ready to go when needed late in the year.

we'd be settling and/or overpaying if we got one this year.

much better choices the year after which is when we should be going after a QB. our backups are as good as any backups in the league, imo.

there are no good options this year. FA market was weak. draft class is weak. no studs are going to be found available. if detroit goes with stafford, sanchez won't last past san fran. absolute latest he will go is 19 or 20 (if detroit doesn't draft stafford with the 1st pick).

making big moves to get a QB that early from where we sit would be a hasty move based on panic and desperation. we aren't at that point and we shouldn't act like it.

do we need to start thinking about the QB of the future? yes. is there anyone we can reasonably get right now that would be better than who we have in mccown and/or moore? unlikely.

wait until next year.

[Matt Foley]

we'd be settling and/or overpaying if we got one this year.

much better choices the year after which is when we should be going after a QB. our backups are as good as any backups in the league, imo.

there are no good options this year. FA market was weak. draft class is weak. no studs are going to be found available. if detroit goes with stafford, sanchez won't last past san fran. absolute latest he will go is 19 or 20 (if detroit doesn't draft stafford with the 1st pick).

making big moves to get a QB that early from where we sit would be a hasty move based on panic and desperation. we aren't at that point and we shouldn't act like it.

do we need to start thinking about the QB of the future? yes. is there anyone we can reasonably get right now that would be better than who we have in mccown and/or moore? unlikely.

wait until next year.

I don't remember anyone saying that Ryan and Flacco were going to turn their franchises around before the draft.

Stafford and Sanchez are each capable of being as good as those two. Now if they go to the Lions you'll never know that, but if they go to a decent team, they can shine.