if only we had a full offseason....

[rayzor]

i hate looking back at what could have been, but it's hard not to when you see what has happened recently and then read what the players are saying about how everything is finally clicking...

"It's unfortunate that we're playing like this at the end when we let a lot of them slip away early on but it's exciting for the future," left tackle Jordan Gross said. "We had a banged-up secondary today and those guys played great and our defensive line despite having some injuries inside is really coming into their own. Offense is finally coming together and figuring out how to make this thing go. We're a good team now and everybody is focusing on next week and next season."

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"We caught a lot of momentum in the latter part the season with not just making plays, but also understanding what (offensive coordinator ) Rob Chudzinski is trying to do with the blocking schemes. If it's third down, we can try to get a gist of what he is about to call," Newton said. "Understanding the route concepts. Why is he calling this play? When you have the running backs understanding it just as much as I am understanding it and when the linemen are correcting me if I make a mistake with calling a play, that's something special.

"It just tells you how much we evolved from the beginning of the season with everybody's heads turning, with the short offseason, with the lockout taking place. Everybody's just, in the latter part of this season, grabbing the bull by the horns and taken responsibility learning the whole offense and making plays at the same time."

link

next year is going to be really fun to watch.

[CatMan72]

Agree, the rest of the league should be trembling at the idea of what this offense will become in it's 2nd year after a full offseason program...

[Jackofalltrades]

Revisionist history is for losers. We learned and proved a lot this season, we will have a full offseason for the next 10 years.

[rayzor]

agreed (though i wasn't trying to revise history). said in the OP i hate looking back, but it is mildly frustrating to think about where we could have been had they had more time.

mostly, though, it just makes me excited that things are clicking the way that they are and how things are going to look going forward.

[Jackofalltrades]

Agree completely.

[CarolinaCatBrigade]

[jramsey4]

In the end I still don't think it would have changed much. We might have won another game or two but we still wouldn't be in the playoffs. Our D would have sucked either way too much inexperience there.

[rayzor]

actually i think we would be north of .500 and we would be vying for a wildcard spot.

D would have caught up just like they did. they just would have done it earlier.

the D is getting the job done the last few weeks.

[chknwing]

In the end I still don't think it would have changed much. We might have won another game or two but we still wouldn't be in the playoffs. Our D would have sucked either way too much inexperience there.

agreed, the new CBA limits practices now etc. The season would have transpired much the same as it did. As long as Carolinas coaching staff stays intact, I dont see how they cant be better next season.

[goodoleboy]

actually i think we would be north of .500

Just keeping Kasey might have been enough to do that.

[Brooklyn Bully]

But other teams would've had full offseasons too.

[mwright350]

I agree that it's mildly annoying to look back on and think 'what if' but I am more than happy to have something legitimate to think 'what if' about. Last year it was looking back on the season and wishing I could forget it...now I'm rewatching games and am excited about next year and the potential this team has.

It's worth the annoyance.

Oh and this...

But other teams would've had full offseasons too.

But it would have meant less to them b/c every other team was not installing a new coach, new QB, new offensive and defensive scheme, etc...

It doesn't get us deep in the playoffs (or even in them frankly) but we'd have had a more polished product and one or two of those games we picked up might have been early. Say the Green Bay game...that would have been sweet.

[Brooklyn Bully]

I agree that it's mildly annoying to look back on and think 'what if' but I am more than happy to have something legitimate to think 'what if' about. Last year it was looking back on the season and wishing I could forget it...now I'm rewatching games and am excited about next year and the potential this team has.

It's worth the annoyance.

Oh and this...

But it would have meant less to them b/c every other team was not installing a new coach, new QB, new offensive and defensive scheme, etc...

It doesn't get us deep in the playoffs (or even in them frankly) but we'd have had a more polished product and one or two of those games we picked up might have been early. Say the Green Bay game...that would have been sweet.

Meh. It would've helped other teams. Gabbert for example. Kolb might have been even better with his brand new schemes. Ponder and the Colts QB would've had more experience, etc. It really wouldn't have made much of a difference. Injuries is what hurt us. Not a short off-season. Our two rookie DTs would've still played like rooks.

[JawnyBlaze]

I think the biggest impact having the offseason would have had would have been keeping the guys in better shape for the beginning of the season. Might not have had so many injuries. With more proper working out and stretching, etc, Edwards and Beason might not have gotten injured. Maybe even Otah would have stayed healthier with proper professionals looking after him for longer, rather than going out and getting ready for the rigors of the regular season with less conditioning.