A Hard Look at Free Agency 2009

[Mr. Scot]

Pep leaving will hurt the team. However, you are kidding yourself if you think we would not have signed anyone by now if Pep had already been dealt. No matter how "weak" this year's pool may be, teams are making moves. Why? Because that's what you do in the NFL. You find depth, you fill holes, you make your team better if possible. We can't do that because of Peppers. While we have the same roster (minus a few) from a Playoff team last year...that was last year. That means nothing today. Most of you think "we'll be fine", and I hope so...because I want Pep to stay now because without him our line will be a disgrace.

It's just an odd year for the FO and their hands are tied. There's nothing that can be done. What WILL be interesting is training camp . Not much camp fodder this year! Not many position battles either! Sure, they'll scrounge up what pocket change they have right now to sign the draft picks and a few nobodies...but other than that...it is what it is, for real.

It'll be a fun season, I'm looking forward to it. I'm still seeing 10-6.

I have no idea whether we'll be "fine" or not.

What I do know is that there's just nobody I can think of in the free agent class that's existed from the beginning till today that fits both of these criteria:

1) they'd have been an immediate upgrade

2) we could have signed them without breaking the bank

Granted there could be someone I'm missing, but looking over the list no names jumped out at me. All in all, to me it's like dumpster diving at K Mart. Yeah, you'll get something, but don't expect it to be something all that great.

[Fireball77]

Perhaps part of the reason the Cats were so prepared to take the hard line with Pep is that they didn't see anyone they really wanted in FA anyway that tagging him would prevent them from getting. Hence, he isn't really "holding them hostage". I mean how dumb would the Cats' FO have to be not to see the writing on the wall as far as the potential thought they may need to tag him to keep him after Pep turned down a VERY lucrative contract after his worst season in Carolina?

[MadHatter]

The issue that Peppers is causing is not the inability to go out and sign the big name FA's. The issue that will plague us if Peppers signs and plays under the Tag is our inability to have any decent depth on OL and DL.

Our success last year and probably this year will ride with Double Trouble. We have one of the top starting OL's. However, last year we worked through numerous injuries thanks to Omolye, Bridges, and Hangman. This season that currently would lie with two second year players who spent their only NFL season on the PS.

[carolinarolls]

an opinion on what the free agent market looks like does not say it all. All sorts of deals can be worked through acquisition and trade when you have cap space and you know what holes in your roster take priority over others and when you know what you bargaining power and draft positions are instead of holding onto rainbows and wishing on fallen stars like Marty and company are doing now.

if you do not make moves to improve your team each year, you are not doing your job.

[carolinarolls]

Perhaps part of the reason the Cats were so prepared to take the hard line with Pep is that they didn't see anyone they really wanted in FA anyway that tagging him would prevent them from getting. Hence, he isn't really "holding them hostage". I mean how dumb would the Cats' FO have to be not to see the writing on the wall as far as the potential thought they may need to tag him to keep him after Pep turned down a VERY lucrative contract after his worst season in Carolina?

sigh...

[Fireball77]

So your stance is that there should be no FT at all because any team that uses it is "dumb" like Hurney?

Sigh.....

[panthers55]

Perhaps part of the reason the Cats were so prepared to take the hard line with Pep is that they didn't see anyone they really wanted in FA anyway that tagging him would prevent them from getting. Hence, he isn't really "holding them hostage". I mean how dumb would the Cats' FO have to be not to see the writing on the wall as far as the potential thought they may need to tag him to keep him after Pep turned down a VERY lucrative contract after his worst season in Carolina?

The issue that Peppers is causing is not the inability to go out and sign the big name FA's. The issue that will plague us if Peppers signs and plays under the Tag is our inability to have any decent depth on OL and DL.

Our success last year and probably this year will ride with Double Trouble. We have one of the top starting OL's. However, last year we worked through numerous injuries thanks to Omolye, Bridges, and Hangman. This season that currently would lie with two second year players who spent their only NFL season on the PS.

Exactly. Wish everyone could see the light.

[carolinarolls]

So your stance is that there should be no FT at all because any team that uses it is "dumb" like Hurney?

Sigh.....

Not really. This situation is different. It's not about money at all and pepers has said so according to the board hero Darin Gantt himself as late as yesterday afternoon. This guy wants out of here and we were stupid enough to think we could change his mind if we trapped him.

But the script has been flipped. Our hardball approach goes in vain because as of now there are no sniffs and the only thing the pro-tagging contingent can cuddle up with is a FEELING that "...meh, Free Agency wasn't all that great this year anyway"

Tagging Foster....BOMB!!!....This tagging has the potential to be MUCH worse.

..sigh indeed

[SKULL]

Maybe the F/O changed out the Defensive Coaches

Brought in Ron Meeks the coach that coached Dwight Freeney into the same pay scale as Peppers

Maybe Fox & Meeks are warming Peppers up to the idea of MEEKS defense using Peepers like Colts did Feeney ,and they are selling Peppers on the idea of being the N F L sack leader .

Sign a one year give it a try ,not happy after this season no more franchise .

Panthers have better players across the board than MEEKS ever had at one time with COLTS .

Now this is all based on Peppers was past tired of the old Panther defense