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Wahle/Lucas signings

Matt Foley

By Matt Foley,
in Carolina Panthers

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Matt Foley Newbie

Matt Foley

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It is my opinion that the Mike Wahle and Ken Lucas free agent signings were the worst thing to have happened to this franchise in the past five years. Yes, including Keyshawn. The Panthers had a tight knit group full of Brad Hoovers, Jake Delhommes and Mike Minters....guys who didn't make Pro Bowls (except for Delhomme) but gave everything they had year after year. Wahle and Lucas come in and sign for more money than all of these guys, and neither one of them lived up to their contract. Neither player was a stiff, mind you, but the Panthers ventured into the deep end of free agency (spending big bucks) thinking they were one or two players away. This is the most dangerous thing a GM can think. Discuss.

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MadHatter Rookie

MadHatter

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Lucas has been a very good player for this team. Wahle was a good player, but his style did not fit with what Davidson and Fox wanted to do (get bigger and more physical). You hit some homeruns in FA and you strike out.

Even though Wahle did not panout as the dominant OL that we all expected, I remember reading that his presence was a great asset to alot of our younger OL...we are seeing the benifit of it now.

Lucas I would consider a double....solid CB, just not the lock down guy we all convinced ourselves that he was.

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Matt Foley Newbie

Matt Foley

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My point was....it was more or less the Panthers philosophy not to go for the top free agents. They had that year after the Super Bowl where everything fell apart and then they almost came back to make the playoffs, and they thought "we can plug in Wahle and Lucas and voila...we're back."

I don't believe this works in football. Maybe it does in basketball or baseball, but football is more about the camaraderie in the locker room. Bring in someone who hasn't gotten bloody with the gang and pay him more money and you're bound to create problems. Look at the last two seasons before this one. The Panthers had the talent. What was missing?

Now they have it back. Let's hope they don't fall for that "we're one player away" line of thinking again.

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Matt Foley Newbie

Matt Foley

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it's not obvious?

Not to me. Wahle never really panned out. He had one Pro Bowl year where even he said it was a lifetime achievement award and not given specifically for his play that year. Lucas has been hot and cold. He's made a lot of plays, for sure, but he's also been very unpopular in the locker room, too. Not because he's a jerk, but more so because he got all that money. Brentson Buckner used to hint that Lucas had a habit of getting hurt whenever the best receivers were up next on the schedule.

They were both good, solid additions to the team. But they weren't saviors, and they certainly didn't put the Panthers over the hump.

Don't take this as a "down with Ken Lucas" thread. It's a "down with going after big money free agents" thread. I think the team you see on the field today is the result of Mike Wahle leaving and Ken Lucas earning back the respect of his teammates this year by taking one for the team in training camp.

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