hepcat

Hypothetical offseason question. If the Panthers sat Bryce in 2023 and played Dalton instead, where would the Panthers be going into 2024? One thing is certain, things would be VERY different. 1) Frank Reich doesn’t get fired. Dalton is a veteran and operated Frank’s offense far more effectively in the one game he started than Bryce did. The Panthers likely look a lot more competent early on and Frank doesn’t get fired mid-season. Caveat - It’s also been quietly mentioned in some media outlets that Frank and the staff preferred to draft CJ Stroud and might have tanked the season intentionally to get fired, all speculation. But the vanilla offensive scheme might have been a coincidence due to lack of talent and competence, or perhaps malicious compliance. 2) The Panthers wouldn’t have been the worst team in the NFL. The defense was fairly good in 2023 despite the fact the offense was the worst in the NFL with Young under center. With a veteran starting at QB, the offense would possess the ball for longer periods of time and could have lead to even better performances from the defense. 3) Scott Fitterer doesn’t get fired. A move I think was needed either way, but if the Panthers resembled anything in the way of competency in 2023, Fitterer doesn’t get the axe especially because they hadn’t seen what Bryce can do on the field yet. 4) David Tepper doesn’t throw a drink at a fan. I think we’re all tired of the owner of this franchise embarrassing the fans with his immature behavior but hey, I have to imagine that his rage wouldn’t have been at level 10 if they hadn’t had the disaster of a season they did in 2023. 5) Bryce has a good 2024? Biggest leap I can make in this speculation but I think if Bryce sat in 2024, and the team makes similar moves to build the offense around him, he would come into a much better situation after having a chance to learn on the bench behind a veteran instead of the situation he was thrust into. We will never know how this would have played out but it is fun to speculate!

I hate to praise Atlanta but what they did was not dumb. The only issue is where they drafted Penix. #8 overall was very high for a QB with Penix’s injury history. But it wasn’t a bad decision. I wish the Panthers took a broader approach to finding a franchise QB after Cam. Cousins is old and recovering from a serious injury, so he is obviously a temporary placeholder. It makes sense they hedged their bet on Cousins, because Atlanta was burned by holding onto Matt Ryan too long while his skills degraded. If Cousins can still play, Penix gets to sit on the bench and learn which has proven to be a winning strategy for developing young QBs. If Cousins sucks or gets hurt again, they have a legit backup plan to see what they have in Penix. Where are the Panthers if Bryce gets hurt or sucks again this season? The season is over and they’ll be considering drafting another QB next year.

Same as when Jordan Gross said that having to block Julius Peppers made him a better player. But I mean no sh*t, having to block one of the best DE’s of all time will up your game. I bet Gross went up against other DE’s in games and was like, this is nothing. Horn isn’t that level of player obviously, but Legette has his work cut out for him going against Horn in practice. The coaches should be able to tell pretty quick what they have in Legette.

Lol I checked again and they had removed that part, but it’s still on the page they linked. Walter Football gave them an A- grade and also threw a heavy dig at them for passing on Stroud hahaha

You’d go insane if you continually rehash the absolutely atrocious decisions this team has made over the last 5 years

I wish I didn’t watch that video, what a bunch of nothing

Savage take

What flavor is the kool ade you drank because I need some

They continue to pass on the top centers in the draft in favor of project WRs and I already made a thread about it. This team is dumb and continues to be dumb.

Phil Simms has needed to exit CBS for 10 years

Some of Fitterer’s drafts received good grades from what I remember. But I agree this was a questionable draft. Only picks I think will stick on the roster are the Texas boys

Brooks was a good pick. He’s 20 years old and did not play a ton in college. He will bounce back from the injury.

C+ because I wasn't a fan of the Legette pick, but Brooks and Sanders could be staples of the Panthers offense for years to come, hence the +

Not that WR isn’t important but the Panthers have had bad to atrocious center play since Kalil retired, and they are poised to do so again. Legette was the 7th WR drafted. They had their pick of all the centers in the draft. Center isn’t sexy but good center play wins games.

Right because there are zero examples of rookie centers of having immediate success

I still cannot figure out what kind of team the Panthers are trying to build, and frankly I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t either. But one thing is clear - regardless of who is in charge, the Panthers will continue to bypass drafting starting caliber centers in favor of project WRs. After rightfully cutting the struggling Bradley Bozeman, center was a glaring need coming into the draft. The team claims to be converting former guard Austin Corbett to center, who is coming off two consecutive season ending knee injuries. Corbett has experience at center, and in Madden Franchise Mode this would be a move that makes sense. But going into a critical season for the development of second year QB Bryce Young, drafting a center to grow with seemed like the prudent decision. The selection of WR in Xavier Legette over Center prospects Jackson Powers-Johnson and Zack Frazier, means 4th year receiver Terrace Marshall Jr is likely on borrowed time and will be labeled another Panthers WR draft bust. It also signals that second year WR Jonathan Mingo could be heading that direction as well. Both receivers were drafted in favor of starting caliber centers in their respective drafts. In 2021, Terrace Marshall was selected instead of Creed Humphrey (starting C for the Chiefs) and Josh Myers (starting C for the Packers), who were selected 3 and 4 picks after the Panthers picked Marshall. In 2023, the Panthers picked Mingo ahead of Joe Tippman (starting C for the Jets), and John Michael Schmitz (starting C for the Giants). Legette could become the next Deebo Samuel and make Panthers fans forget about the players they passed on to draft him. But history is not on the Panthers side, who continue to demonstrate the definition of insanity of doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. And I still have no idea what kind of team they are trying to build.

TMJ isn’t making the roster

They needed a starting caliber center worse than another WR. Center is probably going to be a disaster of a position this season. Bad center play will tank the entire line. This team can’t do anything right.

Converted guard coming off serious knee injuries, no backup needed

They need a center so badly

Great pick. 10x the receiver that Tremble or Thomas are.

It’s a bad draft. Brooks is the only passable pick.

He’s 20 years old. Very unlikely that happens

Brooks might be the only player from this draft that is still on the team 4 years from now

Brooks can play but 100% on Legette and this pick.