top dawg

When you know what to expect and realize that your owner is intentionally tanking the team, the bitter pill, which wasn't even really bitter, is easy to swallow. That was a classic tank job. Here, we are supposed to be getting better, but I can't say that we have. It's very nebulous. What I know for sure is that our QB hasn't made the offense better (which makes the defense appear worse as well), and it's even more of a QB-driven league than it was a decade ago. Without a franchise QB, you're really nothing but a dice roll in the NFL. Not to mention that knowing our history, including that whole fiasco, makes this much worse.

First off, Deshaun Watson apparently rejected the Panthers. Let that sink in! I guess we weren't offering enough free special massages (and, yeah, that remark is the result of some saltiness)! Anyway, there will be no strike three--Matt Stafford, Watson--because the only way Aaron Rodgers is coming to Charlotte is to whip our asses with whatever big market team he's playing for. The same can be said for Russell Wilson. So basically we're fuged unless we get lucky. We're in QB hell--not purgatory, but H-E-L-L! Our crusade for a franchise QB has landed us on a fuging raft without a sail. We are at the mercy of whatever winds blow our way. Who knows where the fug we'll end up? There is no answer on the roster! Darnold isn't it. PJ Walker? He could throw a ball from the middle of the ocean and somehow still miss the ocean. I get why some of you are happy, but this isn't a happy time. Not saying that there isn't a college prospect that won't turn out to be a legitimate franchise QB--because all of them have flaws and are looking shaky--but after seeing us push some chips in on the likes of Teddy Bridgewater and especially Sam Darnold, do you really have any faith that Matt Rhule and company will be able to separate the wheat from the chaff? I mean, I get taking a chance and outwardly being optimistic, but giving not one but two suspect QBs more than a year's worth of a contract and throwing good money at what has a high risk of being bad is an equation for failure. And, like I alluded to, there might not even be a legit franchise QB in the 2022 draft. But, like I also alluded to, maybe we can get lucky. Maybe we can have some dumb luck instead of just dumb decisions for once pertaining to our signal caller. As it stands now, we may have to continue this cycle and hope. Hell, I'd rather watch Cam, Minshew, Garropolo, or whatever retread with a pulse--err, upside, than watch what we have now. fug! Who am I kidding? I'm going to watch it. I am. But my expectations will be that of a Jets fan. Maybe, just maybe we can get lucky. And maybe, just maybe, Rhule and Fitterer will be able to build a team that will attract a decent starter by 2025 (if they last that long). I'm not gonna lie. This is the lowest I've felt as a Panthers fan ever. And you may not appreciate it, but that's saying something. I love the Panthers, and I will never jump ship--or in this case, the raft--but they are losing me on some level. The fire in the belly, the hope, the being on edge and at a moment's notice to defend the team, rationalize the moves, and wax on about how we're building something is being lost. Maybe it's just a temporary rant, or perhaps something more. I don't even know at this point. It's certainly not happiness. There is no giddiness at the thought of being in franchise QB wilderness, regardless of whatever preceded it.

PJ was 3 of 14 with balls flying hither and yonder, everywhere but into the receivers' hands. I have no interest in watching him (or Darnold to be honest)!

See what P.J. has?

I think Florio is guessing at this point, but he's giving Miami the edge. https://pantherswire.usatoday.com/2021/10/27/florio-75-25-panthers-deshaun-watson/

Yeah. And I hated that dumb motherfuger too. He went to the Raiders and immediately got his shots after waxing on about that dumb bullshit that Kyrie Irving espouses while he was here.

Hell, I and others were saying it all offseason. He was arguably superior to Sam, but Sam was the 1st rounder and Minshew a 6th. Several analytical categories indicated that Minshew was the better bet. Unfortunately, Rhule was thinking squarely inside the box, and now we're screwed again (lost draft picks and 18 mil) because of it.

It's a bitch when your only (questionable) quality win is against the Saints with have their coaching staff out.

Paper don't mean poo, and their defense is likely ranked higher than ours (I'm just too lazy to look it up). RBs aren't a wash either, as Kamara is actually playing. Nothing wrong with Marquez Callaway and Kenny Stills. We have the better WR corps while Thomas is out.

This isn't discussed enough on the Huddle. Solid--in some cases, shaky--at several things, but master of nothing certainly has had mixed results, and that may be being generous.

Sunday was a hot mess from PFF's perspective, as you can imagine. I'm not going to say much. One thing that I've been procrastinating about is how disappointed I am in Jermaine Carter. His replacement, while maybe not an immediate priority, must be placed on our things-to-do list. "Meh" appears to be his ceiling. PJ Walker was 3 of 14, making "erratic" seem like an understatement. Something positive? Christiansen may have a future at guard yet. Our safety play has been solid. Look at the crap if you want. https://pantherswire.usatoday.com/lists/panthers-pff-week-7-giants/

Darnold's play is mucking up the clarity of everyone's situation, that's for sure.

His contract outpaces a few others by like 2 or 3 mil per year.

CMC's contract is not "huge", it's perhaps slightly high for a really terrific player when he's on the field. It's not outside the realm of believability that someone would roll the dice on CMC, especially when he hasn't really suffered anything major. His contract becomes a better value over time, provided that he is playing.

IDK what "the farm" is, but whether or not I'd be in favor all hinges upon the price, and nothing else.

The "@JackSimon" is a giveaway.

I doubt he has a "significant" chance of being behind bars. Anyone saying that is way overblowing this. Watson is not facing criminal charges, and if he were going to face criminal charges, the law would've likely already charged him. If this is like most of these situations, he'll likely get a a number of games off after all this crap is settled.

I think it'll likely be two firsts and some higher profile guys. It's going to take something to get something. I still believe that we have solid personnel on defense, even the ones acquired later in the draft and in FA. They should have plenty of cap and Fitterer is supposed to be everything Gettleman professed to be in regards to identifying pro talent, plus Fit is supposed to have a good network. He and others are just going to have to earn their money and do their jobs.

My patience is wearing thin with Rhule, and there is growing skepticism--like elephant-in-the-room type of skepticism, but I haven't lost complete hope. I don't think he's a dumb guy, and I have to believe that he's going to make some serious adjustments. That being said, I just don't know if he knows how to evaluate talent. I'm also tired of his shtick and telling me how great players are when anyone can see that they're dog poo. One thing that he needs to do is fire Brady. Brady is in over his head.

Watson is still a young QB, so any trade with him in mind doesn't have to be about a team that's immediately ready to compete. It appears that most of the detractors here just don't want to acknowledge that acquiring Watson is about the long game. Sure, there is risk. But, Tepper doesn't fear risk, he built his success upon it.

People keep talking about his contract. His contract is not that bad. It's maybe 2 or 3 mil more per year than other top backs in the league. The problem is his ability to stay on the field. If someone believes that he'll get over these nagging injuries (which is not outside the realm of believability), then that contract will stop nothing.

They were pressing like motherfugers. The only way they could've thought he looked like Matt Stafford is if they were sharing the bong. They had to feel pressure, real or imagined, to lie to themselves like that.

Did you see the one where he helped sack Darnold? Someone should've caught that on camera.

I didn't mind trading for him, though I thought the 2nd was a round too high. What I did mind was picking up that option as opposed to letting him earn his status on the field. The motherfuger learned nothing from the Teddy situation. Dumb!

Before this game, Football Outsiders had the O-line at 23. I can't say for PFF, which is generally similar.