top dawg

You realize that that's not really proving anything. I think Rhule just goes with the best option. You'll see this when he picks Grier.

Middle of the pack isn't a good thing. As for Horn or Slater, we'll have to wait and see. If both play well, then it's a matter of philosophy.

I rely don't understand your rationale. If Smitty had an ax to grind, he'd be dogging out the organization and airing dirty laundry. He loves the Panthers and wants what's best for them. And, unfortunately, that's not Joey Slye.

I don't know about that, but that kid had some quick hands on that INT.

Top O-lines, not middling ones, are conducive to championships.

But what bothers me is that we seem stuck in a loop. The not-so-good O-line is not going to play well with our QB, so it's going to get a little nebulous as to how good or bad our QB is, which may lead to QB being a priority again. I could argue that the reason Cam never really became what he should have been was in large part because of the O-line. Perhaps, more importantly, I could argue that an O-line that left a lot to be desired is why there's no Lombardi trophy in Charlotte. So, looking through the PFF or Football Outsiders rankings, they're really hollow when you have at least one pig with lipstick on. Basically, you're as strong as your weakest link(s)! Kind of an off note: When you take a QB who hasn't made the best decisions under pressure and stick him behind an O-line that gives up pressure, ultimately nothing else really matters. I'll keep hoping for a "good" season, however unfulfilled, and maybe we can fix the O-line come next year...

And that's the real elephant: not a sucky O-line, but the franchise's seeming inability or unwillingness to develop one that puts out QB in the best position to succeed. It's a story that we've seen for going on a decade.

It's preseason. That's all I can really say about beating the blocks off an incomplete Steelers squad. I know everyone feels good that we finally got a win in the books, but we were not facing the Steelers' best, and we were really supposed to beat them pretty handily, and we did. Our defensive unit looks pretty amazing! It really does. The addition of Haason Reddick and Daquan Jones brings instant dividends. I don't think many statuesque QBs and anything less than a stout line will have a chance against them. They're going to give the opposition some problems. As long as the backend holds up their end of the bargain, we'll easily be a top 10 unit. I was definitely encouraged by Jaycee Horn's lockdown prospects last night, but even more encouraged by Donte Jackson's sure tackling. Moreover, our safeties, as a unit, may be better than advertised. They have some attitude, and look to know what they're doing out there, but we'll see in September. One thing I hope that we don't see next month is the O-line getting pushed around like styrofoam peanuts on breezy day. I mean, the interior implodes time and time again, like you're looking at the same bad scene of a video on loop. I don't have to explain the repercussions. Darnold will NEVER be all that he can be--Darnold v. 2--nor will he be able to effeciently play with all the great new toys in his toy box if he's running for his life. And, I don't even know if CMC can negotiate the waves of hands and arms as they come crashing into the backfield like a storm surge on the "dirty side" of a hurricane. Now, of course, it's preseason...Maybe we haven't seen our O-line's best. Maybe we've seen the vanilla version--yes, I'm being sarcastic--like that's really a thing for the offensive line. Imitation vanilla! [*chuckles*] Rhule needs to stop mixing it up! The offensive line needs to gel--develop chemistry and comfort, not be playing some ill-conceived version of musical chairs because this leads to an effective riot in the pocket and in the backfield. I mean, every series you're beginning to expect a jailbreak by the opposition. You're holding your breath like when Joey Slye is attempting a field goal. And, I'm not necessarily talking about how just fans are feeling, Sam Darnold could easily be feeing the same thing. We have roughly a couple of weeks to get our sh¡t together on the O-line, or this season might just become one helluva fait accompli on many levels. The O-line play is not acceptable, and unless they can pick someone up, or maybe scheme around deficiencies, I'm afraid that the term "big uglies" is going to be more literal for Panthers fans in 2021.

I have to see more. He was somewhat uneven. Our O-line didn't help matters.

"The only person madder than him is probably a postal worker!" LOLOL

He's fine! The collapsing of the O-line has caused a little happy feet. Sam has been off target a little bit, and should've had one picked. But he's doing OK.

I was like, "What the fug?" His career stats (if you can call them that) aren't too inspiring.

Step on up Luvu!

I remember, not too long ago, when some Huddle experts were telling me how Perryman was so much better than the dude that essentially made him expendable.

A bunch of mental gymnastics going on to try and make it a bad deal. The Huddle gonna Huddle even when a deal is good. Why don't you guys just move on? Like I told you last week, you're going to respect Robby! But, if you don't, it hardly matters. Robby earned his money, regardless of who you think is better blah blah blah.

Not exactly rocket science. The first part of negotiation is to ask for more than you can probably get.

Dwayne Haskins was almost discarded in the trash pile the last time that he faced the Panthers. Friday evening, he faces the Panthers again, but this after the Steelers made him something of a reclamation or at least recycling product. Haskins gets a second act, against likely a much-improved squad, to show that he belongs. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/32082586/qb-dwayne-haskins-start-friday-vie-solidify-spot-pittsburgh-steelers-roster?device=featurephone I'm not gonna lie, if it was a regular season game, I'd want our guys to make him look like he's ready to be discarded again, but since it's preseason, I'm going to wish Haskins well. He's obviously more humble and more mature. Tomlin and company are making a man out of him. Plus, it would be nice to see a little bit of legit competition for our starters Friday night. But, I wouldn't wager on Haskins against Burns, Reddick and company.

I'm not mad at him. He wants to go to Super Bowls! Anyone being objective will look at us and say that we aren't ready yet. Hopefully in a couple of years, we'll make him look back and reflect about how he missed a great opportunity.

My thing is that some people still don't appreciate Robby, and to me it blows the mind. What does he have to do? Putting him into a bucket of third and fourth stringers? What kinda poo is that? It's just not even in the realm of reality.

It may be a stretch, & I'm no doctor, but Becton may not be playing in the season opener. This concussion sounds kind of bad. "Becton, listed at 6-foot-7, 363 pounds, suffered a head-to-head collision on the fourth play of the first 11-on-11 period. He appeared woozy, immediately went to the sideline and vomited." Minutes later, he walked slowly to the locker room with a trainer. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/32078302/new-york-jets-lt-mekhi-becton-leaves-practice-being-evaluated-possible-concussion They keep taking hits, and our pass rushers are priming up for a big year.

Called it!

There are days when the Huddle Crazies just seem to live in an alternate universe. The extending of Robby Anderson, which is a positive development, has been spun into something decidedly negative by those who, in my opinion, just don't have sense, have temporarily lost their senses, or are perhaps too busy being homers (and this is Robby's home now as much as any other Panther) to analyze Robby's deal on its own merit because they erroneously believe that it will stop D.J. Moore from signing his own extension when the time comes. But, getting back to the point, there are plenty of people outside of this place who know what the deal is, and Yahoo Sports' Anthony Rizzuti is one among them. Let's just get right down to it, verbatim, because some of y'all (and you know who you are) need to hear it. "The fifth-year wideout earned that money by being absolutely money for the team thus far, coming off a career season of 1,096 yards on 95 catches in 2020. Although he’s largely thought of as a premier deep-ball threat, Anderson is much more than that. "Many may overlook his prowess as a route runner, for one, given the assumption that he lives primarily off the go. He’s often exhibited sharp footwork and direction on his runs, which made him a particularly effective intermediate last season for Carolina. Anderson picked up 512 yards after the catch this past campaign, good enough for the fourth-highest total in the NFL. "His hands have gradually improved as well. Not only do the visuals prove that he plays with much stronger mitts, but so do the numbers. 2020’s catch rate of 69.9 percent, aided a bit by the dink-and-dunk layups from quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, was by far his highest yet. The next closest mark was 55.3 percent back in 2017. "Overall, he’s closer to an entire package of a pass catcher than he is to being a Ted Ginn Jr." And that last sentence is the rub! Anyone that doesn't realize that Robby is more than just a take-the-lid off the WR, must be a fan of Adam Gase, is a believer in the Ron Rivera school incapability of adaptability, or is at least an Anti-Rhule adherent. Rhule knows his guys, and he believes in putting his players in the best position to succeed. He'll, I think we got a little taste of that by an ultimately underwhelming squad, but yet overachieving 2020 team. With better QB play, we may have been legitimately fighting for a postseason spot in December. A big part of that was Robby Anderson. Rhule let Robby expand his wings, and Robby responded even though arguably the best part of his skill set was like a repellent to Teddy Bridgewater's arm. But, Robby still made it work, and had arguably his best season. On an off note, look for Haason Reddick to have his best season and get a decently priced extension as well. Hopefully Sam Darnold will follow that path as well, though Rizzuti is not nearly as optimistic, having what seems to be a more wait-and-see attitude. But Rizzuti does believe, that whether it's Darnold or not, the extension of Anderson makes Carolina a very good destination for a QB for at least the near future. https://sports.yahoo.com/analysis-wr-robby-anderson-extension-212102413.html?src=rss

Where Ridley gets over is the 26 TDs compared to 10. That's pretty stark, although it helps when you have Julio on the other side. D.J. is going to have to up his scoring. His route running, though still not the best, has improved some. He's such a YAC monster and absolutely consumes those 50/50 balls, that one can forgive his lack of elite route running. It's going to be interesting to see who gets more money between them. On an off note, Robby gets his YAC as well, and is apparently a tough little guy, but he's more like lightning, where D.J. brings the thunder.