top dawg

Damn straight! Pepsi Mango is a revelation.

I get it now, though I will say that we could trade for Singletary with the promise of an extension

Singletary has proven that he can be productive. Cook hasn't done poo TBH. The pick is the most important thing. Singletary ain't the biggest guy in the world, but Cook is even smaller. Cook's ceiling is probably 3rd-down back. Singletary has at least played every down and has years of NFL conditioning under his belt. Take a look. https://buffalowdown.com/2022/05/23/buffalo-bills-devin-singletary-running-back-rankings/

I actually respect striving for "the middle eight and final five." Sounds Belichickian. The rest of the stuff was very...collegiate. When you're not winning, something is obviously not working, and grown men are not going to buy in.

He has had help, just from the wrong people. He mentioned consultants, as well as spoke to a more conformist approach going forward. He didn't say he was necessarily "trying hard", in fact he wasn't really sentimental at all. He just said that he doesn't know it all, being that he's only been an owner for four years. I've heard people suggest that Tepper is akin to Jerry Jones, a supremely meddlesome owner who may think he knows more than he does, but other than giving Rhule an abnormally long and prosperous contract (which really only affects Tepper's purse), and giving this basic newb total control, he has let his staff do what they do. At least he doesn't sound like he'll go down that road again.

Good insight.

You're right, but I don't know who asked the question. Maybe someone more familiar with the voice can tell us.

I thought that it might be good to listen to David Tepper's press conference once again, just to see if I missed anything and/or could gather any fresh insights. There's nothing really major that I picked up, but I do have some thoughts. Tepper's demeanor during the conference was not as bad as I had originally believed. He seemed more frustrated than anything. Part of that was probably due to reporters trying to steer questions towards the past instead of the present. Yes, Tepper got a little defensive when asked about his firings of people within his organization, the failed HQ project, and the general failure of the Rhule era, but as a Panthers fan, I could really care less about that stuff. I want to know what he's going to do now. Whether he considers Charlotte FC a win, or bringing concerts to BoA stadium a win, or has rejuvenated eatery choices near the stadium doesn't matter to me...at all. All that may be a win for him, but it's not a win for the Panthers, so I "don't want want to hear that." Tepper said that it takes time to build a winner, but fans "don't want to hear that", but I'd rather hear that than him try to sell me on the fact that a few concerts, surrounding restaurants and a soccer team are a "win-win" situation because I am not buying it. To be fair, he didn't bring it up, Also, to be fair, Tepper expressly took responsibility for the current state of the team as the head of the organization. And, he did answer plenty, even if it wasn't what people wanted to hear, or as specific as some may have deemed. In my opinion, reporters should've kept the questions about the transition of the team as it directly relates to the present and future product on the field. Some did, and some tried to take it to a litany of failures. Tepper wasn't interested, and I don't think the bulk of Panthers fans were interested either. We should be focused on the future. For his part, Tepper was trying to talk of the future. He didn't come right out and say it, but I don't believe he'll be giving any untested college coaches any long term contracts in the future. Among other things, he did mention that of course he is still learning. He pointedly made the distinction between himself and others that had been owners for decades. He essentially admitted that they know more. He spoke of appreciating a measure of conformity, but still reserves the right to take risks in order to win. In some respect, I think that firing a coach midseason is out of the norm (though not necessarily beyond it), and Tepper has shown that he will do that when he feels that it's time. Some may look at it as impatience or too much patience as it were, but Tepper is rightFitterer says that patience a balancing act. His patience with Rhule was allowed to grow, but of course it grew thin, and now we're on to Steve Wilks to salvage a grounded ship taking on water. In regards to Wilks, I get the sense that Tepper wants to genuinely see what Wilks has, but I zeroed in on a couple of key points in regards to Wilks hanging on to the job after this season. Tepper said that Wilks was the "best person in the building" to essentially right the ship. He also said that if Wilks does an "incredible" job, then the coach may essentially be the best man for the job going forward. But, make no mistake, Wilks is going to have to show some progress. Tepper wouldn't put a number on anything, but in general he did basically say that progress is more than five wins two years in a row, so I'm thinking that that out of the twelve games left, that Wilks and company had better win half of them at the very least to appear credible in Tepper's eyes. But, that's my own thinking. "Incredible" sounds like a high bar to me, so I wouldn't exactly bet the house on Wilks, but of course I wish him the best. I think Tepper's going to give him a "fair" shake, whatever that looks like. One thing that I can't stress enough is that Tepper is very cognizant of limited and/or misused resources. He is keenly aware of and focused upon the way that the Panthers' capital has been managed and how that speaks to (and has spoken to) our success on the field. Scott Fitterer may as well be sitting in an uncomfortable, hard chair in a super dark room before a focused beam of light, with Tepper as the interrogator. Under Fitt's guidance, we may be "in on every deal" (which I like), but the in-on-every-deal mantra may be wearing thin with Tepper. Fitterer best be using our resources in a way that obviously benefits the team---basically, in a way that brings about winning. Tepper mentioned winning probably more than anything, but maximizing capital---including very important draft capital---was arguably the most important takeaway from Tepper's press conference, and the man under the microscope right now to that end is Scott Fitterer. I believe Fitterer will survive if Wilks survives. Will he survive if he doesn't? Listening to Tepper, I'm not so sure. We will see. Fitterer is under the microscope, yes, but so is everyone. Tepper said, "There's no place to hide." He was not only referring to the executives and coaches, but the players. I believe that this comment hasn't been mentioned enough in light of all the low-key sensationalism about his manner. But make no mistake, Tepper has his eyes on the players as well. Sure, Wilks may have put them on notice, but in my estimation Tepper put them on notice with that comment (and not simply Rhule's firing). So, TLDR: Tepper's presser demeanor was much ado about nothing; he doesn't desire to talk about the future, he gave answers related to the present, and said that the present will have direct repercussions towards the future. Rhule was fired because he didn't win. Wilks had better win. The management and allocation of resources, including draft capital, must be treated as a priority, and maybe Fitterer will be here and maybe he won't to that end. The remainder of the season will go a long way towards what happens with the GM, coaches and players. Tepper is still committed to winning. Personally I don't think he's going to make the same mistakes of the past with our next moves, but I believe that he is still open to going outside the norm while also realizing that conformity has its benefits.

It may not have been either, but it wasn't Fowler.

Scot, actually I thought this article may have been less informative than the other one, but more insightful.

No one thinks that Walker, Mayfield, or Darnold is the answer. And only a relatively few it seems thinks that Corral is possibly the answer. Most others think that Young, Stroud, or some other QB in 2023's draft is the answer---some so much so that they support tanking. Walker is starting this week for somewhat obvious reasons.

I'm pretty sure I've seen all that before.

Uh, that's not what set Tepper off. Tepper was really really "extra" with Fowler. That was the worst part of the presser.

It's not exactly a secret that he's our only viable option at the moment, so I'd say that the case is very much open, even if it's by default.

We have our LT! It is so great to be able to say that. Really! It's been too much of a long time coming.

Yep. Can't blame them for our offensive malaise.

No. They shouldn't. You think that Tepper isn't going to mandate that we be a part of the Lamar Jackson sweepstakes?

I will give you this, if for some reason Corral can't get on the field by TC due to the injury, he won't get a legit shot. But that's the only reason (other than having another complete dumbass as a coach).

Say whatever you want. We all know that you talk out your ass all the time.

I don't believe anyone is or ever was concerned about Baker starting over Corral--no one serious. Once Baker was signed, it was a done deal. I also don't believe that anyone is concerned with drafting a QB. I halfway expect it. My point is that Corral will get just as much of an opportunity as anyone that we draft, though some Huddlers just assume that he won't. I'm saying that any coach worth his weight in gold is going to let Corral legitimately compete.

It doesn't matter. This isn't about the vet, who will more than likely be a bridge, it's about Corral being on equal footing with anyone that we may draft.

He may not, but it will be because a rookie has beaten him out. I think that it's presumptuous to think a rookie will simply win the job. I'm not saying that a rookie won't win the job, but I don't believe that any sensible coach will hand it to him without giving Corral a legit shot. I just don't see it. Corral has enough talent to compete with anyone drafted. That's just the way that I see it.

In the scenario where we don't acquire a vet and presume to go with a rookie or Corral. You can presume that some rookie can simply beat Corral out if you like, butvI'm not going to do that. I think that any sensible coach will actually have a genuine competition.

You would be a good poster if your takes and posts didn't cater to the Amen Corner. So, I can't take anything that you take seriously either. Just being honest.

Oh, because you stated it...Come on, dude.