top dawg

By the way, Juan, you were beaten by the bot...per me.

Solid signing. Rezjohn Wright might be in trouble.

Fair enough. I think the OC was showing some of that offensively during the second half...

The O-line had some notable performances last season, and our personnel has possibly improved. I don't think all fans are simply freaking out, especially during the preseason. If it looks terrible in October and especially November, then the disappointment will be justified.

The Steelers doing Steelers things... I'll say that I hoped to see more push by the O-line, but I'm not freaking out during preseason. I just can't do it after watching football in earnest for 47 years. The preseason is the preseason.

If we get competent O-line play, we can establish a competent running game. Injuries obviously play a part of that equation.

Smithers, no one ( with the exception of possibly John Harbaugh) is going all-out to win during the preseason. And, no, I'm not concerned by what Reich said because it's realistic, especially considering the circumstances. We are anything but a settled team. Everything is basically new. It's going to take time to develop players, processes and actually smooth the rough edges out.

If Chuba is out for any extended period of time, I'm all for signing Fournette, Penny or whoever as opposed to relying on an obvious project.

That's not (even remotely) what's going on.

To be fair, the O-line looked like it has been in the right position. Ickey has had a couple of brain farts. Moton looks rusty, and the interior is a work in progress. Plus, Bryce is still a rookie, and he hasn't been let off his chain yet.

People who just poo people who have stated what's just obviously obvious are the ones with a chip on their shoulder. I will say it again, whether you or anyone likes it or not: Corral had his best outing and improved markedly upon not only his first, but also from last preseason when he looked like a chicken with his head cut off. With luck and hard work, he'll keep improving to the point where he consistently looks like he can handle an NFL offense. Got it?

I'm mad & you're the one shitting me for no reason.

I don't believe that player development is necessarily a waste of time. It can actually be looked upon as a positive or all involved parties. Everyone can't start right away. Some players need extra attention and time. Give me $15400 per week for being on a practice squad. I'll work to get on the 53 and be happy.

Peoples runs high (not necessarily a death knell), is not known for a lot of shake-and-bake, hasn't displayed the ability to consistently catch (so currently his three-down prospects are questionable), and perhaps most importantly is sketchy at pass blocking. I don't think that we're ready to rely on People's.

He's likely alright as he played a couple of snaps the other night.

That's the best laugh I've had during the preseason.

Nothing wrong with being positive. I'm a realist by nature though. I will say that predicting wins and losses is not necessarily an exercise in futility, it's just a general way to frame expectations. Admittedly, I don't engage with a crystal ball to this degree. I just thought that it was necessary in my quest to figure out why some of the people that I've grown accustomed to displaying reasonable minds are declaring "Playoffs, or bust!"

Probably because he needs a lot of work.

Ankle injury?

I've been trying really hard to see what others see, and I can't do that without making assumptions, taking a giant leap of faith and basically just throwing better judgement out the window, but I'm willing to play a game. I'm looking at our schedule and assuming that we're going to split with our division rivals (which is reasonable, though not guaranteed), how are we getting to the playoffs? How does our all-star, know-it-all, can-do-no-wrong, perfection-personified of a coaching staff full of football gods improve upon a 7-10 season last year? Don't get me wrong! I've told you many times over the years that historically we're likely not going to have an inkling of what we have until probably mid October. So, anything is possible! It really is. But on this day, pre season, I can't see us winning more than 7 (maybe 8 if I'm hedging) games, and a lot is going to have to go silky smooth for us to do it. Again, I'm assuming that we split with our division rivals. I think that some of you playoffs-or-bust people must be assuming that we're going to ride roughshod over the NFCS (which has really only happened once if you think about it), and that not only are our division rivals not improving, but all of our other rivals this year have stayed in a state of inertia, and that we're the only ones that have improved. Most people outside of Carolina---err, the Carolina Huddle, just don't believe that. So, take some time and explain to me why you believe that we're going to do something that almost never happens in the division and/or look at the opponents below and tell me why you believe that we're going to beat them, and try to do it analytically without all the emotions and grand generalizations. Homer glasses off! Week 3: 9/24 at Seahawks L Week 4: 10/1 vs. Vikings. W Week 5: 10/8 at Detroit Lions. L Week 6: 10/15 at Dolphins. L Week 8: 10/29 vs. Texans. W Week 9: 11/5 vs. Colts. W Week 10: 11/9 at Bears L Week 11: 11/19 vs. Cowboys. L Week 12: 11/26 at Titans. L Week 16: 12/24 vs. Packers. W Week 17: 12/31 at Jaguars. L

Oh. Alright. Makes sense...Damn, I was all fuged up.

My son's at the gym, so I don't want to bother him, but I have a question. What the fug is "touching grass?" Is it toking on a blunt or something?

People talk as though it's just one continuous season, and like the schedule is a carbon copy, and like all the other teams are just standing still. I know damn well that the Saints are farther along on the curve to legitimacy than we are this season by virtue of their talent and experience alone, not to mention their staff and coaching continuity.

He may have even done the math. Regular season = Preseason x 10

I get it. The Panthers are a part of me too, but I just have to keep it all in perspective, especially considering the world that we live in.