top dawg

Don't be mad at Saleh; if you must be mad at anyone at this point, be mad at Reich. Let's keep it all in perspective, it was the first preseason game in a new era. Hopefully we can erase the bad taste in our mouths Friday evening.

All true, but our starting O-line better look like a group of competent vets Friday evening, whether stunted or not (play on words, made up verb intended).

I don't know about him being a better than dual threat than Sanders, and he's older. He'd take the pressure off for sure though.

That was excellent! Tom Grossi has some competition.

Because he's our best blocking TE...That's all I can come up with.

I was thinking that perhaps on one throw, but Bryce may have been looking at the DBs possibly cutting underneath for an INT, or the fact that Hurst may have come up short.

I basically missed the second half (having discussions with my wife & 96 year old grandma). You said something akin to what I wanted to say, but seeing that I really only paid attention during the first half, I bit my tongue. But, when I looked at his stats I said, "This doesn't necessarily jibe with the 'Corral sucks' theme that some Huddlers were/are so quick to throw around." Some Huddlers gonna huddle though, and always overlook context. Context matters; I say this all the time.

https://www.vegasinsider.com/nfl/odds/nfc-south/

I don't. That little thing called "decision making" bothers the hell out of me in regards to AR. He didn't exactly light the world on fire in his first preseason game either.

That's not my quote, that comes from the Sporting News. Moreover, considering what Bryce was dealing with, it's conceivable that someone would give him an A. I can't judge him because he really didn't have time.

All fine and good, but you have to realize that personnel changes, experience changes, the schedule changes, and other teams don't stand still. If you look top to bottom, most people outside of Panthers land will likely say that the Saints are the one's to beat in the NFCS this season. They will likely also tell you that only one team out of the NFCS is making the playoffs.

I'm not discounting the possibility of making the playoffs this season, but using that as a standard or expectation in the first year of a coach--really a team, is unfair in my opinion.

I'm not buying it. The Saints have been a threat forever it seems like, and for all the criticism of Carr, he has been solid, if unspectacular, most of the time, and he's most certainly an upgrade over Dalton or Turnover Winston. The Saints defense will likely be better than ours, their O-line is solid, and you can't take away anything from Kamara, Jamaal Williams, Thomas or Olave. I wouldn't exactly sleep on their TEs either. But Carr should make a big difference for them. I certainly wouldn't sleep on the Falcons or Bucs either. Now, people may not agree, but when the coaching search was coming to a close and the rumors were abound, I said then that I was skeptical about Reich's play calling. Now, he's well-respected for a reason, don't get me wrong, but he isn't perfect and many Colts fans and writers have been critical of some of his play calls, particularly at critical times. Even if one overlooks all that, there are still many different personalities and philosophies that must be meshed into an efficient and effective staff. That takes time. So, we're just going to disagree on this one. I agree that standards should be high, but you still have to give all these pieces a certain amount of time to actually make it to the playoffs. One season is insufficient in my opinion.

Reich ain't Jim Harbaugh, my friend. He's not Kyle Shanahan either. We weren't that good last season. We played in a weak division and played a decidedly weak schedule. Any other division, and people wouldn't even be mentioning playoffs. I'd say that a winning season would be a good start.

I don't agree about our receiving corps. Young guys, evev the ones that that have had zero opportunities to step up doesn't automatically equal to poor; inexperience simply means that they haven't had the opportunity to show off their full potential. Plus, we have a couple of talented vets, not to mention a pass-catching TE that can't be taken for granted.

I mean, I don't know how you guys can realistically expect the playoffs with everything so new, but more power to you. If this were a normal year in a normal division, we wouldn't be sniffing the playoffs. Every team in our division is supposed to make for a weak division, much like last season, but there are scenarios where that may not be true (and if history is our guide, it won't be true). That being said, we are basically the newest kid on the block so to speak. I would say that the Saints (if not the Falcons), are supposed to be farther along the curve than we are. There's a lot of inexperience with our team.

Bryce "got up fast." I'm being facetious, but I think that if we take a step back as Panthers fans, maybe his showing was pretty good within the context. 1. Bryce Young, Panthers (Round 1, No. 1 overall, Alabama) Grade: A Stats: 4-of-6 passing, 21 yards, 3.5 yards per attempt, 72.2 passer rating, "Young's numbers didn't come with any big plays. He was under pressure for the most of Saturday afternoon against the Jets' talented and deep pass rush. He didn't take off a make a highlight run, either. But he quickly silenced any remaining critics about his size, maturity and readiness for the NFL. "The Panthers ran a vanilla passing scheme under Frank Reich and Thomas Brown. Young did as best he could to get the ball out quickly vs. the rush. He got up fast after taking a big hit early from Solomon Thomas. He just missed downfield to D.J. Chark with a overthrow created by needing to get rid of the ball with Jermaine Johnson flying off the edge. Young also wasn't helped by Laviska Shenault shortening a third-down route. Young's best throw was a bullet to who will be his reliable go-to guy, Adam Thielen. "Young's leadership and intangibles as the unquestioned Panthers starter were on full display. He can do what's needed playing off an effective run-heavy offense and improving defense, staying efficient, making right decisions and minimizing mistakes before he unleashes his passing ceiling at some point." https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/bryce-young-anthony-richardson-stetson-bennett-preseason-grades/zhzncglk37ndpk3c4bfcghhv

Well, I have seen a naked ass on a few occasions over the years of watching this game, most certainly a crack here or there...

Hit the expectations reset button!

Yeah, it's all a Jedi Mind Trick. Reich (and Campen) playing 5D chess out there. Give them nothing! Don't let them see anything...but Bryce taking hits and RBs running into a pile.

I thought it was a good value for both sides all things considered. D.J. was the key, and he was not as worth as much to us in our stage of development, and within the context of our personnel, as he was to them where they were. Like you, I'm making that trade every single time.

Man, most of us are way past questioning the trade. Some of us never questioned it.

That's about how I feel. It's cool to get caught up in the frenzy of positivity before the season begins. Everyone is going to shock the world come September. We probably needed a dose of reality, and a reset of expectations. We are a young team with a new HC, OC, DC, defensive scheme, rookie QB (two, for all intents and purposes), etc. It was never in the cards to be world beaters out the gate. All that being said... 27-0 is not a good look. Your starting O-line looking like a grocery cart on basically every play is disappointing. You can't really justify that (at least in my mind), especially when you have the seasoned linemen and experienced brain trust that we do. We looked unprepared and outclassed. "Vanilla" doesn't justify an O-lineman not being able to provide basic protection or open up a hole. Time to get back to work. Let's strive for putting at least a couple of points on the board in week two. From 27-0, all you can do is improve, and it all starts with the O-line.

Don't know how you can blame Chuba, the O-line got zero push. Kevin Patra got everything right: "The struggles of the offensive line undercut Young's debut. Despite playing four starters, Carolina got no push in the run game, and the QB was regularly pressured. The right guard spot is a clear issue, at least until Austin Corbett returns from the physically unable to perform list. The Panthers rotated the RG position during Young's three drives, with Michael Jordan giving up the sack." https://www.nfl.com/news/qb-bryce-young-debut-highlights-concerns-for-panthers