mountainpantherfan2

DJ Johnson reminds me a lot of James Harrison. Harrison was 24 his rookie season. Both have similar builds and skill sets. And seem to have that same nasty, mean steak in them. I also think Johnson’s ability to play inside or out at LB and possibly at times shift up to the lines makes him very versatile.

My biggest issue with Young is that he reminds me a lot of RG3. The good and the bad. No way Young is able to stay healthy. Smaller framed QBs can stay relatively more healthy in the NFL if they aren’t a mobile QB. But as soon as they start making plays with their legs they open themselves up to injury. And once that knee or ACL goes, they are never the same. See RG3. A QB can have the physical and mental tools and the “it” factor but if they can’t stay healthy then it doesn’t matter. If the Panthers aren’t interested in Lamar Jackson because of his injury history (not 100% if that is the reason or not) then I would find it hard to believe they would be interested in Young.

I’ve said this before but I believe the coverup had more to do with his mental and congenital regression. We will probably never know if true but I suspect JR was and is suffering some form of dementia. There’s even been some comments by past players and coaches/personnel to suggest a major change in personality around 2013/2014. And ultimately the forced sell of the team had way more to do with his worsening mental state and having to personally come to terms with the fact he couldn’t be the owner anymore.

The more I look at QB history especially over the last 20 years I feel like signing Jacoby Brissett and drafting Tanner McKee in the 2nd/3rd might be the way this coaching staff and front office goes.

Legit the best write up I’ve seen on the QB search. Amazing job!!!

The guaranteed money is the issue and why cash in hand does make a difference. Restructuring isn’t just about converting salary into bonuses. It’s also about converting non guaranteed money into guaranteed money. The NFL’s funding rule requires owners to basically escrow all guaranteed money in contracts. And players will take less guaranteed money than non guaranteed money. But agents care more about total contract than guaranteed money because it makes them look better. This is where the restructuring game comes into play. If you have a high performing player on a big contract, that contract typically has most of the guaranteed money in the signing bonus and the first 1-2 years of the contract. The team can then restructure the contract, convert some of the future salary into a bonus in exchange for more guaranteed money in the later years. Which requires cash in hand for the escrow account. Not all owners have that cash in hand.

I completely get what you are wanting and why. But I think you also have to be smart about it. If you can draft a franchise QB, who cares about those future draft picks, right? But what if the QB you draft ends up not being the franchise QB you hoped he would be? There has only been 10 times a team has traded up and drafted a QB in the top 5 picks. None of those 10 have ever won a Super Bowl. Only 1 has ever played in a Super Bowl. Only 2 played for the team that drafted them more than 5 seasons. From my armchair perspective, it’s much better to trade up to draft a QB that slides down in the draft rather than trade up into the top 5 for one. The Bears in 2017 traded up to the 2nd overall pick to draft Mitchell Trubisky. The Chiefs traded up to the 10th pick for Patrick Mahomes and the Texans traded up to the 12th pick for Deshaun Watson. The fact that any team is willing to trade away a pick in the top 5 instead of using it on a QB should tell you all you need to know. I agree we need to find our QB of the future. I’m just not sold trading into the top 5 is the solution.

Bridge QB while they develop a QB? I think it’s important to note that both Reich and Fitterer won Super Bowls with 3rd Round QB’s. I would not discount Corral and/or another QB drafted this year in the 2nd or 3rd round paired with a vet QB that knows Reich’s system. Jacoby Brissett played for Reich in Indy and will be a Free Agent. Two other names to possibly keep an eye on especially if they get cut are Nick Foles and Carson Wentz. None of these would be seen as an answer for QB1 but they would all know Reich’s system and more importantly able to help with developing a young/rookie QB of the future.

Completely agree. My point was to say trading into the top 5 for a QB isn’t the sure fire way to win a Super Bowl the way some seem to feel it is. Plenty of teams have found success throughout the draft and through free agency and trades. Another note to consider is the influences on Fitterer and Reich. Seattle was able to get to three Super Bowls and win one in the last 20 years with a 6th round and 3rd round QB. Philadelphia won a Super Bowl with a 3rd round QB and just got to another Super Bowl with a 2nd round QB. Of course that doesn’t mean that is the only option. But I don’t think Fitterer and Reich will be locked in on only looking at QBs in the top 5 of the draft.

Yes he was. But not a trade into the top 5. What the Chiefs gave up for that pick was really not that much. They had the 27th pick that year. They traded that with a 3rd rounder and their 2018 first round pick to move up. That’s reasonable. Compare that to what other teams have traded to move up into the top 5 for a QB.

What’s the ultimate goal? Winning a Super Bowl? If yes then you don’t trade up for a QB. In the last 20 years only 5 times has the winning QB of the Super Bowl been a draft pick above the 9th pick. Peyton Manning(2), Eli Manning(2) and Matthew Stafford. If you want to go further, only 12 of the 40 starting QBs in the last 20 Super Bowls have been drafted before the 9th pick. Some of the Super Bowl winning QBs drafted in the first round but after the 9th pick? Big Ben (11th), Mahomes (10th), Rodgers (24th) and Joe Flacco (18th). The rest were all drafted after the first round. There’s a lot of luck in finding a franchise, Super Bowling winning QB. But trading up into the top five has not given any team in the last 20 years a Super Bowl victory.

Why do people think Cam needs to have "better" weapons? I think and hope Cam is a franchise QB, who makes ordinary players look better. If he can't do that then IMO he isn't worth a franchise QB level contract. Signing guys to help field position (Ginn) and improve the line (Oher) is what Cam needs much more than a over paid WR that wasn't coveted enough by his old team to keep around. How about instead of buying Cam a high priced #2 WR, let Cam show why he's worth the big contract by turning Brown into the next overpaid FA.

Hurney's claim to fame was his ability to work the cap and hitting on 1st round picks. Notice I said work the cap not manage it. This ultimately lead to his downfall. To much pushing money around and lead it blew up in his face. While his track record after the 1st round was close to horrible, I can't think of another GM is recent time that was able to get it right that often and for that long in the 1st. Of course DG has added 2 more years to that streak which makes me wonder how much of that was Hurney and how much was it the scouts.

Tarheel can you name a QB that has done this (left a team over roster moves). I'm not saying it hasn't happened but I can't think of one.