Mr. Scot

Actually, if you look back at prior posts, you'll find many times where I've said LaCanfora is a very iffy source. Sometimes right, often wrong. A 'hit or miss' type guy. That's why despite being part of CBS, you rarely hear him talked about in the same vein as guys like Schefter, Rapoport or Wilson. So unless you've got better than LaCanfora, you haven't got much that interests me.

The same Jason LaCanfora who told people we were offering Hakeem Nicks a three year, 4.5 million a year deal? Yeah, there's someone I trust

You have links to back this up, of course. Right?

I actually think the UDFA's are gonna have a tough time making the team this year. That's a good thing though. When your team is harder to make, you're doing well.

Valid point Heh

Mentioned in a previous thread that I thought Gettleman was taking fewer picks deliberately because he didn't think nine rookies could make the roster and he wanted every pick to make an impact. The Seahawks are actually doing the same thing, and have said as much.

Everybody happy now?

Tackle

Traded up again

We've all done it. Lord knows I'm not immune. It happens.

There are things I've disagreed with too. I wasn't a fan of Kelvin Benjamin. Didn't like the 'double dip' on DTs in 13. Hated giving Byron Bell the LT job. But the truth is anybody who would have argued against me on those things by saying "the guy in charge knows more than you" actually would have been right, even when it came to Bell. What I see on here a lot is that argument being turned into "Gettleman can do no wrong" by dissenters, when no one is actually saying that. It's not a good tactic, but I see it used a lot (not saying you've done that). I've disagreed with plenty of draft picks in my time. Sometimes I've been right. Sometimes I've been wrong. I've also loved picks that were absolute crap. It happens. I'm just a fan. I can point to forty-plus years of watching, studying, playing and coaching the game, but in the end I'm still just a fan and my opinion has only as much importance as others choose to ascribe to it. I believe what I believe, but always accept the notion that there are people directly involved in the game, and even the bad ones still have more info and resources than I do, so my opinion is just that, a fan's opinion. Best advice I can give you: State your case. Support your case. Just accept that you're disagreeing with people who, while they aren't perfect, do legitimately have more knowledge, loads more experience and better resources than you, and don't be offended if someone points that out because it's true. You may turn out to be right. But time is the only thing that will answer that question.

I think you will. I also think Norwell actually may have been a bigger find than we even know at this point for one big reason: attitude. Trai Turner has basically sai "I thought I was mean and nasty, till I met him." And Turner may not be the only guy to benefit from that.

Thing of it is, the point that he's an NFL GM with lots of experience, a proven track record and success with the Panthers is a valid point. I'm a decent chess player, but I'm pretty sure if I compared myself to Gary Kasparov people wouldn't take it all that seriously. And me saying, "Yeah, well he's lost some games" wouldn't really help my argument. Gettleman certainly isn't perfect. I don't know a GM who is. Heck, Ozzie Newsome is generally acknowledged as one of the best in the business but he's drafted busts too (Sergio Kindle comes to mind) and he horribly mishandled the situations of both Steve McNair and Ray Rice. Do those things discredit his body of GM work or somehow make me smarter? Not really. Every year, 31 GMs are going to fail to reach their goal. Some will get closer than others. And under Gettleman, we're getting closer to being a consistent winner than we ever did before. You wanna put yourself in opposition to that, it's your right. But you're putting yourself in a spot when you do. And trust me, I understand what it's like to be the bearer of an unpopular opinion Don't take this too personally. And don't make it an ego thing. Trust me, you'll do a lot less typing that way.

That's actually not bad. Only negative is "Predator" reminds me of Stanley McClover. Given that Newton has a penchant for nicknaming everybody, I imagine he'll come up with his own.

Fixing the OL and improving the runningback stable could be part of that too.

Dude, nobody's "censoring" anybody. Nobody but the mods and admins even has the power to do so. You're just in a position where a lot of people happen to disagree with you. I've been there too. Sometimes you're right. Sometimes you're wrong. Regarding Shaq, it's posted in another thread that a Dallas guy said they were prepared to take him two spots below us, so there it looks like you're wrong.

It's all in how you frame it. "We have to draft big guys because Cam is a lousy passer" is a little silly. "We draft guys with a large catch radius because Newton can sometimes be a little off" is more accurate. Reality is in today's NFL there aren't that many guys like Brees and Rodgers who can 'thread a needle' with their passes. There are way more 'general vicinity' passers who alternate between perfect lasers, slightly off target balls and occasional 'what the hell' passes. Frankly, you could make a pretty good argument that that's the norm right now. That being the case, you can go with super speedsters who are more likely to get open, or big guys with a large catch radius and enough power to fight for the ball. We've mostly gone the second route. The Packers regularly did the same sort of things with Favre. That's not an insult. It's awareness (and it's smart strategy).

The difference is one has proven it where the other has no real accountability. You're free to disagree, but everyone else is also free to disagree with you, and that includes pointing out flaws in your thinking. People do the same to me. It's part of the discussion process. As far as that goes, some people have demonstrated knowledge while others have demonstrated a lack of it. My mode of response to someone is generally based on that established pattern (if there is one; some people are unknowns). Disagreeing with me doesn't make someone dumb, but yes sometimes even smart people make dumb arguments. Heck, I've looked at past posts of my own and said "What was I thinking?" Sometimes you just have to say "I was wrong" because sometimes you are. We all are. If you keep stubbornly defending a judgement on a player / coach / executive that's been shown to be incorrect, all you do is look worse. And it's not automatically a 'circle jerk' just because a lot of people happen to disagree with you.

That was Daryl, dude. Not a big nickname guy, but I like this line that Voth retweeted. John Darabos @jwdarabos · 11h 11 hours ago @Panthers @BlackBlueReview , What's 12' 9" tall and weighs 472 pounds? Delvin Funjamin. @kelvinbenjamin @D_FUNCH

The Panthers care about game speed, not timed speed.

Thirty years ago. Since then, he's worked his way up from scouting intern to scout to personnel guy to general manager. In the process he's been part of six Super Bowl teams, three world champions, and the best two season stretch our team has ever had. Not to mention he was one of the authors of the game plan that the Giants used to beat the up-to-then undefeated Patriots in the big game. Comparing that to random internet guy is just ludicrous. Come on, man. You're smarter than this! You're perfectly free not to like the pick or the trade, but some of the arguments you're using to justify it are just terrible.

I liked him as the president in 'Independence Day'. Wait... There's a hidden bit of insight into Gettleman's philosophy in that statement. The fact that this was a concern tells you that he expects and wants all of his draft picks to make the roster. That's a lot of confidence in - and importance placed on - the right picks.

Realistic expectations? In this forum?

You say you're not talking about the analysts, and then you cite them as part of your argument. Smooth. The point I'm making - that you're not getting - is that you have no clue where anyone had these players rated. And the only people you can cite to support your argument are media guys whose opinion is their own. Guys who actual team people, by the way, commonly use to spread misinformation. You've got nothing to back up your argument, dude.

And with Round Three over, all still available.