Mr. Scot

You in a mood, Snow?

We definitely don't have a complete roster, even if it's a good one. And yes, we're just getting started while the Falcons are in their third year under Smith and the Saints are transitioning from Payton to Allen without much in the way of wholesale changes. We shouldn't be expected to be equal to them yet

Also re: Sanders

I know trade talk is gonna be popular right now, but as mentioned elsewhere we're talking about giving up assets from the future - at a time when we're hopefully in a better spot - to try and fix a problem occuring at a time when we're just getting started. I'm okay with being patient.

No, that's pretty accurate.

You were talking as if Stroud looked like an all pro already. I'm putting it in context, adding in that were not putting Stroud under a microscope here. FYI: He'll have a chance in a few weeks to face the Falcon and Texan defenses we've faced so far (as well as ours). It won't be a perfect comparison because all teams will be in different spots at that point, but it'll be interesting.

Stroud's sack/fumble set up Richardson's running touchdown that put the Colts up 14-0. How do you think the Panther fans currently roasting Young would characterize that play if it had been him?

Why would Trever Sikkema do damage control for the Panthers?

Guys, dial it down.

And he went into halftime down 28-10. The Colts played prevent defense and their backup quarterback pretty much the entire second half.

Sanders is still coming off ana injury. Either way though, it's still new guys trying to get on the same page, which is why previous "all star" rosters have failed.

Moore is a difference, and given the struggles of our pass game right now, probably a big one. Regarding the roster as a whole though, right now we've got to mostly solid defense and a good (if banged up) offensive line. That leaves the skill positions as the areas most obviously in need of upgrade. And good news, we got a whole offseason to try and do just that.

There's this thing called throwing the ball away...

We did. One of the biggest moves was that we traded up to draft a franchise quarterback. But again, that was a move whose biggest benefits were always going to pay out in future seasons, not this one.

Don't recall anything of that sort, but it wouldn't matter if they did. Coaches are never going to talk about being big losers. A pretty good portion of us understood what this year was going to be and said so when people were acting like this year was going to be the start of a dynasty.

You unrealistically getting your hopes up is the team's fault? Yeah, sure

Not about Whitlock though...and to be clear, Whitlock was far from the only person to criticize this. How does a college coach not know the name of his starting center? Especially so when that guy is snapping to his own son. I'm not asking him to know the names and stories of every single player on his roster, but is it really too much to ask that he know who his starting center is?

They should be giving up future assets to fix a problem right now in a season that was always going to have a learning curve anyway? You really think that makes sense?

And I've seen no reason to believe that isn't still valid. It never should have been translated into thinking that he'd play like a ten year veteran from his first snap though.

I know everybody hates talking about waiting after Matt Rhule's 7 year plan bullsh-t , but three year plans are pretty normal for a new staff, with step one of that process being the acquisition of the quarterback you want to build around. Worked pretty well for Cincinnati...

First off, I point out that unrealistic expectations aren't the team's fault. The other side of that though is that with an entirely new staff, you had to retool the roster in order to suit the scheme changes. That's one reason why prior draftees might not stick around, basically the things they would drafted to do are things were not doing anymore. That doesn't mean the roster is sh-t, but it does mean it might have taken a (necessary) step back.

That's not just Newton. A lot of big quarterbacks aren't afraid of contact. But it's also valid their careers might last a little longer if they were just a little afraid.

With Newton he could rationalize it because Cam was big and mobile. I'm not sure how he rationalizes it now, or if he even still does.

Which is something about 99% of NFL rookie quarterback do. But again, if that's a concern, I don't have a problem with limiting what he does.

And I'm happy for him on that front. With that said though, you're familiar with his current head coach and the effect his management has had on previous quarterbacks who were much larger than Howell. I'd absolutely b-tch about it.