Khyber53

Whew! Glad it's not us, will be happy to miss the show now, too!

Yep, he is. I hope it works out for us, I really do. I'm just saying, again and again, he's going to have to show more than "promise" next year.

Bottom of the league and a losing season, whether expected or not, is laying an egg. Tepper's a billionaire. He can trade out a coach faster than a wife. Love is fickle when your bank accounts all have multiple commas.

Meh. Yeah, but that's part of the game. I get what you are saying, but in the end, they don't spot a team points because their guys aren't as good.

Honestly, if the D lays another egg AND the offense ends up sputtering again, it may not be about Rhule letting Snow go, it may be both of them carrying their bags out the door. Yes, I know Rhule has a long contract but if he posts another losing season in a row, then people are going to start calling for his head. I like the guy, he says all the right things, he has a good college track record behind him, he's made some bold moves. It should all work out, but... Sometimes great college coaches move to the NFL and the magic doesn't follow. The list of two and done former college HCs in the NFL is a really long one. Rarely do they get the chance to have three losing seasons in a row, no matter the contract or how beloved they are to their players. Teams often just eat the contract and move on. If you don't think Rhule knows that he's staring down the barrel of a gun right now. He's going to be compared to the crop of other first timers hired that season as well. Cleveland's Stefanski turned that team right around (they had talent on paper at least). Joe Judge pulled off one more win than we did, in a weak division but with notably worse players and similar injuries. If you add in Mike McCarthy and Ron Rivera as new coaches taking over teams, both amazingly had a better record than we did (and a losing record playoff berth for Rivera) while both teams had serious injuries and debacles at QB (and while personally battling cancer for Rivera). In a no excuses business like the NFL, that win-loss thing is important. Seeing signs of a turnaround can get you past that first year, but if you're at the end of your second season with a losing record and people are "seeing signs of a turnaround" it doesn't take long before someone at the boardroom table brings up the very real question, "Could an experienced NFL coach take these guys and do better with them?" In this "what have you done for me lately?" league, Rivera was just a season and a half removed from an 11-5 season (plus playoff appearance) before he was given the pink slip. And Rivera had coached the team to the Super Bowl just four years prior. When the writing was on the wall that things weren't getting better, they jettisoned him. The same happened to Fox before him. And honestly, the same happens to almost every NFL head coach at some point. Rhule, for all the contracts and guarantees, lives under that sword of Damocles. Hey, I want the 2021 Carolina Panthers to come out and win the division, tear their way through the playoffs and contend for the championship, I'd be estatic. I'd be mighty happy if they just make the playoffs and win one or two. I'd be satisfied with a simple winning record. Short of that, I don't think anyone is going to be thinking Rhule will be here for long. Meh just ain't going to cut it.

I think you're right and I want the season to prove that's the case. Sure would be nice to be the defensive force in the NFCSouth once again.

Thanks OP for the run down. Nice to learn a bit about some of the unknown faces out there trying to make the team. Hopefully a couple find a new home, hopefully one or two get exposed as diamonds in the rough and end up surprising us all.

I get you, but whatever the reason, playing timid loses you games. And they really don't accept excuses before the game and spot points to the team with the underperforming players. I hope Snow has the guys, has the plan and has the success this season, I really do. I see the potential is there for certain, and there are some future stars out there, but you and I both know that if they come out soft again this year, Snow is going to be asked to fall on his sword. He really has to go out and make his team fight for it. He won't make it another year if they're just deployed as speed bumps again.

Got five sacks, but gave up 145 on the ground to Aaron Jones? They made that day tough on Rodgers, but he still grabbed the win. In truth, it was one of our better defensive outings against a top notch opponent. We lost it because Joey Slye ended up being our highest scorer when we couldn't keep moving in the opponent's side of the field. That rests squarely on the offense.

They played soft across the entire defense. We weren't exactly stopping the running games either... They were soft. The defensive game plan was soft. We had multiple games where the opposing team never had to make their punter get off the bench.

The one game where they played all out on defense and were super aggressive was against the Lions. We shut them out and won the game. Not every opponent we faced was the Lions, but quite a few were of that level... our wins were too close and our losses were even closer. Just a bit more aggression and faith in his players would have made a huge difference is all I am really saying.

Sorry folks, I'm not sold on our DC yet. We might have been undermanned out there, but that defense played soft as hell throughout the year. We couldn't get people off the field on third down. We were vulnerable underneath, over the top and all over the middle of the field. While there were some good individual performances, that defense was lucky to walk out at 5-11. Snow, whether they say it or not, is on the hot seat. He'd better not melt this year. The guy coached like an old lady with a division III team. That's just not going to cut it in the NFL.

Still rocking the 2001 Montero Ltd that I bought new off the lot in 2000. Best car I've ever owned. Probably never let it go, just have it bronzed and put it on a concrete base in the backyard as art.

I think the economic assistance checks we all received helped to create a bubble in used and new car sales. It's going to be a bloodbath when the bubble bursts. If you're buying, wait a year. If you work in a car lot or own one, Lord help you six months from now. There's going to be a lot of inventory and not many buyers.

If he were to play again this season as he did last year, I think we could all feel comfortable that we've got a solid, long-term DT starter with that draft pick. The idea that he is actually improving with experience... well, that's just pretty amazing. I hope he just emerges as one of the best among vets this season. He was a handful for opposing teams. That's exactly what he was brought here to do.

Honestly, I'm taking a wait and see approach to this season, the players and the coaching. We could be great, we could be lousy, we could have some new stars, we could be a team of JAGs. After last season, who can really tell? 2020 was a trainwreck year in the real world and a big bunch of meh on the football field. We had games where we were close, we had games where we were just disappointing, we had one game where we were pretty dominant. We had some turn over, we had some interesting/questionable movement in the draft. Me, I can't wait for the regular season to start and see what we've got -- players and coaches alike. There's so much hype for the coaching and new players here and so little attention outside of this board that I'm honestly wondering what we do have. Rhule could be a great team builder, or he could be totally over his head. Snow could be a great old school defensive coach or he could field another defense that plays like a bunch of old ladies. Brady could be an offensive genius or he could be a guy who can call a game between the 20s but not adjust to smaller field space and pro defenses. Who knows? Darnold could get a great restart here or he could be damaged goods. Horn could be the CB we've needed since Gamble left, or he could get burned in the pass-happy NFCSouth. Burns could become a beast on the national stage or our lead DE could grab another 9-ish sacks and be a middle of the pack contender. We just do not know. I just hope it all pans out. We could use not just a good season, but a playoff run around here.

McCown would be the best, non-threatening QB to pick up. And I also agree that we're going into camp, and maybe the season, with who we have.

Carter was helped immensely by Tahir Whitehead coming to play here last year. After the loss of the great Luke at MLB, there were mighty big shoes left to fill (and even beyond Luke MLB in Carolina has been our great strength for much of our history). Whitehead came in and just completely washed out. He played so poorly that the coach took a problem player off the bench and gave him a shot. And Carter made the most of it, and without the spectre of Luke hanging over him. I really hope Jermaine really brings it this season and becomes the next in a long line of excellent MLBs here, a guy who can set the tone for the defense, bringing both intellect and violence into play. Sure would be nice for our defense to put some fear into opposing teams once again.

Pure crab legs diet. Very low carb, high protein.

Nobody said you can't be both. And who said a game manager is a bad thing? Brady, at his core, is a great game manager more than anything else. For that matter, most Super Bowl-winning QBs have been. This whole thing about "game manager" being a derogatory term is just total bullsh!t. If you are relying on only mobility or a strong arm, you're going to be stuck at a sub-championship level. You can beat poor to middling teams, but it takes an understanding of how to lead and utilize your offense AND the ability to dissect a defense and impose your will on them to become an elite. Without the game management skills and the tools to use them (things like processing speed, football IQ, film study, leadership, etc...) then they will refer to you as a superior athlete but not as a great QB. If you can be mobile, have a great arm AND have superior game management skills, then you get to be in the Hall of Fame with a few rings. Of course, one of the biggest factors in becoming a great game manager is excellent coaching AND the ability to be coached. Darnold has opportunity at his feet right now... I hope he can literally and figuratively pick it up.

No matter how strong or mobile your QB is, if he can't manage the game, you're going to lose a lot.

Brentson Bucknerish to say the least! That guy could hold two, three, sometimes four offensive players on a snap and never get called on it.

I wouldn't complain if we did it, but keep in mind that lowly Detroit didn't mind putting him on second string and the trade block. He might be serviceable, but he might not be remarkable. Date not marry if you know what I mean.

I really want to see Burns have a big year, I really do. In all honesty, though, he has got to make a major step up to even enter the top tier of DE/Edge players in the league. He's close, soooo close, but he hasn't gotten there yet. Yes, he did have a couple of games last year where he was the dominant player on the field and there were times throughout the year when he was able to cause havoc. But he has not joined that group of players that are elite pass rushers yet. He's got more help now and he's maturing (he's still learning the pro game and putting on muscle) so the conditions are all there for him but I think for us to just swoon over him and declare him a strong or sure DPOY candidate in June is just ludicrous homering.

Cool, good for them!