kungfoodude

I mean....a bunch of those guys are barely NFL players.

I mean, you kind of lay out my case for why this isn't a good unit but just view it as a good unit. I don't think we are gonna agree on this. Let the season play out and we can revisit the "most collective talent" comment.

Watching at home. Was losing my mind over the course of that game. So many crazy highs and lows. In OT and I took off and put on the jersey like a maniac as plays went against us and for us. The final play I was losing my mind.

Maybe not blown away that he was kept, but completely blown away by what we paid him to stay.

X-Clown is forever burned in my brain. I kept donning and taking off my jersey in excitement and angst as the game went on. Tons of other great games(most of them mentioned in this thread already) to choose from but I will never forget the wild swings of emotion from that 2003 game against The Greatest Show on Turf. Although I grew up with the Panthers(inaugural season onward), that game made me a lifelong Panthers fan.

I know. I am concerned about that, as well. I do think he is aware enough of how he is viewed and will get to hear the chorus of boos and see the empty stands. I think he will realize he can't just let that continue.

Yeah, I was mistaking your first sentence and second sentence for the same scenario. If we did make the playoffs(with a winning record and not back in at 8-9), I think he will be back. Not sure I personally would bring him back but I would understand bringing him back. Much like you said, I don't see that as a real possibility of happening. I figure we will be somewhere in the 5-8 win range.

At least we aren't heavily invested in Bozeman. He seemed to be pretty good for Baltimore but it was VERY strange to get him at the discount bin price we did. That did give me pause.

Well why should he get another year? What NFL coach has had three straight losing seasons to start their career and then suddenly built a contending team?

Yeah and he doesn't have 4-5 games of Sisters of the Deaf and Blind to figure poo out on to start the season. In the NFL, you better adjust quickly and be ready to roll.

Yeah and that's a great example of what I mean. People look at these FA and draft moves on paper and assume it is all fixed. I don't see that. We didn't get a pile of All-Pro/Pro Bowl caliber, experienced vets nor a pile of blue chip prospects(save Ekwonu). We got some some guys that might work out or they might not. That's another reason why these stupid "competitions" were so angering. If you knew largely what the lineup was going to be(and supposedly they did) why the fug are you not getting the maximum amount of reps as a UNIT to get their chemistry dialed in and figure out the strengths and weaknesses as a unit. You have all fuging season to adjust personnel if someone isn't cutting it. You have limited amounts of reps to get a unit ready for the season. It's insanely shortsighted.

I hope Bozeman can be that dude or maybe Mays plays well early. I just know Elflein is probably gonna get schooled most of the year if we attempt that. I don't have this faith that some do that we are suddenly an elite IOL and that will make up for a weak player or two. I view our IOL as almost all questionable so any mistakes are more likely to get magnified than covered. Would love to be wrong but I don't have a good feeling about that unit.

Well he hasn't looked average so far this offseason/preseason. I suspect he will be a glaring weakness any time he suits up in 2022.

Yeah, I can't sign off on that "most collective talent" comment. We have had some insanely talented OL in the history of this franchise. Outside of Moton and maybe(HOPEFULLY) Ickey, none of these guys would make a top 10-15 in our history. Frankly, I think top 25 is a big stretch.

I just don't have that faith in the OL. It's easily the biggest concern on that side of the ball for me. Would like better TE options but I don't know that Ebron is that guy. The good version of him can be but that isn't even remotely consistent. Plus he is a massive liability in the run game. I will say a vet min deal wouldn't upset me.

I honestly don't think TE is even close to our biggest concern on offense. It's a low ceiling gamble on player with high risk. Our OL is far, far more concerning. Possibly QB, as well.

I am not really sure the personnel changes will have a dramatic impact on that, TBH. If he is as bad as some(myself included) think, any improvements will matter little. If he isn't as bad as some think, it could make us a more competitive team. I think it's a valid concern either way. Even if he is fired, it would be nice to have a better roster for the next guy.

Washed. Doesn't really fit with what we seem to be doing with the roster.

It's easy to say play him without having actually seen him play. I do hope we find a way to get him some reps there in the preseason to evaluate how thin we are at C. I think I would lean FA at the moment.

Bozeman was supposed to be our starter(in theory) but now dinged up. Elflein looks like garbage(again). Is this our biggest area of concern heading into the season at the moment? Should we consider dumpster diving to shore up the position? What say ye?

Appears to be Dude. Regular season may reveal a Dud. TBD.

Yeah, sadly he just cannot be counted on to play a full season and perhaps not even half a season. But we are better suited to "replace" him in the lineup than we were. Ultimately the biggest flaw in Rhule's plan of having a "run first" team is that our franchise RB isn't capable of staying healthy. The second biggest flaw is that we aren't sure we have the OL to dominate in the run game. The latter issue MAY be somewhat solved. The former is unlikely. We will just have to see what happens in 2022.

Yeah, that's pretty much the same as the BB being a douche quote. That is something that is expected. CMC's ability shouldn't really ever be questioned. His ability to stay healthy, however.......definitely. He never stopped being the best dual threat RB in the NFL. He just stopped being healthy enough to play on Sundays.

That isn't especially new news, though. Situation normal.

So..... Horn looks like a top 10 pick. Baker might be A Dude. Darnold proved he is who we thought he was. Might have some playmakers at WR. OL could be suspect. DL could be suspect. Secondary might be nasty. We will fight any MFer out there. Anything else from the Pats practices I am forgetting?