Saca312

Yeah frankly I've never been fully on board with Evero's scheme. Main concern is how he's carried over a poor run defense philosophy from Denver to Carolina. A bit too easy letting opponents dice us up too. Plus never a good look when a player points out a discrepancy between how they'd like to play vs how they're forced to. I'd rather move on and see if we can do better.

And you left out the next two sentences I said after: Again the comparison is to his first few games before benching this year. Those were atrocious. Bryce is having his worst game after his second chance, but he's still improved compared to his first few games. Again, argue the semantics about how that's a very low bar (which is absolutely fair), but all I care is he's better than how he started. And for the most part, he is. I'm not expecting him to achieve what we gave up for him to be worthwhile (it never will be with how slow he's started to get into a groove), I just hope eventually he becomes someone worth investing to so we stop playing QB carousel ever since we ditched Cam.

Meh bad game. If it's a trend then worry. Thus far, recent trend has been improvement but obviously this team is having their wakeup call today. I'm content either way - get ourselves in great draft position and retool for next year. Mike Zimmer is employing quite the defensive gameplan and finding ways to not only confuse Bryce but the offense as a whole. It happens. Everyone minus Coker and Horn has been bad today. Live and learn and that's all I care about. And frankly it's not that bad of a game from Bryce. Obviously the worst game of his 2nd chance this season, but still improved and better from how he started this season. Part of it is just poor unlucky circumstance. Of course not excusing his obvious mistakes he needs to fix, but I'm still optimistic it's not a reversion to old form. Just have to learn this offseason (not sit on the couch or whatever crazy bs he did last year) and put the effort in studying and improving. This coming from someone vocally roasting Bryce prior to his good stretch.

gonna need to be more aggressive canales and stop abandoning what's working. the run's been doing well, keep at it then set up some booms rather than dinks.

yea can't force the ball there bryce. pre snap and post snap can be different. recognize who's covered and move on even if it's not part of the pre snap expectation.

yeah gonna need more pressure downfield can't revert back to dink and dunk bryce and rely on long developing drives.

spoke too soon. follow up with Fuller on CeeDee Lamb is a war crime.

will say this defensive turnaround lately has been surprising. for the lack of talent we have, the fact they're playing at this level is impressive. props where props is due, whatever evero is cooking is working. oh and thank you jaycee for being healthy and showing up.

yea in this case young looked wobbly and a slight touch got it out. should've just slid and lived to see another down.

made micah parsons miss but then gets peanut punch'd. tough luck.

oh no

Legette sheds some light on offseason plans, including getting surgery to fix a wrist issue that nagged him since 2021:

Took Jay-Z seven years. Perhaps Tepper's seventh year may fulfill that prophecy. Holding back my props until we're in the playoffs and have a clear future.

Definitely agree. This defense needs hogmollies (as Gettleman used to say) in the worst way. Granted, I'm not sure how much it is Evero in that equation. He didn't have stellar run defenses with the Broncos either, though granted everywhere else that defense was tops under his leadership. But at the least, this dline needs to get beefed up all around.

I was at the season end tampa game that year. Last game I went to at BofA before moving. Truly is wild how much has changed. From the stadium rocking with support to the shell it is now.

i expect the eagles to literally run the panthers out of town.

Ehhhhh Kirk Cousins isn't really throwing to him not because they don't know how to use him, but because Pitts has been very ineffective at route running, separating and taking the next step in this league. He got by with his freakish athleticism out of college. But so far, consensus among Falcon fans and analysts is Pitts just never took the next step of refining his route running and being an effective TE from blocking to decent receiving. For cheap, wouldn't mind a waiver cause lord knows anyone is an upgrade over Ian fugging Thomas, but really wouldn't throw even an average sized deal for a guy who hasn't proven himself.

Main conundrum is, well, the pool of capable kickers out there is quite limited in many respects. Kickers that were consistent last year - Jake Elliott, Younghoe Koe, and even longtime great Justin Tucker - are having horrid seasons. As much as I wish Pineiro had a better leg so that long FGs are he frankly is probably still one of the best this year even after the yips. Not much out there that'd significantly improve over Eddy I'm afraid with how terrible kicking has been league wide these recent weeks.

With the season nearing its end and the playoffs slipping out of reach—even in a division as weak as ours—the silver lining lies in the Panthers’ recent competitive performances. While the team started the season as one of the league’s worst, they now appear to be trending upward in both competitiveness and potential. Bryce Young has shown steady improvement, doing just enough to suggest that we no longer need to panic about replacing him in a draft class with underwhelming quarterback prospects. That said, I still believe bringing some contenders at quarterback—someone like Drew Lock or Justin Fields—would provide healthy competition for Bryce Young and push him to keep improving. While we can seemingly move forward with Bryce as our QB1, this offseason must focus on addressing glaring roster holes to better support his development and make the team more competitive overall. Here are the top priorities I’d focus on if I were running the Panthers: 1. Run Defense The Panthers’ run defense has been a glaring weakness all season. While the pass rush has shown recent improvement, the inability to stop the run remains a major issue. Whether the problem stems from defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero’s scheme or a lack of size and strength along the defensive line, this area needs significant upgrades. We need to bring in bigger, more physical players in the trenches or tweak the scheme to better defend against the run. If we want to stop being gashed on the ground every week, this must be addressed as a top priority. 2. Field-Stretching Wide Receiver The wide receiver room is crying out for a true deep threat. We have promising pieces like Leggette, who is a big-bodied target, and intriguing options like Coker and others, but none of them are speedy enough to truly stretch the field and force defenses to respect the deep ball. Granted, Young's arm originally made the deep ball a moot point, but we still need good separaters and field stretchers. After trading Johnson to the Ravens and cutting ties with Mingo after his bust of a season, it’s clear this room needs an overhaul. The Panthers should target a speedy, dynamic wide receiver who can create space and open up the offense, either through free agency or the draft. A true field stretcher would do wonders for Bryce Young’s development and help the offense take a step forward. 3. CB2 The cornerback position 2 desperately needs an upgrade. Dane Jackson, unfortunately, has not lived up to any positive expectations and has been a significant liability in the secondary. The lack of reliable depth behind Jaycee Horn is painfully obvious. Adding a competent CB2 through free agency or the draft should be a priority to shore up the secondary and improve coverage against the league’s more dynamic offenses. Am I missing anything? If you have any specific players in mind, whether free agents or draft prospects, voice your thoughts below.

I don’t care if a rookie head coach makes some fixable time management or play-calling mistakes in his first year, especially on a team destined for the bottom of the standings. Those issues can be fixed, and I’ll only worry if they turn into a consistent problem in years 2 or 3. What matters to me is how the team has progressed from the start of the season to now. After being benched earlier, our undersized QB has steadily improved week by week and has made games competitive despite the team’s flaws. Dave Canales and his coaching staff turned what looked like a long-shot rookie into at least a serviceable quarterback with the potential to become our long-term QB1. This season, I wanted to see improvement and proof that Canales has a plan that works—and so far, that’s exactly what he has delivered. The team keeps making consistent progress as the season winds down, and on top of that, we’re securing a good draft position without the need to reach for another rookie QB. Canales has developed this team at a high level. That’s what I care about most, and he deserves credit for it. If he takes the offseason to refine his game-day management, we’ll be in an even better position moving forward.

I’m not overly concerned if a rookie head coach makes some fixable time management or play-calling mistakes in his first year, especially on a team that was already destined for the bottom of the standings. Those issues are fixable, and I’ll only start worrying if they become a consistent problem in years 2 or 3. What matters to me is how the team has progressed from the start of the season to now. From what I’ve seen, after being benched earlier, our undersized QB has steadily improved week by week, even managing to make games competitive despite the team’s flaws. The coaching staff, led by Dave Canales, has taken what seemed like a long-shot rookie and helped him develop into at least a serviceable quarterback, with the potential to become our long-term QB1. This season, all I wanted to see was improvement and evidence that Canales has a plan that works—and so far, that’s exactly what we’re getting. The team has shown consistent progress as the season winds down, and on top of that, we’re likely securing a good draft position without needing to reach for another rookie QB. Canales’ development of this team has been top-notch. That’s what I care about most, and he deserves credit for it. Now, if he uses the offseason to refine his game-day management, we’ll be in great shape moving forward.

better draft position lol i'm fine either way.

Lol this run defense is something else

Tbh I'm fine enough if that's the outcome. Fixable coaching stuff that rookie HC Canales will hopefully learn from. If we lose that's just better draft position. Playoffs are a faint dream anyways even with the division being how it is.

Oline got beat hard that drive.