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I think that’s the biggest obstacle: do Wilson/Watson/Rogers even consider Carolina? At the moment, no disrespect intended, I don’t see it.

I made this point the other night on Twitter. In retaining Matt, what is your strategic edge? Even if you land Watson. Even if you hire a couple of competent veteran coaches to run the OL and call plays. Even after all of that, does Matt become better at what he does at his core? The win total likely improves, but to those who feel he’s overmatched on the NFL level, I’m sure they would argue that the root problem still hasn’t been dealt with. Last point: when it comes to staffing, keep your eye on some potential friction. Matt will likely be asked/told to move a couple of offensive assistants out. No guarantee there, but that’s the sense I get. From there, what is Matt’s comfort zone? Can he find a viable, NFL proven coordinator to own to O? Perhaps a new OL coach, too. Might not hurt to have a former NFL head coach on staff, something Ron eventually did, and something Matt talked about wanting to do when he was hired. That would require him to fish outside of the Temple/Baylor pond. On the flipside, how attractive is this OC job with Matt firing Joe as early as he did, Matt meddling in the O as much as he does, and Sam Darnold staring you right in the face?

I don’t think Joe was suggesting they have the resources to make a Watson trade. In fact, he sort of pointed that out in the interview. But you’re right. It might feel like they have a lot of cap wiggle, but when you start sizing up some of their other needs, including retaining some core guys, making sure you have enough in the pot to pay your upcoming rookies… It’s not as much wiggle room as it might seem. But as Joe said, the team is still very much interested in Watson, and I’m sure you’ll see reporting to reflect that in the coming weeks

A few final thoughts: Tepper is reasonably involved in terms of high-level football elements. He’s not necessarily in the weeds, interfering with scouting + day-to-day eval. But he has been adamant for quite a while about landing somebody like Watson. Darnold was very much their third option last year, as Stafford ended up choosing LA, and Watson‘s legal stuff became an obstacle. Joe outlined that in the interview, but even beyond Joe, I’m hearing from a few people around league that this is going to be an interesting couple of months in terms of Carolina dipping back into the Watson market, assuming his legal issues clear up. I’m not sure how you guys feel about that from a moral perspective, but there will certainly be plenty of discussion about it. Finally, as Joe pointed out, Watson has to want to be here, and I have serious questions about his desire to come here. The situation is far from ideal.

Take it for what it’s worth, but Joe was pretty adamant that the team has soured a bit on Sam, much like they did on Teddy. He thinks Matt is likely coming back, and I’ve heard the same. But it’s going to get very interesting in terms of what changes they make on their staff, and how aggressive they get in pursuit of Watson, and potentially Wilson.

Happy Friday friends. Hope all is well. As promised, Joe Person stopped by the show today and recapped his recent article from The Athletic. Interesting insight on how that article came together + detailed analysis on Sam Darnold’s future here + thoughts on the coaching staff + potential veteran quarterbacks Carolina will keep an eye on.

Appreciate you guys listening. Joe Person will be on with us today at 4:20 PM. You can listen online via the link below.

There was a lot of talk about sport science, as well. What is the application of this? For a team that continues to see you guys go down, and couple that with the overutilization of McCaffrey, hard to see where it comes in.

Yeah, I don’t get the sense that he’s getting fired on Monday. I think there will be some conditions, including some potential changes on the staff. Outside of that, it’s anybody’s guess. Anything could happen, I suppose. At this point, I think most signs seem to indicate he’ll probably return.

And just so we’re clear, I was more optimistic about Matt last off-season, but I still had plenty of doubts. And I’m not blind to some positives that have been contributed here. On the whole, the results don’t give me a lot of reason for optimism, but I guess that’s just a matter of perspective and expectations. But no, I don’t personally loathe the man.

Yes, I have made no secret that I believe the team should probably move in a different direction. Am I out actively promoting it? Do I take pleasure in seeing somebody lose their job? No. Hence, the comment I made about not being on a crusade. It’s not personal. There’s no agenda. It’s based on a two-year sample size of analysis in terms of roster building, messaging, strategic/game management elements, and most of all…trends. I don’t feel this operation is trending in a positive direction, and I feel it’s more than fair to incorporate that into my analysis. If I felt he was equipped to move forward and build a winning program, that would be my analysis. I respect those who disagree with this, because I could very well be wrong on all of it. He could surprise everyone. I think it’s pretty fair to say, as we sit here in early January into year two…it’s not looking great. Again, I appreciate your feedback. Everything outlined above, I definitely “own” it. By the way, I don’t think Scott is blameless. But generally speaking, the general manager is part of the coaching hiring process, usually at the front of the line. Dan is well respected from a lot of guys I respect around the league. If you don’t trust those people to make hiring decisions, don’t have a GM. Just let Matt have full control. I don’t know, maybe it will all work out. I’m not rooting against anybody. That’s the larger point I’m trying to get across.

I think it was premature. I don’t think the explanation given was completely satisfactory, but that’s just me. Here’s the thing: Sam was on the shelf, but was always going coming back and play IMO. I think Brady could’ve done some good things to help Sam develop down the stretch. I don’t think making that move made them better in the short term, and I’m not sure how they handled it makes them better long-term. Brady was not without fault, but I wasn’t a big fan of doing it this early. Again, that’s just me.

Appreciate u. Definitely not on any crusade to fire anybody, but not really digging the current trajectory.

Hey guys. I do an afternoon show down here at Fox Sports Upstate. I spent some time today diagnosing some of the problems with the Panthers, thought I would share my perspective with you. Hoping to have Joe Person on tomorrow to dive into his latest article, and some thoughts on Carolina’s future. Thanks for letting me share. Hope everybody’s having a good new year! Direct link: Fox Sports Upstate: John Ellis on the Panthers

I always found this interesting.

LMAO. I’m having a cold beer and enjoying some non-panthers games.

Great data from this post. So, let’s dig deeper:

I’m not on a crusade to fire anyone. It’s always a weekly eval, and film is a big part of that. Between the film, and the messaging from the coach, and the general trajectory in terms of results, I’m having a hard time finding reasons to retain this coach. It’s nothing personal, and I have no issues with fans disagreeing with me on that. That’s just my analysis. I don’t feel like he’s shown the type of positive momentum you need to see down the stretch in these two seasons. He’s been more than well-equipped with competency on the field in terms of veteran talent. The issues with the OL and quarterback? Well, he can certainly look in the mirror in terms of what happened there.