d-dave

It's very simple, Frank Reich and Co. didn't see Matt Coral as anything other than a JAG. Last year Bryce was bad. The Panthers were Bad. The coaching staff is gone. But we still invested a LOT into getting Bryce. We don't know if Bryce is the guy or not, but he couldn't be accurately judged in the poo show that was last season. Knowing our track record, if we unloaded him, we'd end up looking like fools, regardless of what people think of his height or size.

Fixed? Or do you want to call it rehabbed? Geno Smith was a 2nd round pick who hadn't done much in the NFL until two years ago, then he blew up. Baker had a solid career in Cleveland, but the team wanted to move on to DeShaun Watson... Then he goes and has a great season, and will get paid thank to being rehabbed. There are plenty of stories of QBs getting rehabbed by better coaches and situations. Canales has experience doing that. Everything I read and watch about him says he very could be the coach we've been searching for, even if it takes a few years for him to learn to HC properly. Maybe that 6 year contract is a sign that there will be more patience with him. Now about Bryce, maybe. As much as I want him to do well, because he's our QB, every story is different. The size queens here are going to point out you cant teach height and arm rocket. Which is true. But I think we can all agree that you can't really teach fundamental accuracy, competitive fire, and work ethic. I think Bryce has those traits, some of you disagree. That's fine. We have no clue what this season is going to be. I want to see my team succeed. I have no ego in being internet right. If they fail, it's OK. I'm a fan, not a stockholder. The Panthers under Tepper have burned us as fans time and time again. It's completely fair to be VERY skeptical. Because it's fun, I'm going to have SOME hope. I'd rather look forward to possible success and dwell in the doldrums of "we're always going to suck." Fan how you want to fan.

I got bad news, it happens in a lot of teams. The big kicker is if Tepper doesn't give his phone number out to assistants, doesn't call weekly meetings to hold the coach over the fire, if he's not suggesting personnel decisions, and just being the biggest fan/dork. If he can just be the biggest and richest fan, who gets a few times to talk to the guys in charge, that will be a major improvement.

So I'm excited we have a head coach again! I'm interested in Canales. I like what I've seen about him but there are plenty of questions that remain. Hopefully Tepper gives him the time to develop and we get the right players in place. Let's keep the off season moving. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully well!

Here's what I'll say, he's interesting. Here's a video where he's talking and explaining things in an interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xysOtBj-ao8&t=274s&pp=ygUMZGF2ZSBjYW5hbGVz I'd absolutely interview him. I do like a LOT of what he says, and his results over the years. I also think @ncfan makes a great point above. Canales says the right things, and he's produced as a coach, but is he HC material or just good OC material?

Proof is in the pudding. That's the reality of the situation here. Right now, Morgan is behind in the "trust the new GM" process compared to an outside candidate. As far as last year, what do we expect him to say? That "Icky looks like a bum" or "This roster is so bad, we'll be looking for another coach in less than a year!" I'm sure they all thought they were a lot better than they were. Coming off the Wilks run at the end, they figured if they ran it back with most of the same players, they could build off the success. Will anyone on Mint Street have learned? Will anyone be able to figure out how to right the ship? As much as Tepper has invited the poo from us, the NFL, the community, the world, he didn't become a billionaire by being a dumbdumb who continually repeats mistakes. Sure, he had some help from the US taxpayer, but he still had to take that money and make it grow. So there's something his that vain, bald head of his. Folks will fan how they want to, but I'm just going to have to see what happens here. I'm not ready to be super pessimistic or optimistic. Morgan himself was a rising FO star a few years ago, so we'll see how year of hard, humble pie tastes and changes things. If not, then we continue to ride the merry go round.

Florio is a fun blowhard. Very much on the entertainment spectrum, but not for everyone. I do enjoy his stuff from time to time. Honestly, there is a lot of room to criticize the Panthers in how they hired Morgan. I get it. From the search firm, to the interviews, to watching folks pull out; it's hard to put a lot of faith in how the Panthers ended up with Morgan. While Dan Morgan has a lot of FO and scouting experience, and a reputation as an intense and smart dude; Tepper is the ultimate issue. Now will Morgan have the stones to tell Tep to back off? Or to make his own choices? I think so. While Fitterer was a consensus builder, the thing that kind of sticks out on my end was that Scott seemed to be a really nice guy, maybe not the strongest leader or most decisive person. Could be that Scott was more easily talked into things by others. Will Dan Morgan be more decisive and direct? I think so. He comes across as a bit of a old school hardass. I feel like Morgan is going to build the roster in his way, using input from others to help him make choices compared to Fitterer seeming to try to make everyone happy. I could be completely wrong. I WANT Dan Morgan to be a successful GM. IF he finds success, then my Panthers do. If not, then he'll lose his job and we start the churn again.

Well, it's interesting. Thrilled for the legacy, but very curious to see how he does since he and Fitterer were so close. Look, I wish Dan nothing but success. We'll see what happens, but I am a little puzzled why we didn't go outside the organization. Here's to hoping!

Here's why I marked it incomplete. We don't know the outcome yet? Man, right now, it looks like absolute garbage. It's hard to argue that we wouldn't have been better with a different QB and kept the picks. We're searching for a new coach for the 2nd time in two seasons. We are so crap right now, it's not funny. BUT (very very BIG but), if Bryce turns out to be THE DUDE, then it is worth it. This season, everything went wrong. From coaches, to draft picks, to plays, to the bounce of the ball on a fumble. It's difficult to separate what is snake bit versus what's just plain poo. It all turns to turd in the portapotty. We need to see what Bryce looks like. If he can get better, if we can get a good coach, a league average OL, maybe hit a few more draft picks and FA... Then we can make a fair judgement, after giving him all the chances. If we're picking top 5 again, time to hit the QB draft lottery ticket again.

I was pretty surprised that Bryce made it all season long. The reality is that some times, you're just lucky. Being the biggest and strongest isn't the best. As Bryce said about his size, he's dealt with it his entire life. So that's a good thing, a small good thing. It's not viable long term. Instead, the TEAM (including Bryce) need to improve in a LOT of areas. Just win baby. Winning cures all. Insert whatever you want to say: the Panthers start winning games, a lot of the doom and gloom will disappear. If not, then more changes will be made.

That's what folks need to understand, most NFL teams block lateral moves for assistant coaches. We're in a different situation because we are without a head coach. We did this before with OL and ST. I'm not sure if it's common throughout the league, to hold old coaches for new HC and staffs. I will say Evero and Tabor are great coaches, and I think any new HC would be thrilled to have them. Then again, the NFL is an ego business... So all bets are off. Honestly, there's a lot of much ado about nothing because everyone is just dancing with different partners right now. If Evero gets a HC gig, then he's gone. If we hire a new HC and they want their own DC, then Evero will be DC else where. It will all work itself out.

It's really going to depend on the new coach and their system. If they want to run more power, then we're good, just keep finding better guys, and coach up the younger players we already drafted. If they want to change things drastically like Reich did...god help us all again!

I will say that's going to be the big proof. They need to be able to connect people from reddit to their torrenting/pirating.

Baker, like many players here, failed because of a lack of leadership and good coaching. Things didn't turn around until Wilks bent the team to his plan. The Rhule / McAdoo system (much like Reich's) didn't work with our personnel. Wilks recognized that we needed to be a smashmouth team. Why didn't Baker rise to the top? Because he was playing catch up from the get go. By the time of Wilks, Baker was cooked for the year. He needed a hard reset, which this off season did. It didn't hurt going to a team with Mike Evans, Godwin, a +OL, and a stout D. Look, I'm glad for Baker. He seemed like a real pro while here. I hate how utterly dysfunctional our team is. The big thing we're going to need is for Tepper to let the coaches coach. Hire the GM, coach, and whoever, then just stay the heck out. Be a big fan and cheerleader. Do good works in the city and community. Make fun of yourself, go from biggest asshat in town to the goofy uncle. Let the football team run for a few years without your meddling and see what happens.

It's fun. I'll watch what I can. I do enjoy football period. What's fun about the AAF/XFL recently has been how hard these guys play.

Some of y'all need to let people be happy. Sheesh. Life sucks. Let people have their fun, their joy. If it hurts your feelings, then that's on you. It's pretty cool to see Detroit finally get a playoff win. And always a bonus when the Cowboys lose

While we all love knee jerk reactions to things, I think rushing to conclusions is pretty short sighted. You can absolutely say that Bryce Young did not meet expectations. That's true and accurate. You can also say that he didn't have a lot of help. Bryce was sold to the NFL fanbase as a guy who didn't need the support because he was a play maker. He wasn't. That's fair. It's easy to look at the success of CJ Stroud and say "Why didn't we do that?!? Bryce is a turd!!!" But like most things in life, it's not so easy or useful to make fast decisions like that. Bryce was not helped by the Frankenstein System of Reich and Brown. His offensive line was not great. His Qb coaching was sub par. Basically, when you throw a doughnut in a port a john, it becomes just another piece of poo in that gross blue water. The 2023 Panthers SUCKED! Bad!! Now the question is, can Bryce be redeemed? Yes. If he gets the right coaching and system, and is taught how to be an NFL QB by his coaches, then we can really see what's up. Next year is going to be a cluster as well, as we work our way out of the porta potty world. I expect Bryce to be better. To improve in those fundamentals. To play with more poise and anticipation. If he has a repeat in 2024, then I think it's much more fair to call him a bust than right now. Remember, as much fan as it is kicking someone while they're down, he was the consensus #1 pick. If Houston had traded to 1, they would have selected him. Chill out, enjoy some football, and let's obsess over our next coaching staff and GM...=)

Bryce is defiantly safe for the 2024 season. This season sucked in about a million different ways. Honestly, waiting in line at the DMV would have probably be a more entertaining time than most of our games! That being said, Bryce was the top QB last draft. Regardless of how incredibly well Stroud has played this season, Young was the consensus. Honestly, what needs to happen to see Bryce improve is a more unified system. The idea of marrying McVay with Reich's spread was not great. We need well designed plays that give QBs answers instead of forcing Young to figure it out. That's what good offensive coaches do. That's going to be the biggest challenge: how do we take the players we have under contract (OL is power run, WRs are big and or slow, QB is small, TE is an afterthought, and Chubba is the best RB on the roster), and make a system that works for them. More than who has the fattest rolodex, I want the coach with the best plan for what we have offensively. And I want a coach who can lead the team.

I don't doubt that Scott was a likable guy in the organization. In pressers, he seemed like a good dude. But a good dude doesn't make you a quality GM. He's been in charge of adding and retaining talent to this team for three years and the results speak for themselves. He's not good at it. I think he would have been a good fit at as VP of Football Ops or something, looking at the big picture and dealing with Tepper more than having a day to day impact on the team. But I'm fine letting everything go with this regime. It's up to Tepper to prove he's learned something. The buck stops with him, right?

As much as I want to root for Dan Morgan, I think we need a full cleaned house. Everyone has to go. Sucks, but the stench has just been too thick and heavy this year. Just not good enough period.

Counter point: How are DJ Moore and CMC doing outside of Carolina? What did we do with the assets we got from them? While I don't want to pay Burns $30+ million a year, let's be careful what we wish for. Burns put out 8 sacks on a team that NEVER led. He never got to pin his ears back. His next best edge rusher this season was YGM. While Burns wasn't all world, he was the only remotely consistent pass rusher we have. Luvu has been a good interior pass rusher, but that was not his primary job this season. This entire season was a giant TURD of a season. No one is immune from the smell. But if we trade Burns or let him walk, don't be surprised if he plays well else where. We keep trading away great talent and we have a 2~15 record to show for it... Maybe, just maybe we try keeping a talented player.

I know some of y'all just want to trash Bryce because CJ Stroud looks to be the guy and you think we missed. I get it! You don't give up as much as we did for Bryce and cut him after a year. Look, he did plenty wrong, which is what you expect as a rookie. But the rest of the offense looked like crap plenty. Bryce gets another shot next year, regardless of what the fans think because of all the investment put into drafting him. Now if we don't see improvement in 2024, then by all mean, toss him. But this team was poorly built, despite being told we were one player away from making noise. It's going to depend on the next coach and staff. Sorry, but we're all going to have to wait and see.

I'm not going to argue was pretty much a shite game from Bryce, you don't invest what you did in him and move off after a single season. I know many of y'all are ready to draft ANYONE at 33, and I can't blame you for your frustrations. The reality is that many rookie QBs struggle. We were sold that Bryce was ready to be a great QB from the jump. It hasn't happened, and we're bitter. But we also sold the entire farm for Bryce. You can't change that. Before we determine if Bryce is a success or not, we need a GM, coach, and VP of Football ops. Maybe things will be different next season, maybe they won't. But we won't be drafting Bryce's replacement at 33. First round rookie QBs tend to have a long leash before they get yanked. We are in the Bryce Young experience for a good while longer.

It's going to be up to Ickey how good he becomes. Whoever that coach is, needs to challenge him to be great. I remember seeing/reading something along the lines of it's really up to Ickey how good he wants to be. He's got all the tools, but this season is part scheme (he's not a zone guy at OT); but a larger part is himself. He's got to put in the work. Hopefully year three we see a lot of growth from Ickey. If he's able to get better, it's only going to make the entire line better.

Man, what a fun game on Christmas Eve. I hate that we just ran out of time. Some of y'all are just miserable, and that's fine. Huddle gunna Huddle, bup bup bup? Sometimes, you have to just enjoy it. I'm disappointed in our defense, and the slow start from the offense. You can't do that. But man, the team fought back. You have to give them credit for that. We are still not a good team with too many holes all over the place. But we played hard, we were almost there. Bryce looked the part. DJ Chark had himself a game. The past two weeks the team has played much better. So I enjoyed it. Sucks to lose, but to feel the passion for the team again is great. I thought they were done after that 2nd GB TD, but they kept coming. That being said: this team is going to go through some massive changes and turnover next season. But I think more and more, Bryce is looking like he can be that guy. Feel free to disagree, I'm just a moron with a keyboard.