d-dave

For me, it was this season. I was fully bought into the Frank Reich is a real coach, Bryce was the consensus #1 QB/pick, and our coaching staff was STACKED! I guzzled that Kool Aid!!! Welp.... I was pretty excited when we scored a 2nd touchdown Sunday. We had a lead for 10 seconds! LOL. For me, the rest of the season is about Bryce's development and guys playing to prove they should remain.

I didn't want to wade into this thread because I knew the sexism would be over the top. Yep, I was right. For those of you that don't know how to be critical without being a pig: Nicole Tepper has no notable experience in football therefore having her involved as a football decision maker is not a great look for the team. Her working in the PR and community facing operations is great since that seems to be the role she's played before. I have no problem critiquing her qualifications and experience - the results open it all for examination. Asking what she adds to any football evaluation is really fair. No problems there! Sexist: Nicole Tepper is using her sexuality and femineity to influence the Panthers. Many of y'all have been much more crass about that point, and it's just gross. Some of y'all act like you have never felt the touch of a woman, that all women are objects designed for pleasing YOU. It's super gross. Talking about her having sexual relations with players, the quality of her sex acts, her general appearance... You sound like 7th graders who found the national geographic with boobs in it that feel behind the book shelf in 1989.

The best thing Dave Tepper can do is to hired a President of Football Operations. Someone with some league executive experience who will run the team. Do a nice public introduction where he is going to trust this person and will only be a fan. No more talking to coaches outside of social situations. I think if Tepper were to hire someone good, who will stand up to Tepper, then that might make things better for a future coach.

I agree 100%. We have to see what kind of new coaches we get, see their offensive system in place, and then we can really evaluate if Bryce is the dude or the problem. While there has been plenty of well deserved criticism leveled at Bryce, I can't say enough how frustrating it is that we've seen the same problem week in and week out with our OL and the blitz - YET NOTHING is being done. As I've heard from multiple announcers this season - our offense has zero answers for the defense and that's why we're struggling. It's not the only thing, but man it's true. We need to be patient with our draft assets right now. We've seen Fitterer blow so many picks in trades or poor choices. We need a new GM and coaching staff to actually be on the same page. Let's go back to getting as much value as we can for our picks, drafting smart, and beef up the OL and DL in FA. Winning cures all, and I hate we'll all have to wait another season before the CHANCE at some more wins. As far as Young's leash? I say give him another full season. If we're not seeing improvements in year 2, then looking at the 2025 QB class would be worthwhile. Heck, I bet our 1st in 2025 will be really high at this rate...

While hindsight is an easy thing, we're not going to get a real indictment of Bryce Young's ability to be a franchise QB until we see who our next coach is. I'm not going to argue the if he is or isn't. @electro's horse did a great job breaking down his failures. But whoever the next coach is, we'll see one of a few things happen: 1. No good coach with options shows up - and it's kind of a repeat season because of a lack of scheme players. Bryce will not last under this option. A new coach will go elsewhere at QB to save their job, and even then probably get fired. 2. Good coach is able to come in and build a system around Bryce and he's more successful. Then we forget about all these bad things! Hahahahahaha.............................. 3. Good coach comes in, decides they don't want to play Bryce because of reasons, and they get run off by tepper (along with another $50+ million spent) before the end of the season. There are still a number of media folks who keep beating the drum that decision makers in the NFL think Bryce is a capable NFL QB and not to give up on him. We'll see. I don't know. At this point, I have no idea what Bryce's future is with the Panthers, and the Panthers future. It could go great, it could be poo. It's going to depend on who is coaching Bryce next year.

I heard him talk to Rich Eisen about this yesterday. While he did not say "No, I'd never take it" he did seem like he's interested. His point is that there have been more than enough failures of NFL coaches to justify trying something different, a la John Lynch (has been repeated enough to wonder if he's just a lucky unicorn and not a model for the future). There's a lot of thoughts about the rise through the coaching ranks being necessary or not. Greg is a fantastic leader. Every team he's been on, he's been one of the dudes. A coach on the field. Being the HC does require you to be a great leader. He's also very smart, and he's called a lot of games. He's seen a LOT of football on the field and in the booth. I would not discount Greg's ability to coach football players and to find the right coaches. Greg's been in production meetings with tons of players and coaches. While he doesn't have Reich level rolodex of players - he does have a lot of contact and relationships with current coaches and players. I will say, you can talk yourself into Greg Olsen being the next great Panthers coach. It looks like it could be lightning in a bottle. I have no idea how that would work. It's above my pay grade. It could be entertaining if nothing else. And he'd give great pressers! At this point - I'm just kind of done being frustrated with the Panthers. I'm going to enjoy whatever good times, and laugh at the bad. It's not worth me feeling bad about entertainment. I will just try to be entertained one way or another. I will have the Benny Hill music on loop ready for the mistakes!

Hrm... I'm not sure how I feel. I do love Halo, but my appreciate for the first season has wanned quite a bit. At first, I appreciated the different take. You can tell Paramount poured cash all over the production because it looked fantastic by in large. But when you sit down and think about the story and how divergent the characters are, how awkward it was... Yeah, not great in retrospect. Will I watch the second season? Probably at some point. But there's been a LOT of good scifi that came out that I'd rather rewatch (like Andor).

This seems to be a move towards more power blocking rather than zone.

Honestly, despite what Tepper has said, the Panthers appear to be anything but patient. We've been running through coaches, trading away good players and future assets, and generally look like a team without a plan. We absolutely need someone who can build the team. From a team president who will keep Tepper's mits off the operations of the Panthers, a GM who can identify talent that a coach can use, and a head coach who brings something either schematic or leadership (Wilks). Then they need time. Time to rebuild the culture. Time to find and develop talented players. Time to set up systems, make mistakes, fix them, and develop a winning formula. IF we can get there, we can build a long term winner. For every instant turn around team, how often do they sustain that success? Some teams are fortunate to be able to build on the fly while others need time to put things together before they take off. What it will take is a team and leadership group that can work together, with some time. Tepper needs to get his next coach and GM right, or else we're back to this cycle of firing darts into the darkness, hoping we hit.

Bryce is going to get a 2nd chance. He's different from Trey Lance because Lance had plenty of opportunities to play but kept getting himself hurt. Bryce is in a bad situation. The OL stinks. The plays are not well designed. He's not getting coached hard enough because his mechanics suck. The current staff led by Reich is failing Bryce. Maybe this will be the kick in the ass they all need to step up? Or it will be more of the same (that's where my money would be if I were a gambler - but I'm not!).

Hopefully Brown will take the onus here and try to figure out how to actually game plan for our players strengths. The running game has looked better as they have done less zone so maybe there's hope that we continue to move in that direction. The biggest problem Brown and Caldwell will have is the OL play. The guard position is alarmingly bad. I'm not sure how you manage to protect Bryce when there's nothing blocking the opposing DL. Add in bad Ickey.... Someone somewhere in the panthers media-verse mentioned something like: moving Cade Mays to Center, Boseman to LG and seeing if solidifying LG will help Ickey. I have no idea if that's even possible, but it was an idea. Feel free to destroy it

Here's some changes I would suggest, as a moron with a keyboard: 1. Find a President of Football Operations - someone who can manage the sports side of your investment because you need to keep your billionaire hands off the product. 2. Front office house cleaning. For whatever it's worth - this FO has failed. We have continued to regress. Our talent sucks. Our drafting has been poo. Our FA signings aren't working out aside from a few exceptions. 3. Have your new GM and president evaluate Frank and the rest of the staff. Talk to them and then figure out if you can improve the players to maximize the coaching. If not - move in a new direction. It's Tepper's billions, and he'll pay out the nose to win. Right? 3a. Find a new HC. There is a miniscule chance the same staff returns, greater than zero, less than...0.01??? For as vaunted as this staff was labeled, the offensive side has just sucked buttholes. 4. Have a fire sale. Again, let the new GM determine who is worth keeping and at what positions. Then they need to trade off whoever doesn't work, or cut them. Suck it up and deal with the bad cap if necessary. Try to get back as many draftable assets as you can for guys who don't fit. 5. Resign Derrick Brown. Dude is an absolute STUD upfront. The defense can be built around him. Does that include Burns? Luvu? That's up to the new coaches, but Brown is the best foundation piece for the franchise moving forward. I don't think you give up on Bryce Young. I think he needs better coaching. Maybe a journeyman QB/youtuber wasn't the best choice for a Qb coach, but Young needs competent coaching because he's getting into real bad habits right now. We need someone to fix that with him. But that's just me, an idiot with a keyboard.

I don't think anyone is a fan of Ickey right now. It's just not good play on his part. Now, he's not alone along the OL. Having to dig for a 5th guard is not a going to help anyone. Right now, Ickey is our best LT on the roster. Sad to say. So he's going to have to stick it out the rest of the season. But in the future, he's going to have to move to guard. He's just not playing well enough for a LT. Now could a new coach help? Maybe? Possibly? But I'd tell him (if I was the new HC) that if he wants to remain at tackle, he needs to show it. Else he'll get moved inside, and if that's still a problem - he can find a new team. There's plenty of blame for the poo show of this team, and Ickey has his own responsibilities to bear as far as that goes.

I don't think it serves anyone to be fired yet. There's still a long way to go with the season and other possible coaches. Do we want to put up with a year of interm coaches? Who will it be? Doubt it Evero, since he declined that in Denver. Won't be Brown. Caldwell? Capers? I'm not sure if anything will be better for the team. What needs to happen is we need to see positive development in Bryce. So Frank, Brown, Caldwell and the rest of the offensive staff need to work on giving him answers. That's just the reality. From the outside - it's Tepper giving Frank a chance. The NFL knows this is a poo show of an unimaginative offense that doesn't play to ANYONE's strengths. Give it the season. It's pretty much lost right now. Then depending on the progress or lack thereof, fire folks, clean house, whatever. If you think about it, you don't gain anything firing Monday versus after week 18. The good coordinators will almost all be in the playoffs anyway.

I do agree that this needs more context because even an idiot with a TV (hey, that's me!) can see that Bryce shares his fair share of the blame. But even then, Bryce shouldn't be sitting in the top left. He does need more help. He also needs to play faster, that would help his WRs. I do think that Bryce is very accurate and has the ability to play with great anticipation. There has just been a train wreck of a season which has him thinking too much, overthinking, and not playing fast and lose. Part of that is him, part is the scheme, part is the rest of the offense, and a large part is the vaunted coaching staff.

Good to have another experienced QB voice in the YT space. I recognize him from his AAF/XFL time. Was one of the better QBs in those leagues. This kind of stuff is why Frank and Co are going to be on the hot seat after Dallas gets done having a blast in Charlotte, if the seat isn't already uncomfortably warm right now. The Panthers are broken. There are some real coaching things like the footwork and progressions that haven't been addressed. Sure, rookies are going to have growing pains, but the regression we've seen is not good from such a vaunted staff. Why is this happening? Me, as an idiot with a keyboard, thinks that Bryce can't get out of his own head. He's not playing the offense, he's trying to do too much. As Bilbo Baggins once said: Bryce needs a change, or something. Hubris is one of the deadliest of faults, and I think the Panthers' fans are suffering for it. While I feel for coaches who will have their reputations hurt, players who may never make another team, it's the fan base who cares that's really suffering. The team needs to take this time and work with Bryce on getting his feet right (c'mon Josh! WTF have you been doing?) and the offense needs adjustments so that plays lead into other plays that lead into big plays. Everything looks too hard, and that's a BIG problem. Coaches!?! Good find! I appreciate the different perspective Sloter brings versus JT.

Funny enough, I was listening to a Cowboys/Panthers preview (Locked On), and the Cowboys host said this has all the signs of a classic trap game for the Cowboys - on the road, at noon their time, outdoors, against a team they should roll over with a busy schedule ahead... But c'mon, we all know this 2023 Panthers team. Our D and ST will play well enough, but without anything on offense, it's going to be a poo show of a game. Close early, then wide open in the 2nd half.

If Bryce isn’t it, a lot of people are going to lose their jobs. thats the NFL.

I just finished it this weekend, and I thought it was a wonderful send off to Tom Hiddleston. He played the true Loki variant well, and ended up being very un-Loki. It also gives Marvel an easy out for Jonathan Majors (which sucks that he's such a poo person because he's a joy to watch on screen) as Kang. Was it super strong? That's up to the individual, but I did enjoy it. Season 1 was better, but it's much harder to write an ending than the beginning/middle of a story.

I wouldn't say anything is written in stone. There's a fair bit the saying about insanity and doing the same thing over and over again... IF Bryce Young shows improvement week to week, getting better and more confident in his play, even if we lose out, then you keep the team going. But this is going to depend on the development of Bryce Young. That's what this season needs to be about. Can't look at other guys and compare, though I know that's what it feels like 99% of posters do. They are different guys, and Bryce Young is our dude for better or worse. The coaches and their millions of years of coaching XP need to show it by helping Young develop. IF we DO NOT see Bryce Young getting better, then I'm totally fine blowing up the FO and coaching staff. I'm very concerned after the past two weeks seeing him play worse. He needs to be improving, and it's up to the coaching staff to do that. I will say I'm really not happy with Reich's comments about not changing the offense at all. We have a POWER run OL. We do not have a zone running OL. Our guys play best when they push a DL out of the way. Reich has forgotten far more about football than I will ever know, but even I can see that the current running game is not having success. Reich needs to fix that.

To the OP: Nope. Playing what if for more than a few minutes is a complete waste of time. What if I'd won the lottery? A fun game but pointless. What if I hadn't misunderstood the signals hot chick sent me freshman year? Spank bank? Or just pointless. I don't think anyone could be successful with the way things are now. Doesn't matter if it's prime Payton Manning, Cam Newton, or anyone else. The team is so incredibly dysfunctional. If folks want to change their fandom, I wish them nothing but happiness. Because it doesn't affect me. The world sucks, go be happy.

I think you have to give him at least 2 years. I know in this age of instant gratification that's not acceptable. It's not acceptable because the team picked a different QB than you "knew" was going to be a stud. There's a LOT that goes into QB success. I'm not going to say Bryce is blameless. There were many time where he held onto the ball to long, wasn't as accurate as he is supposed to be (and we have frankly seen). Bryce also missed a lot of open guys last night, which is strange because that what he's been doing. I'm curious to see more of why that's happening. Is it the tower of failure, where each failure begats more failure on his part and he's spiraling? I'm not adverse to a QB change if Bryce just needs to sit down and catch his breath for a bit and get out of his own way. We need to put together a better offensive game plan that doesn't require him to try to carry the team. Sure, you'd love for a #1 to be the franchise savior - like Cam was. The reality is that doesn't happen all the time. Bryce is going to need a running game to slow the defense down, PA to open things up, and a power OL to grind the defense down by pounding the rock. If people want to get upset and rant and rave, that's their prerogative. I think that changes are going to have to be made on the offensive side of the ball for Bryce to start to find success. I'm not feeling optimistic that will happen at all this season.

Cool, then what? So we fire all the coaches, training staff, scouts, QAs, media, tech support, everyone, even Darrin Gantt??? Jokes aside, I'm ready to write off the offensive side of the ball. The Special Teams and Defense have been playing so much better than in years past - but the entire offensive staff has been poo. Is Ben McAdoo still around? What are we even doing? Man, I wish I could relive the Steve Wilks era... Honestly, in this mini-bye week, the Panthers need to focus on finding an offensive identity. Look, if they need to dust off the Arby's package (no for real, where's Ben McAdoo?) and run power with Chubba - it's got to be better than this. Running the ball is probably the best bet we have to at very least shorten the games so we end this dumpster fire of a season faster. As a long time fan, I hate feeling like this.

No way! Didn't you know that an entire player's story is told in less than a full season!? The reality is that the Panthers look like poo. Not even a good solid log. Instead, they look, feel and smell like something that happens after a hot day of eating tacobell and hot dogs from a gas station all day. We are pretty horrible. Bryce hasn't been as advertised - he can't carry the entire team on his back. While some would love to get Doc Brown's time machine to redo draft night - the reality is we have to deal with him and support him the best the team can. Bryce isn't a bust. He's a rookie. I do think that Bryce has tools to be a very good QB, but he needs help. He's not getting much right now. We need to see two years. This year should be all about developing Bryce. Next year needs to be the year we make progress. Or else we'll be back looking for a coach, watching college QBs, and having lost even more time as a fan.

If anything, I could see the Scott and many others departing. While there's plenty of blame to go around for the players and coaches - there's the plain and simple fact that the Front Office did not do a good job of putting together the most talented team or managing the assets of the team in a responsible manner. Like if Frank/TB want to run a zone run game, then we need zone OL. We have a power OL. Someone fugged that up (again, PLENTY TO BLAME to pass around!). Can't cry over spilled milk, all you can do is wipe it up. I'm really curious to see what happens.