d-dave

Moving the team would change nothing, except give those who want to quit being fans an excuse. If the Panthers move, I'd probably lose a lot of interest in the NFL. Like when the Hornets left, I just stopped caring about the NBA - and even now have a hard time getting pumped for the Hornets. I'm not going to tell anyone how to fan. Do what you need to do be happy. But the Teppers do not care what we think on this board. They are going to make money because the NFL is the biggest sport in the land. Heck, do they really care about how many tickets are sold versus the TV money?

I think the main issue is that we're seeing CJ Stroud have record breaking success in Houston, and many fans were split predraft on Young/Stroud. We had a great time between Jake and Cam, and then we've spent the past five years trying to figure it out. We were sold that we'd no longer be picking top 20 anymore. We have a billion years of coaching experience. Being disappointed is extremely fair. While I'm not going to trash the team (because I do remember the years before the Panthers), to each their own. I will say that regardless of who was QB here, if we did have the magic ability to change who we drafted, they would be struggling the same. Here are the offensive issues we have regardless of who is taking snaps: 1. Poor overall WR play/speed. We hear it week after week, but the FO did a poo job making decisions about WRs. 2. Poor OL play. From Icky falling off a cliff into the Byron Bell school of OT, to the complete poo show of Guard play, to the fact that the offense isn't schemed for their success. Coaches and FO are not seeing eye to eye, which is a BIG problem. 3. The lack of synergy between the coaching staff and FO. Again, this is super surprising to me since Scott HIRED Frank. They should be hand in hand, executing a plan. If not - the good job Dave, you fugged this up AGAIN. When you watch Stroud, or AR before the injury, they were able to make plays because their line gave them enough time for the plays to develop. While Bryce has several coverage sacks on him, there are TONS of times where the opponents D is in his face before he hits the back of his drop. There is no playmaking that happens there. Someone brough up the David Carr'ing of Bryce, and that could be a real issue. I turned off the game after his first pick six. Why? Because I knew we'd run out of time, and that was a do or die drive. I'm also no stress about rookies throwing picks. It happens to most rookie QBs. Maybe CJ Stroud is QB jesus, which is great for him and Houston, but we can't change the past. The fact is most rookies struggle in their first year. We've seen spots of great play and potential from Bryce, and I think he's going to be good for us. We just have to figure out how to build the team around him. This is straight on the desk of Frank, Scott and Tepper. They have to get it straightened out before it's too late for Bryce.

Sadly above my pay grade...

I'll say what kills me watching him is he is so freaky athletic. He could be a top 3 NFL LT if he wanted it. He's got such good feet and long arms. I'm a moron, and I can see that! So it's time for this expensive, experienced coaching staff to get him squared away. Honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing Bryce grab his facemask or Frankie Luvu challenging him on the sidelines.

Oh, he clarified today after I call him on the other BS - that you never know if you're going to get the right size. He's read about people buying large drives, but only have 1/4 the space... I swear upon all that's holy! I told him "then we'd return it and get a new one, or buy something else." He's just so damned fixed in his ways it makes this so much more difficult. I just want a machine so my kids can learn blender, unreal engine, and davinci resolve!

So I’m specing out a content creation desktop at work, and my tech guy, who is in charge of the actual procurement, swears that large SSDs fail at a higher rate than spinning disc drives. That it would be safer to get a small boot drive and a larger secondary drive for long term storage. he can’t tell me where he read it, but he’s convinced that HDDs are more reliable and safer than SSDs and NVME drives. anyone heard anything like that? I haven’t and I can’t find it on Google.

I'm just thrilled to be in the win column today! But I will say that I've bene growing tired of all the "Woulda/Shoulda" game we've all been playing. I'm not going to go after anyone who wants to play it, but it's like fantasizing about winning the lottery. Just fiction. So if you want to, keep on keeping on. Huddle gotta huddle right? Bryce is playing with some real poo line play. OMG, how are too many times did Bryce not hit the back of his drop before dudes were in in face? How many times was no one open? Now Bryce wasn't perfect, he ran into some of those sacks. That's fair, he's still a work in progress rookie. So I'm still pretty happy with our guy, and I hope that we can continue to improve.

Speaking of: Aaron Duncan of Unnecessary Bluntness made an interesting video breaking down some of Brown's calls from the preseason with Matt Corral: I gave it a listen while taking my dogs for a walk this morning. We could see more motion and play action which will have a big time impact on Bryce. We are one of the lowest play action and motion teams in the NFL. When you look at the top offenses, they use a LOT of motion and play action. We aren't good enough to have a stand off player just beat you (most teams aren't). You have to get the defense moving pre and post snap. What will we see Sunday? More of the 2nd half of preseason games? More of what we've seen? Something inbetween? I dunno.

I think the grass always looks greener else where. The hard work is figuring out how to make you own grass green. (the metaphor - not the actual grass) I've lived in Charlotte since 1985 when my folks moved from Lynchburg, VA to here. After college, I came back because this is my home. For some folks, there is an appeal to home, others don't have that same feeling and need a change. Nothing wrong with that. And it has zero to do with success in sports. The reality for the Hornet and the Panthers is that they just missed out on those superstar players by bad luck or bad drafting. When it comes down to signing a big time FA, sure, taxes make a difference, but at the end of the day they want money and maybe someone who can win. We're not there in either case. Maybe things will turn for one of the teams. But it would be happening anywhere. That's just the nature of sports. Once you get a star, you need to hold on to them for as long as you can.

@MasterAwesome, careful bringing nuance to the huddle.... Few posters here have the time for that! Jokes aside, I didn't realize that. That's quite an interesting statistic. And while some would say "statistics are for loser," I appreciate how they can be contextualized to better understand what the heck we're looking at. As an idiot with a keyboard, I can see that Young is struggling to get the ball down the field. Is it because he's got a weak arm? No. It's not a great NFL arm, but it's OK. Not weak. Is it is height? Nope. Is it the horrific guard play? There's got to be something there. Is it because our WRs can't get open, like at all, especially versus man? Indeed, probably something there. To me, the Panthers' struggles in the passing game are a combination of problems instead of simply one big glaring issue. But it's so easy to place the blame in one place! I'm looking forward to seeing how we play against Houston. Maybe we'll learn something. Or we'll see more of the same. Who knows!

Man, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult you. That last bit is more for the constant trashers we have who's end argument is that there is nothing to look forward to with the Panthers. I didn't mean that towards you! Sadly I'm outside of the edit window, but again I have proved I am an idiot with a keyboard! I don't disagree about the potential, I just happen to think he's a little more than a JAG, more of a role player. To me, a JAG is someone with average NFL performance, and I just happen to think that Haynes gives us more than that as a situational pass rusher.

https://dragonmount.com/forums/topic/118626-brandon-sanderson-s2-finale-reaction-video/ I saw this pop up in a news feed (Google Discover) and I thought it was interesting as he was consulting pretty heavily on the show. TL/DW - He's not a fan of how the show is changing characters and plots. Though I do agree that the sword aspect with Rand is not really done up in the show at all. In the books, Rand's father's sword is integral to his identity and figuring out how to become the dragon. I don't really disagree with that, but I still enjoyed the series. Here's a better link discussing the reaction: https://winteriscoming.net/2023/10/18/brandon-sanderson-harsh-criticism-the-wheel-of-time-season-2-finale/

I'd say he's a JAG++, as someone who has been a pretty decent situational rusher the past few years. I'm not expecting him to save the season by any means, but he's actually a halfway decent pass rusher to rotate in situationally. I mean, consider that we haven't even gotten a single sack from Houston - maybe we just need someone else. Please pardon my rose tinted spectacles... It's just who I am. If you're more interest in trashing the team: "Panthers suck, fire everyone, trade everyone! We are the worstest evar!!!"

For everyone that takes the rumored Rams trade as gospel (this is the NFL -it's a rumor/unsubstantiated until it's done), it wasn't going to help us at that time. Sure, now it looks great - but you also have to consider what you're losing in Burns. They were offering the '24 and '25 1st round picks. Burns is still one of the top 10 edge rushers in the NFL, and he's shown improvement in run support. You can point to his lack of sacks versus the other premium guys, but his win rate is still top 10. He's also playing on a bad team so there aren't enough opportunities to get after the QB. He can also do more if he wants to get paid like a top 10 edge guy. Let's accept that he's probably the most talented player on our team, but he's not showing it. Given where the Rams are now 3-3 (spot 19 at tankathon), that puts us outside of the top 15, generally when the talent between the 16-45th picks have similar value player by player. Certainly, having a 1st round pick gives you more ammo to move around and pick up more picks by trading down, but can you replace Burns? His game is speed and bend. Those guys do not linger very long. Looking at some rando top 75 (pff if your curious) - are we getting someone who can replace Burns between 19-33? Nope, I just don't see it. Please let me know how wrong I am. But the Panthers didn't get two draft picks. Chances are if a winner trades you a first round pick, they are counting on at worst it being a mid-low first round pick. I just don't think there's the value in trading Burns without anyone here or in the draft who can replace him. You still need a pass rushers in the NFL.

Hold on, that doesn't fit the narrative from social media, therefore, it's a deep fake put in place by the NFL/Bryce defenders with the goal of ensuring that parts of the Panthers fan base continue to attack each other instead of....anything??? Jokes aside - people keep saying there are a lot of smart people in the Carolina front office and coaching staff. Not just Panthers reporters and media talking morons - but even other vets and retired players. Is Evero a bad DC? No. His resume is pretty darn good, and he interviewed for a Head Coaching job here and else where this past off season. Chances are he's trying to make chicken salad with chicken poo. The thing is, you could do this for a lot of the Carolina staff and FO people (Dan Morgan, Samir Suleiman, and Cole Spencer). There are lots of people who a great many people have said are smart and good. So EITHER: the media is lying to use and we need to march on NFL HQ! OR The Matt Rhule years really fugged up a LOT of things. Everyone is working hard to fix it, but things just aren't there yet. Personally - I think there are too many cooks in the kitchen. The problem with bringing in too many high level people is that sometimes they don't listen and work well together. That's not an excuse for being winless in the NFL. Guys can be some of the best people in the world, and still fail. If things don't get better, folks will get fired. Not because they aren't great at their jobs, but because they can't help this team work better. I apologize if I'm being too nuanced, too rational, or too positive. For those of you who feel that way: burn it all down, trade everyone, and sell the team to Sir Purr!

Thinking about how the use the Saidar/Saidin in the novels; this is WAY smaller scale. Season 1, everything was pretty low budget, and this year they had a little more cash to play with when folks channeled. From what I see of Rand in the show - he doesn't really know very well how to channel intentionally. Looking at the combat -it seems that most of the other characters were trained but Rand's sword training was very light. It makes some sense because it was kind of odd that Rand became a sword master after a few weeks training with Lan... I agree whole heartedly that adaptations should put their own twist on a story - especially since The Wheel of Time is FAR TOO CUMBERSOME!!! Why didn't an editor tell Jordan to cut the crap...??? Rings of Power was flawed, but fun. Hopefully it makes a jump for the second season similar to Wheel of Time.

He's had some good and some bad. Just the bad seems to hit at the worst possible time... I'm going to go with the sophomore slump. I think Icky will be fine long term. As others have said - having to deal with a revolving door of bad, young guard play has hampered his work. It's almost as if he's having to play both positions. In some of these plays, have you seen him look inside to see what's happening next to him before he tries to move out? Icky has plenty to improve himself He still get's beat far too often for a top five pick. He's also trying to cover for bad play next to him. Hopefully things can get to get better for him and the team after the bye (or burn it all to the ground - depending on your perspective around here).

What's been so disappointing is that the "talking heads" of NFL media have loved a BUNCH of players out of our drafts. TMJ was highly regarded. Butler was loved. Zavala and Mays were both "great value picks." But they aren't panning out. Is this an issue of talent or development? At a certain point - it does become apparent, but we're so bad right now, it's hard to determine did we just draft duds, or is it primarily a coaching problem? I know winning cures all, but we're still at a point where we need to improve the team - one way or another.

Remember when Indy ran into the sword guy in Temple of Doom? How he solved it with his revolver? when Rand ran into Turoth, instead of the sword masters' duel from the books, there he just ended them all. Why do you think that they are writing Rand out of being the dragon? I don't see that, what am I missing? I can understand not having them fight in the sky because the Ishamael from the books is quite different from the show. I have no idea what they are doing with the rest of the Foresaken. I guess I'm so excited because it's telling a great story in a way that works (for me) in an episodic format. I'm just digging it.

I picked it back up at book 9, and I'm working my way through 10. The key is 90% of what happens isn't terribly important. Again, why didn't the editor fight Jordan more? I skim until I see something interesting. But the TV show really hits so hard! I feel MUCH more invested in the characters. I know Season 1 got messed up in production and had a LOT of issues in the writing, but season 2 really just flows so well. Wait until you see the Indian Jones moment. It made me laugh so hard!

The big thing that Reich needs to do this bye week is hand over the play calling duties. Reich needs to concentrate on a head coach. He can be a good head coach if that's all he does. Spread his energy and focus to running the team, putting his assistants in the best possible positions to put their players in those positions and be the rah-rah guy in the locker room. The offensive game has passed Reich. While things have been looking better in spurts, there is no consistency. The quicker Reich realizes that, the better. Can Thomas Brown bring that? Maybe. When you look at the better teams in the NFL, they are able to stress a defense. They force them to make a choice so that you can go after the 2nd option. Will Brown be better able to coax this from our offensive system? I'd sure like to find out. I fell into the trap of "we have a billion years of NFL experience!" and we'll be pretty good. Lord knows that's what EVERYONE was saying. But what are we seeing in the NFL now? Success comes from teams who are smart over experienced. Teams that understand how the NFL plays in 2023, not 2003. Will Reich be fired? Who knows! If he loses the next two winnable games (and anyone who thought we'd Any Given Sunday the Dolphins...I've got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you!) - then I can absolutely see Tepper losing it and firing him. After the bye, we have a chance to get things rightened with winnable games. If not.. We'll we know that Tepper is impatient, wants to win, and can eat billions in contracts to get what he wants... So there's that.

Jay Glazer for what it's worth says that Young was always the pick.

Here's an interesting one as well: I think it's good to look at a large set of opinions in order to really read between the lines. I was dead to the world yesterday so I had a chance to watch them. For me, based on watching the game, and laying on my couch petting my dogs while watching youtube, there's hope. We still have issues with guys not doing their jobs. From the OL to WRs and TEs to the coaching - there are SO MANY issues with our performance, it becomes hard to hold Young completely accountable for the terrible performances. While Young is not playing perfectly, he's a rookie, it's OK. I'm not going to mention other QBs because everyone has a different situation. Young is getting better, which is all we can ask. The coaches need to do a better job of scheming guys open, of using motion, of making everyone's life easier. Tepper needs to just fug off - be a fan, go drink beer with ugly guys at the Huddle Tailgate, just leave the team operations to Frank and Scott. You hired them - let them do their jobs. The Bleav in Panthers podcast (https://bleav.com/shows/bleav-in-carolina-panthers/) had a really good episode this week with Curtis Whitley and some guys from the Miami show. Whitley made a great point, when dealing with this kind of adversity - you find out what guys are playing for. You have to have the leadership, which in our case is going to be developing. Overall, despite the losses, I don't feel like we're that far away from turning a corner. I think after the bye, getting some of those injured players back, we can make some noise. Then again, I am trying to be optimistic. Why? I'm happier that way. I know, crazy stuff!

Yes! I didn't even realize it was back. It maintains the same story of Rand becoming and accepting the role as the Dragon; it's so different and fun. I just enjoyed the heck out of it! Some really great performances.

Unpopular opinion - Three years. I get it, it's hard to be patient considering the long term stench that has invaded our franchise. But QBs take time to develop and get good. So while many of you are in favor of burning things down because we missed on CJ Stroud (who is a HOF after five weeks, right?), I'm looking at the long term here. We invested heavily in Bryce, and regardless of what's happened in his first five starts, you don't give up a QB you think can be YOUR QB. While there is a fair amount of knee jerk reactions in the NFL, look how much leeway first round QBs get. You have to see that they don't have it, like Tre Lance, to move on that quickly. Or in the 49ers case they found a great QB fit in Purdy. Then you look at Mac Jones in NE, still getting starts despite the lack of success in NE (is it him or NE? Both?). I get that we're all frustrated. We were sold a retool and a playoff run, and we got an 0-6 start. How very Matt Rhule - except he actually won some games in those first few weeks. So yeah, we're in a poo place. The draft capital we lost is already a sunk cost, and we have to work on getting better each day, week, and season. That's all you can do. No one is going to save the Panthers except themselves. Or - there will be a LOT of job openings on Mint Street coming up.