d-dave

We got sold a lot of wonderful hope this off season. Got to hand it to the NFL and their ability to sell hope like a drug, lol. Now that we are crashing back down to reality - the Panthers have very little depth. We are bringing guys off the street weekly it seems to fill holes. I know every team deals with injuries, but our Defense has been hammered. They are doing the best they can, but again, we aren't playing complementary football. The offense makes it as hard as possible for the defense to stay competitive. Our defense can make a good stand: then turnover or 3 and out. That's demoralizing when it keeps happening. Honestly, the offense needs to play better. The coaches need to coach better. Despite all the signals this was a retool - this is a rebuild. We weren't one QB away, and our QB is not playing as well as we'd hoped (cue all the Stroud fans to chime in). Hope in one hand, piss in the other, see which fills up first. I keep hearing that we have a lot of smart football folks in the building - and they need to show it. I know there were going to be some adjustment and growing pains, but we're getting to the mid point of the season soon. Time to put on the big boy pants or get that resume on indeed ready.

That's what I thought too, add in more Chubba Hubbard. I'm curious if something clicked for Bryce in the 2nd half. Sure, we lost, but we were much more interesting than we were first half. Whatever it was, you have to make progress, and there was some. Not enough, but something.

Was it just me, or did the left side seem to settle in better with Mayes came in for Zavala? It is great to hear that Zavala is coming back with the team, but he was played like a flaming bag of dog doo. Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt the bash on Panthers party, but I was just wondering if anyone else noticed that?

Thing are not going well, but trying to constantly run out of the shotgun is not going to work. Sure, our guards are pretty terrible, especially Zavala; and Icky is defiantly having sophomore slump as he is being transitioned away from what he's really good at (power run blocking). We do not have the guys who can win in that set up. What many in Panthers social media have been saying: we need to get back to power running, that's the coaches issue. The lack of motion is a coaching issue. The fact that defenses don't have to defend past 10 yards is an offensive issue. What made Bryce special was his ability to improvise in and out of the pocket. Again, I think we have a coaching issue where Frank and Co are trying to put a square peg in a round hole too often. Bryce has looked his best when he's able to make plays, and there aren't enough opportunities to do so. Many teams move to the RPO/Read Option game is because they have QBs they can use for that. Bryce is a brain - not a Jalen Hurts, Cam Newton, AR or anyone else who has run ability in their game. The Panthers and Reich need to stop calling so many plays based on the RPO and find 5 or so power runs and Play Action from them. Get a 300 lb fullback out there. The Panthers need to figure out how to lean on a D, even if it's with 5 plays. Sure, we don't have a hammer back, but Chuba is running hard. Reich is far too predictable because most of his run plays are RPO to the interior OL on first down. If a moron like me see that, then smart NFL folks do.

I'm happy for CMC. He's back home (he's a west coast kid), playing for a coach who wants to maximize his talents, and they are a legit contender. I do watch his highlights each week, which hurts my heart a little, but that's just the way it goes. Would the Panthers be better? Would CMC be having the same success on the Panthers? Who knows. You can't change the past. You have to move on. If you can change the past and you still let some of the horrors of the world happen....you have MUCH bigger issues than CMC in a Panthers' uniform...

Hindsight is always 20/20. We were sold that these people were serious football people. We haven't seen the end result. If you fire Reich after less than a full season - what kind of candidate are you going to be able to pull in? Will EE want to stick around? Or will he be looking for a better, more stable franchise? There's of course some professional arrogance that someone would take it - but are we going to end up with a better coach? I hate to tell many of you knee-jerk reactors, but we're going to have to let this play out. Rhule got 2+ years. Reich is going to need the same. Does it suck right now? Yes. Does it suck knowing that we gave Chicago a top 10 pick (probably higher)? Oh yeah. Embrace it for now. We have to keep going and try to fix things as we go.

Possible hysteria from Panthers fans...

I didn't realize until last week that it was back! The first season was a little rocky. A bit of a hard change from the books, but as the Wheel turns, right? I think when you put it into that context, things get quite interesting. I'm here, watching the 2nd season playing catch up, and enjoying the heck out of it! Yes, there are A LOT of differences, and I'm here for them. The books are too long and wordy. Look, I do love a good story mixed with some politics and stuff, but Jordan spent WAY too much time on boring stuff that didn't help or move the plot forward. The show on the other hand is really moving forward and I love it! I'm here for it! Season 2 is fun and engaging! Anyone else watching? Anyone else have opinions?

I've noticed a big pattern, but it's greater socially that just the Panthers. It's called "butthurtedness." Basically, when an individual thinks they they are completely right because they've done their own research, and people who do the job professionally (GMs and NFL coaches) don't do what they want, the individual develops a severe case of butthurtedness. Some cases can be mild and clear on their own after the drinking stops. Other times, it leads people to being complete jackasses on the internet and family dinners. The Panthers are 0-4. We were told this was a team that was built to compete. We're let down. That's less than ideal as an understater would understate. Ultimately, it's up to the Panthers to get their poo together and do some winning. As a really smart sports ball person said once (and others have repeated): "winning cures all." So it's up to the team to go out and win or a bunch of those highly paid coaches are going to be looking for work.

Trey Lance Herschel Walker Ricky Williams Sean Gilbert (good job Panthers)

As I process not just a loss, but a continuation of the stink of failure, I think that Reich is part of the problem. Not in a "fire him" kind of thing right now, but in the sense that the game has moved past him. He's just not able to adapt because he's been doing the same thing and finding success for so long. Somewhere, someone recently called Reich one of the NFL's best play callers. Sure, maybe that was the case in the past in philly and indy. But I'm not seeing that. Week in and week out, for the past four weeks, we've tried to get our running game going off these RPO plays. That's why we're always having minimal gains on first down. Teams know EXACTLY what is happening. Reich is not calling the right plays for this team. Let's look at the OL play - another area of MAJOR concern right now that was supposed to be a strength. The injuries have stunk, but this is the NFL and no one cares. How do you help a struggling offensive line? We did it last year and called it the Arby's Package. Why did Icky look so much better last year? Because he's a great run blocker - but as we can see, isn't there as a pass blocker. Is Icky without talent? No, but we're asking him to do something that he's not good enough to do yet. Reich is not playing to the strength of this line. I really loved the nostalgia of bringing Reich in. I enjoyed the Panthers social media team. I really want Bryce to do well. I do love my team, but this is not right. Sure, it's an injustice to the fanbase, to the community, and to the players. But this offensive scheme does not match our players. We need a thumper of a RB(trade), we need to have our OL push and lean on a defense. We need to take a page from the book of Steve Wilks and run the MFing ball. I'm not going to play the second guessing game because that's really easy. There's more than enough of that in the forum. The Panthers need to roll this back a ways, to the bygone era of 2022 and run the ball. Reich needs to adapt before it's too late to salvage this season and his legacy.

Thats honestly great. Add some more teams, and make sure the season ends before NFL training camp. I like it. The NFL should come to some kind of farm team agreement so that players can play some spring ball to get experience and develop, then transition to NFL camps. It just makes sense, but the NFL doesn't want to dilute their brand....Exhibit A - Zach Wilson. Exhibit B - 2022 Carolina Panthers QB play... Oh wait?

I just want Young out there so we can see what we have. I think he saw how fast he has to play last week. Regardless of what I feel, we just need to see Bryce play. Two games is pretty laughable when judging his career trajectory. As far as his draft pedigree, no one is guarantied anything in the NFL. Every talking heads said last years draft class of QBs was pretty bland. The excited types are coming this year. This seasons QB class is supposed to rival the 1983 class... Keep finding hyperbole... In reality, many QBs don't make it. How many did Cleveland go through before Baker? Maybe Bryce will, maybe he won't. At the end of the day, that's outside of our control. This staff went up and got him, knowing what they know. They are betting their jobs and future jobs on his success. If Bryce doesn't pan out in 2-3 years - then everyone loses their job and we start over again.

Realistically, I can see Chinn getting moved. He's not a fit for this defense. He's a great player when on the field, but he's just not getting the same amount of play time in this defense. What could you get? I have no clue. I don't like the idea of trading Burns (based on passing last year), Brown (best player on that D), and no one else really looks like a viable asset to another team. On offense - c'mon - there's no one of real value there. Everyone has looks like poo, so their trade value is in the toilet.

Y’all tell me how the play works out in Madden. Burns isn’t going to get traded unless something crazy happens. Burns is going to get paid and many of y’all are going to flip out regardless. Last year’s Rams turn down tells you all you need to know about how the Panthers value Burns. While the future isn’t guaranteed, especially in football, I don’t see the Panthers trading Brian Burns unless some drastic stuff happens.

Oh, so you just made your character? /jokes! Yeah, I've been busy but I still love jumping in to play! There is SO MUCH replay-in-the-future in this game, and it's a HUGE game. I've gone through several instances where I wish I had done things differently. I'll get there =P Looking at the larger world of gaming - the only lesson the rest of the industry can learn is to make quality games and not nickel and dime your players to death with battle passes and microtransactions. BG3 is a unicorn because it had the support (from players) to take their time, a long early access, and they took the time to craft a work of art. That's just not going to happen often in the current world of gaming. People are just too impatient.

This is what I've been thinking about since the game was over: what's the difference? When Wilks was having success, it was because we were bullying people with a run game. We have a great run blocking LT, Bozeman is better suited to pushing guys, and as we saw today - running the ball with power hides a lot of issues. Reich's run game isn't that. Too much RPO, not enough teeing off on a guy. Frank needs to sit down, look at the film, and start to plan some power run game. That will help the QB, the defense, and the fan base. You can hang your hat on power running. You can't on RPO unless you are flawless at running them.

Damn, that is a tough situation. I’m so sorry that your young family has been going through this. Cancer sucks. You just have to keep pounding and doing your best. The dog… I understand that. I’m more fortunate that my doggo is only peeing in the house. She’s a puppy that was completely house broken, but she’s not happy about us being back at school. You can only try to be consistent. Maybe your vet can give you something to help your dog not like the taste of their poo. Best wishes! As much as I’d like for the Panthers to be a good distraction for all of us, doesn’t look like this is the season for that.

Man, some of y'all need to go outside, play with your kids or pets, or do anything else. Look, it's just a game. It's something to enjoy, but please don't get yourself all twisted. If you want to root for another team: go for it! it's your life! You don't owe the NFL anything. I get it, we're disappointed. We all had really high expectations. But the reality is that things don't always work out. I'm sticking it out because this is my team. If we suck for another five years - well that's just the way it is. I'm not going to lose too much sleep over it. Honestly, some of y'all just need to get your stuff together and stop being so melodramatic. Do you act like this in real life? Or is this your outlet so you can do all your pointless whining here?

HAS SOMEONE COMMENTED ON MY ABILITY TO FAN HOW I WANT ON THE INTERWEBZ!?!?!? I MUST IMMEDATELY FLY TO MY KEYBOARD IN RAGE!!!!!!

I'm 43, and while I love to root for my Panthers, and I've been around since the founding days; it's not going to be some major loss in my life if the Panthers never win another game before I die, whether that's today or in 50 years. Pro sports are entertainment. If it becomes an obsession to a point where it negatively affects your family, your friends, your career - then it's not the Panthers' problem, it's yours. I love the Panthers, love talking football, watching the games, and the hopium of the summer. But when they lose, it's "oh well" from me. I'm actively working to create effective boundaries from my passions and hobbies so they don't have a negative impact on my life. Does that make me a bad fan? Maybe to some. I'm just trying to be real. Trying to live in this world and be happy. Can the Panthers be part of the good? Sure! But I'm not going to let the Panthers ruin another second of my life when they aren't successful. I wasted too much time being angry, mopey, and a pain in the butt when the Panthers sucked. I'm a big boy now - I've got plenty of other things to suck the joy out of my life than the Panthers. LOL.

Good breakdown by JT. What kills me is this staff, which has a billion years of NFL experience can't figure out how to win with our WRs. That's a problem. Bryce is doing what he can, but he's really held back by the offense. The Panthers should absolutely come after Seattle and run the ball to take pressure off Young. The plays needs to include better methods for making WRs open and beating man/zone concepts (got that from JT). Frank and Co needs to set things up for Bryce to cook. Looking at a college football reddit (horrible place I know), and I saw a comment that the Alabama has been this mediocre for years, but Bryce Young was able to hide it with his play making. We need to free Bryce to make plays. I'm not sure how that works, but he seems like he's not allowed to improvise as much in the offense. Young needs the freedom to make plays instead of relying on the play calling to be 100% of his game.

The sun will rise tomorrow. The actions of a sports team are pretty inconsequential to the basic pattern that has existed on this planet for millions of years, and will continue long after the biosphere recovers after humanity dies off. The long and short of it is it doesn't matter. Don't get too up or down because as much as we love football, its a foolish waste of time and money, especially since we aren't players earning millions. Fan however you want to, but if the Panthers drag you down to a point you have to go online and attack people...get help. The Panthers aren't ready to be exciting yet. Reich and staff, for all their accolades, still have a limited offense. They are trying to be something they can't be. They need to be pounding the rock like we did last year. Sanders and Hubbard can wear down teams. Keep them honest, and use the play action. Stop pretending we have the players to be a high flying offense. We aren't fast enough outside, we don't hold up well enough in the Oline, and Bryce is feeling far too much pressure and getting hit too much. let's go back to running the ball. Running helps o-lines get confident and comfortable. We are dealing with young guards until Corbitt is ready to return - run the ball, make their lives easier. Let Bryce have that benefit. The Panthers need to get simple. They need to give the defense time and control the clock. Is it the most beautiful thing? Depends on who you are (for me, I ADORED the Steve Wilks offense last year). But it's what we need to do until we build a better team.

I do love seeing how fired up he is. I can't stand Mike Thomas. Good, not great receiver. 11.7...hard to forget the memes. Terrible person though. I wish him nothing but all the pain and suffering in life he's earned by being a giant poo stain.

I'm going to join the 2 games drum. Look at those multiple season there... It's just the first two games. Will it get easier? No, this is the NFL. The Panthers have to get better or else a lot of people are going to lose their jobs. I'm going to wait a few more weeks until I even think on passing any judgements.