d-dave

Plays on Canadian and Edmonton have been the most entertaining for me. I'll leave that to the clever folks

To me, as an idiot with a keyboard (the most dangerous kind!), I think we're seeing improvements. Looking at the entire operation this season (not last season), there have been improvements week to week. There have also been times when the team has been maddeningly inconsistent. So this is a young team coached by a young coach. Ok. We aren't some kind of mega great team. We are a struggling team. Is it all Bryce's fault? No. Bryce faultless? No. The truth is in the middle: he makes some good plays, he makes some questionable decisions. We don't have a real explosive threat. Teams are playing us close to the line of scrimmage because no one scares them. Bryce also doesn't have a cannon of an arm either. What I've seen is Bryce is playing like a different player from the first two games of the season. He's much more confident and joyful. Everyone has their thing. Cam needed to get hit a few times to get lathered up. Others have to feel disrespected. Whatever - these pros play the game differently. He's playing better, which is a big deal. Bryce has also driven the team to leading scores in the last few minutes of games. XL's drop, if he hadn't, would have put us at a tie. If Eddy hit the extra point, we could have won. Against Tampa and KC, he lead scoring drives only to get that pulled out from under him by bad tackling on QB scrambles. I think he's got that clutch gene. Now Bryce did also have a terrible INT, missed some plays, and didn't have as strong a game as he's had over the past few weeks since he's been back starting. But, no other QB in the league has ups and downs. They are all amazing 100% of the time. I get it. Some of y'all don't like Bryce. That's fine. But the team owes it to themselves to keep riding Bryce. The players believe in Bryce. Let's see how that investment turns out. If he falls apart next season, then you move on. You gave him three seasons. Then maybe you get in the Arch Manning sweepstakes (or whoever is the hot QB candidate). But I think (again, I'm an idiot with a keyboard) Bryce is playing better. Let's keep riding this bus through 2025.

I'm much more inclined to keep Bryce than trade him for another rookie QB. I think Canales has actually done a really good job of getting Bryce back to who he was at Alabama. Bryce does continue to have physical limitations, but he's definitely playing better. Is Bryce perfect? Nope. Does he have a lot of things to "clean up" as the Panthers are fond of saying? Yes he does. If he gets better in this areas, will he become a better pro QB? I think so. Will that make him a top 10 QB? Maybe? The thing about QBs is you need to be patient. They all need support. Once they find a guy, they always talk about surrounding him with weapons. Bryce is no different. Everyone needs a supporting cast. Look at the Buffalo game yesterday. Allen made some crazy good plays! His runs, throwing some crazy good balls! He really showed his bag of tricks. But Allen didn't catch those balls, he didn't play defense, and he didn't play special teams. Wins and losses are far too often associated with QBs when they are as much a team issue. You can have a QB have a great games, but if the other parts of the team don't come through, it's still a loss. I think the Panthers have to give Bryce next year before they really start considering if he's the guy for the long term or not.

Man, I hope Brooks is OK. I don't know. A lot of y'all are poo pooing him for getting hurt again. It's football. Guys get hurt all the time. The timing sucks for him and us, but that's how it works. Brooks looked really good last week. I hope it was more out of an abundance of caution, but I don't expect to see him play the rest of the season. As far as XL, he's in his own head. He's a rookie receiver. It happens. There are growing pains for most rookie receivers in some way, shape, or form. It's not worth getting upset and labeling him a bust. Now if he's doing this stuff in 2 years, then that's completely fair. It doesn't change that fact that the Panthers still have plenty of work to do on both sides of the ball.

Jameis is a fun watch. He'll make some insanely good plays, and then throw a couple pick sixes to even things out. You never know which part of the ride you're on any given play. But do I want to trade Bryce for Winston? Nope. I'm on board the "let Bryce play" train. I want to see what the rest of the season looks like.

It's perspective. When you step away from a complex problem for a bit, then you can come back and attack it. It's how I deal with things that are hard at work. I'll do something else, watch someone else do it, get mad at them for being dumb, and then do it the way I want to get the results I want. At a certain point, your skills and training take over. The click that people have. In my photography journey, I started off bad. Really bad. I had no idea what I was doing. Then as i learned more about light, things got better. But then it clicked at the last event I shot, and I got some incredible photos because my brain and body learned to work together along with my intuition. I've been really thrilled with Bryce the past few weeks. I think he's turning that corner. It doesn't mean he's going to destroy the Eagles, but even if the Eagle end up turning us into a speedbump, there will still be solid growth from that game. If nothing else, he's shown he' the guy for the now and near future. We should definitely know if he's worth it after next year.

He read the forum guys! (ha! I get to be the first with that joke!)

According to the talking heads of the sports world, this is a pretty meh QB class. Sanders and Ward are the only two with first round buzz, but the rest are blah. Take that for what you will. Let's see how Bryce does in year three. That's just where we are. Patience is the key here. Players need time to develop. They can't develop if they don't play. Bryce has made some really good throws, but he doesn't look like CJ Stroud. That's going to be his point of comparison the rest of their careers. The ball doesn't explode off Bryce's hand, it's not a cannon ball shot out of a cannon. He's not going to break a 70 yard run. Bryce is going to have to continue to make good throws and make plays. Part of that is going to depend on the play calls. Part of it is based on the skill players. A couple drops picked up yesterday and it's a win and Bryce throws 1-2 more TDs. A completely different story. It's been a crazy year indeed. I just want to see Bryce continue to develop. To see XL become more consistent. To see JT fully recover (not play this season if he's not healthy). I want to see Coker continue to make plays. I'd love to see Brooks get more touches and Chubba continue to hammer defenses. Then this approaching offseason, let's go back to the D and work on fixing it.

That's pretty nuts. Bryce really made some throws, like crazy throws, even if they were dropped our resulted in a DPI. Like on the one that led to the final TD and the 1st 2pt attempt. I was like "WTF is he thinking...oh well that worked out!" I super happy to be Bryce developing right now. Now, can he become a winner? That is the greatest question for us. The more I read about this QB class, the more meh I am about it. I'd MUCH rather draft defensive help than hope and pray someone outperforms Bryce. a Both Bryce and Canales need to continue to grow and develop. I think year two for them will be much more telling (wow, way to go out on a limb d-dAVE...). At the end of the day, we were feisty and competitive against a team everyone thought was going to pound us into the dirt below our turf field. I'll take that this year.

What about an almost win? Beautiful loss sound better. The Panthers played with some juice, but we still lack a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball. The DJ Wonum effect is real, but there's little in the middle to stop teams from these 10+ yard rushes, and we could use more help in the secondary.

I missed most of the game dealing with a failing appliance. Yay? But I kept up via socials and watched the last Panthers drive. To be that excited in the last few minutes of the game was fun. I love it! I figured if they scored quickly, this time due to penalty, I figured KC would drive down the field. I'm glad it ended well! I think Dave needs to just say, Bryce is our guy. Stop acting foolish about it.

I think cats are probably going to be the most dangerous predator because that's how they survive. That's why they evolved the way they did. Bears though are HUGE with sharp claws, thick fur and skin, and can develop terrible cocaine additions (sorry, but that movie is so much fun, well half of it). In a 1v1, with animals who are set up and provoked into combat, it's going to be challenging. The cats will fight until they realize they can't win and try to escape. While they can be fierce, they also have a high survival instinct. You don't see them downing healthy bull elephants. Bear are very fierce, but they are energy conscious. If there's plenty of food around, like when the weather is warm, they will be relentless. When it's leaner, they will be smart. So...I guess it depends? Right now, I'd put money on the bears over the cats. Cats are devastating, but also smart. Also, what kind of bears are we talking about? Polar Bears? Grizzly? Black? Panda? kind of a range lol.

There's a real physical toll that playing in the NFL takes on the body. Certain things just won't work the same, which will make some of those challenges painful and hard. These folks are all rich and have cushy lives to return to. I'm not saying Cam will leave first, but I can see it after a few episodes when old injuries flare up. Or he decides he's done with it.

I enjoyed the show. It's interesting to see the idolized personalities broken completely by a light weight bootcamp. My wife told me he was in the cast, and I just burst out laughing. The first season, Danny Amendola really looked the part of a hard working pro athlete, but eventually he broke down. In season two, Dez Bryant looked like a prima donna athlete who quit when things weren't going his way. Cam, as much as I love Cam, is not cut out for this kind of activity. He'll be one who nopes out early due to not wanting to put up with getting yelled at, or getting uncomfortable/"hurt." He's also huge, which makes all the rope stuff they do that much harder. I'm looking forward to watching the start of it this weekend.

I think that things are going about as expected. The Draft Class is looking pretty decent. The FA class has been a mixed bag, but might get better the back portion of the season. Dave Canales has been a rookie HC with limited play calling experience. I'm not a fan of him playing "best chance of winning QB." You've got to ride Young through the season and trade him in the off season unless he suddenly learns to be an aggressive QB. Canales will start off really well running the ball, but he abandons it too early too often. He tries to get cute instead of doing what works. Those are things that will improve with time. When he was hired, someone said he was a year too early. I thought that seemed pretty accurate. For me, I think the Panthers need to stay the course. Let people make mistakes, learn from them and improve. We've been too kneejerk since Tepper bought the team which has led us to being one of the biggest laughing stocks in the NFL. As the kids say, give them time to cook.

I have really enjoyed laughing at the Panthers beating the Chiefs memes. I mean, it's been in good fun. Bye week is a great time to be completely unreasonable. The Chiefs played pretty poorly against the Bills. This is a heck of a get right game for them. I have a feeling they are going to come out hard against a weaker team. I think the D can be feisty, but will probably get smoked. On O... Yeah... This is not going to look great. This team is 9-1, coached by an all timer, has a generational QB, and a propensity to find ways to win. It's going to be ugly. As far as trotting out Andy, does that help Bryce develop? Does that help the team develop? It's not about winning at this point (unless by some miracle/any-given-Sunday we win, then things get interesting).

If Cam is done, he just needs to retire. Even on that episode of the podcast, he said he would never play again, but he's not going to "retire." OK. I think it's stupid. Cam Newton is the best player in Panthers history. He made us relevant. He was polarizing, but you can't deny that Cam changed the course for the Panthers. He needs to have a sit down with Tepper, clear the air, and Cam needs to sign his retirement. Then the Panthers make it one for the ages and make it a city wide celebration of everything Cam has done on and off the field.

I think Samsung makes the best of the folding phones, but for me, the screen just wasn't it. I have no problem with the slab of phone now a days. I don't see a great benefit to me of a folding device. Cool, but the tech just isn't there. May the Gods of Mobile Data give you good coverage in your future

Water makes things wet? While I think we've seen some good stuff from Bryce, he's not looked like a No. 1 overall stud of a pick. Bryce will have to be really good. We've seen that...once? Versus Green Bay last year? Is it a matter of the play calling keeping Bryce hemmed in this season? Or just him? I'm not sure anymore. I mean, he's "looked" better, but compared to how he was playing, HOW much better is that? This is at a time when a LOT of young QBs are struggling. Playing QB in the NFL is hard, especially when defenses are set up to force you to go 8-12 plays each drive. But that's why Bryce was drafted - he had the ability to play the mental chess versus opponents. He's going to get a chance again, but if he looks overwhelmed again, back to Dalton. So basically - if Bryce keeps the good play rolling, Canales has to keep the franchise defining trade in. Even if it's barely good. If Bryce comes out and turns the ball over 3x in three drives...then I think you have to pull him at that point. Way to really go out on a limb Joe...

I was really impressed by Wonnum's get off. As others have said, he looks like he was shot out of a cannon with his first couple steps. That's great! I know that he's had a hard go the last several months. To be out there must have been a dream come true. He still has it. I hope he can stay that hungry and excited. As far as the defense, they have made enough plays the last two weeks to win. They aren't a shutdown defense, but they are not the entire reason we've got a poor record. Look, I want to be as hopeful as anyone here. I'm not a huge fan of living in a perpetual cloud of misery. I did that too long. But the Giants are just a bad of a team as us and it took to OT... Let's be realistic. We still need a lot of help. Are there some good pieces we can work with? Yes! We're still letting anyone run wild on us. You've got to stop the run in the NFL and force teams into 3rd and long. We're not that kind of defense right now. I'm going to continue to watch the Panthers. Looking for the week to week improvements. Sometimes it will crash and burn. That's the way it goes!

I don't think it's really useful to get caught up in the draft stuff right now. We'll see where we are at the end of the season. The draft is very much a crapshoot. At this point, I'd rather have more darts to throw than be the first moron again. While Huddlers are pretty opinionated on if there's a real QB 1 in this draft, the media is kind of poo pooing as far as a franchise QB. Or they think they are sure fire first ballot HoFers. Somewhere in between. Or not at all... Let's enjoy our first winning streak since the days of Steve Wilks. Fun and enjoyment won't last long. But if you love the draft and wants us to tanks, good luck to you! Have fun!

Huddle gunna Huddle, bup bup bup New here? =P This is the status quo!

I understand why people are against this move. Generally, I'd agree. BUT - this is a Panthers team that is pretty bare. Of talent. Of leadership. Of pride. Does signing Chuba immediately fix all of this? No, of course not! This shows that if you produce, you get rewarded. Chuba is the absolute DAWG of a leader this team needs. Yes, rookie RBs are a dime a dozen. But Chuba went from a "WTF, Matt Rhule's wife???" to a high level RB in the NFL. He's 25, and doesn't have that much milage on the tires. You can't just import talent, or trade it away. You have to retain it. Hubbard is having a great season, he's turned into a reliable pass catcher out of the backfield from a complete liability. He was a pretty bad pass blocker into a reasonable one. He is an example of a guy who has put in the work. That's a great guy to have on the team. This is who the rookies should look to for leadership. I'm cool with it, and I'm happy for Hubbard!

I've watched and listened to several evaluations from the good ole youtubers. From what I was able to watch, the first few drives before I left to do a job to the end of the game were very different for Bryce. So he had a "good" game. Which is great. I love a win, period. His WRs had some drops, thing ripped away, etc. Not great, but a W is a W, right? I think the Panthers have to start Bryce. You have to see if he continues to build on the good plays and make fewer and fewer bad plays. No QB is going to play a perfect game. But we need to continue to see Bryce make plays. Does he have the ability to will his team to victory? I'm not sure. I'm still in the Bryce is a backup QB camp. I'm glad he had a good game, I glad we won, but I need to see more before we make a decision to keep or trade him. Playing Andy literally does NOTHING to help you for the future. Andy may not even resign with the Panthers. We could be out both starting QBs by the time FA/Draft season hits. Ultimately, this is a Dan Morgan and Dave Canales issue. Can they get value out of Bryce to help them improve the total roster? Is there a FA QB who would be an upgrade? A surprise cut or post season trade? Or is there a QB at the top of the draft who they think they can mold into a high level starting QB? I don't know. I do know I want to see more of Bryce Young and more out of him on the field. I want to see the fire, the competitor come out. I want him getting pissed. I want him to grab his beanbag and tell us all he's the f'ing dude. I just don't think we'll see that out of Bryce. If not the fire, then let me see the ice - let me see the rattle proof dude who kills with accuracy and playmaking no matter how hot and crazy it gets.

Canales needs to develop. As someone said when he was hired, it was a good hire a year or two too early. Give him time. At a minimum, we need to develop the talent we have on the roster. If Canales isn't the guy to be your head coach, let him coach while you build talent. Make the job more appealing until you get the guy you wanted all along. Or heck, maybe Dave becomes a better coach by the end of year two. Dave has some serious cuteness issues with the plays he calls. Get smart, give it to Chubba. That will fix a lot of those issues. Let Bryce push the ball down the field - see what happens good/bad/ugly. Over all, we just need ownership to be patient and give the football guys a chance to build the roster.