Ricky Spanish

Looking back, the 2013 draft is kind of underrated. There were only 5 picks which I think knocks the ranking down, but the talent in that draft was pretty damn good and all but one player has had some success in the NFL: 1st Star - Great run stopper, just not a pass rusher. Ate double teams and kept Luke Clean for years. Our Run D went to poo the moment we got rid of him. 2nd KK - Best DT we have had since Jenkins. Injuries derailed his career in the end but when healthy he's an all timer at the position for this franchise 4th Kubila - never did anything 5th AJ Klein - One of the best backup LBers in the NFL in his time with us and played great when Luke went down with concussions. Even earned a captain patch multiple years with us and eventually got paid in NO where he was an average starter. Great 5th round value. 6th Kenjon Barner - Didn't stick with us but he has won 3 SB rings and has made a career as a highly sought out ST player in the NFL. I think he was just recently released this offseason but the fact he has been able to play as long as he has as a 6th round RB is impressive. A great career ST player in the 6th round.

What's funny is that both those drafts were too little too late and the last things either actually did for the org. Great parting gifts. Both better than either of Hurney's.

Definitely. A big concern with the unproven CEO type coaches like Rhule are that they are dependent on their coordinators to put together their offensive and defensive schemes in ways guys like Andy Reid, Sean McVay, or Bill Belichick are not. With those guys, you have a reasonable assumption that either the offense or defense will thrive/be solid regardless of who the actual coordinator is because they are the true architect of the scheme and their fingerprints are all over it. When their Coordinators move on and get new jobs, the team still continues to thrive under the HC because they are the true mastermind behind that one side of the ball, then they only need to worry about finding someone they trust to run the other side of things. Guys like Tomlin and Harbaugh are CEO style coaches that have proven time and time again that they can identify the talent/coordinators that can help the team win once someone moves on. There is minimal loss/dropoff when coordinators leave because they are working to groom the next guy up in the org, or identify the talent elsewhere and hire them. Rhule's lack of NFL experience and current track record of hires leaves me anxious that he has the skills to identify and replace the talent that is good enough to get better job opportunities in other orgs. Again, props are due for the fact that he is able to identify when things aren't working and move on from them quickly. I just worry it's a ton of scrambling and choosing the next successor with limited ability to identify actual talent.

Dude looked smoll to me. He was a 5th rounder last year, fell due to off the field concerns, then got injured. I don't really hold any draft pick against anyone if they were taken in the 5th and beyond. I can only be impressed if they pan out.

(One of) My biggest concerns with Rhule going forward is his lack of competency at identifying NFL level talent in terms of coaching. The fact that he is willing to move on quickly from something that is not working is a plus in my book, something he seems to do better than Rivera ever did in terms of accepting mediocrity from coaches he personally likes. Having said that, he has not shown that he is able to put together an NFL level staff just yet. Maybe things change this year, and that'd be fantastic. My concern comes up when the staff he has finally put together moves on to greener pastures when they get better opportunities and Rhule is then forced to replace them. Let's say McAdoo gets another HC offer, or Sean Ryan gets an OC offer, or Wilkes gets another DC offer. It would then be up to Rhule to find replacements for those guys and I don't have faith that he will be able to do it.

Worst - 09, 16, 11 09 was a shitshow of the highest proportions. We traded away the future first then traded another future first for Brown. The only saving grace was Captain Munnerlyn in the 7th 16 - The only saving grace is Bradberry, and he's really good. The rest are just bad. Worley and Butler seem to stick around NFL Rosters each year but neither were worthy of where they were drafted. If Cam wasn't in that 11 draft, it would hands down be the worst and he is the only saving grace. The fact we had the first pick in every round by default and produced such garbage should not be overlooked. Best - 01, 17, 07 In 01 our first three picks were Morgan, Jenkins, and Smitty respectively. Can't really beat that in terms of talent. 07 we got Beason, Kalil and Johnson all in one year, which was another great one. Say what you want about Gettleman, but 17 was his magnum opus where 3/7 are pro bowl caliber players (CMC, Moton, Butker) and all but 1 is still on an NFL roster and contributing 5+ years after the fact.

While you were out there earning a living wage he studied the blade Frisbee

Didn't you hear him? He's practicing the Theory of wins.

Not sure if Newton knows this but that is something that A LOT of kickers do. Kicking foot shoes are as small as possible.

Right? The panther logo alone is a dead giveaway that the product will be disappointing.

The ONLY way that happens is if we have some Tom Brady/Drew Bledsoe scenario where we re-sign baker to a major contract for next season, he then gets injured and Corral comes in and lights the world on fire in his absence in such a way the Rhule is forced to play the hot hand of Matt Corral into the post season. Again, not very likely. Matt will most likely waste away on the bench until his contract is up, unless a new regime comes in and cuts him much like what recently happened with Kellen Mond up in Minny.

That's the other variable in the whole thing - This coaching staff. The best hope for Matt Corral's future is that we win this season and make the playoffs. This would secure Rhule's job for next season, but we would most likely re-sign baker and keep Corral waiting in the wings for god knows how long. However if the team tanks, Rhule is potentially gone and every coach that believed in him along with him. We would most likely look to move on from Baker and move up in the draft (pending final position) in order to take a new franchise QB. This would mean the new staff would have "their" guy that will have played football more recently than Corral, even if it was college, and with a first round investment in the kid they wouldn't start Corral over him. There is really no clear cut path to him being a successful starting QB in the league any longer now that he got injured. The dominoes fell in all the wrong ways for him.

If they let him go, he's probably not very good my dudes. The fact he will push for a starting spot on their line is genuinely a good thing for us.

Honestly, I've been keeping pretty quiet on the whole thing, but I wouldn't be surprised if Corral is done. Like, his chances of becoming anything as a QB in the NFL are next to 0 now. He came in with tools that translate well but his brain needed to be rewired through reps and practice. He was already coming in slightly rusty due to the high ankle sprain at the end of the season, and then when he got to TC he received next to no reps. Then he got thrown out into the preseason, looked like he hadn't played any actual football in 6+ months, and broke his foot. Now he won't be able to actually practice what he is learning in the classroom and getting up to NFL speed. He is on ice for the entire year. The one thing he needed was practice and he can't get it. I would not be surprised to see him not even make it to the end of his rookie deal anymore.

I think they will IR Sam for a few weeks freeing up the spot for a kicker, then drop PJ and bring him to the practice squad once Sam is healthy.

Which direction is the helmet pointed @SCP? This could determine the team's fortune this season.

Did you forget the part where Jordan played substantially for us last season?

Exactly. He's a beefier, slower Curtis Samuel.

Beefier, slower Curtis Samuel

For a 6th and 7th rounder? It's all good.

For real though this just screams Rhule is in love with "Versatility"

Dude might not have it unfortunately. I was a big supporter of his in the draft process but it's not a good sign that he couldn't make it.