ImfromClayton

Steelers know they can't win a super bowl. They are reloading. Very smart, goal oriented franchise. 2nd isn't good enough in title town.

This is one story without a happy ending

While I think we will be a lot better this year, we are not a super bowl contender. Whatever he needs to do to get healthy for the long term, he needs to do.

I love it. Good for him. Seems like a great dude.

I also think there's a locker room element here. Shaq is and was an excellent person and leader. He's pretty much been the face of the franchise in the post Cam/Luke/Greg/TD era. I'm not saying Shaq is similar to 89, but Cam didn't come into his own as a leader until 89 was gone, and I love Steve Smith. I'm not sure Shaq can stick around long enough to be part of the next good run. We lacked leadership on defense last year in his absence. Need someone to step up into that role. Even on a team friendly deal, I'm not sure we bring him back, and I mean that in the most complimentary way I can say it.

I actually like that we made the decision early. Production is more valuable than the underwear olympics in my humble opinion. Use that pre-draft time to determine things like character and work ethic.

You are absolutely correct. We were speculating at the time. The UC news dropped yesterday (to my knowledge). That's great news. That said, he did have a devastating concussion that derailed his 2022 season, which is why we were speculating.

When the panthers are bad, we sell a shockingly low number of jerseys, and options become limited. In the good years, we had a lot of different options. I think T-Mac is going to have to play well on the field for his jersey to get produced in the FUSE template.

I know every jersey thread goes in this direction, but I feel the need to say it. The Chinese knockoffs are not your friend. Not only does the money not go to the panthers, but you don't control where it does go. The athletic did an excellent podcast on the business of counterfeit shirts not too long ago. I could care less about the legality of it, but the morality of it is no bueno. Now I need to wash off the "defends billionaire class" off myself, but like don't give your money to those people. If you can't afford a jersey, just go to ebay, or a thrift store, or wear a t shirt.

Only way fanatics improves the current product is if you don't buy it. The current FUSE jerseys are a rip off gents. Just being honest. (I still love the panthers and am excited for T-Mac though)

I fully agree with this, but there's no curing CTE. It's irreversible, and progressive. But also keep in mind his timeline went from John Gruden (and the organization's 2nd playoff season since 2002) to Josh McDaniels. McDaniels has been an abject failure as a head coach everywhere he's been.

Weird time in the league. I think Hunter had some concussion issues and things like that. I think he took 2024 off, and realized how much he missed ball, which is very relatable. He also, given his lack of size, needed to get fully healthy to get a good honest shot at the league again. He's a typical coach's kid. Elite route runner. Excellent hands. Oakland and Clemson fans were known for saying "3rd and Renfrow." I love how many guys the panthers have added that are known for their hands. If he still has the juice, he makes the roster easily. If he does not, he's likely a very easy camp casualty. Low risk, high reward. Keep cooking Dan Morgan.

It's going to be tough to make this roster at WR. Our emphasis on the position is interesting. That said, I love the guy as a prospect. He had some dominant games. Coming out of 2022 he was a highly coveted prospect. A&M did not have a very good passer in his tenure there. I also think he fit what Jimbo wanted to do a lot better than Elko. Hopefully, that's a good thing, as Jimbo runs a much more pro-style system. Potential high ceiling UDFA is what it's all about this time of year.

It took me a minute to get over the shock of the pick, but I agree. before T-Mac, we had 4 WR on the roster. AT is going to hang it up at some point, and David Moore, though he had some success last year, I'm not sure is a quality NFL player. What I like is, I've never seen us screen a pick the way we did. We always telegraph our picks. I also think this is a sign that David Tepper is getting out of the way. As others have said, when your roster is in the shape ours is, you can't miss. T-Mac seems like the type of player that has a relatively high floor. The ceiling is obviously a Michael Thomas/Mike Evans type of player, which have terrorized us for years. I do think the bulk of our draft will be spent on defense from this point on. That said, with only 5 WR, I could see a late round pick being another WR. A lot of TE projects in this draft as well.

If we trade for him, I can defend him for all that. If we don't trade for him, I can't believe the Lions would let him play with all that going on!