SCO96

Now that I've watched decades of baseball and football, I've come to the opinion that a quarterbacks throwing motion/mechanics is a 'little similar" to a batters swing. They both require proper mechanics to work at their best. But, it's easy to develop bad habits for both that will hinder performance. The best coaches can identify mistakes and teach the fundamentals, but ultimately it's up to the player to use that knowledge to improve. This can only be done through countless hours of practice and a strong willpower/desire to do things the right way.

I only made that statement about "fixing mechanics" after reading the article below. This may have already been posted under another topic. https://pantherswire.usatoday.com/2022/01/22/panthers-oc-ben-mcadoo-sam-darnold-2018/ As we’ve noted, McAdoo turned out to be pretty spot-on in regards to his ranking of the group—as he marked Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson as his top two prospects. But it was his evaluation of his No. 3 quarterback, Sam Darnold, that’s of particular interest now. When speaking of the then New York Jets’ third overall pick, McAdoo said he wouldn’t have been comfortable taking Darnold due to his questionable mechanics and propensity for turnovers. “I think the kid the Jets drafted has a lot of magic in his game,” McAdoo said. “I think he’s special. He’s obviously a talented guy, he can make plays with his feet. I’d just have a hard time drafting a guy in the first round where you don’t necessarily like the way he throws. “He can overcome it, guys have, but that’s something that’s a challenge for me. I’m gonna be looking at that, trying to fix it, because it’s a fundamental flaw, and I believe in the fundamentals. The quarterback, his No. 1 job is to pass the football. If I don’t like the way he throws the ball, I have a hard time picking him, right?” Darnold has displayed those very troubles over his four-year career. The University of Southern California product, while completing just under 60 percent of his throws, has totaled 54 passing touchdowns to 52 interceptions and 29 fumbles between his time in New York and Carolina. He’s even recognized his own mechanical issues as well, having stated numerous times throughout the season that his footwork and rhythm need improving. Well, he’s not wrong. And, apparently, neither was McAdoo. Despite head coach Matt Rhule having hitched his wagon to Darnold, perhaps liking the 24-year-old’s game wasn’t a prerequisite in his search for a play-caller. Time will tell if McAdoo is here to help “fix” that investment or steer the organization in the direction of a new one.

Imagine this scenario. Campen fixes the O-line in 2022 and McAdoo is actually able to get Sam Darnold's mental game up to par with his natural physical abilities and corrects his bad throwing mechanics. As bad as the NFC south looks on paper in 2022, we could actually have a chance at taking the division! I'm not a fan of Rhule. But, I have to give him props for this off-season. If he turns things around I'll be the first to congratulate him eat a healthy serving of crow.

https://nflmocks.com/2022/01/05/2022-nfl-draft-scouting-report-bailey-zappe/ I found a scouting report on Bailey Zappe. He appears to have some issues in terms of arm strength on deep passing plays, but he is one of the more intriguing late round prospects we've seen in the past couple of years. Click on the link to see more. I'm only gonna post the summary from the scouting report. Summary Zappe shows an impressive understanding of the offense he is in, and possesses an impressive instinctual ability to escape pressure and make a plays. Aside from the inconsistencies on deep balls, Zappe shows consistent accuracy in all other areas of the field. Within 30 yards of the LOS, Zappe is as accurate as any of the other QB prospects in this class. While he projects as a 4th-5th round prospect currently, expect Zappe’s stock to rise in Mobile and throughout the entirety of the 2022 NFL Draft process.

Didn't Rhule try to recruit him? Now, i want to go O-line, especially since we won't pick again until round four. But, I wouldn't jump out of a 10 story window if we did get him. If we somehow obtained a quality interior lineman prior to the draft and a decision was made to let BC settle in at LT for the 2022 season, I could probably accept the decision to take a QB at 6 (whether it's Picket or someone else). Let's be honest, even if Pickett is average, I can't see him being any worse than any of the QB's on our roster last year. In addition to that, he's a rookie so he'd have room to improve his game with better coaching.

On the latest episode of PFN’s Between the Hashes podcast, PFN Chief Draft Analyst and NFL Insider Tony Pauline spoke at length about Pickett, touching on both his draft stock and the hand size concerns. Pauline began with Pickett’s draft stock and had this to say about where the Panthers passer is trending: “The overall belief in the league is he’ll be the first quarterback drafted,” Pauline said. “He probably will be a first-round pick, but he’s really a third-round prospect. And he’ll be a first-round pick and the first quarterback drafted only because of the need at the position. I don’t know if Matt Corral passes him. I don’t think he does, but everything right now looks like Kenny Pickett will be the first quarterback drafted. “We talked about last week: If he goes to the Senior Bowl, has a good week of practices, because the Senior Bowl is a king-maker at a lot of positions — most importantly the quarterback position. Carson Wentz, David Carr, Carson Palmer, Philip Rivers — guys who went there as Day 2 picks, fringe first-rounders, then just skyrocketed up draft boards. That’s the opportunity that is in front of Pickett, and I hope he takes hold of it.” ------- The section in bold print is what concerns me. If Pickett had come out last year he likely would have been a Day 2 selection. I'd be a little nervous investing a top 6 pick on him, especially if the team has an O-line as bad as the 2021 Carolina Panthers. Then again, the 2021 season had several teams starting QB's drafted outside of the 1st round: Derek Carr, Russel Wilson, Dak Prescott, Kurt Cousins, and Tom Brady. So, Pauline's rating doesn't mean he'll never succeed in the NFL. No position seems more difficult to properly evaluate in pro football than QB.

After reading your scouting report I'm beginning to think you need to get a job in the Panther scouting department . Just curious, where is Zappe projected to go in the 2022 draft? If McCall is as good as you say he is then he should be picked in the top 5 for sure. More than one team will seriously consider trading up to get him if they need a QB. Since Rhule is returning, I'd be surprised if we're not picking in the top 12-15. Who are the other top prospects in 2023?

I don't know much about the lower rated QB's in this year's draft class. But, if I thought someone on the board in the 5th or 6th round was serviceable I'd let PJ go in a heartbeat if he was clearly the better QB in training camp.

No problem with anything you said here. I'm glad I'm not the only one who realizes that there is more than one way to build competitive teams in the NFL. However, I took notice to one word/phrase you used in paragraph 2..."Masterful FO's and Coaches". That's the key. The guys in power have to know what they are doing. We don't currently have that in Carolina.

If you draft a player at an position in the top 10 and he becomes a b-level starter for the next 10 years then I don't see how that could be considered a reach. Some people feel certain positions should never go in the top 10. Check out the prospect below. Kyle Hamilton (Safety) is rated as the 3rd best player in the draft by some experts. Can you imagine if we had this guy paired with Chinn on the back end of our secondary with Horn, Keith Taylor Jr, and CJ Henderson at corner back? https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2022-nfl-draft-board-big-board 3. S KYLE HAMILTON, NOTRE DAME The 6-foot-4, 220-pound safety has a skill set you simply won’t find in every draft class. His range and coverage skills are unheard of for a man of his size. The Notre Dame star picked off three passes and broke up three more in only six games before getting injured. ------ I wouldn't draft him with all of our deficiencies on the team. But imagine if we already had a franchise QB on the roster. I could see using Brady at LT, Moton at RT, Deonte Brown at RG, Efflein at LG or Center, then drafting the best center of guard on the board in round 4. Taking Hamilton could give us the best secondary in the NFL for the next 4-5 years. He'd be the best Safety we've had since Mike Mentor, and with a much higher upside.

While I agree with you Mr. Scot for the most part, there is one guy/GM who would love for his team to remain mediocre for the long term if the organization could win a Super Bowl. Jerry Jones turns 80 in October. He realizes that most of his life is behind him. If he thought going all in for a season (or two) could get the Dallas Cowboys one more SB resulting in "sustained mediocrity" for the next 5-10 years, I think he'd do it in a heartbeat. He wants nothing more in life than to hoist that Lombardi trophy one last time. The Cowboys have been mediocre for the past 25 years so it wouldn't significantly alter things in Dallas. It's jsut the ways things have been since Jerry has been the de facto GM with the Cowboys.

Good point Waldo. I read an article earlier this month on some site about the Ram's philosophy of drafting. They've been good for the past several years and tend to have late round draft choices. They don't believe there are 31 legit 1st round draft choices in every draft. They may only have first round grades on 18-20 players. The LA front office has no problems dealing what the consider to be a 2nd round pick (or a 3rd round pick) for a proven player who can contribute right away. If you nail the FA and trade acquisitions then you have a window to compete for a title. On the flip side, you have shrewdly watch the salary cap. When you trade for proven starters, they're going to cost more than rookies (most of the time at least). If you trade for a guy on his 1st contract you have be ready to extend him as part of the deal if you view him as a long term piece of the puzzle. Guys like Beckham and Stafford are already on big deals. You may want to get those guys after most of the guaranteed money has been paid out and the cap hits are not as large if you let have to cut them. The problem with the Rams philosophy is that you can create a situation where 8-10 players take up 75% of the cap and you still have over 40 spots to fill on the roster. If you've traded away too many high picks it'll be hard to build quality depth on the roster (or make more trades). You may end up having to rely on late round draft choices, undrafted free agents, and players willing to take reduced pay to stay in the league to complete the 53 man team.

The Panthers were aggressive this past off season. You didn't even mention the Erving, Efflein, and Reddick deals. In pro sports aggression needs to be balanced with some degree of rationality and a good understanding on how to build a solid team. None of us liked the Erving and Efflein siginings because we realized these guys were under achievers with their first teams. We wanted the Darnold signing to work, but we all knew there was a good chance things would go south in a hurry (which they did after the 3-0 start). The Henderson trade was a head scratcher because we still had Donte, AJ, Keith Taylor Jr. on the roster after the Horn injury. Only the Gilmore and Reddick moves looked wise on paper. We didn't give up much or mortgage our future away for either player. We were aggressive with the trades during the 2nd round. Based on the results so far trading down from the 30's to the late 50's was dumb. We passed on several guys who could have started at T, G, or Center for a WR who caught 17 passes. TMJ may become a baller down the road, but he made no substantial contribution to the 2021 season. The Rams gave away picks to get players who could contribute immediately...and are still in their prime. Ramsey, Stafford, and Beckham all appear to have several years of productivity left barring injury. The picks they gave away wouldn't have provided as much benefit to the championship run as the player mentioned above. McVey has a much better understanding on how to build a successful NFL team than Matt Rhule.

Deshaun Watson didn't want to come here either. I don't know why any top FA (especially a QB) would want to come to Carolina in it's current state. We're gonna have to build thru the draft. If we get things turned around like Cincinnati did in 2022, it'll be a lot easier to attract FA's and/or trade for players.

We don't have enough assets in the draft to make run for Jimmy G. even if we wanted to (which most of us don't). And as someone pointed out, the 2023 draft choices should be untouchable unless it'something like a 5th, 6th, or 7th rounder choice. Now if Jimmy got cut, that changes things. I'd consider signing him to a 3 year deal if the terms were reasonable and use this draft/offseason to address the O-line for 2022. If a promising prospect was on the board in round 5,6, or 7 then I'd take them and let PJ go. I would even consider letting Sam go and taking the cap hit. I'd prefer trying to get a better prospect for QB in the 2023 class. If our 2023 picks are intact we could afford to move up and take a guy and get him ready to assume the starting job by 2024/2025. Thing is, I don't think Jimmy would want to come here. In fact I don't know why any veteran QB would want to play in Carolina unless it's their last chance to get starting job or roster spot. We've mismanaged so poorly since Rhule arrived that I think I'd rather ride with Sam in 2022. This would likely result in Rhule getting fired and allowing a new group of coaches to come in and right the ship. Then again, maybe...just maybe...McAdoo can make Sam a serviceable guy who can hold things down until we can draft a guy next year.

The coach, Zac Taylor, is only in his 3rd season. He didn't get his franchise QB until the 2020 season. It's been a 3 year process for Taylor and a 2 year process for Burrows. Their rebuild is eerily similar to what Bill Walsh did in San Francisco. He took over in 1979 and went 2-14. Joe Montana was drafted in the 3rd round that year. In 1980 they were better and finished 6-10. In 1981 they won their division with a 13-3 record and went on to win the Superbowl against... THE BENGALS!!!

Barring unforeseen circumstances, Burrows should be in the thick of things for the next decade. Unfortunately, he may have a more difficult road than Brady did. Tom played in a joke division (AFC East) for most of his career. Burrows will have to deal with Lamar Jackson and the Ravens twice a year. And, the Browns seem to give the Bengals fits. Cleveland swept them this year. If Cleveland had a solid QB, on paper they may actually be the more talented team. The he'll have to deal with either Mahomes, Herbert, and Allen in the playoffs. Brady had two playoff foes in the AFC, Peyton Manning and Joe Flacco. The former beat him 3 times in the AFC title game. And Flacco beat him twice in NE in the playoffs. Big Ben and Phillip Rivers were never obstacles for Brady in the post season. I tend to agree that he may be on the verge of becoming the top QB in the AFC, but the battle for that spot is going to be fun to watch over the next several seasons. The AFC of the 2020's reminds me of the NBA from 1980-1990. 3 teams won multiple titles during that stretch (Lakers, Celtics, and Pistons). The 76ers only won 1 (1983), but lost to the Lakers on 80 and 82. I can see that happening in the AFC this decade.

Two years ago the Bengals had the worse record in the NFL. They drafted a talented QB in the first round to lay the foundation for the rebuild. He played well last year, but missed half the season due to a torn ACL. Now with only 2 years in the NFL, and only a year removed from a season ending injury, Burrows and his young first time coach are headed to the Superbowl...despite a mediocre/poor pass blocking O-line. Contrast that with Carolina. Two seasons ago we were more talented than Cincinnati. On paper, we had good draft classes in 2020 and 2021. Yet, we are worse we were before Burrows enter the league. No one expected a rebuilding Carolina club to make a SB in year 2, although the Bengals proved it could be done. But, we should see progress, not regression. I hope Mr. Tepper sees what a real rebuild looks like.

While I pretty much agree with you 100% on this, I'd like to pose a question to you and the other Huddlers. If Deonte (or Brady for that matter) could master the position, would their conversion to Center be a positive or negative for the Panthers? The way I see it we have 4 spots on the line that need to be addressed. If you could solidify a spot on the O-line with either guy it would make us better in 2022.

Once the staff saw how poorly the LT played Brady should have been plugged in to see if he could man the position. We'd have a much better idea on his future at that spot had we done this. It's common sense, if you draft a LT...and the guy who plays in front of him is below average, then play the guy you drafted to see is he is better. If Rhule was absolutely convinced that Brady's arms were an inch to short to play LT , then at worst he should have been started at LG for the majority of the season. If he proved capable (or incapable), at least you'd know which positions to address in the off-season. The thing that bothers me the most about last season was our inability to develop our rookie class. Jaycee's injury was unavoidable so he gets a pass. Chubba was the only one who really had an impact this year, and that only happened because Christian was hurt most of the season. If you subtracted every other rookie's contribution in 2021 (with the possible exception of Brady filling in all over the O-line) it wouldn't have had a significant impact on our final record. That's telling since we had a league high 11 draft choices for a rebuilding team

I was thinking the same thing. What player in this draft is worth moving up for and giving away 2nd (and possibly a 3rd) round draft choice? As a GM, I wouldn't do it unless a player in the Top 10 was the missing piece to putting my team into playoff/title contention. Even then, I'd have to have an extra pick in the round two or three to seriously consider it. I'm also not sold on the idea that we can simply fix our o-line thru free agency. We picked two FA's last year and we know how that turned out. I already doubt the staff's ability to properly evaluate lineman. Also, after last year's fiasco I don't see quality FA's making a bee-line to Carolina to play under Matt Rhule. Take a stud lineman at 6. If you trade back, I wouldn't go below 12

From what I saw Keith Taylor Jr. held up pretty well when he was on the field this season. He was a great value pick in the 5th round. Rhule should have played him more this season instead of trading for CJ Henderson. As you pointed out, not only did we lose a valuable 3rd round pick, but we also lost our best passing catching TE. Arnold would have been a huge benefit to our offense this past season. I didn't see CJ do anything significantly better than Keith in pass coverage. That's my biggest gripe with Rhule. He did a poor job developing the rookies on both sides of the ball in 2021.

Las Vegas Raiders. Jacksonville Jaguars. Denver Broncos. Chicago Bears. Minnesota Vikings. ... New York Giants. ... Miami Dolphins. ... Houston Texans New Orleans

I think Payton going to Dallas would be troublesome for the entire NFC. Payton is probably the one coach Jerry Jones would probably be willing to cater to in order to get a final chance at a Super Bowl ring. I have no doubt that Dak's play would improve and that offense would perform more consistently week in and week out.