SCO96

Gotta agree with Jon Snow on this one. Our current roster is terrible even with the two upgrades at guard. You can make an argument that the Panthers are weak at EVERY position on the team except our 2024 starting guards, 1 DT spot (D. Brown) and possibly RT. We have 2 picks inside the top 40 and the first pick in round 3 (#65). If we don't come away with at least two starters with those picks then the 2024 draft will be another disaster. To be honest, we really should come away with 3 starters. If we picked the right WR, LB, DB or DE I don't how they couldn't start or at least play significant minutes given the lack of talent currently on our roster.

As CSX pointed out we don't have a first round pick. I'm definitely on board with taking OL or WR @ #33. I do disagree with your Take on TE. I can see getting upset if we took a JAG. If we could find a Kelce, LaPorta, or Kittles type talent then I could understand why the FO would consider it. A solid TE acts a security blanket on 3rd an short. Our QB doesn't have the strongest arm. A solid TE can work the intermediate area of the field where Bryce is more effective. A solid TE is usually a scoring threat in the redzone. A solid TE usually helps the running game. If he could find a TE who could catch 70-75 passes, score 6-8 TDs, and go over 800 yards for the season he would be well worth the 33rd pick of the draft.

Here's a look at the Panthers' 2024 picks: — Their own second-rounder (No. 33 overall) — Their own third-rounder (No. 65 overall) — Their own fourth-rounder — San Francisco's fifth-rounder — Tennessee's fifth-rounder — Arizona's sixth-rounder The decision to trade down has to be based on what is left on the draft board at the end of the 1st round. We know first round caliber players fall into the first round all of the time. Several starting caliber o-lineman, TE's, or WR's could be available in Day 2 of the draft. If we could trade down a couple of slots, obtain an extra pick in the 3rd or 4th round w/out parting with our 3rd and 4th round choices, and stay in the top 40 of the 2nd round, I would strongly consider a deal. If not I'd take the best available offensive player at 33 and focus on offense for most of the draft Our offense was the worst in the NFL. We were shut out the last two games of the season. Bryce Young had one of the worst rookie seasons for a QB in recent memory. No way I'm drafting a LB, DB, or even d-lineman with our offense so inept. Our defense wasn't awful last season, Our offense was. I wouldn't go into the draft expecting much from FA. Unless a player literally can't get another job in the league or desires to be in the Carolinas for personal reasons, I can't think of too many reasons for him to come to Charlotte outside of an obscene paycheck (which other owners can likely match if needed). This team has questionable ownership, the least talented roster in the NFL, no proven talent at QB, no first round draft choice in 2024, and 6 straight losing seasons. Get players that can improve Bryce's chance of success in 2024. Hopefully, the coaching staff can work with the underachievers currently on the roster and improve their play. We may be able to get some help from the undrafted FAs and the waiver wire. As some have pointed out, we're looking at a 2-3 year rebuild before we can compete for a playoff spot. We might as well lay a strong foundation one piece at a time.

The above list of players is an example of why I have no faith in the Panther scouting department. That's a lot of WRs to miss on, especially that high in the draft (rounds 1-3). Our TE selections haven't been any better. The two best TEs to play for our organization (Wesley Walls and Greg Olsen) were not drafted by the Panthers. Outside of those 2 guys, I can't think of another TE drafted by the Panther who ever became an impact player. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart were good running backs. How many other good RB's have we drafted besides those two and CMC? NOTE: Deshawn Foster gets an honorable shout out, but injuries derailed his promising career. For years I've wondered if our poor drafts in general are due to poor talent evaluation from the scouts. I'd love to see how our draft board compares to the other teams around the NFL. I'm hoping things will improve with Dan Morgan as the GM. I think a lot of former players are better at talent evaluation when they work in the front office (in any capacity).

I think every football fan loves to see their team go deep with the long ball. That said, we have a QB with a questionable arm and a below average o-line protecting him. I'd gladly settle for a WR who can get open quickly, help move the chains, and increase our YAC stat (which had to be near the bottom of the league in 2023). A receiving threat like that would open up things for everyone else because defenses would then have to adapt their game plans to deal with him. Honestly, I'd be excited if we took a TE who could get open on a regular basis and be a scoring threat in the red zone. Any receiver who can improve Bryce's 5.5 yards per attempt and 179.8 yards per game average and increase his 11 TD passes would be a welcome addition.

You're so "punny"! Do you get it, "punny"?

Good post. Shanahan didn't run the ball enough in the 2nd half. The O-line had several critical penalties that were absolute drive killers for the 49ers. The punt team muffed a kick that led to a TD one play later and a massive momentum shift. CMC fumbled in the red zone on the first drive of the game. The Kicker missed an extra point. All of the above were the major reasons for the loss. I don't care how talented team is or who is behind center, you can't make those types of mistakes against a Mahomes/Reid team in the playoffs and expect to win a close game down the stretch. Once in the 4th quarter, and Once in the OT Brock Purdy walked off the field with his team leading the game and both times the defense failed to hold up on their end. But, a lot of people insist that Purdy should have won the game because of his stocked roster. If the stocked roster makes mistakes or fails to make impact plays how is that a reflection of Purdy? Most of us agree that Purdy didn't play lights out last night, but he wasn't terrible. However, there is one thing he is going to have to do going forward. He's going to have to learn how to play off script when things breakdown or when the game plan isn't working. Shanahan, as someone pointed out, has had double digit lead in all 3 of his SB loses...with 3 different QB's. A lot of the blame has to fall on him. Purdy will probably end up having to carry his coach instead of the other way around if the 49ers are going to get over the hump and win a SB.

That loose coverage resulted in several plays where KC had guys running wide open downfield on crossing routes during critical moments of the game. Overall, I think the 49ers gave a solid effort, but they didn't come thru when the game was on the line.

Then in the 3rd quarter SF gave their best offensive weapon 2 touches. This combined with the muffed punt changed the entire complexion of the game. I agree to a point. But, when they had chance to prevent a tie in the 4th quarter they didn't. When they had a chance to prevent a game winning TD or game tying FG in overtime they failed again, despite the fact that the defense had plenty of time to rest due to the brake between regulation and OT...and the fact that the 49er FG drive took over 8 minutes off of the OT play clock. I don't agree with your reasoning on this one. If the 49ers have an elite defense it isn't unreasonable to expect them to keep a team off of the scoreboard in OT to win the game...or at the minimum hold them to 3 and prolong the game. Nope, they let the Chiefs march right down the field and get a TD. Bingo. Shanahan did a worse job play calling down the stretch and scheming his big play guys open than Reid. Deebo had 6 touched last night (passing and receiving combined). George Kittle caught 2 passes for 4 yards. Elijah Mitchell had 2 carries for 8 yards. Spagnola did a better job neutralizing his opponent in the 2nd half than Wilkes. The KC defense only gave up 3 scores after halftime (including OT)despite not getting any turnovers (I'm not counting the punt which was a special teams turnover caused by a fluke play). The SF defense gave up 2 TDs and 2 FG's for a total of 4 scores. The coaching played a huge part in the loss which is why I don't see why someone want to pin the loss largely on Purdy.

Or, maybe the Niners' highly touted defense needs to make a stop when it counts. If your team can't stop a team from getting game tying or game winning drives with the game on the line, can your really argue that its "stacked" or "elite"? After halftime it seemed like every time the Chiefs needed to score they did. The KC had guys running wide open in the 2nd half. Even Romo commented on how easy those zone coverages were being exploited.

Purdy is a 2nd year player drafted in the 7th round. He was forced to come in and start in 2022 after Trey Lance (a first round pick) got hurt and never relinquished the job. 2023 was the first time Purdy started a complete 17 game season. Even the great Patrick Mahomes sat the bench during his rookie year. I blame this loss largely on KC winning the coaching battle in the 2nd half. If Reid had been coaching that Niners offense with Purdy behind center last night I'm sure he would have dialed up some plays to get Deebo and Kittles more involved. Neither guy had a "major impact" in the SB and it ended up hurting SF in the end.

Agreed. But, I don't think Shanahan would abandon the run as much if he had 2 beasts to hand the ball too.

No one does it alone. I actually think Shanahan needs to draft a big back to come in spell MaCaffrey during the game and to use in short yardage situations. Their backup RB is ok, but I think SF could continue to run effectively with CMC on the bench if they could find 6ft+/225lb+ back in the middle rounds of the draft to complement MaCaffrey. If Shanahan had one of those last night he would have a much better shot at winning that game.

MaCaffrey had about 160 total yards in the game. He scored a TD and led his team in rushing and passing yards. Yet, CMC only had 2 touches in the 3rd quarter...the quarter that saw KC get back into the game after the 49er offense stalled and the special teams muffled the punt that resulted in a go ahead TD one play later.

I think Purdy is getting too much blame for this loss. 1)He didn't have any turnovers. 2)He didn't take any big sacks that cost them points or knocked them out of scoring range 3)He didn't fumble away a scoring opportunity in the red-zone (ie:CMC) 4) He wasn't on the field when the muffed punt occurred in the 3rd quarter. This is where KC got the big momentum swing. All Ray-Ray had to do was fall on the ball instead of trying to pick it up to run. 5) He didn't miss any extra points. When the 49ers needed to score to take the lead or tie the game in the 2nd half, he came through. Had this game been played under the old OT rules he'd be a SB champion today. Let's not forget that this was his first full season as a starter. Not bad for a 7th round pick. He should get better with time. He could have played better, but I don't see how anyone can blame the loss mainly on him.

Shanahan reminds me of Tom Landry. Landry was super intelligent...and arguably the only guy in NFL history during the SB era who could be his own own offensive and defensive coordinator. Yet, the Cowboys often chocked in big games under Landry. He tended to over analyze things and make big mistakes in crucial moments of championship games. Pete Gent (North Dallas Forty author) has said he never understood how someone so smart would freeze up at the worst possible times. The Cowboys were preseason favorites to win the championship from 1967-1970 and fell short every year. Each loss was to a less talented team. Landry finally got over the hump in 1971 when Staubach took over at the QB position. Shanahan has lost 2 SB's to Reid. And both times his team outplayed KC for the majority of the game. His offense lost their first half momentum in both losses. He was also the OC for Atlanta when they blew a 28-3 to NE and lost the SB. He needs to figure out why his teams can't put games away when it counts. Had his teams scored 1 more TD in the 2nd half in any of the above 3 SB losses, they would have walked away as world champions.

I tend to agree with you on the run game aspect. They should have run it a little more to: a) wear down the defense and run down the clock b) Keep Mahomes off of the field . CMC is a beast. But, he is still a small back. I really think the 49ers should consider drafting a big back in the mid to late rounds. Someone who is about 6'2/235 to complement Christian. They need someone who can convert in those 3rd and short situations. I'd be looking for the type of back that no defender wants to tackle late in games. It would give them a 1-2 punch and keep both backs from tiring during the game. If Shanahan had our "double trouble" duo of Williams and Stewart, they would have run all over KC last night.

If he had serious reservations about taking the job then its in his best interests, and Washington's, that he turned down the job. "He is considered a coach who prefers holing up in his office, coming up with game plans and playing with mad scientist vibes rather than leading a locker room." He may have a good understanding of his limitations. Norv Turner and Wade Phillips were excellent coordinators in their prime. But, neither excelled as a HC. Another source though said that he didn't like that Commanders executives were "basketball guys" who he believed didn't really know football. Johnson needs to feel comfortable in the team environment. He very well could be right in his assessment. If he went to D.C. and bombed, it could affect the way he's perceived throughout the NFL for the rest of his coaching career. I'm looking forward to seeing if he and Campbell can get Detroit over the hump. The really should have made the SB this year.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/stats/team/_/season/2023/seasontype/2 This link should take you to the team stats for offense across the NFL this year. We had the fewest passing yards and fewest total yards in the league this season. We were 20th in the league in rushing. We scored a league low 13.9 points per game...a slightly skewed stat because we were shut out the last two games of the season. Carolina was clearly the worst offensive team in the NFL for the 2023 season. https://www.espn.com/nfl/stats/team/_/view/defense/season/2023/seasontype/2 If you click on the tab towards the middle of the scree you can see the team defensive rankings. In terms of total yards allowed, we ranked 4th with 293.9 yards per game. We ranked 29th in points per game allowed with 24.5 pts. Point differential -10.6 points per game. Most successful teams are going to have a positive point differential or at least break even during the course of the season. https://www.espn.com/nfl/stats/team/_/view/turnovers/season/2023/seasontype/2 Carolina was -9 in turnover differential (26th in the NFL) https://www.espn.com/nfl/team/stats/_/name/car/table//sort/sacks/dir/desc We only had 28 sacks as a team https://www.espn.com/nfl/team/stats/_/name/car/table//sort/interceptions/dir/desc The team had 8 INTS. Those last stats are down from 2022. When you factor in the bad offense, injuries, and lack of sacks/INTS, lack of a true superstar, the defense was more than respectable in 2023.

He's done a great job in the Cowboy front office. I think he'd be a good addition for our organization...which means he won't get the job. I fear this could be a Rooney Rule interview and nothing more.

I wouldn't bother trying to tag and trade him unless had already worked out a deal with another team and he was aware of what was going down . You may not find a buyer. If we don't want to pay him $30 mil per year, why would we expect someone else to after an 8 sack season? Then we could be stuck with him on a big 1 year deal and go an entire season with him "playing scared" again. Or, Burns could decide to hold out over the tag issue and create a messy preseason distraction. Id be ok just let him walk. We might be able to get a 3rd round comp pick for him in 2025.

The Raider messed up by not keeping the guy (I forgot his name) who replaced Gruden when he was fired. He actually got them to the playoffs only to be replaced by Josh McDaniel, who has now been fired. McDaniel get fired and Pierce comes in and goes 5-4 to close the season. Marc Davis has a coach already on the staff that has changed the tone in the locker room. He could end up alienating the locker room if Pierce doesn't get a fair shot.

If I were a talented WR (or TE) with more than one solid offer to change teams, then playing for the Panthers would be my last option. I’d only consider Carolina if 1 )no other team made me an offer 2) the other offers were extremely low and below market value 3) I had a burning desire to live in the Carolina for personal reasons Outside of the above reasons, I can’t think of another reason for a top FA to come to Charlotte. We are literally the worst team in the NFL record wise We appear to have the worst owner in the NFL. We arguably have the worst GM and front office in NFL We have had 6 straight losing seasons and never had back to back winning seasons in almost 30 years of existence. Our 1st round QB not shown (at least so far) that he can become even a solid starter in the league. No first round pick in 2024. I think a lot of people are going to be disappointed if they expect a horde of top free agents to pack their bags and head to the Carolinas this offseason.

Hopefully an important lesson has been learned. Never trade up into the top 5 for a QB unless the team is solid on both sides of the ball is truly only a playmaking QB away from contending for a conference title. Too much draft capital is used to make such a move; and sometime as was our case...you may lose a talented player in the deal. I wouldn't trust Fitterer to draft a fantasy team. But, a good GM could have filled a lot of holes in the 2023 draft if we had kept the picks we had on Day 1 (ie no trade up for JAGS like DJ Johnson). I would have been content to take Levis in the top 10 for our QB(he has all of the physical tools to play the position). We'd still have DJ Moore at WR. If you didn't like Levis you could have used that for another position of need and signed a veteran like Dalton or Flacco to hold things steady thru 2023. The 2024 draft would have been the ideal year to try to move up. Take a look at the guys who may be coming out this year (from the USA Today site). Jayden Daniels, LSU (QBR: 95.7) Bo Nix, Oregon (90.9) J.J. McCarthy, Michigan (89.3) Michael Penix Jr., Washington (83.2) Caleb Williams, Southern California (82.1) Jordan Travis, Florida State (80.0) Drake Maye, North Carolina (79.5) Quinn Ewers, Texas (78.9) Michael Pratt, Tulane (65.8) Shedeur Sanders, Colorado (63.0) I think most of us would take any of these guys over Bryce based on his 2023 season in Carolina if we had a do over. One of these QB's would have likely fallen to us. Or, we could be in a position to move up because the talent from the 2023 draft should have moved us closer to contending in the NFC.

Will Levis wasn't picked until round 2. I thought he would have been an excellent choice for us at our original spot in the top 10. If we had stayed put we would have had him inside the top 10 and kept last years #2, this years #1, the #2 in 2025, and DJ Moore. Too many people think you have to trade up into the top 5 to get a franchise QB. If you are set on both sides of the ball and the team is in a position to compete with the QB already on the roster, move up and get your guy. If the team is poor, use the picks to build a solid roster or let a talented prospect fall to you and keep your picks. It's too expensive to give away all of those picks. Hopefully we've learned our lesson.