KSpan

Outside of his toughness, what did he really do to 'deserve credit'? Those plays/throws are NFL table stakes that any/all QBs can make or they wouldn't be in the NFL, but the best ones make them consistently, and Bryce (just like the rest of the offense) flat out sucked last year. He individually was worse than replacement level and I don't feel the need to applaud that considering the cost it took to get him. If he improves greatly this year then everyone wins, fans and team alike, and he will 'get credit'. Until that point though the hole is deep. It is what it is.

Chuba is the only non-question mark running back on the team. Trading him for what tiny return he might bring would be dumb.

Between contract, performance, and the general sentiment toward the RB position, Sanders has less than zero trade value.

I daresay folks only get roasted like this because they are the best. It's an honor, kind of like a musician being chosen by Weird Al for a parody.

Why would a team ever not be aggressive in improving the roster? It may look different from year to year but even the best rosters churn at the bottom. That's a no-brainer.

Those threads are something else. Poked through them out of curiosity and oh wee mayne...

Come on now. You now that anything other than bubbling optimism, even if it's just a level-headed stance suggesting that only time will tell, is just pure hate. In all seriousness though there is way less idiotic Pollyanna roses-and-sunshine this year. A few still around, sure, but I think the reality of last year (that some of us saw as a very strong possibility...) really shattered some illusions for some folks.

No hindsight needed. Even with the flowery write ups those moves were bad at the time, just like how relying on guys who have little to no experience at a key OL position is very risky at best and downright negligent at worst.

That's a large part of what a lot of that stuff is based on, so you're arguing semantics here. I will say that the team appears to actually be going after a player archetype but no, other than that it's pretty equivalent.

The problem is that the bulk of FA happens before the draft. Don't have the luxury of picking sheer talent and then filling gaps with top FAs. That doesn't mean people sacrifice significant talent based on need of course, but it makes the draft calculus that much more complicated.

You certainly can't prove the first point right now, and obviously the players were selected in different order. However, to your second point the overall 'grades' (put as much stock in these as you like) are the same or even a little worse in 2024 than 2021. 2021 draft 'grades': Grades for the Carolina Panthers 2021 Draft Class 2024 draft 'grades': Final Grades: How the national publications see the Panthers 2024 draft class

Who gives a flying fug about the media? Just because something isn't on blast doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Eh, no one needs to be saying anything publicly. Non-issue.

It felt exactly like the 2021 draft to me, and even the positions selected were almost exactly the same. Time will tell of course but it was certainly not anything all that different They've hit on their lower picks and been trading their 1sts for proven star vets. It would be a different story if their later picks weren't working and not every team could pull it off, but they've worked it for sure.

Too bad we hadn't already turned Burns into their first this year and next.

Indeed. No idea what I was looking at there. 237 is ILB weight.

Not at 220 lbs he won't, and they won't put weight on him if they need the speed.

And Tepper somehow magically figured it out with this round of hires, eh? We all certainly hope so.

This thread reminds me of when everyone was raving about Fitterer making all those draft trades his first year as GM.

The point is that workhorse backs are no longer a thing in the NFL. Loads are split and risks are hedged accordingly since each team carries a number of backs that all play. That said, it is certainly better to have good backs than bad. I know nothing about this player and do feel Carolina has bigger needs but perhaps he truly is BPA.

No worries. We already knew what dumbasses Fitterer, Tepper, and the FO were even before the trade went down. The trade itself just cemented it and this is further confirmation.

Until proven otherwise that definitely doesn't apply when David Tepper is involved, which is my whole point. All attribution should be reserved until the rubber meets the road and real football is on the field.

I really can't stand his 'youth pastor' vibe as some have put it and don't want to hold his confidence against him since what else is he really going to be, but I'm just a fan and admittedly quite cynical about the team, so my opinion on him at this point is irrelevant. Bottom line is he could turn out great and only time will tell, so I'm just waiting for actual football to be played. FWIW I didn't immediately hate the Canles hiring like I did the Reich and Rhule hires... those were dumpster fires so easily predictable that is was kind of aggravating. No disagreement that every new coach has their lumps to take and things to learn, just saying that there is little to nothing to go on with respect to his acumen as HC. I find his disposition annoying but as I noted above, that's more to do with me and the only thing that ultimately matters is the results.