Proudiddy

While practice means very little in this marathon of a season, what sticks out to me in this comparison to the 2015 season is that that team made several acquisitions as the season went on that got us over the hump and helped us really hit our stride as the season went on (Jared Allen, Remmers, Finnegan)... I feel this team will have to do the exact same thing to make it a successful season, so it's good these practices are really highlighting those areas of need.

If it makes you feel better, those same generalizations have been applied to me for years as a emotional and reactionary poster/fan. Let us find the common ground.

I was referring to the dichotomy over the years, not today.

I dont mean to harp on this... but, I'm going to. I've had a good rapport with Voth and Gantt in the past on Twitter and appreciate them both, but the reporting this TC has been atrocious. We had a full two hour practice in which they could've mentioned that Paradis wasn't out there, but they didn't. All I read was that he made the trip and heard nothing else about him, even as the Colts pounded our OL. Furthermore, The Colts' reporters were all over their stats and personnel. They prolly tweeted more about us than our own guys did... To further my point, their beat guys had the exact stats for both of their QBs, yet all we got during the practice was OL sucked, Darnold looked ok but no details, and DL was good. After practice we finally get numbers (Darnold was 7 for 13), but no context. Some more hours after practice, we find out there was a ton of drops by our receivers, which contributed to our QBs' numbers, and this after hearing nothing but rave reviews about our receivers during the practice... this is getting really frustrating, and I don't understand the reason for it. If they're trying to save juicy tidbits for their in-house productions, that is a horrible strategy versus the immediate information being available to fans.

I've been thinking this as well. It just really irritates me that McD uses Cam like he's effing T3bow.

Agreed. It's just the sense of instability that bothers me and I hope we have less of that the closer we get to the season opener.

I agree with everything, except I have to hedge on the patience. While I know we're young and he's building his program and his culture here, I don't want to lean on that as a crutch from success. He showed enough ability as a talent developer and as a tactician last year that I believe we should make the playoffs this season. I will be disappointed with anything less.

NGL, the announcers and crowd seem to be favoring Mac over Cam, and it seems like McDaniels is too. One thing that really irritated me with McD last season was he seemed to call some old Wing T, Lateral-passes-only offense with Cam in last year, and then started calling pro-style offenses when Stidham and the other guy got in last season... he appears to be doing the same so far this season. Multiple screens and runs on Cam's two drives... seemed to run a ground and pound, run heavy style... then Mac comes in and they ran one time so far and then had him chucking it down field every other play. I don't like the way this is playing out.

Agreed on all points.

Ehh, he is a better part-time starter than the ones we got.

FWIW, I wasn't as harsh on him as many have been. I lost some hope last season, but I didn't fully give up on him until this offseason/TC.

It is funny how many always immediately jump to framing the usual "reactionaries," but they/we are equal to or even outnumbered by those irrationally positive and optimistic fans who have been droning on the same rah rah stuff for decades now. Not to be morbid, but I often think of all of the Huddlers and Panthers fans that we have lost over these 25+years who kept believing the present was a developmental year with low expectations while believing the next year our team would get things right so we could be patient, and that is depressing. Dont get me wrong, I believe in Rhule from what we've seen so far and I think we're in a much better place moving forward than we've been in in decades, if not ever... but, I really wish the majority of our fanbase would get this ho hum, "we'll get them next year," attitude out of our collective mind. I understand patience and time have their place, but eventually you either are a winning program or you're not, and we as a fanbase have been way too comfortable with inconsistency and mediocrity. (NOTE: This post is not a commentary on or reaction to today's practice or this thread, but rather an overall cumulative observation from over the years.)

And at this point, bring Okung back. But, I'm guessing they didn't bring him back bc I get the impression they felt he was aloof or not "all in" here... but, he was solid on the field. We have to bring in someone, and quick.

Greg Little has already descended to the Pantheon of other great Hurney 2nd Rounders with Jarrett and Armanti Edwards.

I am (minus maybe the crazy part lol) and I will, Floppin. But, I don't feel this is applicable in this situation. I'm not raging or flying off the handle. Everyone knew coming into the season that the OL was going to be a work in progress and the known the weakest unit on the team... What I've posted in this thread is how disappointing it is that our defense made made two scrub QBs look like Phillip Rivers never left and how our coaching staff isn't helping our synergy or chemistry by rotating guys in and out of the most important position on the OL. I understand pre-season practice and TC would be the ideal time to mess around with lineups and see what sticks, but it just seems there was never a concrete plan in place going into this.

That's what is really irking me with Rhule this camp. I believe in him as a culture setter and a strategist/tactician, but this poo with the OL is just getting old. I said it in another thread, but it's like the "if you have 2 QBs, you have none." We just rotated 3 guys in at the most important position on the offensive line in an intra-squad scrimmage. That's insane. Only one of those players has shown the ability to play on the edge and excel at the NFL level... Let him do it and figure out the rest. Not only is this game of musical chairs preventing our line from gelling, but if Sam was ever going to have a chance at fixing his issues and saving his career, he needs a competent OL to do so. Rhule needs to quit messing around and lock in the lineup and go from there. Imo, Daley deserves to start from what we saw of him when healthy, so I would give him the nod over Elflein. Scott looked serviceable when filling in last season, so I would give him or Christensen the shot at starting RT. Give me Moton-Daley-Paradis-Miller-Scott/Christensen.

Operation Tempering Expectations Down Now, commenced.

Smh... what an embarrassment.

Yup. It is a time tested (and proven) tradition. Even just last year when the Saints had to field a receiver corps of all practice squad players and so many here were celebrating before the game... turned out great.

Falls in line with our history... Team X has a rash of injuries at a key position -> Panthers show up to make replacement players look all-world.

Welp. New regime, same old Panthers.

Can someone explain to me why they can do this at an away practice but haven't done it all TC at home? They are really dropping the ball this year.

I'm not gonna lie... I'm not as down on our OL as many are. I don't think they'll be worldbeaters by any means, but I think the talent level is as high as it's been in years. That being said, I'm growing concerned with how it is being handled. The non-committal approach to LT, and having had Moton taken snaps over there throughout camp, even when everyone was healthy, then having him at RT, then back at LT, then shuffling other guys around like Elflein and Tecklenberg... it's kind of like the old cliche about QBs - if you have two, then you have none. It seems like they're trying to come up with contingency plans if someone gets hurt or what have you, when our biggest issue is having an actual solidified starting 5.

This had to have been something other than ability and potential. I think Rhule was sending a message. If our media wasn't so passive and trying to glean favor with the organization at every turn, it would've been nice if someone would have asked him about it.