BrisbanePanther

Agreed. I also think for once we might get calls in our favor. His size might make refs flag defenders more often...you know, the opposite of how they treated Cam...also because of his size. Bryce might even get the Brady treatment where no one can breathe on him without getting flagged.

Agree that the Bears won't get as much as the 49ers, and some national talk does seem to think that signing Frank Reich is telegraphing Carolina's intent to move up to #1 to draft the QB of the future. I'm personally ok with this, and as @t96 and @stan786 said, it doesn't have to be a mortal blow to the franchise to trade those picks. That what free agency is for (at least the following two years). And we can't trust our front office to work FA properly to cover for fewer picks, we shouldn't them to make the rick draft picks either.

Yep, made this prediction a few weeks ago. Will see if it actually happens though. I'd be surprised if AZ gave up #3, but not shocked. A better move for AZ would be to trade down with a QB-needy team to get extra picks, then send the worst of those picks to Loomis. Maybe they then stay in the 1st round this year. They could take Johnston at #9.

It does remind me of every "global/international" search for big roles here in Australia...only for them to appoint the person who's acting in the role, or the person just down the hall, or from the UK (because we know who really runs this place).

Wow on Payton. If he doesn't get a job this round, he may as well give up on the NFL. Saints have his rights until January 2025! No team will give up picks for him. If he wants to coach again, I think he should just go to college. There's so much money at P5 schools that he'd easily get close to his NFL asking price with all the power and without the drama. And there's no draft picks for the Saints to ransom. If Jimbo is done at A&M next year, I fully expect Payton's name to come up there. He could easily also go to Austin or Norman as they head to the SEC. All of them can easily pay him.

Wasn't it literally the equivalent of a photo-finish with the last second call to Tepper to see if he'd match Cleveland's offer? It's understandable that it was missed. Everyone was shocked at Cleveland--no one called that one.

I think it's way more likely that Tepper asked Payton, "so you think you can convince Brady or Rodgers to come here" than "tell me your thoughts on Matt Corral". If he can get one of them, losing those picks hurts a whole lot less. If he can trade a Burns or Brown to replace some or all of those picks (since he'd likely be able to scheme around them when they're opposing) for maybe Houston's #12 this year and either their 2024 #1 or the 2024 Cleveland #1 that they own--all the better. These moves shouldn't be seen in a vacuum, but instead 3-4 steps ahead at least.

I suspect everyone's opinion on Lance goes up if Demeco goes to a new team with no QB (Houston? Indy?) and then that team trades for Lance. He's seen him in practice, and he knows if he'd have the tools and ability to beat a defense. That then allows him to draft Carter or Anderson at 2 or 4, plus maybe Johnston--who is from Temple, TX and would be their best receiver since Nuk--at 12 (if it's Houston).

Totally random, but Kittle's helmet reminds me of a Voltron lion.

Vegas will be home to all 4 big leagues way before Charlotte once they get the A's and the next NBA expansion team. Vegas hasn't thought twice about not having the numbers. Charlotte, on the other hand and in the same population bracket (and way more corporate muscle) as 4-team cities Minneapolis and Denver, seems to bid against itself with all the "we're only" or "we're just" talk. Too bad really.

The NBA has 2/3rds(!) of their league in the postseason with the play-in games.

And Murphy's Law, Atlanta will have another ice storm that kills another future Super Bowl bid.

This. That's two big ones that he's just not delivered on.

I know we're supposed to hate all things New Orleans, but I recall that on-side kick to open the second half flipping the game. That was a coaching chess move.

Jags morale might be gone based on this drive. Incredible.

Huntsville's minor league baseball team beat them to the punch.

Coaches talk too. I'd be stunned if Payton doesn't chat with Pete Carroll about Russ. If he does, we can probably guess whose word will matter more.

??? Even a 7th? Much better value than on someone destined for the practice squad.

He'd get a way longer in Carolina than Denver, where the fan base expects Lombardis. Longer time to get paid in Charlotte than in Denver.

This is my question too--Denver is not in the position to give up two #1s on top of what is still owed to Seattle. Unless Loomis is agreeing to less for Denver, why would Payton go there with fewer picks, a worse cast, and a tougher division and conference than Carolina? Ok, he'd have Russ but that may just be a halo effect. He'd pick his QBs in Carolina and take a team that Wilks had go 6-6 (could have been 8-4) in a putrid--I repeat--putrid division. He'd have to be high or highly unfortunate to not be in the playoffs every year here.

I keep seeing this point on Huddle about the "football guys". They have earned no credibility for us to advocate that Tepper leaves things to them. None of them can point to winning anything anywhere. In fact, it's the opposite. Fitt even counts a former Jets(!) exec as a mentor!

There's something about part of Panther fandom. Skittish on bigness (how many hated Cam's "icon" comment") but are unrealistically optimistic on the low 4th rounder drafted every year. Want no part of big names but fall in love with unsung heroes. Would run a race with a Ford instead of the Ferrari because the Ferrari uses up too much gas. Yes, Seifert failed on round 2. Yes, Gruden failed in round 3 (and maybe part of round 2). On the flip side, Belichick was an awful failed coach in Cleveland...until he wasn't in NE (after the Jets flakeout). Dick Vermeil left coaching and came back to win a title. Pete Carroll did ok with NE, and did better with Seattle. Holmgren didn't win a title, but he always had a Matt Hasselback(!) led team in the championship discussion many years. Andy Reid finally won too. The chances are just as good that Payton is more like Carroll and Reid than not, and he would be motivated to be on a short list of coaches (maybe the first?) who's won at two different teams.

The coaching situation in Denver reminds me of the early days with LaFleur. Rodgers didn't have great seasons (not as bad as Russ) and clearly didn't like him and there were very loud voices wondering if LaFleur was in over his head. That wasn't helped by the Jordan Love trade-up-and-pick, but things settled there. Now it's a question of did LaFleur learn to coach or is Rodgers so great that he rose above LaFleur? With Denver, Hackett was in over his heard, but we'll never know if he is LaFleur or if Russ would go the way of Rodgers. The sample size is small so we don't know if Russ is now this bad or if Hackett was the problem. If it was Hackett, then maybe having Russ is actually an attraction for Payton, but getting to come to Carolina or Houston with your hand-picked QB a la Brees might be even more attractive.

Haha fair enough, I've noticed that since I moved here years ago. Since I grew up in the US though, the regionalism sticks... I still can't understand playing the road team's song over the home team's ground's speakers after if the road team wins. It'd be like playing "Who Dat" over BofA's speakers if the Saints won!

Same for me--if they moved, unless it was to a city that I also liked such as Toronto. That being said, I know two Rams fans--both from St Louis. One kept his fandom after the team moved to LA, the other switched to GB. When I see their social media posts, the one keeping fandom look slightly weirder to me.