frankw

Idk the way they went all in on offensive help in the draft and seem to be good with the quarterbacks behind him suggests they expect him to stick. Hey I hope it works out too. All I want is something worth watching my expectations are low but others seem to be thinking playoffs already so we'll see.

There is nothing wrong with that but fans being optimistic is different from the front office. If they keep building him up like this and he has struggles adjusting the media and fans will be even harsher on him. They want him to approach this like he's a rookie again but that's not the way life works. See Teddy Bridgewater who had his own share of optimism around him this time last year.

This media blitz with the fluff is starting to enter babying territory. Let the guy put on a jersey and take a snap in camp.

Well it's in the books now. The decision makers have to live with the ramifications. Whether you sit on one side or the other in relation to the direction they took with qb we are still playing with fire without a firm answer at left tackle. Christensen has to be the guy.

They offered that same pick to the Lions for Matthew Stafford. Why is it out of the question that they considered going qb? We'll never know how they felt about Fields or Lance other than whispers and rumors since now they put all their chips in on Darnold. The truth about Sam that homers don't want to talk about is he has three seasons of tape as a bust. Folks can cherry pick good plays here and there in losing games and howl Adam Gase's name at the moon all they want but the proof is in the pudding.

The Bobcats played tonight apparently. Just brutal basketball.

Hey it's all fun and games in the offseason until your qb sucks come November and December. Good thing we aren't banking on a draft bust rejuvenating his career right? I will look forward to getting your take on things late in the year.

Of all the quarterbacks to stake your job and reputation on out of the gate I'm not sure Sam Darnold behind an until proven otherwise suspect offensive line fits the bill but here we are. We have seen this patting ourselves on the back after the draft dog and pony show before. The approach was different but will the results be? Let us all hope that the two quarterbacks we passed on are mediocre and Sam Darnold has a career year. Even the most optimistic fan should wince a little reading that if they know their Panthers history.

Of course I finally make it back to a Hornets game and Miles B is out after a hundred something consecutive games played. I need some Melo to PJ alley-oops.

Careful thems fightin words round here.

Don't waste your breath. Bridgewater was anointed the next franchise quarterback this time last year too.

Will you be following the Tedster to Denver?

I'm really excited about the potential of the backfield now. We just need the staff to put extra emphasis on securing the ball. Please no more nightmarish redzone fumbles.

I understand where you're coming from but I would caution anyone in expecting a quick search for the next quarterback if Darnold doesn't work out. Sure we can point to Pat Mahomes but you can also point to many other teams who were not so fortunate over the last decade or two. Look at how many quarterbacks the Browns drafted before Mayfield and even he is still proving himself. The qb hype of the 2021 draft has temporarily painted over some glaring trends of the past only time will tell how that works out with this recent draft class.

You care to elaborate? Hey I'm taking a wait and see optimistic approach too but cakewalk to the playoffs? I need to see camp and the rooks first at least.

Ah that May optimism on the huddle.

Horn mentioned it that's why it's in the thread. There are plenty of athletes across different sports who have respect for their peers in different leagues. This has been common with the NFL and NBA for years now.

It's wild but even after watching our last franchise quarterback fall apart and the sight of Teddy Bridgewater throwing a football there are still people who would put a running back before the team.

Well of course we will listen as will they there are people paid to do that. But in any division a potential trade with a rival should be considered entirely under the guise that normal circumstances are out the window. What I mean by that is in any normal scenario not involving divisional foes each team is seeking to maximize their return but they will generally attempt to trade in good faith as to not burn any bridges in the future because who knows when they may need that channel open again. But with rivals both parties are going to be wary of one another and any return they will be seeking will likely be well above the value it would be for non rivals. The Falcons would have fleeced us in any possible trade to move up to their pick and the Panthers would have sought the same from the Saints if we actually considered trading down to their pick. I'm not saying those kinds of trades don't happen or they are entirely out of the question but because of the above mentioned they are rare and in this particular division where there is truly no love lost they are less likely. Think the get the fug off our field moment from Atlanta and all the times Sean Payton has given us the finger.

That they even had the audacity to think we would entertain the notion of making a deal with them makes me despise that org even more. It doesn't help matters that our front office was foolish enough to offer the kind of money they did to Bridgewater. You know Payton enjoyed every minute of that. I want to sweep those fugers.

This reminds me of that game where Byron Bell was by himself in the middle of a play attempting to block an invisible player. Surely we are due something good for a change by now. It has been long enough.

I get that he is wanting Sam for right now to focus on just playing and not worrying about expectations too much but speaking this convincingly about him before camp or anything is a double edged sword. You also don't want a situation in the locker room where there may become a perception of being coddled. It's good to hear Rhule speak in no uncertain terms but now the clock is ticking. Matt and Scott are tied directly to the success or failure of Sam Darnold for better or worse. If all goes well they are heroes but if he struggles the daggers will come out. Do not be fooled by the media praise it changes with the wind.

Happy for Emory. Keep moving up and prospering.

Damn there are some high expectations in here. If he can achieve even half of some of these predictions I would be okay with that. The realist in me says it will likely be in the middle somewhere. Between 3500 and 4000 yards with 25 touchdowns in what will be his bounce back year while learning a new system would seem to be the most realistic ceiling sight unseen. With CMC and the recent additions to the offense plus a new running back and a couple big boys on the line it is likely a safe bet to say there will be a significant emphasis on running the ball to ease the transition for Sam so that could cut down on his numbers. But all of this depends on the offense making gains in redzone efficiency which was not pretty last year for a number of reasons but lack of push from the line was a big factor. Darnold himself is also going to have to protect the ball and fans are going to have to prepare for some turnovers through the process.

If sports discussion stoops this low it's time for cooler heads to prevail.