frankw

Awful gaffe by Mixon but also just a dumb play call

That was an incredible play from Stroud under heavy pressure.

Easy lol. We can talk about this without sounding ridiculous. The Texans were not a great destination for a rookie QB virtually everyone in the sports world agreed on that. Two things can be true at once. Stroud had a terrific rookie season. Now he's come back down to Earth and the league has gotten enough film on him. Either he figures it out and adjusts or he will go the way of a number of other QB's who showed flashes of greatness yet eventually fizzled out. It isn't anything new in this league.

I mean. By definition the Texans are what they've always been. When Stroud was drafted by Houston the overwhelming majority of people talking about that franchise agreed they were not remotely close to contending. They were one inexplicable play away from the first overall pick for a reason. I guess if it makes people feel better they can take solace in Stroud not doing well but I would caution throwing stones from a glass house given we are waiting to see our own guy put together a complete season of minimum adequate to good QB play let alone top 10.

If he wants to hunt for food and live that lifestyle I'm not bothered by it. Not a good idea to be broadcasting it to social media in this day and age though. Especially if he's fileting squirrels of all creatures and as others have mentioned there is the element of disease to be taken into consideration. But there is a definite bias in America as far as which animals are deemed okay to kill for meat and which aren't. I know I'm not the only one that has been bombarded in recent years with those cringy Chick-fil-A ads where some rando bloviates about how delicious Chick-fil-A's chicken is like the rest of us don't already know this. But that's a conversation for another subforum though. As long as he improves as an NFL receiver he can do whatever he wants with his life.

Arm strength Cam was at times other worldly. I don't remember what game it was off the top of my head but that heater he rifled within centimeters of the helmet of a defensive lineman into the hands of a Panthers receiver in the end zone always sticks out in my mind. They even showed it in slomo and it was insane. Anywho I've been a Bryce skeptic at times and have expressed concerns but as of right now I'm genuinely much less concerned about his arm going forward. I think that's largely adequate and I've seen some really nice passes from him that you expect from a #1 pick but defenses will be looking to put it to the test early and often next season. If he continues to play with the confidence and swagger he finished the 2024 season with we should be fine. That being said I still would really like to see the team and him see what they can do on some work for him in the weight room as he heads into his third year of development. We should be leaving no stone unturned in our goal of assuring we do not have a repeat of the beginning of the 2024 season.

I can agree Cam had the benefit of more offensive role players around him and obviously Steve Smith but it should also be noted Steve was and he would be the first to tell you this not at all easy for just any QB to deal with. There are certainly some standout names on that 2011 roster but there are also a large number of jags and guys who had no business being on a roster. But at the end of the day it takes a special player to turn that years Panthers into a team fighting week in and week out coming off a season like 2010. Cam had that in his DNA. We just have to wait and see if Bryce can recapture some of that going forward and build on the final game of the season. I hope to see it.

There was blame to go around in 2023. Oline was very bad receivers weren't getting it done we were getting outcoached and unfortunately Bryce Young also played very poorly at times. It was a culmination of bad circumstances that was precisely why many people here myself included cautioned the at times overly lofty expectations and unearned conclusions being placed on Bryce by Panthers fans before and immediately following the draft. All the bluster of Patrick Mahomes comparisons gave way to shrieking about how we must surround him with weapons across the board for him to be successful. Well the Panthers have made very significant investments and will continue to do so in the upcoming offseason on both sides of the ball of that there is no doubt. Cam never realized his full potential as a passer most people have acknowledged that. There are different reasons for this but ultimately it's on him and I'm sure it's something he's reflected on. All I can do is hope Bryce Young will be putting in extra work in the offseason because it would be a real nice change of pace to start the 2025 season actually looking like a competent NFL team for a change. We'll just have to wait and see.

To be clear even though they had some rough spots the 2024 Carolina Panthers oline was one of the best units we've had in a long time. For all the talk of Icky's struggles he's by no means Byron Bell let's not get it twisted here. Everyone knows Cam was never known for his accuracy. Newton's career completion % was 59.9 and Bryce Young currently sits at 60.3. Surely we are looking to bring that number up a great deal. Eye test is significant because Bryce is clearly playing with confidence and comfortable but it still matters when and where you see this. Unfortunately for Bryce Young and the rest of our offense our upcoming opponents this year will not be as bad as the 2024 Falcons passing defense which was #2 to us at #1 in touchdowns allowed. There's much work to do and prove before making determinations about who is a better passer than who in Panthers lore at this point in time.

I'm not dealing in what if scenarios. Cam's rookie season is in the books and so is Bryce's. We can't change or rewrite history. I'm really trying to be reasonable and respectful here but I'm also really tired of seeing revisionist history being applied as a means to make Bryce Young look like he's been working with the absolute worst offensive supporting cast in history while Cam always had the best everything. Cam Newton was regarded as a low IQ potential trouble maker who was possibly not even a superior passer to Blaine Gabbert or Jake Locker heading into the 2011 draft and Jerry Richardson wouldn't even sign off on him as the pick before telling him no to tattoos and cornrows. Let's just be real about this. First of all Rob Chudzinksi was Cam's OC his rookie year and Cam's heroics somehow got him a head coaching opportunity and he did absolutely nothing the rest of his coaching career. Ron Rivera while I like him and think he is a respectable coach he found himself on the hot seat in honestly his second season and certainly by his third and it was Cam Newton who encouraged him to be less conservative to a fault and frankly saved his job. Almost nobody expected the 2011 Panthers to look the way they did in a lockout year. Hell half this damn board at the time wanted nothing to do with drafting Cam. Now I've got people trying to convince me that was one of the franchises best roster years. Do you even remember what became of the 2011 draft class minus Cam Newton? Do you remember watching the defense? Cam Newton and Steve Smith did the heavy lifting that year and were the reason the team was even watchable. As far as the run game Cam Newton had 706 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns to go with his passing numbers. The guy was simply a monster in his prime and while he let us down in some pivotal moments he also often singlehandedly kept us in games. That's the resume of a more than worthy #1 overall pick.

Not even a week into the offseason and now Bryce Young is a better passer than Cam Newton. And people come here wailing about not being able to rationally discuss our QB.

On one hand I would say the Ravens talent wise should be able to send the Steelers home without significant struggle if they really want to get past the Chiefs. On the other hand they are anything but reliable in the playoffs. I'm more intrigued by the Chargers/Texans matchup. Both starting QB's with a great deal to prove. Should be an entertaining game.

Cam Newton is the only MVP in franchise history. No there isn't anyone arguing he had no help. But he was the engine of the team and the team more often than not went as he went. That is generally always how it has been for the QB position and that isn't going to change. But even with Cam for all the talk of his weapons his best most consistent weapon was his TE Greg Olsen. And Greg Olsen himself credits Cam immensely for his career. There you go back to diminishing guys like Chuba Hubbard to run cover for Bryce. How is that helping anything here? You look just as ridiculous as those you criticize.

"Should've would've could've" doesn't mean anything to anybody. Otherwise we would be currently tied with the Buccaneers for most Lombardi Trophies in our division.

Even in losing a QB can display undisputed traits that signify a franchise player to build around. Cam Newton before his rookie season in a lockout year was routinely talked down as needing a great deal of time to learn the playbook slowly and develop over at least a few years. Instead he opened his rookie season with nearly 1,000 passing yards in his first 2 games and finished with ROTY honors. Completely different situation from what we've found ourselves in. I mean from top to bottom. Almost to the point it's amusing. Cam was doubted continuously predraft. Bryce was hyped continuously predraft and afforded the benefit of the doubt. So yes with what has transpired across the spectrum over the course of two seasons with Bryce Young the only thing left to evaluate now is can we win with him when it matters. It's not controversial to say this and it certainly isn't hating in any capacity it's common sense. Let’s all hope by this time next year we're having much more positive conversations about the future of our team that is trending up. That's really the best anyone can say right now.

Ah yes just what we needed. Another Bryce Young thread where the same people list off the same grievances directed at the same perceived enemies. How about we wait and see what Canales and Bryce Young both look like in September and October when the games actually matter for playoffs and go from there? Pretty reasonable right? Cool

I don't want to lose him because he is very dedicated to the team and an important presence. At the same time this defense has so many needs and we can't afford to break the bank on one corner while the rest of the defense is...well....sh*t.

We didn't know how good we had it back then. Such is life I guess.

At this point just be thankful this place still exists.

That's Mitch Kupchak for ya.

Well I tend to find this largely underwhelming but ultimately it amounts to rearranging deck chairs until we get better talent in here. Morgan has his work cut out for him this offseason. Hope he's up to the task.

People on here are wrong all the time. I mean some of our best draft picks people didn't like initially due to various reasons. On the other hand there have been a multitude of decisions made by people who are paid very well to know what they're doing that some Panthers fans here saw as a mistake a mile away. Well look man let's put all the chips on the table. Because your grievance is particularly about the QB position. The Panthers have had only two long term starting franchise QB's in 30 years. Thirty years. Two. This fanbase has seen a hell of a lot of poor to mediocre QB play and even short lived fairy tales like the Kyle Allen win streak or going back even further Matt Moore. As far as Darnold and Mayfield goes I think they are certainly overachieving but I don't think anyone here that was critical of either of them were wrong. They both had a heaping portion of humble pie here that has served them greatly now. Mayfield in particular because when he first got here he was still a cocky idiot. Darnold at least kept his head down and did his job for the most part. But I have a hard time seeing either of them going far in the playoffs because in the midst of some of their best games I've seen the same flawed QB's. Darnold is no Nick Foles let's be real with one another here. Baker specifically looked like hot garbage against our defense in Charlotte recently. And those best teams in the playoffs have all that on film and damn well know about it too if average fans like us can see it.

I think he's the right guy. Just what his full potential is remains an unknown same as Bryce Young. I hope to see big strides next season and early when the games really matter. That's the only measuring stick that matters.

Seems like a silly thing to hyperfocus on especially in this day and age. The bulk of social media sports circles are full of people who offer nothing but hot takes. The sports talking heads legitimately aren't even much better even the former players. They get it wrong as much as anyone else. I don't necessarily like it either but it is what it is if it bothers you that much then turn it off and disengage. You are the one who went out of your way to dig up threads about him to point at others yet you don't care? Doesn't line up. Darnold has clearly been as successful as he had been to this point because of the system in place and the roster around him. Similarly to Purdy with the 49ers. But the facade always eventually begins to fade. If you want to win a Super Bowl more often than not you need that elite QB or at least a fringe elite QB who isn't system dependent.