BlitzMonster

my favorite game every year

The Panthers can't evaluate their needs at OL for next season unless they know what the rookies can do. So I am glad Christensen is finally getting some extended playing time. Gotta get Deonte Brown some burn too . . .

On Friday, head coach Matt Rhule told reporters exactly who will be in at both guard spots for the Week 14 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons. It’ll be (and hold your joy) Dennis Daley and rookie Brady Christensen! This, of course, comes just a few days after Rhule doubled (or perhaps tripled or quadrupled) down on his stance of Christensen as an interior presence moving forward. The team’s faithful, as well as some outsiders, have certainly disagreed—hoping the 2021 third-rounder would get a fair shot at left tackle. Carolina’s blindside, however, will be filled by a returning Cameron Erving. Erving, the starter coming into the year, is fresh off an injured reserve stint stemming from a calf issue. link

Interviewer: "Coach Meyer, you exploit vulnerable teenagers who are desperate to get noticed by the NFL, all just to further your coaching resume and justify your ridiculously high salary. How do you sleep at night?" Coach Meyer: "On top of a pile of money, with many beautiful ladies."

“Leadership consists of nothing but taking responsibility for everything that goes wrong and giving your subordinates credit for everything that goes well.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower

motivating college kids and motivating 30 year old millionaires with kids are very different things

I wonder if the Steelers would try to jump ahead of us to grab Pickett. He is literally the hometown hero and would be a big marketing coup if they snagged him. With both the Jets and Giants likely having two early first round picks, there might be an opportunity to trade up for Pittsburgh.

Rhule will be back for a third year. But he's having to learn on-the-job. Which is a pretty ridiculous situation considering it's a multi-million dollar position. But that's on Tepper for hiring an unqualified candidate. We'll see if Rhule is smart enough NOT to repeat his same mistakes in 2022.

Rhule doesn't seem to have any idea about player development. To get better, Christensen has to get reps in live games. He has to play ! And what better situation for him than in the last few games of a lost season. He can make mistakes and it won't matter. The experience Christensen gains now will be a big part of his first off-season as a pro. That's one of the most important times for a player to improve his game. Player development for the entire 2021 draft class has been fairly lackluster. I've got to put that on Rhule.

I would love that since it would push down a very top tier OL to the Panthers.

maybe he meant 4x Pro Bowl and NFL MVP Kenny Anderson of the Cincinnati Bengals

I'm curious how the 2022 Panthers' draft will shape up. Last draft Fitterer didn't hesitate to trade down to gain picks. A strategy the fan base was really hopeful for but which hasn't really panned out on the field. Outside of Horn (who looked good when playing but got injured early) nobody else from this draft class has really done that much. Chuba looked decent in limited playing time I guess. But no really good starters have come from the class yet. Is it due to bad drafting ? Bad player development ? It remains to be seen. So for his next draft will Fitterer focus more on getting higher rated talent for their immediate impact on the team (especially at OL) ? Will he go for the QB with that first rounder (maybe getting the best choice in a weak QB class) ? Or will Fitterer continue his MO of trading down to make up the mid round picks we lost in our recent trades ? It's going to be really interesting to see how he handles this draft.

I'm not sure where you got your stats. Pickett has never thrown double digit INT's in a single season. Passing Year School Conf Class Pos G Cmp Att Pct Yds Y/A AY/A TD Int Rate Career Pitt 1045 1674 62.4 12303 7.3 7.5 81 32 136.3 2017 Pitt ACC FR QB 4 39 66 59.1 509 7.7 7.3 1 1 125.8 *2018 Pitt ACC SO QB 14 180 310 58.1 1969 6.4 6.3 12 6 120.3 *2019 Pitt ACC JR QB 12 289 469 61.6 3098 6.6 6.3 13 9 122.4 2020 Pitt ACC SR QB 9 203 332 61.1 2408 7.3 6.8 13 9 129.6 2021 Pitt ACC SR QB 13 334 497 67.2 4319 8.7 9.7 42 7 165.3

Big Ben is toast so the Steelers are definitely going QB with their first pick.

Pickett is a 5th year player so he's very experienced. Threw for 4300 yards and 42 TD this season. Has resurrected the previously dormant Pitt program with his excellent play this year. Pitt won the ACC title in 2021 with an 11-2 record. He is universally well regarded in the media with ACC Player of the Year, Johnny Unitas award and is currently in the discussion for the Heisman trophy. That's a pretty solid record. Add to that his pro-ready size (6' 3", 220 lbs). I could think of a lot worse QB prospects for Carolina.

I'd definitely have mixed feelings about a pick like this. On one hand it would be awesome to get a stud QB prospect like Pickett. He's really played lights out this season. On the other hand whoever we have at QB will be behind that Frankenstein's monster of an OL we've built. So that would likely guarantee continued floundering at the QB position as he runs for his life on at least 1/2 of the plays. Maybe you take the QB, sit him for the year and draft up a top LT the following season. That would be smart but it sucks to wait another whole year. And I don't have much confidence that the Panthers organization / Rhule has the patience to make the smart, long-term decision over the stupid quick fix.

has the top OL going fast and the Panthers taking the first QB - Kenny Pickett, Pitt 2022 mock draft

True, but the NE coaching staff was smart enough to realize what the weather would dictate for the game and they did exactly that with their play calling. That's good coaching. In regular NFL games their super jumbo package would always be useful in short yardage / goal line situations. Areas where the Panthers have been weak all season.

The Patriots have a great OL but due to the horrible weather for MNF they ran another Tackle as the TE plus a FB and a 225 lb back. So it was a jumbo package all game. The Panthers could definitely copy that on short yardage plays. Use Deonte Brown as the 6th OL with a FB and that big RB from the practice squad. Savvy coaching staffs figure out creative ways to utilize the players they already have. Unlike the Panthers.

I'd rather think about Taylor Hill Taylor Hill

really good article on top QB prospect Kenny Pickett from Pitt Kenny Pickett from ESPN

For those of you wondering what the QB options are available for next year, here's a couple of articles for the Broncos fans that identify the top players: NCAA quarterbacks NFL free agents

this would be a great plan first and foremost the Panthers need to fix their OL

If every single draft pick the Panthers have in 2022 were OL, I'd be fine with that.

I still have some hope. The Defense has gotten a lot more talent and much younger. That bodes well for the future. The team has two rookie OL to try out for the rest of the season. Hopefully at least one of them shows he can be an NFL lineman. If both do, that's a huge plus. The first pick in the draft should be for an OL, which means an immediate starter. Dead money on the cap is being significantly reduced next year. These are all positives. The QB position is still unclear but Rome wasn't built in a day. Rebuilds take time and there's a lot to like as to what has been done lately. I'd rather see the team get built correctly than reach for a sub-par QB this draft and then have to start the whole process over again in 2 years. My biggest concern for the team is probably coaching - specifically the OC. I don't see Joe Brady getting any more skilled with experience. He just keeps doing the same poor job. His lack of growth and lack of adjustments, either in game or over the course of the season, has been troublesome. I just don't see him getting any better. So he will need to be replaced.