BlitzMonster

The experienced coaching hires this off season have been a move in the right direction. But time will soon tell. We'll know after free agency and the draft if Rhule has gained any self-awareness or not. If he drafts Pickett at #6 then he didn't learn a thing. In that case expect the downward spiral of the last 2 years to just continue indefinitely.

lots to like about Penning size = rare, God given great work ethic = he's going to continue to get better in the NFL nasty attitude = a tone setter for the entire Panthers OL

ugh ! This is just unacceptable for a QB at any level. Film room = mental reps. It's how guys like Brees and Brady become the consummate professionals who can pick apart any defense. And it's just ridiculous to say you don't need it. Every QB could improve with better anticipation gained from film study.

This guy has one job. And my god, does he do it ! He won't be able to man-handle opponents in the NFL like he did in college but I sure do like his attitude.

True But given just a few smart moves, there could be significant improvement for 2022: Fix the OL with a LT at #6 and a free agent. Suddenly the running game gets a lot stronger. New play caller at Offensive Coordinator. Maybe Darnold can become an average QB under him and with the better protection. Put CMC in the slot so he can avoid injury and stay on the field for 17 games. The result is an MVP caliber player who's available all year. That's got to help. keep the D as is with Shaq's contract restructured Do that and maybe the Panthers can be a .500 team and trending upwards. Which would be a big step in the right direction.

Penning may have just entered my top LT rankings. Probably an overdraft at #6. But if you end up with a long term starter at LT, who cares. Just do it.

from NFL.com on Trevor Penning: ""Don't overthink it when you write him up. He's got size, length, toughness, he's smart, he works his tail off, and loves to play football. That is what you look for in a starting tackle." -- Executive for NFC team"

Rhule made his decision and gave up draft capital for Sam Darnold. Make him own that decision by playing Darnold the entire season.

Makes sense. TB has salary cap problems so they can't afford a lot of $$ for a QB. And Bridgewater will come cheap. But he's also a good fit. The team is already pretty built up from the recent push for the Super Bowl so Bridgewater could slide right in. He's a smart, dink-and-dunk guy not so different from what Brady was doing. Read the defense and get the ball out to some low-risk option right away. Also a warm weather stadium with lots of warm weather opponents. So no power arm needed to cut through the cold wind of December games in Buffalo or Cleveland.

One thing that I consistently see in the Huddle is the long term view. People suggest draft picks or free agent acquisitions based on how it would help the team best in the long haul. It's the strategic plan. What I've seen with Rhule is much more impatient decision making. It seems to be based on the short term and without too much long-term thought really put into it. It's the knee-jerk view of roster building. That's what a coach does when they think they will get fired soon or quit. So it's no surprise that the Huddle would likely have done a somewhat better job than the Panthers have accomplished over the last 2 or 3 years. Maybe even much better.

If the team is going to reach for an LT at #6 (which isn't THAT bad of an idea) I'd go with Bernhard Raimann from Central Michigan. The guy is a house at 6-7 and is getting better and better at LT after only 2 years playing the position. The upside is definitely there. But I'd only take him if all of Cross / Neal / Ekwonu were already gone. Any of those three would supersede Raimann. Also I think Cross is actually the best pass protector of the entire bunch. So I'd be thrilled if he dropped to us.

Any reasonably intelligent fan can pick the first round guy. Go with the best combination of team need and the strength of that particular draft. For the 2022 Panthers it would be an LT. It's rounds 3 / 4 / 5 where the good GM's shine. Guys who can regularly find starters in the mid rounds are gold.

OMG - that video is great ! It's like a graduate school class for evaluating QB's.

all true This is Robby Anderson's cap hit for 2022: $16,836,666 For that amount we could have gotten two top interior OL from this year's class. Things like that make me want to cry . . .

PFF had two Carolina free agents listed in the top 50. Here's what is would likely take to retain them: 15. CB STEPHON GILMORE, CAROLINA PANTHERS – Two years, $28 million 31. EDGE HAASON REDDICK, CAROLINA PANTHERS — Three years, $35 million

PFF I won't put which teams PFF is guessing the FA are going to go to, just their contract values. That shows approximately how much the Panthers would have to pay to get one of these guys. Here are the OL in the top 50 free agents: 2. OT TERRON ARMSTEAD, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS — Three years, $60 million 9. OT ORLANDO BROWN JR., KANSAS CITY CHIEFS — Five years, $105 million 12. C RYAN JENSEN, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS — Three years, $39 million 18. OG BRANDON SCHERFF, WASHINGTON COMMANDERS — Three years, $50 million 26. OG LAKEN TOMLINSON, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS — Three years, $27 million 32. T DUANE BROWN, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS — Two years, $20 million 38. G CONNOR WILLIAMS, DALLAS COWBOYS — Three years, $20 million 40. G JAMES DANIELS, CHICAGO BEARS — Five years, $50 million 46. C BEN JONES, TENNESSEE TITANS — Three years, $20 million So getting one good free agent interior OL will cost from 7-13M per year. A LT will be in the range of 10-20M.

I'd say take whatever QB is available in the 4th round as a future backup and for some continuity. But if Rhule gets fired the whole offense will change and whatever the kid learns this season will be thrown out. So actually not that great of a plan. Just keep PJ as the backup QB and take our lumps in 2022. Draft a QB in 2023.

I hear Uncle Rico is available. He can throw a football a quarter mile.

Cousins has a huge salary. There's no way to make this work under the Panther's salary cap. It seems like this is just some speculation from a Minnesota radio jock to get people to call into his show. The whole idea is ludicrous.

I think J.J. Jansen would have a decent chance of being one of the top LS in the NFL. You don't get 14 years of experience by being bad at your job !

Perfect. Thanks for going through the details.

Are you sure about that ? Here's the OTC web page for 2022: OTC SPOTRAC says the same thing. Anderson would be 15.6M dead money if cut / traded. Or do trades affect the cap differently than him being cut ??

Rhule will do it to stroke his own ego. "Hey look, the guy I recruited at Temple is a first round pick."

Willis needs at least a 1 year development period where he can learn the pro game. Such as what SF did with Trey Lance. So you'd need very strong institutional discipline to stay the course. Or, if he's started right away, a coach that understands how to protect him and play to his strengths with an otherwise well developed team (like the Steelers). A more desperate team with questionable coaching (the Panthers) would likely impact his long term career. It's a pretty good chance he'd bust here.

I can understand Anderson's frustration with the bad QB play in Carolina. And I wouldn't be surprised if Carolina coaching staff / management was pretty tired of all his antics at this point. But with a trade Anderson's dead money would eat up virtually all of the 2022 cap. So some big restructuring would have to take place (for Anderson or other players or both). And Carolina would likely have to eat a big chunk of the deal in order to get any draft picks back. So it would be tough to make it all work. But it would be so wonderful to be free of his horrible contract (and lackluster play).