Seltzer

Bruce Irvin is a great comparison. And if Jones plays as well as Irving did in his one year here, it will be a win-win

Injuries, scheme-fit, etc. Deion Jones wouldn't still be available in FA if he was the same player he was 4-5 years ago, but I do think this is a great depth signing at an area (ILB) where we were thin

Jones had a couple of years (2016 & 2017) where he was one of the best off-ball LB's in the league. His pass coverage ability as a LB was among the best in the league. Even if he has lost a step, it's a great depth signing IMO, and I think he can still spot start if necessary. I love this signing, and I hope we follow it up with another signing at EDGE. One other thing I thought of too is that this signing will allow Luvu to potentially get more snaps as a pure pass rusher.

This 1 million percent. It was an effing dot in between 2 defenders. Perfectly thrown leading Chark away from the big hit (although yes the safety would have hit him in a real game). Chark should hold on regardless. I'm not trying to be mean, but anyone who doesn't understand that this is a freaking high-level throw doesn't really understand football. There's a reason Reich speaks about Bryce the way he does... this ain't normal having a rookie that can see the field like this. Of course there will be ups-and-downs, but there is a large segment of this fanbase that can't or won't accept that there is an actual plan and staff in place for success, and it all begins and ends with #9. I get it, the last 5 years (and especially the last couple) have been draining. Still, we have what may be the next Drew Brees and people still can't be happy...

Shaq is one of the most underrated Panthers in franchise history. Tough act to follow behind Luke & TD, but he's much better than a lot of fans want to give him credit for

Make it happen, Fitty!! Ian Rapoport @RapSheet The #AZCardinals have released star WR DeAndre Hopkins. 1:03 PM · May 26, 2023 · 283 Views

Last preseason was probably the first time in Corral's life that things did not work out how he thought they would from a football standpoint. It's hard for anyone who has been one of the best players on the field week in and week out all the way from pee wee to the NFL to come to realization that, for the first time in their life, they are not the best player on the field, and every rep you get has to be fought and clawed for. Regardless, I loved Corral's interview this week. Seems to have the right mindset coming into this season. Reich has like what Corral is going through, so I'm sure he's much better to relate to Corral than the short-order cook.

In retrospect, I'm still baffled by how Tepper fell for his act. Beyond his opening press conference (which was objectively good), Rhule was obviously in over his head from the start. I'm sure the Covid weirdness added to the dysfunction, but it was certainly dysfunctional his entire tenure. Never once did it actually seem like there was a strategic plan, even though that was talked about ad-nauseum. Rhule has had success at the college level, but honestly, after watching his awkward and cringe-worthy pressers, it's hard to see how that was even possible. He's just not someone I can imagine players wanting to play for. Pure and simple.

Just listening to his presser and demeanor is night and day vs. Rhule. We finally have an NFL caliber head coach again. Getting actual answers and insight is a nice change. No pretense, no nonsense slogans, etc. I'm betting Reich already has more respect and clout in the locker room than Matt Fraud ever had.

Agree 100%. And 2 things have happened this week that will help Corral immensely. 1) The rule change to allow the 3rd QB to be active (but not count against the 47- man active limit) and 2) Cutting Eason to ensure Corral gets more practice reps. These are moves done by a coaching staff that is actually interested in Corral's development. Corral is getting as fair of a shake as he could ask for given the circumstances (i.e. new coaching staff, drafting a QB at #1, signing a veteran in Dalton). We didn't draft Young to not be the starter, but Corral can still have a good career as a backup (or more should the situation present itself). Backups are certainly not valued less having the 17th game. Every QB (or any other player for that matter), comes into the NFL after a lifetime of being the one of the best on the field up until that point. And then all of a sudden are you not the best player, you're not starting, and then you have to worry of you will even get a roster spot or have a place on the team. It's a mental adjustment every NFL player has to make once they realize that this isn't high school or college. Unless you are a top draft pick, you don't have too many opportunities to prove your worth, and you have to capitalize on the few opportunities you do have. Last season was a cluster for Corral, almost none of which was his fault. He needs to mentally dump all of that and to capitalize on the opportunity this preseason. If he does, everything will work out both for him and the team.

Same, but a 3rd round compensatory pick isn't a bad consolation prize...

Yep. Special Teams was a surprisingly a major strength for the Panthers last year. Hekker was a punt god, Eddy was incredible except for Atlanta, JJ Jansen is going to play forever, and Blackshear was low-key a good kick returner. And ST coverage was solid for the most part. The glaring weakness was at punt returner. It seemed like we had Andre Roberts designated for that role, but then he got hurt and we tried to make Shi the guy but he simply underperformed, both as a PR and as a WR. This is one of the best things about a new coaching regime IMO. No more Temple/Baylor nonsense nepotism, no more stupid signs, no more stupid college cliches. This year is about cutthroat competition and rewarding us long-suffering fans with a freaking playoff berth!

I hope for his sake Shi Smith is just renting something. Team is obviously looking for an upgrade at punt returner, and Byrd & Stevenson have proven more at least thus far. I also don't see how Shi gets much playing time as a receiver in a group with Chark, Theilen, TMJ, Mingo, & Shenault (or Byrd for that matter) I think of all the players who had a significant role last season, Shi is the most likely to not be on this year's team.

First off, I'm definitely not opposed to the Panthers adding an EDGE player- I hope they do. However, at this point, I doubt it happens until closer to the season and maybe even after the season starts. You know what you have with these veteran guys. I think the team is going to give a lot of snaps to the younger guys in camp to determine where the gaps still are before signing someone. I think there are probably people within the organization that believe Haynes and/or YGM can be a starter and they want to vet that out first. If these FA's were flawless, they would already be signed. Yannick Ngakoue- Proven pass rusher capable of getting double digit sacks, generally been liability against the run. History with Reich. Jadaveon Clowney- Probably the best against the run, inconsistent as a pass rusher and locker room concerns. Leonard Floyd- To me, probably the best of both worlds (rush + playing the run) we could sign. Potential issue is that he is going to want $10M+ per season (all of them would). Is Floyd better than Haynes with more snaps? Extrapolating the discrepancy in snap counts, Haynes had comparable stats at $1.4M. So, in summation, I do hope we sign someone (I'm leaning Floyd), but I do think the team is considering the above points and that's why we haven't signed anyone yet.

I was sitting in the endzone where Rosario made the catch with my now wife (we had just gotten engaged) and some coworkers from LA who drove down. The 4th Quarter and ending of that game was insane. I remember the whole stadium cheering at the end b/c all the Charger fans initially thought it was incomplete (Rosario plucked that ball from the sky- it was by far his best career game and catch). The stadium then fell silent once everyone realized what happened. Me and one other Panther fan were standing up in our section cheering. It was amazing. Only the 2015 NFC Championship beatdown of the Cardinals was more fun as a fan in my Panthers fandom. Also, we won every home game that year, too. I was 9-0 attending Panthers games in 2008 until the Delhomme meltdown.

Isn't it amazing (or at least a truism about human nature), that even a multibillion-dollar enterprise like the NFL with executives across the board making 7 or 8 figures annually, still has the same HR issues that you would expect from the local Applebee's night crew?

Jon Gruden too

If Young is a franchise QB, these receivers are most than sufficient, especially with this offensive line. Chark and Thielen were both starters last year. TMJ started the 2nd half of last year and was ascending. Mingo has the talent to be a starter. Shenault provides a niche. Byrd still has deep speed. There is no one in this group as good currently as DJ Moore is, but the overall group this year is at least as good cumulatively, and might be better, than last year's group Chark & Thielen had 8 receiving TD's last year/ Moore & TMJ had 8 also My point being, this might not be the best WR corp, but it's definitely nowhere near the worst we've had (or usually have) for that matter. With this QB, Oline, and coaching staff, we ought to be able to figure it out. I personally think our passing game is going to surprise some people, even if it's more of a group effort than one individual having unreal stats.

Biggest takeaway for me is that the Panthers could easily have a top NFC QB from Day 1 in Bryce Young. Hard not to be excited thinking about where this team is hopefully headed

Plan on taking my son. Sucks losing a home game, but there's no other city I would rather go watch them play. Munich is awesome. Hopefully will be watching 2 of the best QBs in the NFL duel and a potential 2024 SB preview... hey, one can dream.

Honestly, the Panthers have had some of the best success on teams without WR corps that were well-regarded. 1996- Wesley Walls was our best receiving threat as a TE 2003- Probably the best trio in franchise history (Smitty, Moose, & Proehl) but none of them were considered a true WR1 entering the season 2005- Smitty's Triple Crown performance masked the fact that the rest of the receivers were nobodies 2013- An aging Smitty and an ascendent Greg Olsen 2015- Olsen and a bunch of nobodies 2017- Olsen (before he got hurt) and the rest were truly a bunch of nobodies. Cam Newton's best game of his career IMHO was the 2017 Playoff game in New Orleans where he almost willed us to victory in spite of Kaelin Clay, Brentin Bersin, and Devin Funchess sucking something awful. So, to your point, while there is not a bona fide WR1 in this group to start the season, the overall potential of this group is light years beyond a lot of the groups we have had in franchise history.

It's hard to fault Tepper for anything he's done post-firing of Matt Rhule. Wilks was the right guy to keep the ship upright last season, Reich was the right coaching hire, and everything the team has done in terms of trading up in the draft, free agency, etc. has made sense. Ultimately, it comes down to winning, but organizationally, this team now looks like it is run by professionals and not a micro-managing college coach who was in way over his head. I have not felt this good about the direction of the franchise since 2017. I am beyond excited for this season. I'm ready to own the NFC South for the next decade!

I think the only way Shi makes this team is by another guy getting injured. The minute we signed Damiere Byrd again the writing was on the wall. Byrd is a better receiver and returner.

Fair enough.

Seriously... of all the bad contracts, this is the one setting you off? Do you remember Matt Kalil? Paying Delhomme after his 2008 meltdown when it was obvious his arm was shot? Teddy Bridgewater? Sam Darnold? Come on man... This is not even in the same multiverse as some of the bad contracts in team history, even in recent team history.