Seltzer

Smitty in the 2003 playoffs was magical (in fairness 2005 was probably even better). But that was definitely when he became a superstar and in the discussion as one of the best WR's in the league. The national media that year didn't fully realize just how good Smitty was until the playoffs b/c we entered the year so far under the radar It will be hard for another receiver in Carolina to top the double-overtime 69 yard house call in St. Louis given everything that was riding on that play. The Panthers defense was gassed, and would have probably lost had Smitty not at least converted that 3rd down into a fresh set of downs.

2013 says hi... and they did it with 2 undrafted rookies playing significant time in the secondary. The 2003 defense was obviously very good, and probably better overall, but IMHO, the 2013 D Line was the best, and that's not a slight to the 2003 team. Peppers, Rucker, and Wallace vs. Hardy, Johnson, and Addison is close to a draw And while I might give Jenkins and Buckner a slight edge over Star and Short since they were rookies, that one is pretty close too in terms of how well they played I still think what the 2013 was more impressive bc of the sheer lack of talent in the secondary. That secondary only worked bc the pass rush was so ferocious

I've never regretted my subscription to The Athletic. Great coverage across the board, and Person is as good as any of the other writers they have. Joe does better with the long-form format The Athletic has vs the still truncated form of traditional papers trying to fit a set amount of words onto a physical space on the newspaper that he had to contend with being with the Observer. He still can come off like a tool in interviews, but he's a good writer and probably covers the Panthers in the furthest depth of anyone currently covering the team. Him and Jourdan Rodrigue were really great together but she left to cover the Rams.

Second that

It would as bad as rescinding the franchise tag on Josh Norman in 2015 or how badly the team handled the departures of Smitty and Cam...

I was in a college fraternity with that jackbag (he was kicked out for constantly starting fights, creeping girls, and almost burning down our fraternity house in his drunken douche-baggery) involved with the Jon Beason lawsuit... He got everything that had been coming to him for years... I know he carried around a laminated card around in his wallet to impress woman claiming he was on the Panthers practice squad (this was in the early 2000's when it would have been much harder to verify that information for fringe practice squad players... I don't know what position he claimed but I doubt it was punter... he was 6'4", 240ish, and ripped so he could pass for a player for someone naive... https://www.derp/2011/6/5/2207751/beason-accuser-arrested-in-nc https://www.wsoctv.com/news/man-suing-panthers-player-testifies-about-incident/223042055/ https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/jury-sides-with-beason-in-civil-trial

There is nothing that will make me happier a Panthers fan that to get the Bucs in Week 2 and get a season-defining win against the reigning SB Champions like we did in 2003. I just looked at the power rankings and absolutely no one is giving us any respect (most I've seen have us last in the division). But they did in 2003 also, and I feel we have just had the most transformative offseason we've had since that special season... Who knows what will happen, but I think we crushed free agency and the draft. This team (on paper) is much, much improved from last year. I tip my hat to Rhule and Fitterer. Our roster was one of (if not the worst) in the NFL last season before last year's draft... these guys have done a masterful job building it back up. Seriously, before the last draft, the only truly elite players on our roster were CMC, Burns, and maybe DJ Moore. We are a long ways from that... Rhule, Brady, and Snow need to earn their paycheck and coach these guys up, and we could be in a good spot at the end of the year. I think having the 17th game definitely favors youth and having better depth. For way too long, we have neglected quality depth in favor of trying to hit on more elite talent... and outside of the 1st round, it simply hasn't worked, and injuries have left us playing guys that shouldn't be out there

Yep. One or the other is better long-term. I also firmly believe part of the passing on Fields is to legitimately give Darnold a chance this year to see if he can become the guy he was projected to be. If Darnold fails, I think we will again be all-in on Watson (provided he settles his legal/civil issues) , and have better assets to facilitate a trade

Fair points... I don't think anyone should see Leno as the "answer" at LT, but I would feel a lot better if we signed someone like Leno or Okung for one more year to have an established veteran presence while Christensen and the other young guys continue to develop. I like Irving for his versatility, but I would feel much better having someone who is an established LT

Hoping that number is right... and that would give us plenty of cushion to add a few more quality guys to round out the roster, sign our draft picks, and still give some space to sign someone during the season if there are injuries.

This was the source I was using: https://overthecap.com/salary-cap/carolina-panthers/ Whatever the number is, it can go up when/if we cut Jansen by roughly $1M Even better if it's more in the range you are saying... where did you see those numbers?

Panthers currently have about $15M in cap. Need $5M or so for draft picks, so we have the means to add some more talent. Especially since the salary crunch from Covid is going to cause some of these veterans to take 1-year minimum or near-minimum deals

This afternoon is when the next wave of free agency commences, as teams try to round out their roster post-draft. Here is a list of some of the top prospects- In my opinion, OT, S, & LB are still areas we could address:

You're probably right... Fitterer should still vet the situation out

True... and Christensen might be great... just a tremendous amount of risk not to have someone you know can start at LT to begin the season. I would much rather have a dependable and proven guy like Leno (who has started every game over the last 7 seasons) even with a lower ceiling as an option than just rolling with Cam Irving, Trent Scott, Greg Little, etc. and hoping we can make do. Best case for everyone is that Christensen is able to lock down the LT spot... that's a huge ask for a 3rd round rookie though This is a tremendously improved roster outside of the glaring question marks that remain at LT and QB. And addressing LT will help QB

True... which is why we are going to need to be aggressive with the money (within reason) to convince him to come here Adding Leno with the other draft additions we've made would give us a legitimate O Line and would leave Darnold's development and performance the only real question mark (on paper) for a tremendously improved roster

Exactly. Way too much of a risk to go into the season without another option. I've read though that Leno's college coach is now with the Colts who also need a LT and they are the favorites to sign him... one can hope though

https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/bears/ct-chicago-bears-charles-leno-20210503-tkjxs5xbyvfutmr3lkgxceksqy-story.html Has 93 Consecutive Starts in 7 Seasons. Being cut b/c of salary cap considerations. 2020 PLAYER GRADES NSE SNAPS PLAYED 10669th PENALTIES 6T-13th SACKS ALLOWED 5T-12th EDGE OVERALL 74.6 Hope Fitterer is on the Phone Now. We have the cap to get it done

I think David Moore is a near lock, and Shi Smith not too far behind. I think the final spot comes down to Brandon Zlystra vs. Keith Kirwood unless one of these other guy balls out so much in TC they can't deny them. I know Brady likes Kirkwood from the Saints days, but I think Zylstra is more versatile and a good ST player,, and thus a better use of a roster spot.

And you saw last year Rhule had no problem playing the undrafted guys over the drafted ones like Trent Scott over Greg Little, Myles Hartfield over Corn Elder, etc. when he thought warranted. I love it, and it's necessary for building the culture Rhule wants here

Zylstra is a good special teamer and better receiver. I don't think it's a contest

Fair point. Its amazing how completely the defense has been rebuilt since the end of 2019, but you are right about the team being judged by the O Line play and QB, considering how we passed on multiple LT prospects and Fields. On the other hand, if the O Line and Darnold play well, Rhule & Fitterer deserve all the accolades for turning around a team that was on paper arguably the worst roster in the league (on paper) pre-draft before the 2020 season I think this draft was incredible all things considered, and if Rhule can do the improbable and turn this team around around and to a SB in 2 years

I've agreed with a lot of your posts over the years, but I 100% disagree about this draft. I think all 4 picks in the first 3 rounds were solid, and I think Horn will be Pro Bowler sooner than later... he is that good IMO Passing on Fields is a legitimate complaint, and if he becomes special this overwise awesome draft will always be maligned. Trading back allowed us to fill much needed depth. I think this is going to be a much better deal this year with the 17th game. I don't know how at first glance this draft doesn't warrant an "A" or even "A+" given the needs we have addressed and the talent across the board we added (granted on paper for now) I think this draft sets us up nicely for next year's Free Agency where we will have a boatload of cap and can add some more top end talent to this young core. I still have no idea how this season will go, primarily bc Darnold, but at least on paper, I think this team is substantially more talented than last year's. And a large part of this is bc of this draft.

Tiki Barber had a horrific fumbling problem even as an early pro, but the Giants stuck with him bc of his upside and he became a 3x Pro Bowler and all time Giant great. Also, you're drafting on upside from here out... if a guy showed no holes, they would be long gone before the 4th... If he can be an adequate backup to CMC and contribute on ST, it's a good 4th round pick

Between Darnold, Horn, Marshall, Christensen, and Tremble, this has already exceeded Hurney drafts and is solid in its own rite. As someone else mentioned, the hit rate from Round 4 on is approximately the same. Unless their is a player they truly love, it's not a bad strategy to just load on picks and see which ones rise to the top, and cut bait or practice squad the others worth trying to develop