Mage

Trash. We are doomed.

So close to the end of the season

Panthers vs Bucs on MNF is easily the best, most memorable game from that season. Especially if you remember how we lost the first meeting that year. The game against the Saints to close the season was awesome too. Brees was chasing the record and Steve Smith was cooking vs the Giants on SNF was great too. Top two seeds. We lost the game but it was still a fun watch. Williams scored 3 or 4 TDs IIRC.

I feel like people are ignoring the fact that the Panthers are the 2nd-least thrown team against in the league. Of course he isn't going to have high volume numbers when he rarely has an opportunity to play against an offense that has to throw the ball. It is the same reason why the Panthers defense ranks 4th in pass yards allowed, even though we all know the pass defense isn't good.

My take is that he probably isn't going to work out for us. But that is beside the point. I still feel like people should be allowed to have an opinion in support of Bryce without being called an apologist, just like I wouldn't call you a hater for not having faith in Bryce. I'm all for a discourse about Bryce the player, but too often around here I see people getting criticized for their support of Bryce. I still think Bryce could become a decent-level QB with the right team built around him, but I very much doubt that is going to happen in Carolina for the next 2-3 years. By that point we'll be moving on. And I'm cool with being wrong on a player. We've all been wrong before. I'm not really concerned about his size or arm strength. It is his accuracy that is the most problematic for me. His accuracy looks worse than it did at Alabama. Some of that has to do with his footwork. And it is just so hard in the NFL to overcome lackluster accuracy when you aren't an insane athlete like a Cam or a Josh Allen, etc.

This is exactly my point. Anyone who supports Bryce is just labeled an "apologist." Would you find it okay if I called anyone who doesn't support Bryce a "hater"? How is it any different?

I don't have a problem with the criticism of Bryce. My biggest problem on this forum is that it feels like you aren't even allowed to have a positive thought about Bryce and anything you say as it relates to the rest of the team gets twisted as you making an excuse for Bryce.

Why? Let him guide us to a No. 1 Overall Pick in 2024. There is no point in benching him for Andy Dalton. Bryce will either get better or he will continue to doom us.

WRs are so bad

What does that have to do with benching him right now? If Bryce is as bad as you all say he is, then why not just let him guide us to a No. 1 pick for 2025? Because we aren't improving at the position any other way. At this point you ride with Bryce and you either let him soar or you let him crash. If he is as bad as this next year then we will have a shot at the No. 1 pick. Benching him makes 0 sense. It isn't like Dalton is some young promising upside QB.

People keep saying "put in Dalton" like he's about to do something lol And even if he would, who cares? Benching the rookie is stupid at this point.

Panthers O is just a disaster

Holy crap, I am so out of tune with the Panthers. I thought the game was in Charlotte. I was like how the hell is it raining so hard

I live maybe 3-5 minutes away from the stadium and it isn't even raining here

GO FOR IT!!

Should have been DPI

We've seen Bryce under center more in this game alone than we have the rest of the season.

Mingo cheeks even if they do rule that a catch

NFC South is embarrassing.

Because everyone is going to be watching 49ers/Eagles (including myself). There is a reason there are only 3 4pm games to begin with, the other being Browns/Rams. I'll have Panthers game on the side but as a football fan 49ers/Eagles is must-watch.

He'll get interviews, but I doubt he gets hired as a head coach in this next cycle. And who knows how many DC openings there are? It might be in Evero's best interest to stick it out here another year rather than try and work with a whole different group of players. Maybe he does move on but you never know.

If I had to guess, the Panthers will likely pursue a HC that is open to keeping him on as DC. It shouldn't be a hard sell given what he's proven.

So you agree that he wasn't a consistent QB? Can you then explain how I diminished him or how I am "one of those people" if you also agree? I am not sure what you are responding to in your other stuff. Almost like you are just reading what you want to read.

How am I diminishing him? I literally said he was my favorite player ever. Do you think Cam Newton was consistent game-to-game, year-to-year? Or is he somehow exempt from criticism? Look at Cam's 2014 and 2016 seasons. He was not a consistent QB. And since you don't like when Bryce "Stans" point to outside reasons for his struggles, don't be a hypocrite and do the same for Cam. I love Cam. But he was an inconsistent QB. Everyone knows this. It isn't diminishing him. It is stating facts. And that is why he was never in top-5 talks outside of 2015, if we're just being real. If Cam was able to improve his mechanics and become a better, more accurate passer underneath, he would have been even more dangerous than he was. And that is on coaching. If you think Newton maximized his potential in the NFL, then you are kidding yourself. We should have had 2015 Newton more than once.

I'm not stating it as a fact. I'm just saying, if there is anything I would believe, it is that. And why would I believe it? I don't know. Some of the hires just felt... odd, you know? Like almost too good on paper. Usually retreads hire guys they worked with in the past. Hell, HCs in general when they first start a job. Look at Rivera's coordinator choices when he arrived... Chud, who he worked with in San Diego, and McDermott, who he worked with in Philly and schematically their philosophy was similar. Rhule when he got here brought Phil Snow and others with him from Baylor. Joe Brady was a little outside the box, but it still made sense given Rhule didn't have many OC connections and Brady was a college coach looking for an NFL opportunity. Reich went with Thomas Brown, who he had never worked with and had no working connection to him (whether through McVay or anyone else), and Evero, again another guy he doesn't have any connection to. And although he worked with Jim Caldwell, I always found it odd how he interviewed for the head coaching job here and then was added to the staff. Like are we sure it wasn't a suggestion from Tepper? I agree with you that there is no evidence behind any of this. Nobody should take what I'm saying as anything other than me just making a hunch. I just feel that Reich's hires didn't really make a lot of sense when you consider most HCs are bringing in familiar faces (which isn't a bad thing; you work best with people you are familiar with).