Mage

See, this is why some of you are impossible to debate with. You just take one little phrase and miss the overall point. Nobody is comparing Watson to Cosby. My point is just because someone tries to reach a settlement before suing someone doesn't mean they are lying, and to suggest otherwise makes you look like a damned fool. Learn how stuff like this actually works before talking about it, because I hate nothing more than how people just try and make it seem like victims lie and lie and lie. It rarely happens. 9 women did not just wake up and say hey, let's potentially ruin our lives by accusing Deshaun Watson of sexual assault. And the fact that this is how some of you are reacting is the EXACT reason why this toxic culture will never change and people will be taken advantage of and be afraid to speak up. You cannot preach "innocent until proven guilty" meanwhile you routinely label the victims as liars. Nobody knows the facts, so stop trying to take a side. That is all I am saying.

What does that have to do with my point? You are suggesting they are lying because they wanted to reach a settlement beforehand. I am asking you what is unusual about looking to reach a settlement before court. You sound delusional right now. Nothing is unusual about trying to reach a monetary settlement before court.

Lol dude I will literally bet you $1000 right now that this is not cleared up by the time the draft hits. Take it or leave it. You really think civil court and the NFL's investigation (which has been confirmed to be happening) is going to be done within the next month and a half? If so, I have a bridge to sell you.

It's funny how you are trying to argue "nobody knows anything" literally like a page after you called them liars/a bunch of BS lol

Answer the question. What is unusual about looking to reach a settlement before taking it to court? It literally happens all the time. Most people do not want to go to court if they can avoid it. Otherwise you are just saying ish that doesn't matter. People tried to reach settlements with Bill Cosby too. I guess that means he didn't do it either, right?

How is seeking a settlement before going to court and/or making the lawsuit public not common?

There is absolutely no way this situation is cleared up anytime before the draft. It took the NFL forever to do its investigation on Antonio Brown. You could argue they have more of an incentive to expedite that process with Watson, but it still wouldn't be finished by the draft. And the Panthers are not going to turn down trading up for a QB just to hope the Watson situation maybe clears itself. You flat-out can't trade for a player who could potentially have 9 women accusing him of harassment/assault/rape. It just isn't going to happen and I think Schefter said that before the 3rd report came out. Teams ain't about to give up hella draft capital for that, and at this point the Texans may as well wait because they aren't gonna get 50% of his value right now.

That isn't unusual. Again, victims of sexual assault typically don't want it to be known by a lot of people. That is why it takes them so long to report. It is also why it is false whenever someone suggests that lying about rape or sexual assault is something that happens a lot. It is not something that happens a lot. Studies suggest it happens about 2%-10% of the time, and even that number could be inflated because of the amount of rape accusations that are deemed as false simply due to a lack of sufficient evidence. https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/03/health/sexual-assault-false-reports/index.html I want to reiterate that I am not saying Watson is guilty and I am not making any matter of fact statements in regard to innocent or guilt. But I want people to be held accountable for their opinion and immediately accusing the potential victims of BSing or lying helps contribute to a very toxic culture. We need to step-back and wait it out. There are a lot of reasons why a side would want to reach a settlement before taking it to civil court. And that is also why it isn't as simple as, "well, if Watson is guilty, why didn't he take the settlement?" You could just as easily as, "why did Watson do it in the first place?" Watson, if the allegations are true, probably does not view his behavior as being bad. Much like most offenders.

At the end of the day it doesn't matter what anyone thinks. Nobody is trading for Deshaun Watson. And you would have to be a fool to think that this is some conspiracy against him. And if all 9 suits end up being filed? It is a wrap. Right now our focus should be on what the Panthers will end up having to give up to move to the #3 or #2 overall pick.

Which is why it isn’t unusual when multiple women step-up at once. It’s hard accusing someone

IMO they would not dare claim there are text messages if they didn’t exist.

Also some of you need to do your research. Women lying about being raped/assaulted is FARRRR more unlikely than ya’ll make it seem. Again not saying Watson is guilty but I mean at this point we can’t judge either way.

Chump change would have been hiring an actual escort. I’m not saying this is true but nobody knows and will likely ever know. But there’s too many accusations just to brush it off

Okay but your logic is still asinine. There are teams that have a high 1st round pick every year and don't win. Does that also mean high 1st round picks don't matter? It goes both ways. There are multiple ways to build a team. Look at how well the Saints have drafted and yet they haven't made it back to the Super Bowl. Ish happens. Judging if something is a success strictly off if the team won a Super Bowl is horrendous logic.

I feel that. Maybe JAG is the wrong word. However he's still maxed out IMO. I'd rather get younger depth at DE and a more traditional 3-tech to paper with Brown/Roy.

People are overrating 1st round picks. Yes they are important but they aren't the only way to build a good team. If the Panthers can't build a playoff team around an elite QB, then why do people think they would be able to without one just because they have 1st round picks? A good FO ALWAYS finds a way.

That is unfair. It is hard to win a Super Bowl. The most you can hope for is to consistently make the playoffs, which the Rams have. After that unless you are Tom Brady, it is just difficult to win a Super Bowl. Deshaun Watson is 25 years. Unless we treated him as poorly as the Texans, that would mean we probably have at least 10 years to build around him. If we can't do that then what difference is it if we don't get him? A good FO would know how to work with an elite QB who, after the TV deal kicks in and other QBs sign huge deals, will be relatively cheap.

Because Obada really isn't that good. He's a JAG. I think he has a good story but he gets overhyped on this site. He is easily replaceable. He can't really play the edge full-time (hence why we slid him inside so much), but he's also an undersized 3T. I'm cool with re-signing him but lets not make it a bigger deal than it is in actuality. Not to mention he's gonna be 30 years old. In all likelihood it is far more likely he regresses than it is he progresses anytime soon.

I've set myself up for disappointment.

There is absolutely zero chance of Watson going to San Fran. They just do not have the assets unless they start including their top players (Nick Bosa for one).

Actually kind of makes me happy to see the guys we were interested in but didn't come away with. It means we aren't gonna just throw money around for the sake of it. IMO makes it clear the OL deals we signed were probably fair market value given we definitely weren't bidding against ourselves.s

??? Samuel had over 1,000 YFS last year despite 3 other players on the team also having 1,000 YFS. Something that has rarely happened in the history of the NFL (4 players on same team having over 1000 YFS). How can you suggest he wasn't used well last year?

He wasn't a good fit on a roster that already has Brown and Roy, who will likely see an even bigger % of snaps next year now that they have experience and will have another year of NFL training. I get why some people still aren't a fan of it. But there is definitely some sense behind it. You release Kerr because you desire to replace him with someone more versatile and that complements Brown/Roy more. No coincidence Autry was someone we targeted - he's someone who can play the 3T. Kerr is not.

If you want OL in FA, you have to spend a little money. What were the Panthers supposed to do, wait until the draft to try and fill ever OL spot when we still need to draft a QB? And considering we might have to either move up or trade for Watson, we might not even be in a spot where we have a 1st or 2nd to spend on OL. You can't look at this signing in a vacuum. You have to consider everything. Panthers couldn't afford to sit and wait for "cheap" OL to become available... and really this is about as cheap as you are gonna get.

Wouldn't have made a difference. He was barely used in 2017. Barely used in 2018 before Cam's season went down the drain in 2018. Samuel a fool if he signs with a team who has Shula at OC.