Bear Hands

He's 30/32 in the league in that respect, but that's overall EPA. For the more QB centric metric, he's 431 out of 431 qualified QBs in EPA per dropback since it started being measured.

Update: CMC: 1600+ total yards, 17 TDs DJ Moore: 1,070+ yards, 7 TDs 24 TDs The Panthers as a team: 19 touchdowns

Yeah Nix has the arm and just plays bigger. Just has more presence in the pocket. McCarthy has the athleticism and is a bit more disciplined.

Statistically speaking, it's historic in a few ways. He currently has the second lowest YPA in modern history for a starting QB (min 10 games). Only the 3rd player this century to throw 36+ passes in a game and complete 13 or below.

This is optimal advice for most things. It's not that you shouldn't trade up for a guy you really want (I.E. Chiefs-Mahomes), but we traded up for Corral, Smith, Bryce, and DJJ out of pure neediness and also due to the draft capital/positioning we put ourselves in. If we just stopped being the one initiating trades for one season and let things come to us, it would be so much better. The trades we didn't make (and should've) were the ones that came to us (2021 trade down & Burns) and the ones we did (as previously mentioned) dug us into this madness.

I'm 5'9 170 and feel larger than Bryce lol

Fair points. A trade should have already happened. We knew this wasn't working before the deadline this year.

I just want to know if there's more than just the physical limitations and accuracy. That big expose in the Athletic alluded to Bryce not quite being able to take on the full playbook so it just makes you wonder. But I think you're right about Frank. The team was on a short leash so he took it back to fall on the sword if it didn't get better. He knew what was happening.

Step one is what we all want... 1. GM & his scouting dept is relieved of duties along with the remaining coaching staff. The search will be a focus on a pairing -- whether it's GM first or another coach w/personnel control. 2. Burns obviously wants out. You have to tag and trade him. We can still get a decent package so just get it done and don't just let him walk for some comp pick crap. Hopefully he still nets a 1st. May be a 2025 one but possibly 2024 from a team in contention i.e. DET or BAL. 3. Draft a QB in the 3rd-4th to compete. This is a barometer check for the kid. Draft someone like Michael Pratt, Bo Nix, etc. If a mid-round is doing more than Bryce in camp/preseason, a good coach will recognize it. He needs someone young with potential to either push him to be better or get out of the way. He's looked that bad. 4. Rebuild is the remaining focus. Offensive Playmakers and Trench Warfare. 5. FA focus should be impact in leadership. We need tougher dudes with leadership ability. We have dinero for a guy that can be a team captain. I suggest they either do what they can to keep Luvu or look at finding the new D leader at LB. Need some men in this joint.

I feel like this was one of the most monumental, universal-assumptions turned wrong in draft history. "Oh no worries on the size, the kid's got 'it'. No worries on the footwork, he's like a mini-Mahomes. Oh no worries on his deep throws, he had that one against Kansas State". He won 1 Cotton Bowl and beat UGA once. I know you and there were some writers out there that were concerned before we picked him, but it was such a small percentage. It's just crazy how wrong it looks like everyone was. The size was the biggest red flag ever and it was standing right in front of us. It wasn't some work ethic or attitude thing. He's basically the smallest QB in history. And I just can't get over the mechanics. It's like he's untrained as even a competent college QB. I just can't believe it was skimmed past so nonchalantly by all of these supposed ex-player or random All-22 QB inspectors on youtube. Funny enough, the most damning critique has been by the one who was the most successful in Kurt Warner.

9 TDs to 14 TOs 5.3 YPA (2nd lowest in NFL history behind J Russell) 58.5% completion 183 passing ypg I gotta wonder when the broader media will start to see it's not just a situational thing. He's playing downright bad football.

What's wild is that most even mediocre seasons, this team, like others, produced consistent highlights and fun TDs. Big plays, defensive TDs, etc. This year has maybe 3-4 total plays you can throw on a reel from 13 games. The QB has the 2nd lowest YPA in NFL history for a starter behind only Jamarcus Russell. It's insane how anemic this offense is. It's an insult to the sport and every fan to produce a team this bad. We're easily one of the worst ever NFL squads in the 21st century.

Oh damn missed that! Well maybe he elevates to a top pick by 2025. In googling, top odds look like LSU, UCLA and Miami. Interesting. I just love his potential. He had me hooked last year. The arm is there, he can run, he's tough as hell, he's got the size, and really progressed nicely as a passer this season.

Oh man. Breaking down a few moments in sequence that really stand out: -Pick 8 in 2021 could have produced 2 firsts, as we had offers per Fitt's post-draft presser. That could have netted an extra first in 2022. Instead, we had that huge gap between R1 and 4 in 2022 and mortgaged even more to trade up for Corral. Not having a 2nd and 3rd clearly made Fitt and Rhule ansty to trade up when they could have sat and got Howell ahead of WAS. -The Burns offer last year could have given us a 2023 and 2024 1st. We decline, yet we proceed to trade up and put ourselves in a position (again) where we need picks. Mortgaged even more of what we had remaining because we got desperate, too needy. Then, they treat the CMC package way too carelessly going all for this Bryce kid. The CMC picks were filling the voids we gave away for Darnold and Corral, they didn't truly net gain and we immediately waste them. Fitt has simply done an awful job. And he hasn't brought in a single playmaker. Just gave 2 away. And I'm sure they declined interest again from a team like Detroit this season pre-deadline. If this team was just patient and let certain things come to them, we could've had 2 firsts in the 22, 23, and 24 drafts. Bezerk. Could have had a crop like Rashawn Slater (21), Garrett Wilson (22), Zion Johnson (22), & CJ Stroud with CMC and DJ Moore still in house, and an extra 1st in 2024. And also more potential OL and DL from the picks that wouldn't have given away for Corral and Bryce. They keep backing themselves into the corner, these forced situations, needing to force picks, missing the real talent. The careless QB carousel resulting in one of the biggest trades in NFL history ruined the rest of the team. So much talent missed.

If Penix or McCarthy is there at 33...I mean, that's tempting given what we've seen this year. But it's doubtful to think a QB at the top of the second realistically happens. However, I don't think it would be a bad idea to keep an eye on one in the 3rd-4th rounds. Some competition with a young backup with big traits/upside could be better at this rate. And maybe we find ourselves a Hurts, Purdy, Cousins type. Cameron Ward & Michael Pratt are the two I'd personally target.

Listened to most of the game in the car today. Luke and Jake were having a really hard time this week trying to frame anything positively. They were even talking about potentially benching Bryce in the second half. They were pointing out a fair chunk of misses and inaccurate throws. You can tell they're getting pretty frustrated by the output.

The team was just constructed very poorly. Tepper hired coaches, sans Brown, that didn't run the modern spread + stretch zone he wants. And now Brown, as promising as he could be, doesn't seem in his element. It's also just a bad squad so it's not like anything he can do that would have this offense take off. We didn't acquire any guys that can stretch the field. That is what is most baffling. The job Fitt and Morgan did is particularly awful. They really thought we had enough speed on this team. And Bryce is just playing very bad football.

Not just that, but Fitt also admitted to turning down trade offers at the draft bc they wanted Horn so bad. Two really compelling options at our disposal, line needs,QB needs, and we went DB.

Perna is a funny dude. Have always enjoyed his stuff.

@BenjaminBreeg @Gapanthersfannice posts, good adds to the convo. Makes you wonder how much is truly pass pro issues vs the guy in the pocket. I’ve also seen a lot of people allude to the zone v power gap discussion again. The “scheme isn’t right” point is still kind of a dead end for me bc we’re aiming at running a spread zone for Bryce with some RPO. We simply aren’t going to have this kid running a power heavy approach. Lots of factors at play. And looking back, the pass protection really wasn’t all that bad against TB. Notable-Bozeman is still having discipline issues and is just getting bullied by dudes. He also just misses assignments some snaps. I think it’s more than a blocking style issue for him right now.

For real. Luvu is the closest thing. D Brown a second. But there’s just nothing.

Bozeman is not worth keeping

Pretty much. That's the most concise way to put it.

There was a lot the Richardson family had to cover up with Mark. Including involvement with a South Park madame employee and wanting to abandon the family. There was a reason Jerry cut his kids out.

Yep ha. He's in a weird situation because his college coaches didn't bother to correct. So then, it quickly became his thing. Problem is, you can't have that as a "thing" in the NFL. So it's going to be super hard to train him out of. I've said before, it's one thing to have a unique throwing motion, but another to have your own lower body mechanics. That's something that is either right or wrong. There's no alternate style to what that is and this loose, slow-motion back stepping is killing us on the short throws. He does that, and his timing/accuracy will never be there. Add on the lack of stepping into throws with proper distribution, and the INTs will continue. I'm just astounded this has been something so shrugged aside. Kurt Warner and some of the Athletic staff have seen it, but it's surprising how many said, meh, his intangibles outweigh any possible physical traits so much, that it's whatever. And they say it about the one 2-year+ starter Bama QB that didn't win a title.