Gapanthersfan

If Thielen’s mentorship leads to XL being a reliable pass catcher, it will be worth every penny of his contract.

Ask yourself this, who else is going to help him? It’s a crowded room and every WR is fighting for play time. They don’t play this game for funsies. There is serious $ on the line for these dudes. They can’t afford to be buried on the roster come contract #2 time. This is their shot.

I’m not saying the intentions are nefarious, but there is contract money riding on play time for these dudes. 

Coker has #2 square is his sights. better believe that. Why would he help XL? Would you? 

Moore? Nah. JAG. 

Horn knows he’s a fringe WR. He used to hustle neighborhood kids in to racing growing up. I don’t see him being the helping kind. 

Hunter? He’ going to be too busy battling Coker for the #3 spot. 

There is literally no better person for the mentor role for XL than Thielen. 

if Theilen can coach XL to be even 80% of the pass catcher that he himself is, how much $$ is that worth? Millions.

Would I pay $5 million for XL be the guy who never drops a pass? Hell yes I would. All day. 

Not too long ago this team didn’t have any veteran leadership. Don’t be so quick to boot it out the door just to see what the new toys can do. 

I kind of dig the ‘nobody but a few’ jobs are safe approach that Dan has employed. Everyone needs to watch their back. No more feel good stories. 

 No receiver on this team, or any player for that matter, should get reps just because they need the reps. They want the reps? Beat the dudes out in front of them. Bust ass in practice and make fewer mistakes than everyone else. if this team is serious about competing with other teams, they should be serious about competing amongst themselves. Want it? Take it. If Adam really is that bad, he should be a piece of cake to outshine, right? 
 

11 minutes ago, TD alt said:

I would assume there are lots of more stories out there (and indeed I saw some), but as I am a Panthers fan, first and foremost, Scourton was who I was researching. 

Wasn’t knocking you at all and I appreciate seeing panthers related content. 

Media pundits. I guess they have to write about something as camps approach  

So only 2 of the 32 second rounders have actually inked a contract, but yet the story is about 1 of the 30 that have yet to sign? 
 

laughable man. Laughable. 

Unfortunately business is business especially when there are large sums of money on the table. Goes the same for player and ownership. Does not make it right either way. 

Why would he not want to play for the niners?

Closer to home with a team that has a chance of delivering a SB trophy. 

1 hour ago, Proudiddy said:

I can’t bring myself to ever watch it again.  It just hurts too bad.  I feel like it would be like getting assaulted in a dark alley and robbed, but when you walked down that alley it was bright, broad daylight, plenty of people around, and a nice part of town - but it was actually more like a movie set, and then they pull all the fake poo away and millions of people watched it happen and enjoyed it.  Then after all of that, going back and watching it happen to you again. And again, and again, and again.  I just can’t. 
 

that game and the 2016 opener made me question whether I even wanted to watch NFL games at all anymore.

It didn’t even feel like a real game. Not at any point did I feel, ‘now this is a football game’ feel. It was like watching the last Tyson fight. It was the Von Miller and refs show. I still feel cheated. 2003… I never felt cheated. I still rewatch that game. Greatest football game I’ve ever seen.  I’ve never rewatched the 2015 game. 

We can’t have nice things. 

On 7/11/2025 at 10:25 AM, TheBigKat said:

I can’t

too painful

 

 that team was too damn good not to have won a SB

There was a 0.0% chance the league lets their golden boy sail off in to his sunset with a SB loss at the hands of Cam Newton. Zilch. 

The wheels gradually fell off. 

1. SB loss

2. Blowout loss in ATL in 2016 shook the feeling of invincibility the team had coming off of 2015

3. The Josh Norman disaster

4. TJ Watt smokes Cam’s shoulder

5. Kuechly’s concussions

6. Repeated whiffs on a true #1 receiver

Above all else, it was Cam’s shoulder and how it was managed. Nobody truly knows the 100% truth on that aspect, but that one event slammed the ‘window’ shut, just when He was making true strides in his intermediate passes with touch and anticipation. 

Wirfs is that dude. Nothing but respect, regardless of his affiliation. 

Football is not the professional sport where timidness and apprehension are justly rewarded. 

2 hours ago, Panthers Rhule said:

You're right but then we did it again this season I think on defense with 2 young players who I think are going to make a huge difference for us in Moehrig and Wharton. 

And that’s where I am too. completely turning around the worst o line in the league, in 1 offseason, in to a top 10 unit?! Who does that? 

I think an equally impressive feat will transpire this year. 

Homerism aside, the more I see from Dan, the more impressed I am. 

His player evaluation instincts. Last year his 2 premier FA signings, Hunt and Lewis COMPLETELY changed the line and I have a feeling his success in choosing blue chip guys will continue. 

Look at the panthers’s rep for FA signings in the past. By and large, it’s been guys 1 year past their prime who had an injury and suckered our GM in to a crippling contract. We never get nice things. When was the last time this team signed 2 young blue chip studs  in the same offseason to contracts worthy of their impact? Ever? 

Im telling y’all, players respect and trust Morgan. 

I think Dan’s blinking disorder started after the 2003 SB… and I love it. 

It’s nobody’s business how XL lives his life, football related or not. It’s his bank account. Just as it is with any other career, in the NFL, everybody is replaceable. I’m sure his contract has numerous infractions that will result in a breach. 

1 minute ago, CRA said:

I don't think Horn should be penciled in our a default returner at all.  He had 14 career punt returns in college.   That's not much work.   

Renfrow has 70 NFL PR returns logged.   He should be the default guy penciled in IMO> 

Sometimes the priority is just can you not turn it over.  You see rookies choke a lot at the NFL level or guys you try to make return guys. 

Didn’t realize Renfro did returns! Thank you for that  

It’s his (Renfro) to lose then, which he won’t.

2 hours ago, shaqattaq said:

I was assuming Blackshear was gone anyway. Or at least PS.

I would think so. If things got dire in the RB room, finding someone to match his production ain’t too hard. He made the team based on his ability to not muff a punt and make a decent attempt at a return. I will say it was nice to see someone sure handed back there but I can’t remember a single big return he ever had for us. 

Horn has to be penciled in as the default returner unless things look really bad at camp. I can see him as being a very special kick return guy. 

Profit sharing among owners.

More ‘desirable’ matchups garner more viewership, leads to more revenue generated and more profit for everyone invested. Y’all don’t think there will ever be a Titans vs Panthers SB, do you? lol, yeah right. Tampa vs Jacksonville? Now that’s funny. 

Now, do I think there is ‘the man’ who overlords over all of this? Nah, but bias, even among refs, owners and media can, will, does, and always exist when there is $$ involved. 

Refs are people too. Probably football fans, and as such, probably have a favorite team and a favorite player ( why would a non-fan ever become a ref). There is no way officiating will be completely impartial when this is the case. Might be an interesting idea (not in a stalker ish way) to see where each ref grew up/lives, then you could see their likely allegiance. What if 2 refs officiated the same game and they both grew up in say SF, Dallas, Philly or New York? Impartial officiating. Nah.  
 

Would you be? Panthers need a FG to advance in the playoffs, it’s third and long with 45 sec left in the game… obvious hold on your Your team’s center? You calling that? Don’t lie, you know you wouldn’t. 

18 minutes ago, fanpanther said:

I say it all the time its not the number of calls or penalty yards its the calls that are called at the perfect time that directly effect the game.  I would love someone unbiased to just watch nfl games and keep track of calls that directly impact games and keep that as a stat and see how it shakes out across the league i would think certain teams woild benefit alot more than others. 

If you can stall out 2 drives on team A, and keep a stalled drive alive for team B, team B will win the vast majority of the time. 

I see them keeping everyone mentioned and could see Blackshear getting sent packing as Horn takes his place. I like Blackshear but he’s a JAG returner and RB. Horn has far more upside with his speed. With drafting Travis, this would automatically put Blackshear as RB #4. Do teams normally carry that many on the active roster? 

54 minutes ago, PanthersATL said:

Small Market? That would be Green Bay

Market smaller than Charlotte? Then you're talking Kansas City, Baltimore, New Orleans, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh...

Folks need to stop using "small market" when referring to the Panthers. It's not true when referring just to Charlotte.  It's definitely not true when combining Charlotte with additional coverage areas like Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville or Greensboro/High Point/Winston Salem

I was more referring to the actual following each team has. The above teams except for maybe NO have MASSIVE followings. You can go to any sports bar anywhere in the country on a Sunday and there will be all of the above teams’ jerseys represented. 

Yes, the Panthers occupy a large geographical area, but the number of people that actually care about the franchise or can name more than 5 prior players is still very small.

South Carolina is largely Clemson/SEC country and it’s not even close. There is a Panthers contingency, but it has to compete.

Like it or not, Panthers are still not all that relevant in the NFL. We’re a 30 year old team based in a transplant state that loses more often than not, has never had back to back winning seasons, no SB victories and is stuck squarely in college football country. It’s tough to grow our brand until more consistent winning goes our way. Most fans of sports teams are Luke warm bandwagoners. No one jumps on a broken down bandwagon. It’s not hopeless but until we start seeing consistent success it won’t change. 

7 hours ago, Proudiddy said:

I had started typing my post hours ago and didn’t finish it and just came back to finish it, posted it, then saw yours and saw we were pretty much saying the same thing - even the games that stick out to us most.  I don’t think a lot of people remember that SF playoff game, but I felt like I had just got mugged in broad daylight.  I remember them calling Mitchell for unnecessary roughness, and then I remember watching Boldin take a super late cheap shot, dead in front of the ref and then showing him watching the whole thing in replay…  the refs let them have a fuging field day and didn’t do jack poo, but if we so much as breathed the wrong way it was fuging 15 yards.  Each team playing under two completely different sets of rules.  poo hurt.  I was enraged.  I’ve never went back to watch either that game or SB50 and never will.  fuging robbery.

It was completely disgusting and the most obvious fix I’ve ever witnessed. Deflating. It’s probably gone on for decades but high def TV has truly outed the egregious ‘officiating’. When was the last time a small market team was allowed to win a SB? 

Offensive holding is it, and it’s so predictable.

2nd and 7 turns in to 2nd and 17. Defense pins their ears back, covers the slot guy and TE roaming the middle, and watches for the WR/RB screen. D line needs to maintain gap integrity. The deep shot to the WR down the sideline is a low percentage play so no real worry there. Most average O lines won’t be able to convert. 

Loser getting too close to FG range in a close game? Holding. Winner needs a short field? Holding.

DCs love them some obvious passing downs. Narrows down the playbook and significantly puts the odds in their favor. Put a team in 2nd/3rd and long all day and they are NOT going to win that game. It would be interesting to do a statistical analysis of the relationship of holding calls and game outcomes. 

This is where having skill position people that can go yard on any given play is so valuable. 

The easiest way for officiating to affect the outcome of the game is with offensive holding. It’s easy pickings. 

There’s some degree of holding on every snap by the o line but impossible to see by casual fans unless it’s shown on replay in slow motion. There will always be a holding call available at a ref’s whim. A few non-calls for one side and a few ‘untimely timely’ calls for the suckers and it’s a wrap. The odds of converting 2nd and 20 twice in 1 drive… very slim.

It’s a devastating penalty. 10 yards? Why so extreme? Why isn’t defensive holding 10 yards, along with first down? 

I’ve never gotten over the SF playoff game or the 2015 SB. 

Love smitty, but can you put him ahead of Moss, Harrison, Fitz, Jefferson, Megatron, TO , Andre Johnson, Deandre Hopkins, Evans, Tyreek and several others not immediately coming to mind? 

Smitty only has 9 more career receiving TDs than Marquis Colston (yes, I know Brees). Colston never even made first team pro bowl. It’s painful to say, but he’s not even top 10 when considering his competition 

12 hours ago, UnluckyforSome said:

He is "Keep Pounding."

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/45498715/nfl-carolina-panthers-chuba-hubbard-olympics-flag-football-track

My long and rambling post:
 

The guy is all heart, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he came back even better next year. He’s exactly the guy you lock up. The money won’t ever change the way he plays. 

It was a big fumble, but what 1,000 yard back fumbles once in an entire season? 

Pride. This team is FINALLY seeing guys who obviously take the game very seriously. Hunt, Chuba, Thielen, Brown, Horn (CB), Coker, Bryce (IMHO). Bye bye, Spider-Man. I don’t see these dudes being OK with teammates half-assing practice or in games. I can see Brown and Horn coming over to talk to somebody. 

Good team? Ummm, maybe, but will still likely lose more close games than they win unless this last draft turns in to LOB part 2. That’s a stretch. 

Pretty good/decent team. Yes. They finished the season as a pretty good team. I know I sound like a broken record harping back to it, but going in to ATL and putting a 40 burger on them en route to an OT win. A bad Panthers team would have had their brakes beaten off. We’ve seen it. 

Rose colored glasses on and bonging a 40 of hopium: There are watershed moments that occur that change the course of franchises, both good and bad. If Fox doesn’t pull Rodney at halftime, the epic journey that was 2003 never happens. On the negative side, Cam taking that one hit from Watt was the end of any and all Panthers relevancy and we’ve been the biggest losers in all of pro sports as a result. Watershed moments. LOB draft. Vinny goes down and the goat is born. 

Will the ATL game be the spark that this franchise has desperately needed? Could it be that they hit the mega million jackpot with Princley and Scourton as eat QBs for breakfast? Sure would be nice having 2 all-pro edge guys on the cheap for the next 4 years. 

A lot of unknowns, but at least it actually feels  fun again.