MHS831

Renfrow makes the team and becomes part of the rotation-- then he plays well. Gets NFL comeback player of the year. You all cheer. When I say, "I called this in June." You will say "Pic or it didn't happen." I will say, "you all disgust me because you are too mired in mediocrity to see my brilliance." You will give me a poo emoji because that is how you treat greatness. OK, I'm back.

If they do not trade back, he could be BPA and I heard they like him.

VJ should be the pick. And I just watched videos today and have not kept up, but I was very impressed with his motor and athleticism. Those kinds of players make teammates better, imo. I am enjoying reading your comments--I am so much an outsider on this one but I used to love them From Kelly Tripuka and Rambis to Grand Ma Ma and zo---then it is like we quit.

Sounds like Kobe Bryant. John Elway. Eli Manning. I sense the Hornets will trade out of the #4 pick. (I am not a huge fan--just thinking that is what I would do.

I think if you can develop a rookie or a player on a first contract, you accept this if he is trending up. If he is in his prime and making second contract money, nope.

I mean, I would rank the Panthers third in the NFC South right now. That is the floor. Penix and Atlanta have been trending upward--I think Tampa is due for a letdown.

I think we always do, but I think Morgan is showing signs of being special. I am optimistic about our rookie edge rushers. Maybe we are too hyped about TMac, but I am really warming up to him nd think he could be special. I think we win 9 based on the fact that we won 5 last year and were only competitive for about half of it.

The OL coaches have been really good and we have a core of young talent behind the starters. I think, if Motown hits the wall and the knee says, "I'm done," I see Brady Christensen as a solid backup. I am so thankful they pulled him away from the IOL duties. He needs to be a T. He has to know that his future as a starter might be through Moton, this year or next. BC turns 29 in September, so he has about a 3-year window as a starter. But I feel a LOT better about BC behind Moton because he is a quality backup OT.

FYI

Disclaimer: In June, I am usually optimistic. In October, a policeman with a bullhorn is telling me that I have a lot of life ahead of me and to think about my loved ones as I gaze down upon him from my rooftop. Having said that, I think our offense (down the stretch) was good enough to play KC and Philly tough. So how many games would this offense have won if they played the entire season like they did in November-January and if they had a better defense? If you could stretch the last nine games over an entire season and put a solid defense on the other side, I see 5 wins becoming 7 or 8. Down the stretch, the Panther D surrendered 30 points or more in 5 of the final 7 games and managed to win 2 of those 5. If they can win 40% of games in which their defense surrenders 30 points or more, then the math indicates, had that been the case all season, the Panthers should have won 6 or 7 games with their defense surrendering 30+ points. This season, we are much better at WR (TMac, Renfrow, Horn, and I expect XL to be a lot better). Bryce is confident and now a leader. The Achilles' heel of the 2024 defense, the DL, seems to be very solid. We got back Horn and Jackson on the corners, Smith-Wade is improving better than expected, we signed a stud Safety. Derrick Brown returns. While the D is not there yet, it is going to be better. So if we ended the second half of 2024 playing at a level that should have produced 6-7 wins, better WRs and a better defense could result in 9 wins or more.

Those bastids.

To me, if you have a fondness for a player because you have history with that player (Evero, Simmons in this case) it is not necessarily a good thing. Could it mean the DC has limited knowledge of players he has not coached? Could his mind be thinking 28-year -old Simmons when 31 year-old Simmons is trending downward. I dunno. I think they want to see what Richardson and Ransom can do. Maybe the saw things they did not like and have already decided to bring in a vet on a one-year deal. I am just not that confident about Evero right now. To me, his love for small NTs got exploited last year and hurt us a lot.

I am confident, barring injuries. We get injured during pre-game introductions.

If you are an athlete or former athlete (myself? Cornhole 2021-present; Disc Golf 2013-got a mega blister and had to retire; speed walking--every black Friday at Walmart 2003-2009) you know what it is to lose confidence. Self-inflicted or not (in my view, a lot of 2023 was coaching and a lot of 2024 was confidence), he has confidence now. How fragile is it? I think the light is on, the game slowed down, and he is ready to do his thing. He seems to be "mobile in the pocket" instead of "running scared." Last year, there were times when AT was out, Johnson gone, and all he really had was XL and Coker--a raw rookie with upside and an UDFA rookie. TE was rarely a viable option. It reminded me of Benjamin and Funchess. Moore had to step up. This season, Bryce has weapons. I expect XL to improve. I expect TMac to help tremendously, and I think Coker will be solid. Renfrow? Horn? bonuses.

His points are valid. However, it seems a bit based on past performance and fails to take into consideration trends and conditions that might suggest growth in 2025. For one, he breaks the team down by position and ranks them separately. I guess that is a fair way to do it, but they are dependent upon each other. Last year, our DL sucked. That impacts the rest of the defense. With no internal pressure, the QBs simply step up to avoid the Edge rush. I would have suggested that the internal DL is now featuring pass rushers and large people who can collapse the pocket. Secondly, the LBs were not protected very well in 2024. It is hard to see the holes and step up when a guard is in your earhole a second after the snap. Finally, the defensive backs will be forced to make fewer tackles and they will be better in pass protection with a new and improved DL. Canales made an interesting comment the other day, and I (from the outside looking in) feel the same way: (paraphrasing) "I have never seen a better group of rookies." I think the biggest concern is the learning curve. How long before these rookies are ready? I am bullish on this team. I think they win 3 of their first 4 and get confident. The get the fans behind them. From there, they win 6 of the remaining 13. If they stay injury free, they have an outside shot at the NFC south.

they have to be grooming him to compete for it. I think a few of us were saying the depth at G and need at OT would pull him out there--he is probably at his best at T, but we hope his best is good enough. that is why I would hesitate to draft older players--they can't take 3 years to develop.

Coker is a 6-3 215 possession WR at this point. He had a near 70% catch rate and was really good in contested catches situations. He is pretty sound fundamentally, and he seems to be very intelligent and self disciplined. As the fourth WR, he will get his opportunities and I see him more of an AT II if XL and TMac develop as expected. BEHIND him (at the moment) we have Renfrow, Horn, and Moore. The bottom line is this: WR depth is usually based on the confidence the QB has in you. When the game is on the line, the QB will find the guys he trusts. For example, Mingo and Marshall did not get many balls--you could say they were not getting open, but it could also be they had not earned the love.

He seems like a great guy---a real pro. We are lucky to have him

Just having some fun as indicated in the opening sentence. Off season. Never touched drugs or alcohol, but I don't do normal.

I call it a gift. this is half "crazy." You should see me when the fair comes to town.

OK, switching gears here a bit because I did not want to start a thread about uniforms again because this is tongue-in-cheek humor----or is it? Background Information: My wife is a Taylor Swift fan (A Swiftee). She says that Taylor Swift puts subtle "clues" in her videos and lyrics, hinting what might be coming soon. Here is an example of clues that may indicate future releases or upcoming events: I see a lot of similarities between Dan Morgan and Taylor Swift. They both spend a lot of money and time on their hair. They both have the same vowel (a) in their first names. Taylor Swift has 11 letters in her first and last name and was born in 1989. Morgan was born in 1978--11 years earlier. Eerie. So it is probable that Morgan drops hints when he is on Television. Most recently, I noticed a shot during his appearance on Pat McAfee's show. See if you can notice it. I will give you 30 seconds (30 second pause). OK, did you see it? In the bottom left hand corner of the photo, it appears that he has a canister of roll-on deodorant. I am guess "Axe" scented. Just to the right of his shoulder, I see a smoothie mixer, probably a Ninja "Bullet." "Axe" and "Bullet?" We are going to war, it seems. Then there are two mini helmets, one being Morgan's alma mater, but it is also a symbol for "hurricanes." Fall is hurricane season, the season during which we shall go to war. Between the two helmets, there is a framed, blurry, red herring clue--Morgan's gold-plated volunteer junior deputy badge. But the real clue is there, in the far right hand corner of the picture---a WHITE Carolina Panther helmet. Not silver. WHITE. Hmmmm. A WHITE Panther helmet in the GM's office. What could that mean? Men with war axes wear helmets. Men going to war with bullets wear helmets. Men in hurricanes wear helmets (I am speculating). White helmets to usher in hurricane season. The calm before the storm. Uncanny.

Your comment about STs is spot on. I coached one season with a former UNC LB (Dwight Hollier) who played with the Dolphins and Colts as a player. He said, "If you want to stay around in the NFL, you better make some noise on special teams." He said (paraphrasing) "The special teams coach has a voice when they are making cuts. You want him going to bat for you. A backup LB with no ST skills is a nonfactor, but a backup LB who makes plays on special teams is valuable. "

He did. I remember watching a game and asked, "Who is that?" Windmon's stats in limited play were solid. I remember commenting on him here at the time. He had 3 pressures as well in 128 snaps. PFF game him a pass rush grade of 64. I do not see any help added right now.

I think you are absolutely right. I think there will be some "reluctant" cuts in August by other teams and, in my view, that is the best time to pick up some depth. We grabbed some last year and added to our depth.

I see the design and intentions. However, all have to play to their abilities and beyond it. No slumps, no major injuries, etc. I have not been this optimistic (perhaps my standards are low, like a drunk man picking up chicks at a Tupperware party) in about 7 years.