MHS831

A few notes for clarity: I have not read all of the thread. Apologies. I read a few pages. Tolbert is a charismatic leader on this team. He was very good in 2013. In 2014, he was not. A 5'9" back carrying 255lbs is not going to last forever. Most backs start their decline between their 26th and 27th birthdays. I would not accept Tolbert as a player who will return to 2013 form. I do, however, have a problem cutting him, but that is the business. Harper became one of Rivera's boys quickly. He is like that brown-nosing guy in the office who everyone hates but the boss loves. How much of the late season resurgence was centered around his leadership? If you think so, I would ask, "Where was the impact on DeCoud and Cason?" I would have to think Harper is expendable. A few others who could be cut: Silatolu and Kugbila. Silatolu would be a great backup at G, but he would be somewhat expensive as a second rounder. He may want to be released to prove something somewhere else because nobody wants to lose a starting spot during a contract year. Kugbila was always a project, so we shall see what we have during the 2015 unveiling. If you are worried about depth, both could be cut if Chandler is moved back inside to guard. Brockel. He does the little things and is a good blocker, but if we drafted a true FB (Tolbert is not that) and if Ed Dickson grows into his role, Brockel could be the victim.

Want some good news? We have 9 draft picks coming next month and we have 2 free agents deciding on offers. Right now we could take the field and be better than we were in 2014 at OL and WR. Look for an OT, WR and RB in the draft. Upgrades to those positions will also result in an upgraded qb. I think the offense finished ranked about #20. I expect that alone is enough to put us in the top 12. The defense should be top 5 and I expect special teams, the focus of free agency, to be MUCH better.

This is blasphemy!! Don't get mad when his own head coach says this. He is not dissing Cam either, something some of you numb nuts don't get. He is simply describing the development of his qb. A qb who was not ranked in the top 15 last year but has the potential and athleticism to be the best qb in the league. (I know, I know. OL, OC, WR, are to blame) Cam needs to improve his mechanics. Period.

Keep laying it out there, Dawg. I appreciate your effort and respect your eye. I may not always agree, but that does not mean you are wrong. If this guy becomes a mini Megatron, people who criticized will disappear and start griping about other stuff.

The similar flaw is the inability to catch consistently.

It seems to me that the blazing fast WRs can't catch-that is what I am reading about him. I have not seen him at all.

The 4.25 that he ran today?

We have 9 draft picks, gentlemen. You don't eat the cake until the frosting is on it or you will be disappointed. We have met needs--that means "we stopped the bleeding." I do not think it means that we are sizing our fingers for rings. Giving Gettlemen 9 picks--If you subtract Gaffney, look how much he did with 10 picks over the past 2 seasons--is like adding 2 chambers to Clint Eastwood's .44.

Character +.

The obvious answer is 3.14%

Think about it. Gettlemen finds a bunch of talent under rocks and signs them to 1-year deals. They prosper, and sign big deals with other teams. We have a good draft, replacing the void in talent for the most part. Now we get 2 picks because Gettlemen was awesome at dumpster diving in free agency-

This is pretty damn awesome. This draft has some depth.

If the pro bowl is in Hawaii, I suggest his name be removed from the ballot. Its just too soon.

The good thing about drafting a RB is that we are certain to get good value, immediate contribution, and it is a weapon. I think the third round should be where we grab one because I anticipate the top-tier RBs going then, but we will see. My guess? 1. WR (if a top 4 WR is there; if not, everything below changes) 2. OT 3. RB 4. CB 5. S 6. OT 7. DL Write this down and save for draft day. As the draft unfolds, look at it. Eerie. I am sure nothing will be accurate.

Nice post. Added my comments to each point above. We are basically on the same page. However, Gettlemen is harder to predict than Hardy was. I have never been close to being right with him.

He thought you meant the group of women who come on TV during the day to gossip. That show is called "The Talk" Seriously, if you read the Voth article, it does say that Jennings is likely to take his time. If I am 31 and have a chance to step into a place like Carolina that is a few pieces away from contending, I consider it more seriously as others, all things considered. However, we could not have looked worse vs. Minnesota last year.

http://blackandbluereview.com/panthers-visit-with-free-agent-receiver-greg-jennings/ may be repeated, but I didnt see it.

I read an article recently talking about how Crabtree, Wayne, and Nicks were drawing little to no interest in free agency. I think many teams are uninterested because the draft has cheaper talent with fewer question marks and more upside. Wayne is essentially done. Good career, but at his age, any attempt to land a one-year deal is an attempt to squeeze another million or so out of the league. Crabtree has a reputation as an oft-injured, underwhelming head case with a negative attitude. Nicks had Luck as his qb and could not post positive numbers? He was playing against the AFC South (Houston, Jax, Tenn). What does he need to succeed? http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/03/17/some-veteran-receivers-are-getting-no-sniffs/

Best Does it take into account Need? Fit? Skill? Character? Difficulty to find talent at that position? Upside? Yep.

I think the CB and OT crops are very similar, which plays to the strength of our GM. They are not loaded at the top, but very solid deep into the draft. I think there is some top-level talent at WR in the first (Strong, Parker, Cooper, White), so I would not be surprised to see us draft a WR IF one of the big 5 (DGB was eliminated from board, but he is top 5), is there. Most likely, Strong is the key. Having said that, I feel DG will have everyone squirming for OT and CB because he can find one later. If Strong is gone and a pass-rusher drops to us, we take the DE. There is some chance we take a RB in the first--a fact that might shake people up. I doubt it, but Gurley (when healthy) is awesome. Cam would be so much better if the defense has to keep 8 in the box. Just my thinking.

I really have not spent much time looking into CBs, so I appreciate the response. Personally, and I am NEVER right on this, I am guessing, since GMen filled positions in free agency (again, with cheap, high upside players), that we will draft a CB at some point. However, I would not be surprised to see Gettlemen do something like this: 1. DE 2. RB 3. WR 4. OT 5. CB 6. OT 7. S If it were me, and I was drafting solely on need, I would do something like this: 1. WR 2. OT 3. CB 4. RB 5. S 6. OT 7. OLB

Personally, I figured that 1 CB would go in the first round (Waynes) but if 3 go as suggested, I think Rollins would be the second or third CB taken, not Darby. However, we often base our opinions on the opinions of the sites we use to research players. I can say that the middle rounds seem ideal for finding value at CB. It has been our MO to find a talent who runs a slow 40 time and get them later than their play warrants--Norman and Benwikere were both 4.6 combine guys. Here is the thing about Benwikere that I do not get- People say, "He played well on the outside, but we need to find an outside guy and move him back to nickel." Outside guys are so hard to find, why not draft a nickel? The draft is really packed through all seven rounds if all you need is a nickel. I do not see us drafting a CB early. Remember, they spent a lot of time talking to the Tennessee CB (Coleman, was it?) at the SR bowl. He is projected on day 3. We have a plan at CB for the draft because we did not bring in anyone in free agency. White is a good reserve, they seemed to like Byndum, so how severe is the need? We will find out, but do not look for us to go after an elite talent/lockdown (unless they plan to move away from Nornan), because this team is not built to need expensive CBs.

We want a dominant running attack. Stew has an injury history and we all doubt he can run as hard as he did in 2014 for a full 16-game schedule. Tolbert? Not an every down back and frankly, he is getting a bit sluggish--as he should for a back with this age and weight. Whittaker? If Stew goes down, and I almost guarantee it, Whittaker would be the feature back for all intents and purposes. What would help this offense more than a LT or a WR? Quite possibly, a stud RB. We have Oher, and reason to think he will play LT, we have Ginn now, and maybe they want to Move Brown to #2 and Cotchery to #3 (Lot to be said about players not being rookies any more). Gmen is kicking the tires, thinking outside the box. I hope he is thinking Gurley in the second, however. Devalued position, injury--not in the first, please.

I can't help but remember how many people were furious when we drafted him-- Not to say that some were wrong, but to say that he has done a hell of a job winning over this fan base.

And others are offering opinions of him based on his days in Philly. They signed him based on the progress he made lately, so put his baby photo albums up. People change. He even said, "I feel that I am ready to start." which suggests that he has been a developmental project.