MHS831

Good call. I know that some of the best CBs in the nfl have made the switch successfully. Not to put him in that category, but I wanted to see the Panthers try Farley there-I can't figure out that situation---I hate that it has not worked out for him. Recently I was watching something on Rod Woodson who was a S in Baltimore, I think. He said that Safety is different because you have to read the entire field, wherein a CB just focuses on his zone area or man. I never thought of it that way, but in that regard, a FS is a lot like a QB dropping back for a pass. Of course, CBs often play with their back to the LOS and the FS faces it. But reaction time--how quickly can you process--is probably more important than foot speed.

Without Special Juan and Carolina Livin we'd be much dumber than we are right now. Serious Note: Anyone heard from Mr Scot?

Letting Moton sit there at $31m for 2025 has to be tough. It will be a good indicator of Morgan's discipline. We have players we can cut as well to get it back up another $10m or so. Nijman, rework Robinson or cut him, etc.

i hear XL has been working out this off season.

Very possible. I think Canales did a great job of describing what Richardson has to do--so it is not his yet, but when push comes to shove, their confidence in you determines who they go after to compete. If they draft the kid from South Carolina in the first, Richardson is probably a "swing S" who can (I think) play both spots. If that is the case, he would still need the communication skills Canales describes. To your point, you draft someone and have them earn it--but I feel better about S after my extensive, exhaustive research. (google)

Me too. I was excited to get him and Coker.

First of all, I LOVED what Canales said about him. He is looking beyond the on-field performance and into the mind of a leader--what he wants at FS. He is focused, it seems, on his emotional and cognitive development in relation to leadership. As an educator, I got chills. It meant to me that he is focused on holistic development of players. What a great analysis he gave to the press, and specifically, to Richardson. Richardson also had a 96.8 or so QB rating against him. Not great, but the guy he played behind, Vonn Bell, had a passer rating of 113.8. Bell also had 1 interception and fewer tackles than Richardson. Xavier Woods, for the sake of comparison, had a 93.8. So Richardson held his own against the Panther veteran safeties last year, but they are not the standard--they were not retained. However, Canales states what must be done, so I expect this offseason to be key for Richardson.

I had Demani Richardson in the Strong Safety slot, and that may have been an error. I have since found several references that refer to him as a Free Safety. If I was wrong, I apologize. However, as I researched him, I found encouraging news that tends to get lost during a losing season. I will highlight the parts of this that make me wonder if he, beside Moerhig, could be the second half of the starting safety tandem: "To watch Demani just continue to work at his game, continue to be asking the right questions and taking good coaching, and he's made plays, he's come up and made open field tackles, he's come up with interceptions, and those things like that… he's got so much he needs to work on," Panthers head coach Dave Canales admitted this week of his rookie safety. "He's got so many things that can be cleaner from a communication standpoint, accountability, playing his leverage, doing all the things exactly right. It's not just about making plays. It's about doing things right longer than the opponent, and that's the goal for Demani; that's the challenge for him. "He's got to realize the weight of this opportunity to continue to press in and to make it so that his teammates can count on him at all times. And so that's what I hope for him is that he continues to press in and strive, to be somebody that your teammates can count on and respect." NOTE: IT sounds as if he has been inconsistent but is working hard to develop into a good player, but it also seems that Canales is sending a message to Richardson. There was another article about Richardson that featured a teammate talking about how confident he has become (compared to earlier in the season) and that teammate said that Richardson had become more confident with his communications (I assume they are referring to his coverage calls pre snap). Tea Leaves: If your concerns about a rookie, UDFA safety is in the area of communication and becoming "somebody that your teammates can count on and respect," it seems they are looking for him to become a leader or starter. So why is Canales not saying much about his play? When he got on the field, he (statistically) played well. "This was, as mentioned, only the third start for Richardson in a rookie season when he wasn't expected to contribute much at all. But between injuries and lineup changes, he's found himself on the field more and more, playing 100 percent of the snaps in those three starts and accumulating 32 total tackles (6.4 tackles a game when on defense), two passes defended, and the interception. It seems that Richardson made an impression in 2024. Any player averaging 6.4 tackles a game on defense (unless that tackle is the guy you were covering) is impressive. PFF credits him with 42 tackles on the season. If you consider that he played a third of the snaps (Teammates Woods and Jackson had 1200), Richardson was on pace for 3 interceptions, six passes defended, and 126 tackles. I am not sure he was at free safety during that time because Xavier Woods played both. Regardless, Richardson will be in the mix for a starting FS spot if he gets his leadership, consistency, and communication up to par.

The thing I heard the loudest: "I have been watching film--started just after the super bowl."

He is 30 and will want 35.

"At this point, it appears that Higgins will sign a multi-year deal with the Bengals or will play another season under the franchise tag. Either way, the odds are that Higgins will not be leaving Cincinnati in 2025 unless he decides to take matters into his own hands (i.e. a holdout)." (5 hours ago) CBS

I simply think a free agent like this is dangerously risky.

Good point--I need to go back and look, but I believe you. He still had Joe Cool as his qb...and I would imagine (I will look, not guess) that he got more targets.

Quietly, today was a good day in Panther free agency. Roseboom could be a starting LB (over Wallace). Supposedly, he has excellent range. Seems to be pretty smart. Rico is a nice RB compliment for Chuba. So you may be asking, "Why did we not just draft a RB?" People forget about pass pro--a QB's best friend. "Rico Dowdle, the Dallas Cowboys running back, is considered a strong asset in pass protection, with some suggesting he is more versatile and effective in this area than other running backs..." (source: the internet) Rico is a good receiving RB. "Rico Dowdle is a solid receiving threat, particularly as a running back, having shown flashes of potential with 249 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns in the 2024 season, and is expected to be a valuable depth piece in the passing game." (source: the internet)

He has the "it" factor. A cerebral, balanced young man who you would want to follow. That matters. I actually used to spend time with his Dad (before he was born) and other coaches at Catawba--I don't remember much about it, but i was impressed with the group. At the same time, Coastal Carolina started a program and they hired the Catawba head coach--Bennett. My point? He has been around football his entire life.

To keep this in perspective, Tee is never going to be better than he is right now. Across from Chase, one of the best QBs in the NFL who just came off his best year....His stock is HIGH. Here, he'd face the #1 CBs-in Cincy, he was facing the #2. Pay for prime rib, get chuck steak if you want.

Happy to do it--as I said, it is the only way I can see the board. I see Jalen as a possibility, and he has a strength nobody has really mentioned much--with today's elusive QB, he would be an excellent shadow. He can move around, screwing with the C and OL, step up to blitz--the qb motions in a back to block him--and he drops into middle coverage and shadows the qb. This should help our edges. I should also say this: If we start stuffing the run, the offense is going to pass more. Jalen can cover the TE if needed. A back if needed. Not ideal, but sometimes the threat of a blitz or rush is better than actually doing it. We must understand that if we stuff the run, the offense will throw. there could be situations in which we'd pull Roseboom or Jewell and move Walker into the ILB role while we add a dime back. Of course, everyone says he is an edge, but we need to make sure that we maximize his skill set. Just my opinion, Shocker.

1627450163_DanChisenaisreallyfast.mp4.a2241b2ba504720b986982b4b92e3c49.mp4 17.48 MB · 0 downloads 2063403091_DanChisenaisfast.mp4.4c5d92422692e3657fbac489da7e2dca.mp4 19.2 MB · 0 downloads 2063403091_DanChisenaisfast.mp4.4c5d92422692e3657fbac489da7e2dca.mp4 19.2 MB · 0 downloads 2063403091_DanChisenaisfast.mp4.4c5d92422692e3657fbac489da7e2dca.mp4 19.2 MB · 0 downloads He was wide open.

Now that we have our #1 WR, we can focus on S.

#56

PFF's second most improved LB in 2024: Christian Rozeboom, Los Angeles Rams Snaps from Week 1-9: 396 | Grade from Week 1-9: 47.2 Snaps from Week 10-18: 432 | Grade from Week 10-18: 70.0 Rozeboom was a key figure as the Rams defense stiffened up in the second half of the season en route to winning the NFC West. His 70.0 grade was 26th among linebackers, and the former undrafted free agent was tied for the third-most PBUs (three) at the position from Week 10 onwards.

I liked him when he played. Good hands and runs good routes. 6'3". 28. Special teamer.

I appreciate you as well, brother.

I really think there is some developmental talent in this draft at QB. People look at QB as a day 1 starter, but there are 5 or so who will drop and could be great additions late. In the fifth round, a player is likely not an impact player, so why not draft a Rourke and protect him on the PS? When Dalton leaves and Bryce's big contract talks are heating up, it would be nice to have a guy seasoned in the system and ready to play.

That is odd--if you look at the stats and not the pay, you probably start Robinson and play him on early downs and bring in Wharton on passing downs--but this might suggest that the Panthers are going to draft a DE (this draft has 24-starting caliber DT/DEs, according to Daniel Jeremiah) and cut Robinson, who is over 30. Cutting Robinson would save $5.5m vs the cap. To me, considering Robinson was "meh" last year and we just signed Wharton, I cut him and draft a rookie who is better at stuffing the run. Since Brown could use a backup, we could draft 2 DEs. The talent pool is incredibly deep this year.