panthers55

Sean Golbert was one of the reasons we didn't go after big names for a while after that. He really burned us after paying him a ton and giving up 2 number 1 picks for him.

We are a long way from last year proven by how active we have been and the fact that for example Ginn is back in the fold. Gettleman knew we were going to take a dip last year and must be ecstatic is wasn't worse. He is a first time GM and is learning as he goes. He has learned from last year and likely won't make the same mistakes. He was full of himself in 2014 after a successful 2013 and mismanaged free agency. So far this year he appears to be doing a better job. Check back with me in 2 weeks and I bet things will have changed for the better..

The problem for me you are bitching about 7 weeks too early. If we havent done better than Bersin by the end of the draft then you have a point.I have full faith that we will sign another WR in free agency and pick one up in the draft I just saw that Patterson is being shopped and Bowe is being released. I wonder who else might get the ax over the next 2 or 3 weeks who would be cheap and as good as Shorts, Nicks, and Crabtree. I am fine with letting tings play out and see what happens. There will be plenty of time to bitch between the draft and the start of training camp.

Brown is still an unknown. He really didn't play enough for us to know how he will do long-term. I hope he is fine and continues to improve but I wouldnt bet the farm he will develop into a number 2 for us. Anyone who has been around long enough have seen folks like Brown (Ryne Robinson, Joe Adams, etc.) to not get too overly excited. Lets be real here, you keep bashing Bersin as if he is a top receiver on the team and that he will even make the roster this year. Unless he seriously improves he will likely be a camp casualty. And Cotchery was really an add on when our initial free agency plan blew up last year. The guy he replaced is back with us in Ginn. The best think Cotchery gives us is veteran leadership and a good third down option when we send out 3 or 4 receivers and they double Olsen and KB. The thing for me is not going after pricey mediocre talent instead of drafting someone like we did with Benjamin. I would like to see another free agent WR signed next week and then draft another one in the first 3 rounds. But Crabtree and Shorts would not be my top choices. One due to injury and the other price. Then again what do I know, I am just a fan.....

If he tore his achilles last year I wonder what he runs the 40 in now. I'm betting it isnt close to 4.3

Glad you are not the GM. Shorts will be overpaid by the Jets or someone else and really isnt that good. He had 53 catches on 110 targets in 2014. His drop rate was 11.67 in 2014. Plus he had soft tissue issues and injuries and ran a 4.5 40 which would be fine of he were like Benjamin but at 6ft tall and 200 lbs he really is not worth that much. I would take Ginn over him in a heartbeat. He is a slow Ginn who can't return punts or kickoffs. When the Jaguars dont even want you, there are issues. Crabtree had achilles surgery after 2013 and has never returned to form. How many wide receivers have achilles surgery and gain back all of their speed and acceleration? The only one out of those I would consider is NIcks because he will be relatively cheap and will be worth taking a flier given he wont be asking a lot of guaranteed money. Even then he isn't someone who you count on for a number 2 receiver with his injury history.

Actually it is his first rodeo as a GM. Sure he was in the player evaluation business as part of the Giants but never a GM so there is a learning curve just like Rivera's time as a coordinator helped but didn't totally prepare him for head coach. The beauty of it is that his basic philosophy and instincts are already good and will only improve as he Gaines experience.

Crabtree has never Ben the same after the Achilles injury. He ran a 4.5 before the injury and likely runs a 4.8 or worse now. Most times speed never returns. For the money I would take Nicks who while injured at least doesn't have a career limited injury.

Who thinks we haven't already talked to Long's agent to discuss bringing him in? If we dont pull the trigger you can assume we have questions or feel he is not a good fit or not worth what they are asking. Players who are getting contracts this week are getting what they want and likely getting the better end of the deal. As time goes by, the agents start feeling the heat and are more likely to negotiate. Those are the guys we want and will pursue. BTW, anyone have Remmers on their radar last year? Who thought that would work out like it did, Lets see what Gettleman can do with what is out there before we decide we have to have the big names and high priced guys. Long is surely very risky and might be a one year rental or less if he gets hurt again. We need someone who can anchor the left side for some time. And that likely will be a draft pick.

I actually think Remmers and Oher and going to good perhaps not great. I also think we will find someone at wide receiver as a number 2. Have faith grasshopper.

Because they can't afford the 16 million cap hit and he wasn't going to renegotiate his salary. I really doubt they were going to reduce his role and still pay him 12 million.

Johnson is on the books to make 11 million in salary and roster bonus and his cap hit is 16 million. Obviously Houston can't afford that so they are moving on. Unless another team has a ton of cap space that they have to spend, no one is going to trade for him. If he is cut, exactly how much of a discount do you expect him to take? He will want to get paid at least 8 million or more. He will also want a multi-year contract. If I were going to spend 8 million on him I would spend 10 on Cobb who is much younger. There are a ton of free agents who could be productive who you can get at a better price than either of them. Both Nicks and Crabtree would sign for much cheaper and they are both younger than Johnson. Torrey Smith, Dwayne Harris and a slew of other guys could come in and make an impact and fit much better within our salary structure.

I dont think many folks loved Cotchery so much as they hoped he would be able to help. I think those that thought he was going to replace Smith were hoping he would but I doubt they would have bet much money on it happening. He was a cheap option little else. Just about every expert in the summer was saying we had the worse wide receiver group in the league.

I heard him say that he actually doesnt like stop gap vets because it hurt consistency and chemistry when you have to turn over your roster every year. He has had to resort to that given the cap hell we have been in, but I dont think it is the plan. He wants a core of young players and to build through the draft. Vets are important but I dont think they are seen as stop gap so much as part of the long term plan. In 2013 we gave out a bunch of 1 year contracts. In 2014 we gave out more 2 year deals. I expect that trend to continue. Even guys like Remmers last year were given a 2 year deal which now appears to be a fantastic move.

The question is not whether you want Cobb because everyone knows he would be very productive but do you want him at 12 million a year and who else could you get for that kind of money. There are other guys who are cheaper and still will be productive. It isnt that we arent competing for a Super bowl simply that we arent one player away or that Cobb will be the missing piece to winning s Super bowl. As for Johnson, he may still be productive but at 34, he is a stop gap not a solution. We need a guy who is productive and in his mid twenties, not one or 2 years away from retirement. DG is building for the future and looking at being a winning franchise consistently. That requires building around a young core not patching things together with expensive free agents. We did that in the late 90s with poor results. I dont want to go back to that failed strategy. We are on the right path and honestly AJ is not part of the plan IMO.

He would be our third best option assuming we dont upgrade elsewhere or pick up another stud in the draft. Secondly, the comparison with Cotchery was an age one not a skill one. And lastly who says he would be great with the young receivers He might have been a great option a few years ago, now he is just over the hill.

We are not going to be interested in him at any price. He is 34 years old and not part of any teams long term future. That may work for a team that is a wide receiver away from a Super Bowl but honestly we are looking for younger guys to build the future with not over the hill like Johnson. If we got rid of a 34 year in Smith we won't be adding another guy just as old. Cotchery was 31 when we picked him up I doubt we want to go even older at the position.

Way too early to know who we are going to even need until free agency plays out somewhat. Unless we pickup a WR or 2 in free agency you can count on us drafting one in the first 3 rounds. Drafting an OT is very likely also. Don't see us picking a safety in the first. I think that building around Cam is the big priority this year.

I have seen this kind of analysis over and over. This is what you get when you have a bean counter in charge of a company. They have all the numbers and can tell you trends and money but no idea what they are doing in running the company. I know exactly what the article is advocating. it is saving money and dumping contracts and not restructuring or extending folks so we have plenty of money in 2016. And I think the idea appears fine on the surface but it is too simplistic and doesn't account t for the realities of the present NFL. You need veterans like Johnson and Kalil as well as a mix of young players it isn't just about the money but inward to you get for the money Without veteran leadership which you have to pay for, you end up like we did in 2010. Since you have to spend 90% of the cap every year that 60 million will get spent just like it does every year. Only we will be rebuilding after a poor 2015 instead of retooling. If there are the right guys in free agency this year you spend instead of saving for 2016 hoping the right guys are there then. If you have lurked as long as you say then you know I am not one for histrionics, I rely on facts and logic and the expert opinions of those who know more than I do. This guy isn't one of those guys. He knows numbers but he wasn't a GM and doesn't know the relative value of guys like Kalil to our team.

But the problem with this article is that it is only looking at contracts and not building a team for 2015 as well as 2016. It is just looking at who we can release and keep without acknowledging that if we don't spend in 2015 and do what we need to in order to remain competitive we will take an ever bigger plunge in 2015 than we did between 2013 and 2014. If it weren't for our easier schedule and poor division in 2014 we could have finished with 4 or 5 wins. If we do what this article recommends we will be back to 2 or 3 wins. The whole we can't spend or restructure anyone in 2015 without costing us in the future ignores that Gettleman was able to go from 20 million over the cap in 2013 to 8 million under while building a team that went 12-4. We took a step back in 2014 due to a poor free agency strategy and overconfidence by Gettleman that he could pull off another 2013 which didn't happen. He will be smarter and spend more this free agency just like he should. There will still be plenty money for 2016 as well without tanking this season in the process.

It said Johnson would be kept for 2015 and could released in 2016 when his dead cap number would fall to 4 million. I saw nothing suggesting an extension. And the 60 million dollar number was put forth as a goal instead of a real bad idea given that with only 25 guys under contract assuming our rookies this year and picking up some free agents in 2015 we are forced to bring in a bunch of free agents in 2016 whether the market is favorable to do so or not or rely on a bunch of rookies and UDFAs. That philosophy not only has us sucking in 2015 but likely off to another slow start in 2016 as we try and build chemistry. Flexibility is one think but having less than half of your roster under contract rarely leads to big progress, or consistency which is what we are shooting for.

And how long did it take Davis to work into a starting role even given the failed experiment at safety. With so many other needs for an immediate starter with our first rounder, picking him to groom as a starter down the road would be a colossal mistake. I am sure Gettleman is a lot smarter than that.

That article was a joke when it came to free agency and the draft. While I agree that there aren't many free agents worth keeping, the idea that we should let Johnson play out his contract and not sign Hardy may make money sense if you want to stockpile money so we end up like Tampa or another team with plenty of money and no talent. First of all Johnson is only 28 and can play for 4 or 5 years minimally. He won't get another contract like he signed earlier and shouldn't but the only way he should walk is if he won't extend at a reasonable amount. But I surely would attempt to do so. I know we will likely move on from Hardy but I think that is a mistake as well. With a suspension very possible he would be cheap on a 1 or 2 year contract. Secondly That 60 million cap figure is all pie in the sky. Who really wants us to not bring in a free agent wide receiver this year or at least attempt to find a left tackle if we can find one before putting everything on drafting someone who may need a year or two in order to be ready to play in the NFL. And we shouldn't try and bring in at least one or two defensive backfield vets to shore up the secondary? I am all for drafting guys to fill spots but we have been lucky finding starters who are rookies and can't always count on that. Plus the big reason we start off so slow each year is that many of our projected starters are not ready to start given they have little or no experience at the pro level. If we take this sites advice we have a ton of money in 2016 and have just come off a 4 win season even in the NFCS. Newton needs weapons and we need to spend money now to do that. We can sign some guys, retain, extend and restructure others and have a solid year in 2015 and still have 30 million in 2016 just considering the dead cap space we lose, the increase in the cap and signing guys to cap friendly contracts. This article was written by a guy who is looking at the money and contracts but knows little about football and building a team.

Few players leave without some hard feelings. With the social media as it is, these kind of things are inevitable. Whether your opinion of him went up or down depends on where you had him to begin with. Since I think most players are egotistical spoiled and entitled multi millionaires with little understanding of how to carry themselves in a mature fashion, then my opinion of him or most players hasn't changed. There are exceptions such as Luke but let's be real here, how many folks in their 20s or early thirties making that kind of money and having that much influence don't have entitlement issues. Particularly when they have been handed so much and been treated so differently than regular folks. Yeah I know that most here are under 30 but it wasn't a put down since most here also haven't been as privledged or entitled as most athletes.

I am waiting to make sure we have someone much better before I get too excited. We went into 2014 with Bell being the best option. Let's hope we have some great starters this season. Not much to choose from in free agency so far.