panthers55

Teddy wasn't able to change when defenses figured out he wasn't going to throw it more than 10 yards down the field. Defenders played our receivers tight and didn't worry about double moves which compressed the field and hurt our run game as well. It wouldn't have taken that much for Teddy to have been successful last year and his unwillingness or inability to push the ball downfield doomed him. Even in 2 minute drills at the end of the game he was nickel and diming the ball down the field. I think if he had taken more chances and finished a few drives Teddy would still be here.

High: Horn. He is a baller with a mean streak. Just what we need. His overaggressiveness might get him burned a few times but he is the real deal. Unsure: I am putting Darnold on this list given things are up in the air. I suspect he will do better than many think if we can build his confidence early and get a few quality wins. Bad: Ian Thomas. If he makes the roster I doubt he is the starter by years end.

Funny that some projections suggest that Darnold would have been the second QB drafted if he came out this year. That is ahead of Wilson who replaced him. Darnold was drafted at 21 and was the youngest QB drafted in 2018 and the youngest QB starter for the Jets. He started 1 year in high school and 2 at USC so those saying he really doesn't have much starting experience and lots of upside are on solid ground.

Now let's add that the scheme offered Darnold little flexibility given Gase didn't let Darnold audible out of plays and called everything in from the sidelines. There were limited blitz pickup calls and few ways to mitigate pressure when it got dialed up. And you get some idea why many of us hope that Darnold can do.much better here.

Darnold will get his shot with a good scheme and lots of talent. If he bombs here he will not get a chance elsewhere and he knows it. I expect he will have a good year and are least be decent as our scheme doesn't require QBs to play outside of their ability level. I expect there to be lots of easier throws and dumpoffs until Darnold feels confident in our system. This is a very quarterback friendly system. Something that plays to his strengths.

And Belichick did it with his second team. Tom Coughlin was Jaquars coach for 7 years and then went to the Giants. He won it his fourth year there. So there are certainly examples of coaches winning Super Bowls with their second team after failing to win it with their first. That is off the top of my head. There might be others.

It also shows how hard it is to develop a consistent winner. Seems we are finally finding the processes to put in place to hopefully be one of those teams.

Although it was 9 years long, this was his first job as coach. And I doubt he was given free rein here like in Washington. Outside of Carolina Rivera is seen as a good coach and when you see the distractions he managed to end up in the playoffs (in arguably the worse division in football) most everyone would consider him a real success so far in Washington. Just like he is learning to move on and adjust the Panthers have done the same. Rivera was good for a number of things and bad for just as many. Rhule and Fitterer have both put their stamp on the team and we are looking like we are really improving. No need complaining about the past when we have the present and exciting future. I made it a practice to let folks go when they are no longer a Panther. Sure I will follow their progress but they lose the ability to really impact my emotions and particularly make me mad. It does help.especially in these continued difficult times.

Thank you. Glad to see you are keeping up with the trend over the past 10 years. Some of the best edge rushers like Von Miller, JJ and TJ Watt, Khalil Mack rush from the right side. That is just off the cuff I am sure there are more.

I think just the opposite logic applies as well. While other teams found out how to exploit our college coaches turned pro late last year, our coaches now have NFL experience in their respective positions and should improve significantly much like players usually make their biggest gains between year 1 and 2. I expect Snow to change that weak prevent defense he ran last year using more man press coverage and more disguise at the line of scrimmage instead of easy matchups and predictable zone coverage. Brady can build on what he designed and Rhule can fix his time management skills. Couple that with more firepower on offense and better defenders and I think we will reach your total by the midpoint of the season. If we split our one score losses last year we were a 9-7 team. Better play in the 4th quarter and we easily go 9-8 and that assumes 5-3 in the first half and 4-5 in the second half.

I am going with 9-8. The defense hopefully is much improved which takes pressure off the offense. Darnold just has to be decent to good for this offense to click. The worst thing he can do is try to do too much instead of distribute the ball to his playmakers and let them do the heavy lifting.

Tyler Brayton was a workpail type DE who never got much credit but did the dirty work

Parents don't intend to name their kids something other folks make fun of but as kids we are creative. Had a college friend named Richard Haire. Of course we called him Dick. Yep, Dick Hair. From Rock Hill last I remember.

This article might make sense if we hadn't picked up Darnold. But we found our first round QB and he has NFL experience. Darnold and Horne combined are worth way more than Fields alone. And that was the choice.

No doubt Darnold marked his calendar with the Jets game and will be happy to redeem himself. And some guys like Steve Smith play better with a chip on their shoulder. But I want my quarterback focused on running our offense and scoring points controlling the clock. I would say unemotionally and surgically dissect their defense. But I did like to see Jake come out all Cajun fiery willing the team down the field. Or Cam taking everyone on running it to move the chains. Darnold has big shoes to fill. He should be used to the pressure coming from New York. But it is a lot. Hope he is up to it because our expectations are really high. He saw Bridgewater last a year so he knows he has 2 years to sink or swim. Otherwise we will move on to the next great QB prospect.

He was a character for sure.

And when the Panthers got started North Carolinian were largely Redskin fans. Maybe a few Falcons fans due to proximity. But winning cures all while losing won't ever get folks to switch unless you are trying for the sympathy vote

CALL IT.

The whole idea that left tackle is more valuable than right tackle is old fashioned thinking borne of past practices not current reality. Right tackle is just as important than left tackle. Many of the top rushers play against the right offensive tackle not the left. Von Miller, Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack among others all rush from the left or right. The distinction is passe. Moton knows that and wants to change the narrative. And he is worth every penny. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.si.com/.amp/nfl/2017/05/31/nfl-left-tackles-michael-lewis-blindside-right-tackles-left-defensive-ends

Way too early for doom and gloom. It is May and we haven't even had OTAs. Plenty of time to bitch in the Fall. To the point though, I think Darnold will be effective in this system and that is all that matters. Comparisons between Fields and Darnold are not apples to apples unless they have a similar system and personnel.

I am interested in finding out how many of these drafted guys will make the roster. If most all do then it was an awesome strategy. If many don't then it was more of a mixed bag.

Not much of a draft value nerd but I can appreciate one who is knowledgeable. Seemed pretty fair from a value point of view. Not sure his player evaluations were as good as his value discussion. .

Thats right we host 8 but they play 9 road games. Still getting used to that.

How we finish will be on the defense more than the offense. Tampa's defense won that Superbowl not Brady. His offense was good but the defense was tough particularly in the playoffs. Our offense will score points. The question is whether we can score when we need to and control the clock with long drives. But the real question is how aggressive we will be on defense. Between the 20s we sat in a passive zone shell and rushed 3 way too often last year. I miss the aggressive Panther defenses of the past that were our identity. Snow has the pieces now to play man and blitz. No.more excuses for that pansy prevent defense that stopped no one after it got figured out and teams got film on it. Our record? I would love 10-6 but again it depends on whether the coaches can get these guys playing together as a team. I think we will end up 9-7 amd second or third in the division.