Soul Rebel

Great post and insight. What I wouldn’t give to sit down with Reich and McCown for an hour or three and hear their thoughts on Bryce. I remember year 1 he was entrusted with pre-snap audible and so often, IIRC, misdiagnosed the defensive scheme and disguises. I bet the coaches past and present have to curate so much for Bryce to thrive. Like Strato said…. Trimming the field down for him to find alleys and reads due to his limitations.

I’m trying to see the light at the end of the playcalling tunnel, but don’t know if it will be there. If Canales passes off playcalling duties, I don’t see how he doesn’t give it to Idzik. I truthfully don’t know what Idzik does nor if he’s up for the job. I don’t see a world where Canales passes him over unless he’s instructed to, and I don’t get that feeling after making the playoffs in year two. I also don’t want Canales calling plays anymore. I can’t tell if BY is holding him back or if his playbook is that predictable, vanilla and determined to create a new style of offense that is dominated by screens and checkdowns. My gut says you plug 20 of 32 other starting NFL QBs not named Bryce in and this offense moves more. It’s wild because the times that Young does uncork it a bit, he has had more success….sans his signature out route lobs that have the zip of a paper airplane.

If it wasn’t for the Canales connection, I’d put Geno here as a backup at zero percent. Dude is 36, banged up, had a horrible year and has been a poor teammate. Dalton has to go but I don’t want Geno here.

It’s completely mind boggling that the NFL doesn’t have checks and balances for the guys tasked with upkeep of rules and conduct. A player breaks the rules and goes helmet to helmet, suspended. A ref breaks the rules….apology on Monday. I like the human element of sports and don’t want technology to take over calling games, but these guys are having to much of an impact on the game. NFL needs to police their league better…..unless, you know.

Not that it mattered but the first play of the game the flag against TB for taunting is such a crap call too. Taunting has been a recent focal point but it’s a dumb rule. The amount of adrenaline pumping on the first play of the game and you make an impactful play….idk. I guess it’s an “all or nothing” penalty meant to keep the civility and trash talk from escalating, but seems like a “don’t hurt his feelings/participation trophy” kind of emo rule.

Hopefully Hunt is back too. We will need him against the Rams front 7.

And when he does step into the throw and rip a bullet in stride, XL runs a lazy route and misses an opportunity.

Wild. This is example #3,871 this year of Canales trying to overthink and outsmart a league that only has a few true offensive innovators. He ain’t there yet.

FWIW, Wash ran a 4-3 w/ odd fronts sprinkled in, as well as man & zone. He was much less of a bend/don’t break DC and feel like a bit more aggressive than Evero. I bet Wash understands how to maximize his defensive studs like Brown, Horn, & Moehrig. We need a more opportunistic unit that gets off the field on third downs, creates pressure and turnovers. Adding an off-ball alpha LB opposite Wallace and a stud on the line next to DB will do wonders for this D.

Was it ever confirmed that the play call was a flea flicker or was it Rico panicking and re-living his ST blunder? I see Canales and Bryce as the kind of guys that would fall on the grenade for a teammate. I find it hard to believe that an NFL HC/OC would call a play that is used for deeper pass plays and not RZ plays in the final minutes of a game that decides their playoff fate.

I do trust Tillis here and feel like this gives Canales a game manager at QB on a “cheap” deal while spending money elsewhere. At its peak, $26M in 2027 is middle of the road AAY for NFL QBs in 2025. It would sandwich him between Justin Fields and Baker Mayfield. This gives them time to add speed/separation at WR, a bonafide TE threat, lock up Icky, find Moton’s replacement, , find a guy to wear the dot at LB, find an edge guy opposite Scourton, add a DL to pair with DB while he’s still in his prime and figure out the secondary. This move, if it happens, does not guarantee Bryce is the QB beyond 2026. It does not also mean he is signing a long-term deal either.

Also, seeing XL run out as a starter will speak volumes to how Canales views accountability.

David Moore revenge game incoming!!

Though question the validity of this chart, it does remind me of concerns I have with our offense. I’m unsure whether it’s Canales doesn’t trust Bryce to execute his gameplan or if the route concepts and scheme is vanilla and unimaginative by design. When watching other games, the receivers seem like they get more separation and aren’t as clustered together as ours. The Panthers WR, TE and RBs, more often than not, seem very close to each other and almost like their feet are stuck in a lower gear in and out of routes/off the LOS. Often times, unclear of their positioning when the first read isn’t there and where they should be positioned within the options of that particular route concept (e.g. Bryce is under duress and the play breaks down….where do you go? Pre-snap we thought it was man, it’s disguised well as zone). It’s almost like if the coaches don’t tell them, the players aren’t intelligent enough to figure this out on their own. Or are the players simply doing as told by the coaches in film study, practice and in-game, which means the coaching is inept.

This has to be Dave’s move on Sunday. There’s a way to communicate this to XL that his performance doesn’t merit him starting in the biggest game of the year, while still allowing him to get reps and earn his way. Moore used to play in TB and is a more reliable target for Bryce. Truthfully, I think Horn has played as well as XL this year to earn some of his targets as well.

I do wonder if McVay came looking for an eventual Stafford replacement a couple years from now, if Bryce could succeed back in Southern California. Let the Rams spend the next two years rewiring him with a more veteran, successful organization. It’s a long shot but it would take a Reid/McVay/Ben Johnson type of leader in IMO. Canales and this franchise in its current state isn’t there yet.

If us message board warriors and twitter analysts can see the opposing defensive scheme and disguises funneling Bryce to dump it off and dare him to throw it beyond 7 yards, coaches and front offices being paid millions have to know this. This includes the Panthers’ brass. This is why I think Canales is toting the company line and playing Bryce because he has to. If Tepper goes to him this offseason and says, “It’s your call at QB, Coach. Either keep Bryce or find your guy. Whatever it takes to win!” I think Canales benches or asks Dan to move Bryce.

No way Young comes out of the game unless he gets injured. If he has another SEA/SF/NO debacle, it only helps Canales’ case to upper management to give him his choice at QB next year and beyond. Canales is doing what any employee does when Ownership tells them what they want. Canales should have his choice at QB if Young looks like sh1t two years in a row.

I blame DIontae Johnson for this mess. Ladd was there for the taking and we decided the WR room needed size and a potential X receiver instead of the better talent. Meh.

I felt like we came out the gates this way though. I understand Seattle’s defense is top notch and their secondary can lock it down, but playing scared is not the way to win in this league. It seemed like the gameplan was to keep the ball away from their DBs and take safe secure underneath passes. It doesn’t make sense when we saw their defense get lit up 10 days earlier. It’s not to say Young and Canales are cut from the same cloth as McVay and Stafford, but there’s tape on how to move the ball against the Hawks. It’s more frustrating when Darnold played awful and we contained their running game outside of the Charbonet run too. 3-3 at halftime and this staff couldn’t make tweaks and tinker a bit to put points on the board. Sad.

My concerns, which have been all year: - Smart defenses dare Bryce to beat them deep. They disguise looks pre-snap really well and then assume the play call involves a 4-8 yard route concept and creep up. This also helps them against the run by not needing to fear getting beat over top. The games we’ve won and when 9 looks competent, we push the ball downfield more. We looked so scared today. Do we adjust properly when initial gameplan and blueprint is being countered? Canales often times is too stubborn or too predictable.

This team hurt themselves every time we had the opportunity to flex. Jaycee’s dropped INT on the first drive. Bryce missing an open McMillan on 4th that probably goes potentially for 6. Chuba’s fumble after the INT. Horn’s penalty on 3rd & long. I’m sure I am forgetting a few too, but this team beat itself today in a sloppy home game with everything on the line.

If you consider the rare offensive offsides penalty as a target, then yes.

He has 16 yards at halftime on 7 passes. I feel like the SEA interception return went for more than 16 yards. If not, pretty damn close.

The more I’m watching YT vids of these LBs, two things are coming into focus for me. 1 - Sonny Styles will rip the combine up and crack the top-10….unfortunate that he won’t be a Panther without us moving up. 2 - Anthony Hill Jr. is LB3 for me and someone I’d like to see in Process Blue. I’ve seen a few UT fans mentioning him in the same breath as a step just below Derrick Johnson. I really hope we to LB or Sadiq with our R1 pick.