Davidson Deac II

I don't actually bet, so it's not really an issue. And if I did, I would never bet on a Panthers game, one way or the other.

I honestly have no idea what to expect. Honestly, if I decided to place a bet on the game, I would probably take the Falcons just because they are at home and probably have a better run game. But at least I do feel better about this year's opener than I did last year.

I think FSU might have the most talented roster in the ACC this year, in large part due to the portal. It seems that at least for now, learning how to navigate the portal will be nearly as important as recruiting.

They might have more five star recruits, but that doesn't mean they have the most talented roster. Those recruit rankings are guesstimates. Overall, the more highly ranked recruits you have the better, but they don't always pan out.

One thing I have learned in watching sports over the years, and that is that things change every week. Some teams that we thought were good will turn out to be not so good, and others will be better than we thought. There are several teams on the FSU schedule that could be ranked when FSU plays them.

Not really. Its one ACC team beating another. And if Clemson isn't that good, they weren't going to challenge for the championship anyway.

The QB who Clemson dumped had the best game of his career yesterday. Its still very early in the season, but maybe DJ wasn't the problem.

FSU at Clemson is probably going to get a lot of interest.

Wouldn't mind seeing us draft Keon Coleman.

Well, predictions like this aren't created to be accurate. They are created to generate hits and discussion. This one will likely succeed. Unless Mahomes gets injured, the odds of the Chiefs finishing 10-7 are pretty slim. As for our division, I think it's wide open. I could see any one of the four winning it and it probably depends to a great extent on qb performance for each team.

In fairness, they had Drew Brees for most of those years. That compensated for a lot of the issues. And I do think it was true last year. They were not a decent team. But the rest of the division was so bad that no one noticed.

Well, ask me this question in about 10 weeks. Anyone of the four teams could win the division. And the division could be as bad as last year, or it could be significantly improved. We just don't have a clear favorite like most of the other divisions do.

Lot of UNC fans here. Personally, I am not convinced that Howell, or Purdy, or Fields, or Young are above average NFL qbs yet. For fields, he should begin to show it this year. For the others, maybe by next year, we will know.

The interesting thing about Wilkes last year to me was that even though his background was as a defensive coach, it was our offense that got better under him. And by better, I mean it looked like an actual NFL offense. The defense on the other hand stayed the same or got slightly worse. Cincy abused us, and Pitt physically dominated us in the trenches. Tampa had its best offensive game of the season against us. For a defensive coach, that is not good.

I agree. He looked terrible in the first game, then actually showed some promise in the second. But the third game he played was as bad or worse than the first. I do think he eventually gets another shot, on someone's practice squad if nothing else.

Corrals last preseason game was pretty bad. Can't help but wonder if that game doomed him

And Rivera is about average at it for an NFL head coach. The reality is that most NFL coaches have some big misses and Rivera is no exception to that.

I don't have the hostility that some do regarding Rivera. Not saying you are hostile towards him, but some are. I think he is an above average coach, but identifying future great players is as much luck as skill. There are a handful that are great at it, but the number is very small, and probably is what separates good coaches from elite. Regarding Howell, if he does turn out to be a solid NFL qb, then it would mean the entire NFL missed the boat. And if Rivera didn't realize what he had in Howell, then he is in good company. Lots of great NFL qb's spent the first year on the bench.

Meh, no NFL coach wins without great players.

I wonder about that to. Got to admit I did wonder why they decided to go for Trey when Mac seemed to have about the same chance of succeeding. It would be ironic if they made such a failed gamble, and then ended up with Purdy being a diamond in the rough. Would prove that SF might be the luckiest franchise in history, with getting Montana in the third round, Steve Young, and then drafting Purdy in the sixth.

I agree, but the reason I didn't include that one is that the niners were going for a qb, and I think you have to take some chances for a qb. The Saints gave up their whole draft for a rb who, while a good rb, is mostly known as a stoner. And the Vikes handed three SB wins to the Cowgals.

Well, that wasn't technically a trade, but it was a horrible deal. But most of these folks are too young to remember it. It was definitely the worst in Panther history, and maybe the third worst in my time of watching NFL football. Only the Herschel Walker (Minnesota) and Ricky Williams (Saints) deals were worse.

Agreed, it wasn't a great trade, but it wasn't a bad one either. Neither player is setting the world on fire, so at worst we traded a third for a fifth. Not the best trade, but we did need a cb, so I understand why we took a shot. I just hope Horne can stay healthy this year.

Drafting is a crapshoot, always has been. And there is a strong element of luck in it. From that same draft, just look at Miami. They sold their soul to get Tua, and while he looks solid when healthy, he still hasn't played a full season. And they still haven't made a playoff game, and if they don't this year, its going to become problematic for them.

3 of the top 10 picks from that year are no longer with the team that drafted them.