Borat

Not that it really matters, but I think Cam would be a lock to start were the final game at home.

Perhaps, but he was a grade A dickhead long before he played an NFL snap. He also was homeless as a kid, so there’s some non-physical trauma as well.

Literally today.

People (including Reid himself) make fun of Andy Reid's size all the time. He's literally the coaching go-to for general fat jokes, digs about going to KC for the BBQ, and the like. And there's no "legitimate reason for his bigger size" – he eats more than his body requires, full stop. Discipline can overcome any and all the 'reasons' for obesity – immobility, hypothyroidism (the effects of which are totally wiped out by a cheap generic), genetics, etc. Reid and Rhule could get down to healthy BMIs if they had the willpower. But they do not.

When the “what gets us closer to a Super Bowl” factor is a wash, I’d start looking for other deciding factors. Fans love Cam.

Yeah that’s fair. Were I in his shoes, I would have gone for similar productivity + feel good factor, which you get with Cam. But then again, I’d be a far worse HC than Rhule. I will be rooting for Darnold. Good kid and has had some tough breaks. Hopefully he auditions well.

I think you can make a non-football decision when 1) the season’s already over and 2) the choice is between 64/26 and 70/35 QB rating and QBR, respectively. It’s kind of a toss-up, output-wise, and there isn’t much on the line.

Not really, but still a chance for Panther fans to see Cam in the uniform before he rides off into the sunset.

Newton has been as bad or worse. Still don’t see the point in trotting out Darnold, though. At least fans want to see Cam’s last hurrah.

‘My dad works for Nintendo’

I’m making a petition to hire the aforementioned petition’s author as the Panthers’ head of communications / PR.

Two bottom 10 teams. One of which might sneak into the playoffs for a first-round drubbing.

Why do we think we would lose money on a sale? Sports team valuations have gone up. Unless you’re suggesting he literally close up shop and contract the Panthers?

May as well start Cam. Absolute floor is he keeps sucking, but gets a proper send off from the fans. Upside (and more likely) case is he knocks off some of the rust, gets up to speed on the playbook, and has a decent run to end the season (and gets an even better send off). Not really anything to be gained by trotting out PJ Walker or Darnold. Realistically, it’s three dudes who have no medium- or long-term future in the league, but one of them is 1) beloved and 2) very probably still the best player of the three. Pretty easy call, IMO.

Probably not, because those weren’t really high up on the list of Delhomme deficiencies. I think it’s pretty unarguable that Cam in his pomp was head and shoulders about Jake. But the current version of Cam, without his old physical dominance / rushing prowess, can’t cut it anymore. Even at the absolute peak of his powers, he was never a placement + great reads guy (he was a generational athlete and competitor) and the league is demanding those skills more than ever.

100%. The Golden Calf of Bristol is especially idiotic for thinking low A ball was somehow a better career path than FB/TE/Gadget. Kaepernick played his cards perfectly though, IMO – his brand / relevance is 100x more valuable as a "martyr" being excluded from the league, rather than as a decent backup.

Good game by the Panthers, but could have been TL;DR'd into "they were missing their MVP-caliber QB and his All-Pro WR" haha

At this point, I'm pretty willing to give any struggling NYJ QB a pass due to decades of institutional failure at that position. But man is it not a good look for two roster-bubble-type QBs to ball out in a system that has befuddled you.

Believe it or not, Ryan is actually having an above-average year by his standards – he's played well, and the emergence of Pitts / Patterson has somewhat offset the practice squad receivers and the 30th-ranked OL. On pace for 4,300 / 30 / 12.

Falcons fan perspective [albeit one with a soft spot since i) he’s a local kid and ii) he and I have the same favorite team ;)]: Very good move. Cam is definitely still one of the best 30 QBs on the planet even if he’s just 75% healthy. Darnold may not even be in the top 50.

Then it's a great problem to have? Cam can sit a few weeks to learn the new system, especially if the starting QB is balling.

The only downside is this probably prevents the Panthers from going QB in the draft, but honestly their D is good enough that it was probably going to keep them away from a premium pick anyways.

This is cool.

Cam is done. Sam has never been ‘not done.’ There isn’t / wasn’t a good answer between the two. Bridgewater should have been kept around (vs. those 2), but ultimately the band-aid needs to be ripped off.