musicman

The feel good story will be Cam has a solid and productive year and earns the starting job this year and maybe the next several. What I mean by solid is not pro bowl but holds his own, limits the penalties and stays healthy.

Hope he gets off to a hot start.

Why would we give up a pot of Gold for a political nightmare and one injury away from ruining us for a while. Watson is an amazing talent. Remember when Cam hurt his shoulder? It took us years to recover and..... that's right, we still haven't recovered when our Franchise QB got hurt. Giving up too much along with that risk is not worth it. Having a Franchise QB and paying him great and having the picks and team to build around him is more important and that's not this situation.

What is the cap hit next year if we tag Moton again?

I wouldn't sleep on Brown or Moore stealing a starting Guard job either. I hope and feel they make great back ups, but you never know.

Where's Shi Smith?

Top 3. Playoffs vs Cards, after Luke gets the pick 6, the stadium was so rocking from everybody jumping to the song "Kernkraft 400", my booth was shaking like I was on a boat - very surreal. #2. 2013 when Ted Ginn scores with 1 minute remain against the Pats on MNF. that's when the Panthers and the city came alive for the next several years. #3. Against NYG when Gano hits a 62 yard FG to win the game that nobody thought he could make.

My only expectation for last year was to show improvement, even if it didn't translate to wins. And we did, especially on defense with limited talent. Robbie Anderson another surprise, along with DJ Moore getting better. But we battled and we're in most games and we couldn't say that for years. I hope for a 8+ win year in that 9 to 10 wins will be my real expectation. But if we lose a few heartbreakers because a fumble or Tom Brady did a classic TB 1 minute drive to win it at the end, I won't be down on the team. Just show improvement and don't get blown out. I want to see the rookies and 2 year guys improve to the point our expectations are even higher in 2022.

I've had talks with Mrs Tepper and others and they are really trying to turn the massive ship of an organization around one piece at a time. It takes time to do it right and not every move will work out, but they are trying very hard. They see the big picture and they deserve our respect and support in helping get there as it will benefit us all. I look forward to the future.

How does he know the FO people or the business side of stadium ops did good things right? He doesn't know if they're good people or not. Some parts of the operation needed to be fixed, he evaluated and then started making moves.

It started in 2018 when Tepper bought the team and he sat back and watched the 2019 season play out. He wanted to see what he had before he did anything, a very smart move. Going into 2020 we hired a new HC with a long term rebuilding plan, cleaned house a bit and started over. But a pandemic slowed the rebuilding a little. In 2021 we hire a new, progressive & talented GM and he takes a much different and analytical approach to the draft we've never seen. Yes, they passed on drafting Fields and IMO did the right thing. Fields got talent and maybe they weren't as high on him as were other teams that didn't take him (Bears were desperate) and we worked on building a complete team. We are still another year away from competing for a championship but maybe getting to 9 wins this year starts a winning tradition. If you look at what they're doing, they are taking positive steps towards building a perennial winner. Fans want flash and big leaps forward. But getting the cap in order to have sustained success is needed. Getting the right QB is very important, but at what costs. Taking a very calculated risk with a high reward on Darnold is smart. If he works out we just sped up the process and built a team around him in the process. if it doesn't, we still have a solid team that's a QB & 1 or 2 players away from a SB run. But at least we're winning 9 maybe 10 games a year, not 4 or 5. Every move in the NFL is a chance. An injury can derail a team, especially to a star (like a CMC). But having a complete team is more important (see Chiefs tackles in SB). Having great depth with young talent (with a great coaching staff) and the right mix of vets that can sustain winning every year, not every other year or every 3 years is what we should all want. That's how you build football tradition like in GB, Buffalo, NE, Sea, KC and heck even Dallas, NY, Chi (the fans come out no matter what). They support football because it's tradition and we need to build that since we don't have the 40-50+ year history those teams have. If we can put together 3 winning seasons in a row, you watch the fan base become stronger and more supportive, especially at games. On this board, everybody has so many opinions because the team is up and down every year. There's no rhythm and no obvious path to be good year in and year out.... until now. Hang in there and let's see it develop. Every move may not work out but if 5 or 6 draft picks work and maybe 2 or 3 FA signing play like they should, we'll be better for a long time.

I thought we did great. So much potential for a 10+ win team next year and possible playoffs. That's all we can ask for. Keeping getting better with no steps backwards. To be a perinal winner.

The more the better. Competition to play the best and have depth in case someone gets hurt. Not just have 3 good guys and hope nobody goes down.

After the Teddy trade, how much cap room do we have this year now? How much do we need for rookies?

if Sewell or Slater or Pitts are gone, I would take a CB or drop a few spots and get a CB. I would not take a QB but what do I know.

Wasn't this chart made before the rookie salary structure was in place?

We can't change anything now. Darnold is our QB for at least 2021 and probably 2022 if they pick up his option. I don't see us drafting a QB. If somebody they want (non-QB) his there at 8, they'll take him. If not, trade back. I think this move was more about not paying a kings ransom for a QB and Darnold has a lot of potential (yes that's an if, but they all are). How knows, maybe Watson gets cut after a while and we sign him for 2022 (he's not an if). Anything is possible. I trust in what the FO is doing, building us a team that will win every year. I would rather be 10-6/11-5 every year with a chance to go all the way then up and down every year. Look at the Saints, who are really good every year. Brees is amazing but they only won it one year. They had a great coach and usually a solid team around him. It takes a team to win, not just one player (last years SB loss for KC).

good back up LT/LG behind Scott, Erving, Miller, Daley and who ever we draft. But if somebody wanted to trade a 6th or 7th rd pick for him, I would think they would take it.

A great O-line can make an average QB look good. So if you have a good QB, a solid O-line can make him look great. Time is key. Time to let receivers get open. Time to let big plays develop. Time to improvise until a receiver breaks open. Time to see the field. I hope we draft a LT, OG/C and a CB in the 1st 3 picks (not necessarily in that order). With the guys we signed in FA, 1 or 2 have to have decent year.

They will work out a deal with Teddy. Teddy will get his $10 mil, maybe a little more from the Panthers and then be traded with a lower cap hit for the new team. Everybody wins including Teddy. They probably are bluffing to keep him to get Teddy to redo his contract and get out. That's huge difference and they don't want TB signing him.

I feel good about the trade and think getting an OT in the 1st 2 rounds will go a long way to him playing better with all those weapons.

We're not going to cut Teddy. The cap hit is huge. Either he reworks his contract so he can be traded or he's kept. At least we'll have a good back up for this season. They'll rework the contract that Teddy gets his $10 mil guaranteed and a chance to play somewhere else in a trade. Should happen before the draft but I can see right after if a team misses out on a QB picking him up. If they hold onto him and a team has a preseason injury, I can a trade happening then as well.

If Pitts or Sewel are there, you take one. Done! If not, I would trade back and get another 2nd rd pick or 2 more like a 2nd and 4th, depending on who and how far we go back. If 1 or more QBs are there at 8, we'll find a trade partner because Denver/WFT/Pats/Bears would love to have one if they don't trade up before 8.

If Pitts is there at 8, you take him. If not, then trade down.

LT Sewel 1st choice, Pitts 2nd but both won't be there. Slater or drop a few for another LT or top CB. No WR. It's not a need so drop back.