A Small Theory

[electro's horse]

have you ever watched football.....on weed?

[carolina-chuck]

.

[AceBoogie]

I would argue that if Hardy was playing we would be a much better team. The OL would still be a mess but I think we would be in a totally different situation. We don't know there was no intention to sign him longterm. In fact, all I've ever seen/heard was that they wanted to.

That's fair, but I know people like Igo and Voth have said that he wasn't going to be back next year regardless of his case.

[Marguide]

I would argue that if Hardy was playing we would be a much better team. The OL would still be a mess but I think we would be in a totally different situation. We don't know there was no intention to sign him longterm. In fact, all I've ever seen/heard was that they wanted to.

According to Bill Voth and others they never had any intention of signing him long term.

He was a one year rental for $13 million.

That would be enough to sign 3 good players to decent contracts if they had someone they liked.

[Password is Taco]

ron doesnt need much help in failing  hes perfectly adequate at doing it himself

[teeray]

According to Bill Voth and others they never had any intention of signing him long term.

He was a one year rental for $13 million.

That would be enough to sign 3 good players to decent contracts if they had someone they liked.

For one year though? Would three good players have signed one year deals?

Probably not. Hindsight is 50/50 . No one expected Hardy issue to happen.

And I would rather have 1 Greg Hardy for one year than three players who couldn't command more than a one year deal

[AU-panther]

I don't think they are if you don't tag Hardy. That 13 million could have solved a lot of problems this year.

 

There is a misconception on this board that Hardy's tag is equal to keeping Ginn, Smith, Lafell, Captain, Mitchell, and adding a top tier tackle and it is simply not true.

 

While Hardy's single year number is quite high it is only a one year deal.  All of those players above signed multi year deals.

 

A better question would be more like:

What would have helped the team more?  Hardy or Anthony Collins this year?

or

What would have helped the team more?  Hardy or Lefell and Captain?

or

What would have helped the team more?  Hardy or Mitchell?

 

If we really wanted to could we have fit all of those players in this year with that 13 million?  Probably, but it might limit our ability to resign Cam or Luke in the future.  Or it might cause us to have to consider cutting some combination of  Kalil, Davis, Olsen, or CJ next year.

[The NFL Shield At Midfield]

donald penn was about the only example of a cheap gem/reclamation project that seems to be working out.  he's playing quite well for the raiders right now.

 

that's one guy out of the entire free agent pool at tackle who was cheap and playing above his contract.  and he was considered a desperation signing for the raiders after saffold failed his physical.

 

e: i was thinking of the wrong guy-meant to post jared veldheer for the cardinals.  penn's cap hit is $5 million according to overthecap.com but he's actually earning it unlike collins

[CRA]

This is my only gripe but not extending the coach of the year last year a ton of ppl would have went crazy on here too

Same year he was COY.....he was also talked about being fired in season. Coming off two years of spotty decision making.

even at the conclusion of last season...COY's resume was iffy

[PantherFanOne]

I've heard countless times, not only on this forum, that Dave Gettleman wasn't building his team right to sabotage Cam Newton.

 

However likely or unlikely, I have a thought that goes in a similar direction. Perhaps that Dave Gettleman DID in fact sabotage this team this year, BUT it wasn't intended to make Cam Newton look bad. Instead, what if Dave Gettleman had intentionally set Ron Rivera up to fail so that he could bring in his own coach next season?

 

I don't believe there was a willful conspiracy plan formed byy Dave Gettleman,at all. He just inherited a salary cap strapped  team that didn't have the money to obtain  quality players,or keep certain contributing players from the past season..

 

When a GM has to go bottom fishing for talent, his choices are limited and it becomes a bit of hit or miss situation. Having two coaches in Rivera and Shula that are clearly in over their heads and not capable of winning without top notch players,really compounds the problem we are presently having.

 

We may be able to see some light at the end of the tunnel in 2015,if we have a good draft and money is availabkle to obtain a quality free agent or two, However,it could be another year before we really get our heads above water and begin implementing the full  plan that i feel Dave Gettleman has in mind. 

[mc52beast]

I was believing for awhile that maybe DG was sabotaging team in order to either get rid of Cam or lower his.bargaining power, then I realized that by making Cam look bad he was also putting his own job in jeopardy.

[TheRumGone]

Same year he was COY.....he was also talked about being fired in season. Coming off two years of spotty decision making.

even at the conclusion of last season...COY's resume was iffy

No doubt but some on here would have said wtf.

He gambled on a supposed gambler. Only good thing is no cap hit for rivera. Hopefully DG is running things more than jr

[Frizzy350]

I don't think they are if you don't tag Hardy. That 13 million could have solved a lot of problems this year.

 

Had Hardy been playing this year we'd at least have a pass rush.

[Kevin Greene]

Why can't it just be, "we dont have any cap space so we had to let good players go and replaced them with not so good players and the whole team has suffered"?

 

 

And made a critical error liquidating a position with some talent (wide receiver), while ignoring a position of glaring weakness (Offensive Line).