Sobering Read: Cam Newton, Panthers paying heavy price for Moneyball-like approach

[truthjuice]

I agree. They gambled and lost. Gettleman did not put this team in position to win. Instead of tightening screws, he took the whole bike apart and put duct tape on it. You build around what was already here and we're unstoppable.  You build your offense around your MVP quarterback and your defense around your all pro linebackers. Gettleman fvcked over his players big time. Cam will take all the heat for the offense, the defense not sure. Ron will take a little and Gettleman will get none. 

[AceBoogie]

Damnit this is what I've been warning was coming for years now. Mediocre GM who has been bailed out by Cam time and time again. Only this time the defense has gone to shits and the line can't protect him. 

[TheMaulClaw]

4 minutes ago, pstall said:

Who are the high profile or guys that will demand big money next year that will be free agents?

I think the bargain basement deals worked last year but that's not always the case each year.

Of course the 1st quarter of the season shows all the glaring holes.

We would probably be 1-3 even with Josh on the roster. The corners weren't the reason we lost to Denver and Minnesota. 

[KillerKat]

Why is it we can only have a GM that overpays players or a GM that does poo? Why can we never have one in the middle?

[AceBoogie]

3 minutes ago, KillerKat said:

Why is it we can only have a GM that overpays players or a GM that does poo? Why can we never have one in the middle?

Say what you want but an overpaid Charles Johnson was a better value than the one we have now. 

[CPF4LIFE]

7 minutes ago, pstall said:

Who are the high profile or guys that will demand big money next year that will be free agents?

I think the bargain basement deals worked last year but that's not always the case each year.

Of course the 1st quarter of the season shows all the glaring holes.

The way this season is going, no one will command top money. We dont have not one pro bowl player outside of Kuechly or TD so far. And at the same time Gettleman does not have that leverage from the past for anyone to stick around if the shitfest continues. Teams not winning, no one will want to stay and get paid less money opposed to going somewhere else and braking bank. He has benefited from inheriting a team that was right at becoming a winning team when he got here more so than improving based off his decisions.

[Still Brooklyn]

As Diddy said, this isn't basketball. More specifically, college basketball, where you try and groom a handful of freshmen for a few years and have them dominate down the road. The NFL is a Win Now league. Period.

The answer might not always be on the roster or the practice squad. Paying Cam and Luke every red cent may not be the smartest move we may soon find out. We're not as good as last season and you can't debate that. Cam can't win it on his own even though he thinks he can and tries to every time he has the ball.

Getts had a poor off-season, no matter how arrogant his and Ron's ego is and will tell you "we're fine". Can we still make the Playoffs? Sure. But this isn't the best team in the NFC this season. So hopefully they put something better together for next season because Cam, Olsen, and Luke aren't getting any younger, our current crop of Draft Picks aren't amazing anyone outside of KB, and it doesn't matter what you did LAST season or what you MIGHT do "way down the road". It's all about right now and we can pretty much see what this team is right now ... above average.

[KillerKat]

*sigh* I feel like crying :'(

[truthjuice]

Cam (and Luke) are worth the money. But what good is paying Cam and making him the franchise quarterback if you're not gonna pay key positions around him? Gettleman has it his head that he has a few super talented guys and can get by. He gambled and he lost. One thing your franchise QB can't be and that's FRUSTRATED with managment and coaching. 

[Ship]

i just can't think of anyone in the past couple of years who we would have signed to play OT, especially at LT. who am i missing? russell okung? not too sure about RT players... so include those too. same goes for the draft, we're missing out on elite guys, we kinda have to take some shots in later rounds, but daryl williams is not improving.

same for DEs. who do we pay? who do we draft? right now at least there aren't any immediate impact guys that we could have taken.

i think there were some CBs, especially this last offseason who we could have gone after but didn't. like casey hayward-- he signed a great deal with the chargers and has started the season pretty well.

i'll wait and see what happens with kk this next offseason before i change my mind on gettleman. i think losing josh sucks, but its a now or later thing between this year and next year. if we decided we'd use the josh savings to extend some solid guys and keep kk, then i think that's worth it over just josh. the fletcher cox deal probably was somewhat of a surprise and fuged up our negotiations. i think gettleman intends to keep kk no matter what next offseason. based on the way he is currently playing it might be an easier salary to swallow, but if gettleman lets him walk then i'll agree that we are truly fuging ourselves.

say what you want about josh's absence impacting the game today, but we aren't even creating pressure on the d-line. its' pretty baffling-- i mean we aren't loaded, but we have some guys. i think the staff anticipated kk to continue brining the heat and that kony would step up. both are generally mia with kk making a couple of plays a game. butler flashed well but is now injured. star is star. and all the younger ps guys extremely disappointed in preseason. it was all a gamble to keep the d-line going the way we did and it definitely is in need of a talent infusion, but we suck right now and it is making the secondary look that much worse.

idk what to say about the offense. the OTs are overmatched by the better/faster DEs we have faced so far and i think playing the broncos and vikings so close together has magnified our problems there a ton. i truly think cam is holding the ball too long and his decisions and touch have been poor and that is leading to a lot of problems when he does have time to throw.

despite all of this, we should have beat denver with the FG and penalties cost us a lot in the vikings game. we could just as easily be 3-1 or 2-2. instead most things have gone wrong and we're feeling the pain.

[heel31ok]

1 hour ago, CPantherKing said:

I assure you I did not write this article even though many would believe I did.

I do concur. 

You just don't understand football...lol...

[CPF4LIFE]

Isnt it funny how the team that actually won the superbowl was the one that went out in free agency and spent money to improve to compensate for losing Manning and other players and the team that lost decided to stick it out and penny pinch? I have never heard of it before and it wasnt like the broncos didnt have there own guys to pay. They gave Von miller $114 million and also managed to improve their O line which was bout the same as ours.

[truthjuice]

1 minute ago, CPF4LIFE said:

Isnt it funny how the team that actually won the superbowl was the one that went out in free agency and spent money to improve to compensate for losing Manning and other players and the team that lost decided to stick it out and penny pinch? I have never heard of it before and it wasnt like the broncos didnt have there own guys to pay. They gave Von miller $114 million and also managed to improve their O line which was bout the same as ours.

Because Elway lost Manning to retirement and Brock to FA but didn't let his pride get in the way and try to ride off the backs of a good players they have. Gettleman let key players go and tried to patch things up. 

[CRA]

Well said...author hit it on the head