Matt Waldman And Matt Harmon: Why McCaffrey And Samuel Are PERFECT Fits For Carolina For Instant Success - Podcast + Summary

[Saca312]

So, I was recently listening to a post-draft podcast from Matt Waldman and Matt Harmon in "Fantasy Hipsters," and I found a sweet gem concerning the Panthers. Matt Harmon is a very huge proponent towards the potential McCaffrey and the Panthers have, and believes Cam Newton will thrive in that. So during the podcast, he presents the question to Matt Waldman and asks for his thoughts on McCaffrey, and Samuel.

It's something you definitely don't want to miss out on.

I highly recommend everyone listen to the podcast. They begin talking about the Panthers fit with McCaffrey around 25:17:

http://www.thebackyardbanter.com/fantasy-hipsters-podcast---episode-12-nfl-draft-rookie-fits-and-a-cast-iron-running-back-with-matt-waldman.html

Here's a summary of what they said concerning McCaffrey and Samuel:

Matt Waldman: "I Have McCaffrey As My Number One Player Overall On My Post Draft Board"

To begin this segment, Matt Harmon begins asking a simple question to Matt Waldman: Is Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel a good fit with Carolina? Harmon mentions first that he has written an article on football guys concerning McCaffrey's fit on Carolina and why he thinks he fits. He talks about how all the naysayers ring out their cries: 

"Oh Cam Newton won't use him properly, 

"His ceiling is capped"

"He's not a fit"

He then asks for Matt Waldman's thoughts.

Waldman doesn't miss a beat. He replies simply:

Quote

"Dude I'm totally with you. I have McCaffrey as my number one player overall on my post draft board"

Waldman chuckles in delight. 

Jokingly, Harmon says they will end the podcast there. Waldman laughs, then proceeds to "drops the mic."

About Christian McCaffrey's Choice In Going To Stanford And How It Affected His NFL Fit

Waldman begins his case by mentioning McCaffrey's prior college: Stanford. He talks and praises Stanford's scheme, and how the Panthers run something very similar. He talks about how McCaffrey ran gap plays, pop, power plays, trap plays, counter plays, and a host of other plays the Panthers run. His enthusiasm about the fit is obvious. You could just see a huge, bright smile on Waldman's face as he talks about McCaffrey's fit.

The topic soon shifts to a possible reason for McCaffrey's choosing to go to Stanford. Waldman jokes that Ed McCaffrey probably pressured Christian to go to Stanford and "put up pinball numbers," knowing that Stanford's scheme will be most appealing for any NFL scout and coaches. Waldman puts emphasis on the idea that scouts want a "sure-thing" as a first rounder, and states Stanford allows talent evaluators to see a product ready to enter in any NFL offense.

Waldman then ends this particular subject by saying McCaffrey was successful, and solidified himself as a top 10 pick.

The Media: Typical "Cam Newton Hate" 

After talking about McCaffrey and Stanford, Waldman shifts to another perspective, and begins to bash the naysayers in the media about how McCaffrey would never fit with Carolina. He effectively says it's all a bunch of lazy excuses, and another baseless accusation relating to the common narrative that "Cam Newton Sucks" and "won't be able to make the adjustment."

Waldman shuts down the haters by saying a few simple statements:

Quote

[The media said...]

• Cam Newton's not a good quarterback
• Cam Newton only played one year at Auburn
• Cam Newton didn't run a pro style offense
• Cam Newton won't hang in the pocket
• Cam Newton will never be a pro bowl player
• Cam Newton will never take [The Panthers] to a Superbowl

Well, every step of the way, Cam Newton has proven them false.

Waldman reaffirms his belief that Cam Newton will prove everyone wrong again.

Christian McCaffrey's Play, Why He's Like Westbrook, And How He's A Bonafide Top 10 Pick

The topic hits a second gear and kicks off to a bit of McCaffrey analysis. Waldman begins by talking about how McCaffrey proved he was a top 10 bonafide pick, and how he could run through some arm tackles, knowledge in the use of functional power, and how much McCaffrey reminds Waldman of Brian Westbrook; the runningback who inspired Matt Waldman into scouting players his own way.

Waldman talks of Westbrook's great ability of running through the tackles and how successful he was. He talks about his amazing ability to be productive, even on the tail-end of his career. He brings up the time he filled in for Frank Gore, and how Westbrook was able to get 100+ yards against a stout Arizona defense.

He relates how similar McCaffrey is to Westbrook, and he's really optimistic about his future.

Curtis Samuel: A Lot Like Randall Cobb, And Why "Dave" [Mike] Shula Will Be Able To Use Him

Waldman begins by mentioning that Curtis Samuel's game is very reminiscent of Randall Cobb. He believes that Samuel could achieve a role similar to that, with very high upside. 

Then, he brings up a very interesting point: "Dave Shula" (Waldman messes up on Mike Shula's name. LOL) will be able to use Samuel.

Waldman begins the run down, on how "oh Dave [Mike] Shula will never be able to use him," and "Shula sucks" with the criticism that comes with it, and dismisses it all. He brings up an interesting case in how the Panthers have been operating with receivers who have never been complete in their game for quite a long time, with Kelvin Benjamin being the closest one as of the current team.

Waldman says Samuel has a ton of upside, and he could be a refined receiver really soon.

Afterwards, he breaks down on how the Panthers could use him in the slot and turn him into a dangerous weapon, making Cam's life a lot easier. Doing such will allow the offense to open up a lot of diverse, multiple looks to drive the defense to distracting before the snap. Waldman believes that Samuel will get 700-900 yards his rookie year, and possibly more, with upside to be a 1000-1300+ yard, double digit touchdown guy in about 2-4 years.

A whole lot of praise.

Conclusion

Harmon and Waldman have talked glowingly on the rookies fits. They believe they will help elevate the Panthers to a whole new level, and make Cam Newton's life easier. Confidence in fit, ability, and upside, they both know the Panthers will no longer be the lackluster offense they once were in 2016.

The NFL better watch out. The Panthers are ready to pounce.

 

 

[Saca312]

Would also like to note that when Matt Waldman says "number 1 overall on my board," it usually means he'll be the most productive offensive player from this draft class.

That's a lot of huge praise. I can't wait!

Also, imagine Samuel going for 1000-1300 yards and double digit touchdowns. That's a lot of excitement to swallow down.

[Saca312]

15 minutes ago, #PanthersKing said:

TB, NO, and ATL's DBs and LBs, shitting their undies

Defensive coordinators already having nightmares. Panthers have actual weapons now, and that's never a good thing for anyone else.

What a glorious time indeed.

[Ivan The Awesome]

Dave Shula,  eh? 

[SIGCHI222]

1 hour ago, Saca312 said:

Defensive coordinators already having nightmares. Panthers have actual weapons now, and that's never a good thing for anyone else.

What a glorious time indeed.

Offensive weapons and defensive juggernauts at the same time.  I think both squads can be top 5 respectively.

Need some luck and the **jury bug to stay away but hell...even the Braves won one in "95. 

 

A guy can dream.

[t96]

Getting pretty tired of these silly overly positive threads that all say the exact same thing. A couple is great. But 10 is just getting annoying.

[Saca312]

30 minutes ago, thomas96 said:

Getting pretty tired of these silly overly positive threads that all say the exact same thing. A couple is great. But 10 is just getting annoying.

This isn't even my opinion. Just a straight analysis on a guy's fit with a team from guys who aren't affiliated with any NFL team.

 

[joemac]

32 minutes ago, thomas96 said:

Getting pretty tired of these silly overly positive threads that all say the exact same thing. A couple is great. But 10 is just getting annoying.

Lol what?!? Would you prefer the norm, the entire media taking a collective dump on us, all the time? I welcome the praise, it's a nice change.

[d-dave]

I can see @thomas96's point, there is an awful lot of positive press despite a complete lack of play time by these rookies.

On the flip side, I see all the potential.  I think that's where A LOT of this positive press is coming from.  CMC is a surprising fit for us in that most laypeople don't expect us to be able to use him.  I think we have to keep an open mind about Shula and his offense.  We need to give him a chance to earn our praise or ire, considering the quality of these guys we drafted and how their speed can change the offense.

But back in Doubter-Land (BTW - terrible vacation destination, not worth the free five year old ipad we got from that time-share meeting), we have to ask ourselves what is our hope predicated upon, and how will the failures emerge?  Will one of these guys bust?  Will both?  How will injuries affect us?

Right now, the idea of being able to use speed to throw off a defense and turn small plays into big plays is great, but what if Cam can't throw a touch ball?  What if someone important gets hurt?  What if KB completely under performs?  There are a TON of ways we can completely go south on our team, just like anyone else.

So until the bad stuff happens, I'm going to ride the optimistic route.  Too much ugly going on outside of football, I'd rather keep my hopes up going into the summer and fall.

[Saca312]

3 hours ago, joemac said:

Lol what?!? Would you prefer the norm, the entire media taking a collective dump on us, all the time? I welcome the praise, it's a nice change.

Guess I should be making "Cam sucks" threads now, shouldn't I?

God forbid anyone make optimistic threads on a Panthers forum.

[cardiackat88.]

Excellent work, as always.

I feel like Samuel has similar size and much more speed in comparison to Philly Brown. Samuel could be the player we expected Brown to be and much more. It's almost like we took Brown and juiced him up with speed and more potential.