Rivera on moving Cockrell to free safety

[PleaseCutStewart]

I honestly could see Cockrell doing well in coverage as a free safety - he seems to do pretty well in deep zone coverage. That being said, I'm not so sure about his tackling and wouldn't want him as a last line of defense to prevent a TD

[PleaseCutStewart]

11 hours ago, dpm0409 said:

Exactly.  J-No is a prime example of why you don't put the proverbial "nail in the coffin" too early.  I have no idea if Gaulden will end up contributing in the end or not, but people toss players aside far too soon these days.

Yeah, but even early on into his career, Norman made some really good plays comboed with some really bad plays. I literally have seen nothing positive from Gaulden and honestly haven't seen any growth, which is saying a lot because he honestly looked like one of our worst players to make the team last season.

We could probably stash him on PS, as I doubt another team would be interested in him.

[Davidson Deac II]

11 hours ago, BrianS said:

This.

Our DB roster in 2015 was:  Josh Norman, Peanut Tillman, Colin Jones, Tre Boston, Kurt Coleman, Roman Harper, Teddy Williams, Robert McClain and Cortland Finnegan.  I mean, yes, Norman was epic that year, and Peanut was good up until the injury . . . but the fact that we had to sign Finnegan in December tells you all you need to know about our depth.  Three seasons later the only guy still on the roster is Colin Jones, and I promise you he isn't still here because he's a solid safety.

You are forgetting Bene, who was playing fairly well up until his injury.

[PleaseCutStewart]

11 hours ago, BrianS said:

This.

Our DB roster in 2015 was:  Josh Norman, Peanut Tillman, Colin Jones, Tre Boston, Kurt Coleman, Roman Harper, Teddy Williams, Robert McClain and Cortland Finnegan.  I mean, yes, Norman was epic that year, and Peanut was good up until the injury . . . but the fact that we had to sign Finnegan in December tells you all you need to know about our depth.  Three seasons later the only guy still on the roster is Colin Jones, and I promise you he isn't still here because he's a solid safety.

I mean, we had the great Robert McClain as our number 2 corner in the superbowl 

Sadly, I remember watching that game and thinking "If McClain gets hurt, we might have to put a linebacker in at corner". Poor McClain just got abused by Sanders the entire game

[steven8989]

11 hours ago, Mayor Qumiby said:

You're an idiot.

Sorry I'm right about everything!

[GoPanthers123]

After Rivera took over D last season, our points allowed dropped sharply.  The secondary this year is probably better than last year so there is hope we can manage even if we don’t find any free agents.

[Basbear]

7 minutes ago, PleaseCutStewart said:

I mean, we had the great Robert McClain as our number 2 corner in the superbowl 

Sadly, I remember watching that game and thinking "If McClain gets hurt, we might have to put a linebacker in at corner". Poor McClain just got abused by Sanders the entire game

It seems that was a billion years ago in NFL timeline. Rules, play calls, and the players have changed greatly. Just about every call is a 3 WR set and you can not get away with the rough stuff. Honestly when was the last time a DB put a BIG hit on a WR going over the middle, that intimidation factor is gone. Now you have legit track stars running routes with no fear. 

I was a big believer in the 4 or 7 is where the talent must be, now I could be talked into putting all the talents in the back 7-4.  QBs are also getting the ball out much faster too, OL doesn't have to block if the snap count gives pause and the ball is out within 1.8 seconds. 

[PleaseCutStewart]

1 hour ago, Basbear said:

It seems that was a billion years ago in NFL timeline. Rules, play calls, and the players have changed greatly. Just about every call is a 3 WR set and you can not get away with the rough stuff. Honestly when was the last time a DB put a BIG hit on a WR going over the middle, that intimidation factor is gone. Now you have legit track stars running routes with no fear. 

I was a big believer in the 4 or 7 is where the talent must be, now I could be talked into putting all the talents in the back 7-4.  QBs are also getting the ball out much faster too, OL doesn't have to block if the snap count gives pause and the ball is out within 1.8 seconds. 

Yep, seems like a long time ago you had receivers like Wayne Chrebet running over the middle, getting laid out but making the catch, and then having a concussion as a result.

It has to be no fun playing defense anymore for the players. Half of the times you get a sack some BS roughing the passer call is made (unless you are Cam), the slightest touch of a WR beyond 5 yards is a penalty, and hitting a receiver over the middle is a penalty and likely ejection.

[LinvilleGorge]

5 minutes ago, PleaseCutStewart said:

Yep, seems like a long time ago you had receivers like Wayne Chrebet running over the middle, getting laid out but making the catch, and then having a concussion as a result.

It has to be no fun playing defense anymore for the players. Half of the times you get a sack some BS roughing the passer call is made (unless you are Cam), the slightest touch of a WR beyond 5 yards is a penalty, and hitting a receiver over the middle is a penalty and likely ejection.

Something had to be done to eliminate some of the helmet to helmet hits that are relatively avoidable, but some of the calls made to protect QBs in particular are just ridiculous. But, it's not going to change. Even mediocre starting QBs are making $20M on new contracts. The owners don't want to see those guys hanging out in street clothes on the sidelines.

[LinvilleGorge]

1 minute ago, stbugs said:

Norman isn’t a good example. He started 12 games his rookie year and then got into the dog house. Gaulden hasn’t shown anything yet and the door is wide open right now. There’s no need to nail the coffin shut, but odds are really slim if he can’t crack the lineup this year. 

The Panthers' talked him up quite a bit this offseason and left the roster setup to give him every opportunity to win that job. Now, mere days into training camp, it seems like we've already shifted to converting a CB coming off of a devastating leg injury to FS as our primary option. That's really not good news at all for Gaulden. Not sure if Hurney would cut one of his own 3rd round picks after only one year, but then again he did cut DT Atiyyah Ellison in 2005 during the final cuts just a few months after drafting him in the 3rd.

[DaveThePanther2008]

4 hours ago, LinvilleGorge said:

Norman always looked good in camp and when he got opportunities. He just didn't get more early opportunities because he wanted to freelance too much instead of playing to the scheme. 

This is the reason Norman didn't crack the lineup. The talent was always there.

[LinvilleGorge]

1 minute ago, DaveThePanther2008 said:

This is the reason Norman didn't crack the lineup. The talent was always there.

Coaches really hate players not doing their job and playing to the scheme. Other than sorry effort, it's probably the one thing that irritates coaches the most.

[DaveThePanther2008]

Just now, LinvilleGorge said:

Coaches really hate players not doing their job and playing to the scheme. Other than sorry effort, it's probably the one thing that irritates coaches the most.

It cost us the Buffalo game a few years back.

[DeAngelo Beason]

12 hours ago, Khyber53 said:

In the end, of the 11 positions on defense, one of them has to be the least important. Free Safety, while it would be great to have a star player there, isn't where most teams want to spend their big bucks.

I agree, but you can't just flat out ignore the position or make stupid moves with it... especially when your defenses biggest glaring hole over the past few years has been getting beat deep.