Matt Rhule interview

[Mr. Scot]

5 minutes ago, LinvilleGorge said:

To me, it's a known commodity vs. an unknown commodity. Bridgewater is an average at best starting QB. He'll be as good as the team is that's around him. Walker is a total wildcard.

Bridgewater played well enough to win five games nobody believed he could against actual NFL teams, including one that made the playoffs and a couple that had solid defenses. Walker played against the kind of talent you see in the fourth quarter of a preseason game.

I don't discount that it's possible, but till proven otherwise, I'm a skeptic.

The real "wild card" for me is Joe Brady.

[LinvilleGorge]

1 minute ago, Mr. Scot said:

Bridgewater played well enough to win five games nobody believed he could against actual NFL teams, including one that made the playoffs and a couple that had solid defenses. Walker played against the kind of talent you see in the fourth quarter of a preseason game.

I don't discount that it's possible, but till proven otherwise, I'm a skeptic.

The real "wild card" for me is Joe Brady.

The crucial point you left out... won five games with a great team surrounding him. Payton really pared down that playbook with Bridgewater out there and leaned on his D. We're not going to have that luxury.

[Mr. Scot]

2 minutes ago, LinvilleGorge said:

The crucial point you left out... won five games with a great team surrounding him. Payton really pared down that playbook with Bridgewater out there and leaned on his D. We're not going to have that luxury.

Well if it comes down to the team surrounding them next season, I'm not gonna have much confidence in anybody.

That said, Bridgewater will at least know the playbook. Walker will have to learn it.

[LinvilleGorge]

8 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

Well if it comes down to the team surrounding them next season, I'm not gonna have much confidence in anybody.

That said, Bridgewater will at least know the playbook. Walker will have to learn it.

Let's just say that I think we'll see them both start games next season.

[Mr. Scot]

Just now, LinvilleGorge said:

Let's just say that I think we'll see them both start games next season.

I can only buy that if Bridgewater gets injured.

They're talking him up as a starter and they're  paying him starter money. It might be second tier starter money, but it's starter money.

[stbugs]

1 hour ago, Mr. Scot said:

 

This I like. I know he peppers in the competing but we have a talent issue right now and Marty’s bad drafts lately have centered around reaching for needs (or just falling in love) and taking players way to early. I don’t think Marty ever adjusted when players fell. He still went with the guys he wanted already.

[LinvilleGorge]

2 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

I can only buy that if Bridgewater gets injured.

They're talking him up as a starter and they're  paying him starter money. It might be second tier starter money, but it's starter money.

I'm 50/50 on whether it will be due to injury or due to lack of production, I could see either. If we're 0-7 and Bridgewater is putting up his usual pedestrian stats, I could see us looking for a spark.

[Mr. Scot]

1 minute ago, LinvilleGorge said:

I'm 50/50 on whether it will be due to injury or due to lack of production, I could see either. If we're 0-7 and Bridgewater is putting up his usual pedestrian stats, I could see us looking for a spark.

I think I have more confidence in Bridgewater than you do. We'll see.

[Mr. Scot]

4 minutes ago, stbugs said:

This I like. I know he peppers in the competing but we have a talent issue right now and Marty’s bad drafts lately have centered around reaching for needs (or just falling in love) and taking players way to early. I don’t think Marty ever adjusted when players fell. He still went with the guys he wanted already.

I know there's plenty of talk of Marty's role being reduced, but nothing definitive. We can only hope.

With that said, we don't know how good Rhule will be at drafting either.

[LinvilleGorge]

2 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

I think I have more confidence in Bridgewater than you do. We'll see.

That wouldn't be a tall barrier to clear.

[Mr. Scot]

Just now, LinvilleGorge said:

That wouldn't be a tall barrier to clear.

I liked him a lot in college but was scared he might not be able to stay healthy in the pros.

That's my biggest concern still.

[TheMaulClaw]

56 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

 

That physical took place after the pandemic did it not?  I'm not arguing that the Panthers werent on the fence about Cam. I just think the pandemic made the decision for them. They werent going to bring Cam back without being able to even to learn the plays and work with Brady.

[PantherFanInPhilly]

46 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

Trying to place some of the people in this pic...

Obviously, top row fourth square is Rhule. Top row, second from left, is that Person (not sure)? First two in the bottom row are Rodrigue and Getzenberg and two over is (I think) Mick Mixon.

No way to know who the two guys behind the cameras are. The one above Getzenberg might be Gantt but it looks more like Alan Ruck from "Ferris Buehler's Day Off".

Top row second from left is Josh Klein from the Riot Report.

[Mr. Scot]

15 minutes ago, TheMaulClaw said:

That physical took place after the pandemic did it not?  I'm not arguing that the Panthers werent on the fence about Cam. I just think the pandemic made the decision for them. They werent going to bring Cam back without being able to even to learn the plays and work with Brady.

The physical took place March 23rd. The NFL didn't close their facilities until the following day.

The Panthers had already given their "permission to seek a trade" a week earlier on the 17th. And per their own timeline as provided to Kyle Bailey, the discussions that led up to that decision had been taken place well before that.

You also have to remember that even before any of this, they'd already made plans to talk to Teddy Bridgewater. And it's pretty clear now that Bridgewater was not a "just in case". He was meant to be a replacement.

I get what you're saying, but everything I've seen tells me that this was always the plan.