I feel this year’s team will either be horrendously bad or shockingly good, no in between.

[nationsford]

We playoff bound...

[panthers55]

17 minutes ago, mrcompletely11 said:

Being optimistic is not being realistic after looking at the facts.   Your way of thinking about this team and season is with blinders on and blue tinted glasses

The facts are we haven't played a down and no one knows what the coaches are doing. We also don't know how good other teams will be. In a normal year I might agree with you but this year is like no other. So while I am tempering my expectations I remain optimistic. And let's be clear, being optimistic is not being oblivious to the realities of the team. It is seeing the obvious and choosing to take a half full versus half empty approach. 

It is always easier to take the negative approach. If you are right you can crow about how smart you are. If you are wrong you still get to revel in their success without admitting you were wrong. You be Eeyore and I will be Tigger. Right or wrong I will be having fun and enjoying the football while you are free to be doom and gloom. After all, I am still positive after the last 2 seasons and surely saw what happened. Optimism is an attitude and way of viewing the world in spite of the facts rather than because of them. We prepare for the worst but hope for the best. I am just not beat down by our recent past unlike many here.

[aloysius snuffleupagus]

Achieving one of the polar opposite outcomes would be ideal i.e either 2-14 and the commensurate draft picks, or a shock run to the play offs and all the kudos that comes with that.

However, like others, I reckon we'll be somewhere in the middle both in terms of outcome and draft picks. Best guess is 7-8-1 and picking in the low to mid teens but with the warm glow of knowing things will improve quickly..

[Daly]

I got us going 12-4

[hepcat]

This team has a ton of potential...but prepare your assholes for a bad season. The defense will not be good. It might not even be average. The defense will probably be straight up bad. Maybe not as bad as it was at the end of 2019, but maybe 2011-2012 era bad. Some bright spots, but overall they will give up big plays and struggle to stop good offenses. 

The NFC South has way too much offensive firepower for this team to be a winning team in 2020. But, hopefully we see some improvements and growth over the course of the season and have something to look forward to in 2021.

[BrizzMachete]

That’s every year with the panthers 

[pantherclaw]

Way to go out on a limb. 

There is no way this team will be shockingly bad.

Yet we have fan after fan lining up, ready to eat that poo. 

[mrcompletely11]

28 minutes ago, pantherclaw said:

Way to go out on a limb. 

There is no way this team will be shockingly bad.

Yet we have fan after fan lining up, ready to eat that poo. 

Give me a scenario where this isn't a dumpster fire

[RumHam]

EXACTLY

[1of10Charnatives]

On 8/6/2020 at 5:50 PM, OneBadCat said:

The defense could be surprisingly decent statistically

I am curious what leads you to believe this.

[1of10Charnatives]

9 hours ago, Daly said:

I got us going 12-4

Bartender, I’ll have some of whatever he’s smoking.

[pantherclaw]

3 hours ago, mrcompletely11 said:

Give me a scenario where this isn't a dumpster fire

You haven't proven anything to anyone, yet you want proof from others.

You're entitled to your shitty opinion that isn't backed by anything but your own insecurity, and i have my opinion. 

[KillaCamNewton]

I think what has kinda been underestimated about Rhule is that his history proves he can develop players and get the best out of them without having deep talented rosters. He was a win away from the CFB Playoffs last year and never had a top 25 recruiting class. That at least suggests that he can win by putting players in the best position to be successful and win with the pieces he has. He wasnt just a coach like Saban or Coach O who just threw 5 star players on the field and outclassed every team

theres talent on this roster, it’s just a matter of if it gets developed and coached the right way. I look at a player like Eli Apple that could have a huge impact if coached correctly. He wasnt a top 10 pick on accident. 
 

we have 7 potential starters on defense that were either 1st or 2nd round picks

-Burns

-Brown

-Yetur

-DJax

-Apple

-Shaq

-KK

 

on offense we have

-Teddy

-CMC

-DJ

-Samuel

-Okung

-Moton

 

depth and youth are the obvious flaws of the roster, but you cant have 13 potential starters that were day 1 and day 2 picks and think we just threw a team together with scraps and castaways. Theres talent on this roster, its going to come down to whether Rhule and staff can scheme and develop the right way. His track record at Baylor suggests hes at least capable of doing that. If he can do it with this roster I think we can surprise people this year

 

 

[Carl Spackler]

If you’re looking for hope, consider that in 2011 we had a new HC who’d never been a HC as well as a new OC, new DC and rookie QB and we came out guns blazing on offense. We were also a competent kicker from a winning record.