Why Winning Now Will Cost Us About 15 Years

[Mr. Scot]

And dude, no.

First off, having the number one pick is not a sure path to Super Bowl glory. Teams that earn the number one pick are frequently very poorly run organizations that won't be seeing a Super Bowl anytime soon no matter how good their top pick is.

More to the point though, if you look at Super Bowl winners of the past, you'll find there's no set template for them to follow. Some build through offense, some through defense. Some by balance. Each one approaches team building a different way, and their paths to success are varied.

Beyond even that, football is very fluid. The method for building a Super Bowl winner twenty years ago might not work today, but as the game evolves and cycles it might once again be effective down the road . That's just the way of it.

Full disclosure: I'm not the world's biggest Trevor Lawrence fan anyway, but it's not about Lawrence. It wouldn't matter who the coveted number one pick is. Nothing is guaranteed.

Bottom Line: Having the top pick in next year's draft doesn't guarantee success, and not having it doesn't guarantee losing. We'll rise or fall depending on how good a job of team building we do with whatever we're given.

So here's hoping...

[imminent rogaine]

You guys are dumb. Losing is the only way to win. The more you lose, the better your team is. Lions: elite. Browns elite. Jets: okay, not elite but definitely on the rise and their fans are having a blast.  I hope we can be lucky enough in 2-3 years to be in the same conversation with the lions, browns, and jets.

[DaveThePanther2008]

15 hours ago, SmokinwithWilly said:

Trevor Lawrence is not a guaranteed Dynasty. It takes a lot more than just that. One of the reasons BB has been so successful in NE is culture. Granted he had TB but even with Matt Kassell, that was an 11-5 team that may have made a deep run but didnt get a WC. 

I want the Panthers to win, but having a generational talent with a bad coach wont get you there either. Let Rhule build the culture. Watch FAs come here because they want a shot at a ring. It takes more than just a QB to win the Lombardi.

This is spot on.  Rhule is developing a standard.  You can't work on that standard if you are thinking about next seasons draft.  

After the first two weeks of the season I was worried we would go winless because the defense looked so porous.  The last two games they've played much better.  Case in point.  The first two weeks teams were destroying us on the outside.  Last two weeks much better.  Many times they threw quick outlets to the wing and players flew to the ball for minimal gain.   We're slowly improving. 

Just as B. Burns said, I don't want to lose this feeling.  You fight, you claw and do whatever is necessary to win from the opening kickoff until the last whistle of the season.  If we played so bad that we have a top 5 pick, so be it.  But you don't play this game to lose intentionally.

For the tankers out there, I think you forget that ALL of these players have worked their ass off to get to the NFL.  None of them are going to be happy that once they get here, they hear "we tanking for so in so". 

[Moo Daeng]

I wish we could have the fans from 15 years ago.

[Pantherzack179812]

I love how this thread talks about how crucial a franchise QB is to get to the SB when our first appearance was led by undrafted Jake Delhomme, 3rd rounder Steve Smith, 2nd rounder Moose, and 2nd rounder Deshaun Foster.

Yes, the defense had Julius Peppers, but were discussing offense. 

Even so, setting us back 15 years? We went 2-14 in 2010 and were in the SB 5 years later Lmao.  

[Mother Grabber]

EVERYONE NEEDS TO STOP PLAYING SO GOODERER!!!!!!

[X-Clown]

1 hour ago, bull123 said:

How many were #1 picks?

Well considering that none of them were drafted in the top 5, I think it's a safe bet that none of them were also drafted #1 overall.

[rayzor]

[Davidson Deac II]

54 minutes ago, raz said:

its possible for sure.   

Yeap, almost anything is possible.  But its highly unlikely.  

[cardiackat88.]

OP, I get it.

This isn't the traditional tank/rebuild/firesale formula.

Rhule wants to win, and he is doing that by instilling a winning attitude with players who want to try their hardest, and want to prove that they can flourish in this league.

The right pieces will fall into place as far as future players, but instilling an "its ok to lose" "this is losing for the future" attitude is not what we are doing here with Rhule.

I personally love the way Rhule is approaching this rebuild, and with your suggested way, we would look like the Dolphins right now. No thanks.

[SaltnPepper]

41 minutes ago, DaveThePanther2008 said:

This is spot on.  Rhule is developing a standard.  You can't work on that standard if you are thinking about next seasons draft.  

After the first two weeks of the season I was worried we would go winless because the defense looked so porous.  The last two games they've played much better.  Case in point.  The first two weeks teams were destroying us on the outside.  Last two weeks much better.  Many times they threw quick outlets to the wing and players flew to the ball for minimal gain.   We're slowly improving. 

Just as B. Burns said, I don't want to lose this feeling.  You fight, you claw and do whatever is necessary to win from the opening kickoff until the last whistle of the season.  If we played so bad that we have a top 5 pick, so be it.  But you don't play this game to lose intentionally.

For the tankers out there, I think you forget that ALL of these players have worked their ass off to get to the NFL.  None of them are going to be happy that once they get here, they hear "we tanking for so in so". 

You don't tell them.

[SaltnPepper]

36 minutes ago, Pantherzack179812 said:

I love how this thread talks about how crucial a franchise QB is to get to the SB when our first appearance was led by undrafted Jake Delhomme, 3rd rounder Steve Smith, 2nd rounder Moose, and 2nd rounder Deshaun Foster.

Yes, the defense had Julius Peppers, but were discussing offense. 

Even so, setting us back 15 years? We went 2-14 in 2010 and were in the SB 5 years later Lmao.  

Cause we got the number 1 pick.

 

Jake was our lottery ticket. Our chances of finding another Jake are slim.

[rayzor]

A team that thinks losing is acceptable, for any reason, is a losing team. That will be their culture.

[panthers55]

2 hours ago, cardiackat88. said:

OP, I get it.

This isn't the traditional tank/rebuild/firesale formula.

Rhule wants to win, and he is doing that by instilling a winning attitude with players who want to try their hardest, and want to prove that they can flourish in this league.

The right pieces will fall into place as far as future players, but instilling an "its ok to lose" "this is losing for the future" attitude is not what we are doing here with Rhule.

I personally love the way Rhule is approaching this rebuild, and with your suggested way, we would look like the Dolphins right now. No thanks.

I remember when the players talked about 2004 and after starting out so poorly with all those injuries and going on a losing streak, Fox told them no one was coming to bail them out. They scrapped clawed and won several games to finish the year out. What was important was how many players in 2005 talked about how important it was to finish 2004 on a winning note and how that momentum carries over. And that is why winning now is important. Momentum and confidence are very important to building a winning tradition.