Anyone have excitement or positive vibes left for this season?

[LinvilleGorge]

1 minute ago, kungfoodude said:

I haven't really been upset much this year outside of certain times in specific games. It's actually been one of the more pleasurable Carolina Panthers in recent memory. I don't stress about the team, I am just enjoying watching some of these young players develop and get PT. 

I will continue to watch. 

Yep. Things are going roughly according to plan. No one wants to see their team look like utter trash, but we've been competitive in every game except one and even in that one it was tied at half. But we needed premium draft position to build for the future and here we are at 3-7. Success.

[Sgt Schultz]

2 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

I haven't really been upset much this year outside of certain times in specific games. It's actually been one of the more pleasurable Carolina Panthers in recent memory. I don't stress about the team, I am just enjoying watching some of these young players develop and get PT. 

I will continue to watch. 

I'm reminded of the words of a guy I used to ride to work with.  "I'm much happier since I gave up all hope."  I approached this season with that, as a necessary penance for how we had done business the last few years. 

Of course, while I am thinking in terms of the Panthers, he was talking about his wife!

[Anybodyhome]

I'm excited to see if any team can convert on a 3rd and 30 against the Panther D. There have already been 3rd and over 20, and yesterday featured Carolina giving up a 3rd and 19. I want to see if someone can convert the ridiculously long 3rd down.

I also want to see if Carolina can still complete 3 consecutive passes on 1st, 2nd and 3rd down and still wind up in a 4th and 5 situation.

[kungfoodude]

1 minute ago, LinvilleGorge said:

Yep. Things are going roughly according to plan. No one wants to see their team look like utter trash, but we've been competitive in every game except one and even in that one it was tied at half. But we needed premium draft position to build for the future and here we are at 3-7. Success.

Precisely. That is why it is rather comical for all the angst after our first blowout loss of the year. If you had told me that it would take this long to not be competitive in a game, I'd have signed up for that 10 out of 10 times right before the first game. 

[Mr. Scot]

The season so far is about what I expected it to be at this point.

I'm encouraged by some of the coaching aspects of things, but there's still a long way to go.

[raz]

f yeah i am

[TLGPanthersFan]

I love this season. Hasn’t been boring. Even yesterday’s game. Haven’t laughed that much during a football game in a while. 

[Panther'sBigD]

Absolutely. The Panthers starting this season with glaring holes in the roster and have played hard and been in just about every game they've played. We're probably going to lose close games the rest of this year, which will put a franchise QB within reach. In a season or two, we'll get to see this team fire on all cylinders, once Rhule and Co. have a team completely of their design. I'm bummed we're not winning now, but I'm still excited for the future. 

[MHS831]

I think we have a keeper in Anderson--a legit #1.  Moore and Samuel give us a great WR groups.  Anxious to see if Bayless is the real deal next year....

I am satisfied that our RB corps seems to be good. Rodney Smith was impressive--so if he and Davis and CMC etc.  are great, I am OK.

I am starting to think that Bridgewater is basically a very good backup and not a starter.  He has solid game management skills, but he cannot put the team on his back.  However,  until we get an OL, I reserve complete judgement.  I do not think we enter the draft looking for a QB, but if a top 4 QB falls to us, we probably need to take him.  Since we have no solid depth, sitting for a season behind TB is not a bad thing. 

Moton has been really solid, and will be paid.  We need 3-4 more OL.

Our defensive line has been playing lights out.  Burns has been really good vs the run from the wide 9 technique--he just flattens his rush down the LOS and is not a liability like last year.  YGM (I have been watching) is going to be good.  I am also happy with Obada--the guy does it all up front.  Brown and Roy---NICE rookie DTs.  Kerr?  Solid. 

I think Elder has quietly had a good year.  In addition, Franklin and Chinn give me hope.  Franklin and Pride are a bit wide-eyed right now, but if the experience they are getting does not destroy their confidence, expect improvement.  Douglas was a nice acquisition, but he has no business on #1 WRs.  We need a stud.

On special teams, our kicking game is probably better than Gano and our punter has a good leg.

So how far off are we?
MLB, S, CB, LT, G, C, TE.

AND, once we cut some dead cap and overpaid players, we will be in good shape.

QB at some point. Now preferred, but if not now,  fix the OL

 

[JawnyBlaze]

I’m looking forward to getting rid of Bridgewater and seeing where a talented QB can take us. Looking forward to seeing what our skill players can do with said QB. Looking forward to a new MLB.  We get those two things we’ll go places.  Basically I’m looking forward to next year.  We get good players at those two positions with our first two picks of the draft. Grab a couple OL and secondary players with the rest of the draft and FA.  Then I’ll be excited again. 

[Proudiddy]

1 hour ago, electro's horse said:

its fun watching chinn and burns out there

This.  And the WRs.  That's about it for me.

[Khyber53]

2 hours ago, hepcat said:

Season is starting to look pretty bleak. 5 game losing streak. McCaffrey set to miss more games, Bridgewater not playing well and now dealing with a knee injury, defense is getting worse by the game.

What are some things to be excited or positive about? High draft pick and new QB next season? Coaching staff hasn't let the team get continually destroyed like the Jets? We have football during a pandemic? 

Umm, what exactly were you expecting during this season? I mean, really, what did you think might happen? We're a team that is getting beat, but we aren't a dumpster fire. We've been competitive in pretty much every game except this past weekend. And honestly, the team needed a blow out loss to add another lesson to the coaching they'll receive.

You can see the beginnings of the team we'll be next season, but it's just the beginnings. Forty percent of the players you see right now on the field probably won't be hear next year. Sixty percent will remain and they'll be good, they'll be bonded, they'll be prepared. They'll be better.

[MHS831]

The biggest takeaway:

FACTS (some choose to forget)

• Nearly 25% of our entire cap space is dead money.
• We LOST our best defensive player ever (MLB) and our best CB and best offensive player ever (QB) last year. 
• We lost Addison, Reid, Bradberry, Kuechly, Poe, KK, Irvin, McCoy, etc. from last year's defense. 
• We lost the best TE this franchise has known.
• Our highest paid Defensive player has done nothing in 2+ seasons.
• We signed a backup QB to start, and have an XFL player as our #2 QB.
• Our best player has been injured for most of the season.
• Our OL is peopled by rejects from other rosters that are overpaid and/or underperforming.

We have been in every game this season, with the exception of the Tampa Bay games (where their talent was too much for our rag tag bunch)

We have been within a few points of the Saints, Chiefs--we beat the Cardinals.

So if you are looking for a positive--here it is:

Rhule gets the most out of every player on the roster.  He is a motivator.  He is a psychologist.  He is a teacher.  As goofy as he seems, do not underestimate him.  He is a young Pete Carroll.  He has a system and knows what kind of skill set and person fits into it.Look at Robby Anderson, who took less money to play for him.  Look at the Baylor and Temple players on this roster who are playing well--they are his people.  Soon, the entire roster will be his people.

 

 

[stirs]

Depends on what you were looking for.

Most sane people knew we would win a few games, just sub 500 was our destiny.

If you believed that, then why are you all up in arms and deflated, when exactly what we knew is actually happening?

This is an observation season.  Not sure anyone had the illusions of playoffs.