Bold Predictions for 2021

[kungfoodude]

What are yours at the almost three quarter point of the season?

 

Mine:

The face of the franchise after the 2021 season will be Brian Burns.

[hepcat]

Joe Brady is the head coach somewhere else

Teddy Bridgewater is the Panthers backup QB

Panthers defense is a top 10 unit

[LinvilleGorge]

Half of the Huddle will proclaim our draft picks immediate HOFers whole the other half proclaims them immediate busts and wants all those responsible tarred and feathered.

What do I win?

[Varking]

At least four Huddlers will make new accounts to hide from their poor takes on their current new accounts after trying to hide from poor takes on their oldest accounts. 

[panthers320]

We draft someone in the 1st round that goes on to have an All Pro year and there are no less than 5 threads started saying we should trade them while they still have value. 

[TLGPanthersFan]

Panthers will do the unprecedented and move up to draft a QB.  They will then draft OL, CB and D-line. 
They will resign Moton and let Samuel walk. 
They will sign some solid free agents. 
Panthers will barely miss the playoffs at 8-8.

Defense will improve but not be top 10 yet. 

Briedgewater will start the season but end it on the bench. 
Burn will have 15 sacks. 
CMC will return to form. 
Joe Brady will be gone after season. 
Panthers offense will be top 5 in yards and scoring. 
 

[MHS831]

I think the OL will have 3 new faces.  LT, C, LG.  Miller and Moton remain.  I think the LT and C will be rookies. 

On defense, I see a new FS, MLB, DT, DE and CB.  (Jackson, Elder, Douglas, Pride, Thomas-Oliver, and xxxxx at CB with a good FS and MLB could be enough for now.  Elder has come on strong of late and Pride and Thomas Oliver need some reps.  They are not that bad--we need more pressure. 

The draft:  I like the Safeties that should be mid rounders, , the centers that should also be mid rounders, and the early tackles. 

 

[ChuckWag78]

QB is TB and we sign him to 3 yr extension. PJ kept as backup. 

No QB drafted. 

1st round is either best OT or MLB. Will be heavy on Def again outside of o line selections. 

We sign the following in free agency: TE Jacob Hollister, CB Mike Hilton, S Jalen Mills

 

[MHS831]

About contracts--The panthers could opt out of the Thompson deal and re-sign Samuel and Moton.  They will not continue to sponsor Okung's early retirement. They will shed themselves of Weatherly, Paradis, Short, Whitehead, and maybe Grier and Little will be let go next summer. Remember, this season, 25% of the cap room is dead money, so I also see an Anderson extension, and I am thinking they can do something to lock up Moore.  That is what I would do, but I am no Marty Hurney.

That sounds ambitious, but if you consider the dead cap relief, cutting a lot by not re-signing a vet LT and the Short deal, you should be able to do it.  Thompson has been decent, valued at about half his salary though.

So we will do this (or something close) and start rookies at LT, C, and maybe MLB. 

[t96]

31 minutes ago, hepcat said:

Joe Brady is the head coach somewhere else

Teddy Bridgewater is the Panthers backup QB

Panthers defense is a top 10 unit

Is this really that bold? We're actually 15th in the NFL in points allowed right now... With draft/FA additions and all our really young players developing more I kind of expect us to be a top 10 D, maybe that's just wishful thinking but I think we're really not too far off from that unit being a strength.

[t96]

- Phil Snow gets a HC interview.

- Brady gets a HC offer but turns it down (Lions) to wait for a better situation and continue to build here. 

- We draft a QB but he doesn't play a snap. Teddy is the starter and with an improved OL puts up very good stats, wins 1 playoff game and we trade him after the season for a 1st round pick.

[LinvilleGorge]

14 minutes ago, t96 said:

- Phil Snow gets a HC interview.

- Brady gets a HC offer but turns it down (Lions) to wait for a better situation and continue to build here. 

- We draft a QB but he doesn't play a snap. Teddy is the starter and with an improved OL puts up very good stats, wins 1 playoff game and we trade him after the season for a 1st round pick.

I don't think we're getting a 1st for Teddy, but I'd love for us to follow the Chiefs' blueprint where they had a solid vet QB but drafted a young stud because they knew they needed better than solid then let the youngster sit and learn a year before trading the solid vet. The Chiefs got a starting CB and a 3rd for Smith.

[kungfoodude]

54 minutes ago, LinvilleGorge said:

Half of the Huddle will proclaim our draft picks immediate HOFers whole the other half proclaims them immediate busts and wants all those responsible tarred and feathered.

What do I win?

That's cheating.

[kungfoodude]

29 minutes ago, t96 said:

Is this really that bold? We're actually 15th in the NFL in points allowed right now... With draft/FA additions and all our really young players developing more I kind of expect us to be a top 10 D, maybe that's just wishful thinking but I think we're really not too far off from that unit being a strength.

In most measures we are far, far, far, far, far, far, far from a top 10 unit. That is indeed a bold statement.