I'm Disappointed....BUT....THIS....DEFENSE**

[TheCasillas]

4 minutes ago, stbugs said:

While true about 3rd down defense, our scoring D was better ranked than our scoring O. D was 18th and O was 24th and that’s with Chinn scoring twice. Without Chinn, we were just a FG or so better than those explosive WFT and Eagle offenses. We were 44 points better than the 30th ranked offense. We were 142 points away from the other side (3rd ranked offense).

Based on expectations the offense was easily a much bigger issue than the defense. Our young guys stepped up big time on D and our WRs played very well. Teddy on the other hand barely outplayed Smith/Haskins and Wentz/Hurts in terms of pointing points on the board.

The offense was a bigger problem IMHO. That’s why I’m looking forward to Darnold even if he blows chunks because we had to get away from Teddy. We were a middle of the road D and a bottom feeder O, which is incredible when you think we had as good a WR corps as any team.

This is true... but we really didnt see the true dip in our offense until the back end of the season. When we were dealt with injuries and a less inspired TB5. At that point our defense began to build chemistry and string it together, except for getting off of the field. 

If you add some average to above avergage QB play last year... we still have the problem of getting off the field on D. If this coaching staff feels confident about our offense, then they know getting a defense that can stop the ball, only will set us up for success on offense. At the end of the day.... its going to be focused on ball position and getting off the field. 

[Snake]

2 hours ago, joemac said:

Looks like we're trying to build both.  I am willing to give Darnold the benefit of the doubt, and let the man operate with what is a vastly superior position in Carolina versus what he had in NY.  If he shits the bed this year, then all bets are off  - but personally, I am excited to see what he can do with Joe Brady and CMC/Anderson/Moore.

Its going to be really painful though if that doesn't work out and Fields does.

[Snake]

2 hours ago, ForJimmy said:

We should have a decent offense. Need to grab a lineman in these next few rounds. CMC, Moore, Robbie, Arnold is a good redzone TE. Darnold to Arnold connection conning soon!

Hopefully so.

[joemac]

3 minutes ago, Snake said:

Its going to be really painful though if that doesn't work out and Fields does.

If it doesnt work out, and Darnold is trash again this year, then we are right back to where we were before we traded for him.  Tepper and Co. will not rest until we have a true, Franchise QB here - that I am sure of.  So, if Darnold is a swing and a miss, they get back in the box and take another crack at it, until they get it right.

[Snake]

Just now, joemac said:

If it doesnt work out, and Darnold is trash again this year, then we are right back to where we were before we traded for him.  Tepper and Co. will not rest until we have a true, Franchise QB here - that I am sure of.  So, if Darnold is a swing and a miss, they get back in the box and take another crack at it, until they get it right.

Yeah thats what every trash organization does.

[TheProcess]

2 hours ago, SCO96 said:

 

One of these guys will be available when we pick at 39.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft/bestavailable 

 Trevon Moehrig (Safety)

  1 POS RK

17 OVR RK

90 GRADE

Moehrig excelled in a Cover 4 heavy scheme at TCU that frequently left him on an island working against slot receivers. He's a playmaker who shows good burst breaking on the ball and good timing breaking up passes. He's an above-average open-field tackler. Moehrig was voted TCU's Special Teams Most Valuable Player by his teammates in 2018. -- Steve Muench

Andre Cisco (Safety)

    2 POS RK

50 OVR RK

82 GRADE

Pre-Draft Analysis

Cisco is an interchangeable safety with a blend of size, length and range. He's a ball hawk and natural hands catcher. He appeared to make strides as a tackler on 2020 tape, but it's still a concern. -- Steve Muench

 

Richie Grant (Safety)

  3 POS RK

53 OVR RK

82 GRADE

Pre-Draft Analysis

Grant is undersized with good instincts, long arms and average top-end speed. He doesn't catch everything he gets his hands on, but he's a playmaker who tracks the ball well and picked off 10 passes in college. He's a solid tackler and a tough run-stopper who does not shy away from contact. -- Steve Muench

 

 

It's possible that 2 of them even drop to pick 73, and when you add in Jevon Holland who may be better than all of them, you can most likely get safety at 73

Also, Israel Mukuamu played CB at South Carolina, but grabbing him on day 3 with a move to safety could be a steal of a pick

[joemac]

1 hour ago, stbugs said:

While true about 3rd down defense, our scoring D was better ranked than our scoring O. D was 18th and O was 24th and that’s with Chinn scoring twice. Without Chinn, we were just a FG or so better than those explosive WFT and Eagle offenses. We were 44 points better than the 30th ranked offense. We were 142 points away from the other side (3rd ranked offense).

Based on expectations the offense was easily a much bigger issue than the defense. Our young guys stepped up big time on D and our WRs played very well. Teddy on the other hand barely outplayed Smith/Haskins and Wentz/Hurts in terms of pointing points on the board.

The offense was a bigger problem IMHO. That’s why I’m looking forward to Darnold even if he blows chunks because we had to get away from Teddy. We were a middle of the road D and a bottom feeder O, which is incredible when you think we had as good a WR corps as any team.

Yeah thats because we missed CMC for all but 3 games (where he scored 6 TDs) and also why we just poo-canned Bridgewater and replaced him with someone who is at least not a coward.

[joemac]

15 minutes ago, Snake said:

Yeah thats what every trash organization does.

Thats what every organization who doesnt have a franchise QB does.  I really would not call us a "trash organization"....far from it actually.

[Prowler2k18]

17 minutes ago, joemac said:

Thats what every organization who doesnt have a franchise QB does.  I really would not call us a "trash organization"....far from it actually.

This. As a fan base we’ve gotten so used to mediocrity and disappointment.  If you’re paying close attention, you’ll see this is quite different.

[Panthers Rhule]

3 hours ago, stbugs said:

While true about 3rd down defense, our scoring D was better ranked than our scoring O. D was 18th and O was 24th and that’s with Chinn scoring twice. Without Chinn, we were just a FG or so better than those explosive WFT and Eagle offenses. We were 44 points better than the 30th ranked offense. We were 142 points away from the other side (3rd ranked offense).

Based on expectations the offense was easily a much bigger issue than the defense. Our young guys stepped up big time on D and our WRs played very well. Teddy on the other hand barely outplayed Smith/Haskins and Wentz/Hurts in terms of pointing points on the board.

The offense was a bigger problem IMHO. That’s why I’m looking forward to Darnold even if he blows chunks because we had to get away from Teddy. We were a middle of the road D and a bottom feeder O, which is incredible when you think we had as good a WR corps as any team.

You could also look at it this way. When Rhule got here, our obvious weakness was our defense. We had almost nothing in place while on offense we at least had some pieces. So, he comes n and makes our weakness our strength in only 1.5 off seasons. Once that it done, you tweak the offense a little and BOOM! We have the type of team we've always wanted. IMO these guys are killing it so far and we are just seeing the beginning of what we can actually become now that Hurney is gone and Fits is here. Seems like he and Rhule work well together and understand what Rhule envisions this team becoming. 

I know Darnold is controversial right now and I understand the reasoning behind it. But I've watched a lot of tape and evaluations of him both good and bad and imo you can SEE the talent there. Is just 23. He never should have been drafted where is was and he definitely never should have started when he did and yes, the results were bad but he survived it and there are some amazing plays on tape along the way. I firmly believe that Darnold has the potential to be a great QB and that THIS staff can take him there. 

We are witnessing the birth of something special here and we should all just sit back and appreciate all of these moves so that we'll remember exactly how it happened. 

Edited April 30, 2021 by Panthers Rhule

[MHS831]

5 hours ago, Michael G said:

Someone commented yesterday the possibility of using Donte Jackson at Nickel. Thinking about that I think its possible that he gets a lot of reps there, but rotates outside as well (In the Press conference Fit kept mentioning Donte on the outside). Hartsfield may get some chances to play FS and rotate  back down into the nickel when necessary. Its going to be interesting how all the pieces fit....and we still have a couple days of draft left. Phil Snow has to be Happy!

Jackson at nickel?  The nickel is basically a substitute for the OLB on passing downs, but they have to mix it up on occassion.  I prefer a S who can move, like Hartsfield.  "In summary, the nickelback must be able to tackle, take on offensive linemen, read routes, move laterally, cover quick receivers, cover elite receivers, cover in short areas, cover deep and rush the passer.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2657993-next-big-thing-the-rise-of-nickelbacks-the-nfls-most-versatile-perfomers

It requires a special athlete, and Jackson (unless someone can convince me) does not fit that mold.  A versatile performer---Hartsfield seems made for the position.  I see where Chinn could do it, but I do not want him there much.

[Panthero]

5 hours ago, SetfreexX said:

I know I'm not alone in having my hopes for a potential franchise QB crushed by the selection of Jaycee Horn...still sucks a little but. The ONLY thing holding it down for me is what this defense is STARTING to look like. 

DL - Derrick Brown / Dequan Jones / Yetur Gross-Matos / Morgan Fox -- Depth, Bravvion Roy / PJ Jones

EDGE - Brian Burns / Hasaan Reddick-- Depth, Marquis Haynes / Christian Miller

Off-ball LB - Shaq Thompson / Denzel Perryman -- Depth, Jermaine Carter Jr. 

Corner - Jaycee Horn / Donte' Jackson / AJ Bouye -- Depth, Rashaan Melvin / Troy Pride

Safety - Jeremy Chinn / Justin Burris -- And everybody else

--------------------------------------------------------------------

We have made 8 STRAIGHT DEFENSIVE DRAFT PICKS FROM LAST YEAR'S DRAFT TO LAST NIGHT'S PICK. I think today we're looking at Safety, and OL along with trading back to try to get additional picks to address those positions.

On paper we look like we have the makings of a very good defense, the safety spot could also see a veteran come in post draft as we have some room to make a move there. Tonight should be interesting. 

I hope the front office is right, but knowing what Fields brings as a passer / runner, it's bittersweet. 

 

 

Just kidding, were getting close on d. 

Still think we need another impact LB, a true three tech beside derrick and backup safeties behind burris and chinn. 

 

However on O we need a TE1, a RB2, LT1, a slot WR, a OG2, and a longterm replacement for Paradis. Also, we need a QB2, maybe QB1 if Darnold doesnt pan out.

Edited April 30, 2021 by Panthero

[Missouri Cat Fan]

5 hours ago, Snake said:

Being a life long panthers fan I've learned one thing. Great defenses get you there but great offenses win championships. 

How do you figure? In our last Super Bowl, Denver was the def, We were the offense. Or how about the Patriots? Their winning seasons has been with not great offenses. Or Tampa Bay (Sapp days)..or Baltimore..or pick other teams. Oh wait. Wasn't Atlanta the offense juggernaut compared to the Patriots. I'd really take a look at the stats of championship teams. 

Edited April 30, 2021 by Missouri Cat Fan

[pantherj]

I tend to look more at who is at QB to sort of get an idea of which teams will be fighting to go to the SB. With Teddy as our QB I would have bet a large sum of money that we wouldn't make the SB. With Darnold as our QB it would be silly to think we're on our way to the SB any time soon. Stranger things have happened, but let's be realistic.

The 2021 season has QBs like Tom Brady, Arron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson.. ect. The teams with the top QBs should be at the top of the league and fighting for a SB appearance.