The evolution to being a perennial winner.

[TheRumGone]

23 minutes ago, DaveThePanther2008 said:

Even with all the question marks around Field you are implying he is a franchise QB.

I think that is stretching it a bit.  He might turn out to be a Franchise QB but he may also be an average QB as well.  

I like Darnold's chance of being a franchise QB more than I believe Fields will be one. 

Last part I can’t agree with. But what I’m saying is teams make choices. And panthers will have to live with that choice either way.  Forget fields though. We need a franchise qb going forward for sustained success. That needs to come in the next couple of years wether it’s Darnold, a trade or a draft pick.

[Mr. Scot]

Very good post. Kudos.

[Basbear]

This is one of biggest issues with the fanbase, most are sorry-ass front runners about the team. Now Im not saying blindly defend wrong or very poor decisions regardless. Like the tickets- winning high demand, losing "LOL I wouldnt be caught dead going to a game, losers!!!". I want the fanbase to be like the fans at that monsoon game, god dam I was proud of the fans during that!!

 I mean @RoaringRiot has been a godsend about leading the fans in the right direction. Follow their lead. 

[SmokinwithWilly]

3 hours ago, kungfoodude said:

I don't know about that. The alternative I am talking about is this rebuild not working out for us. That alternative is vintage Bengals, Browns, etc. That is genuinely scary. 

I don't THINK we are trending that way, but remember that all those fans had hoped every offseason too. It's possible/likely we are gonna be looking at a fourth straight season without a winning record. That would be the second longest losing streak in franchise history. It would also result in only 7 of 28 seasons of existence without a winning record. I guess the question is, if we extend to much further down that road, how AREN'T we the Browns/Bengals/etc?

That is why I was very nervous about this process from moment one. There is just as much upside as downside to what we decided to do.

Here's the difference as I see it. Hurney couldn't evaluate talent or fit. Sure he hit in the first but LBs and RBs have a higher success rating than DT or CB. Gross was the Sewell of his draft and Cam was the highest ceiling QB of his. Those were the safer picks. Move past the 1st into the 2nd-4th and dear God it got bad. And of the guys he drafted that did make it, they seemed to have to have a wide variety of personality and athletic ability. It just didnt feel like team building was done with vision. 

Enter the great Nippleshorts and his ego ran the show. He could manage the books and find some bargain basement deals on the free agent wire but his love of hog mollies was his ultimate downfall. Every position can't be a hog Mollie. He also lacked the personal interaction skills that make the franchise a desirable place for free agents. He was better than Hurney but so is dropping a rancid air biscuit in a plane when no one can figure out it was you. 

Now we have Fitts and he seems to be building a team identity and recognizes needs. This wasnt going to be a one year rebuild after the team was gutted and I think his approach was to try and fill as many gaps as possible and make the sum of the parts of the team more than just a single position, even at the QB spot. Time will tell whether or not drafting Fields was the right move for the franchise or not. Maybe Darnold ends up being good maybe not. Either way, being able to look at this draft and offseason (though I'm not a fan of the price of the Irving and Elfein signings), at least some sort of plan is recognizable rather than the previous regimes' plans of Hog Mollie U and Lawn Dart Roulette.

Edited May 15, 2021 by SmokinwithWilly

[kungfoodude]

3 hours ago, SmokinwithWilly said:

Here's the difference as I see it. Hurney couldn't evaluate talent or fit. Sure he hit in the first but LBs and RBs have a higher success rating than DT or CB. Gross was the Sewell of his draft and Cam was the highest ceiling QB of his. Those were the safer picks. Move past the 1st into the 2nd-4th and dear God it got bad. And of the guys he drafted that did make it, they seemed to have to have a wide variety of personality and athletic ability. It just didnt feel like team building was done with vision. 

Enter the great Nippleshorts and his ego ran the show. He could manage the books and find some bargain basement deals on the free agent wire but his love of hog mollies was his ultimate downfall. Every position can't be a hog Mollie. He also lacked the personal interaction skills that make the franchise a desirable place for free agents. He was better than Hurney but so is dropping a rancid air biscuit in a plane when no one can figure out it was you. 

Now we have Fitts and he seems to be building a team identity and recognizes needs. This wasnt going to be a one year rebuild after the team was gutted and I think his approach was to try and fill as many gaps as possible and make the sum of the parts of the team more than just a single position, even at the QB spot. Time will tell whether or not drafting Fields was the right move for the franchise or not. Maybe Darnold ends up being good maybe not. Either way, being able to look at this draft and offseason (though I'm not a fan of the price of the Irving and Elfein signings), at least some sort of plan is recognizable rather than the previous regimes' plans of Hog Mollie U and Lawn Dart Roulette.

Well we weren't terribly successful prior to Hurney, either. It's been multiple waves of poor management overall. We just have to hope we finally have the owner, front office and coaching staff to do it. 

We'll know in the next couple of seasons.

[L-TownCat]

Great post.  1 question.

When we have 40-50+ year history, are we gonna complain that we don’t have 75-100 year history like other teams?

We can’t catch up.

 

[hepcat]

Good post. I still can’t shake the fact that Darnold is going to be a colossal failure and this team barely wins 5 games again though. 

[musicman]

I've had talks with Mrs Tepper and others and they are really trying to turn the massive ship of an organization around one piece at a time. It takes time to do it right and not every move will work out, but they are trying very hard. They see the big picture and they deserve our respect and support in helping get there as it will benefit us all. I look forward to the future. 

[thefuzz]

I believe that we have a clearer path to being a "winner" now more than any in our history.  Now, that's doesn't mean it will work out, but it's better than it used to be for sure.

 

Hurney 1.0 and 2.0 were no different and I really cannot believe that Tepper kept both he and Ron around that first season, and Hurney for a 2nd spin at the wheel.  Still shocked.

That said, it does seem like the Aircraft Carrier is turning...although it should have changed course a couple years ago, we are finally getting there.

[Mr. Scot]

13 minutes ago, thefuzz said:

I believe that we have a clearer path to being a "winner" now more than any in our history.  Now, that's doesn't mean it will work out, but it's better than it used to be for sure.

Hurney 1.0 and 2.0 were no different and I really cannot believe that Tepper kept both he and Ron around that first season, and Hurney for a 2nd spin at the wheel.  Still shocked.

That said, it does seem like the Aircraft Carrier is turning...although it should have changed course a couple years ago, we are finally getting there.

I still can't believe there were people seriously arguing that Marty was doing a good job.

[PanthersATL]

Tepper's impressed me from the viewpoint of how he's not treating the team like a side hobby (as some on the board suggested may be the case). He genuinely seems more involved (and seems to be having fun doing it) than we expected him to be when the original purchase announcement was made.

Still, a business is a business. Having been with any number of companies that have been bought/sold over the years, new management is always smart to sit back and see what is/isn't working before making dramatic changes.

[IceUpSon2001]

On 5/15/2021 at 8:43 AM, musicman said:

If we can put together 3 winning seasons in a row, you watch the fan base become stronger and more supportive, especially at games.

It started with Cam and Luke, and winning 3 NFC south titles.  Other than that Panthers have been up and down you are right. I see us building and going in the right direction. I have a feeling this season Reddick and Burns are going wreak havoc on opposing QB's.  Add Chinn and Horn in the backfield, we may be back. No more Brees, thank goodness.

[IceUpSon2001]

16 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

I still can't believe there were people seriously arguing that Marty was doing a good job.

He was adequate, not great. We had high first round picks on a lot of his homeruns. That was because we were not good and picking high.  Go back and look at some of his drafts and we missed a lot too. 

[rayzor]

On 5/15/2021 at 9:45 PM, hepcat said:

Good post. I still can’t shake the fact that Darnold is going to be a colossal failure and this team barely wins 5 games again though. 

it's a fact?