Team is in "Win Now" mode

[bLACKpANTHER]

Our Front Office believed we had a winning football team and made a series of moves because they were in "Win Now" mode.

We are now starring down a Top10 draft pick and couldn't be farther from being considered a contender. We have gotten out over our skis before and made moves that hurt us in the long term. 

Hurney did it with the Everett Brown and Otah draft picks
Gettlemen did it with the Funchess and Darryl Williams draft picks
Fitterer did it with the Darnold, Henderson and Gilmore

Other teams have done it with the Dream Team Eagles and also this current Rams team.. I will forever be warry of teams that say they are in "Win Now" mode as an excuse to give up assets. Some moves that have been made are actually solid trades - but the feelings behind the trades are what irk me - if we were not in "Win Now" mode would we still have made the move for Gilmore or Henderson?

[Carl Spackler]

Every year:

- sign a retread free agent QB to a mega-deal
- avoid giving said QB the slightest bit of competition/depth
- overpay for 2-3 chronic underachievers in FA
- trade a 3rd-round pick for a chronic underachiever
- don't prioritize the offensive line at all
- have a winning record by Week 5
- make 2-3 trades, proclaim yourself in "Win Now" mode
- lose at least 7 games in a row
- retread QB bombs hilariously
- lose every game in December
- win exactly 5 games at the end of the season

 

Edited December 1, 2021 by Carl Spackler

[Castavar]

Gilmore wasn't a bad trade at all. We gave up what, a 2023 6th rounder or something like that? That's literally nothing. Now the Darnold trade was just dumb from the start when we could have just taken a chance on Minshew (who was better than Darnold on an even worse team) for 3 draft picks less and significantly less money. It was him or Mitchell Trubisky for me.

I will wait to judge that Henderson trade until next year, because that could still end up being a good trade. But that Darnold trade set us back. We now have to rebuild or rebuild.

Edited December 1, 2021 by Castavar

[MHS831]

I think the Henderson trade might pan out.  However, this list is one that can withstand any form of scrutiny.

[therealmjl]

3 minutes ago, MHS831 said:

I think the Henderson trade might pan out.  However, this list is one that can withstand any form of scrutiny.

Yeah, for all the flack it has gotten the Henderson deal looks a little better as he gets more comfortable playing. If nothing else, he should get a few more opportunities now that Jackson is down. Hopefully he continues to improve. He and Horn could end up being a pretty formidable duo.

Now, back to my regularly scheduled complaining. 

[BrianS]

The move for Henderson made sense, we had just lost Jaycee for the year.  We were looking really thin at that time.  This particular one doesn't seem "bad".  Henderson has begun getting playing time, and not looked too out of place.  It could still pay off.

The move for Gilmore made sense.  We had a very young CB room who could use some veterans in there to help them get things figured out.  We gave up a pick, but if we lose him we could end up with a compensatory pick.  Thus, this one could still pay off.

Those don't seem like "win now" moves to me.

The Darnold trade doesn't look good, but it also didn't feel like a win now move.  Everyone gets the QB position wrong, it's the hardest one to project.  The only thing about the Darnold trade that I think we got wrong was the cost.  We gave up far too much for him.  It was blatantly obvious the Jets were drafting a QB.  We could have gotten a QB for a lot less, either Darnold or someone else.

I don't think the Darnold trade will pay off.

 

[frankw]

9 minutes ago, BrianS said:

The Darnold trade doesn't look good, but it also didn't feel like a win now move.  Everyone gets the QB position wrong, it's the hardest one to project.  The only thing about the Darnold trade that I think we got wrong was the cost.  We gave up far too much for him.  It was blatantly obvious the Jets were drafting a QB.  We could have gotten a QB for a lot less, either Darnold or someone else.

The Panthers were bidding against themselves by the time of the trade the 49ers sniffed around but balked at the asking price there was no other interest. Not only did we whiff on the trade cost we immediately picked up the 18 million dollar option for a player with three seasons of NFL game tape as a failure. It is a colossal miss at best and yes other teams get things wrong with the qb position but few teams faceplant as badly as Carolina has in back to back years with the position. To go back to Cam Newton hat in hand shows how badly Rhule and Fitterer blew it.

Edited December 1, 2021 by frankw

[BrianS]

3 minutes ago, frankw said:

The Panthers were bidding against themselves by the time of the trade the 49ers sniffed around but balked at the asking price there was no other interest. Not only did we whiff on the trade cost we immediately picked up the 18 million dollar option for a player with three seasons of NFL game tape as a failure. It is a colossal miss at best and yes other teams get things wrong with the qb position but few teams faceplant as badly as Carolina has in back to back years with the position. To go back to Cam Newton hat in hand shows how badly Rhule and Fitterer blew it.

While I don't disagree that we've botched the QB position and Darnold was part of that, some of that blame needs to fall on the offensive staff.  It seems certain they've had input into every QB that's walked in the door . . . and all of them have failed.

For all his faults, TB5 is having his best season as a pro in Denver this year.  

[thefuzz]

This team has historically been in "win now mode" although the rosters were rarely in "win now" shape.

 

It's a carryover from Marty Hurney.

[Tr3ach]

45 minutes ago, bLACKpANTHER said:

Our Front Office believed we had a winning football team and made a series of moves because they were in "Win Now" mode.

We are now starring down a Top10 draft pick and couldn't be farther from being considered a contender. We have gotten out over our skis before and made moves that hurt us in the long term. 

Hurney did it with the Everett Brown and Otah draft picks
Gettlemen did it with the Funchess and Darryl Williams draft picks
Fitterer did it with the Darnold, Henderson and Gilmore

Other teams have done it with the Dream Team Eagles and also this current Rams team.. I will forever be warry of teams that say they are in "Win Now" mode as an excuse to give up assets. Some moves that have been made are actually solid trades - but the feelings behind the trades are what irk me - if we were not in "Win Now" mode would we still have made the move for Gilmore or Henderson?

Henderson yes.  Gilmore no.  

[frankw]

5 minutes ago, BrianS said:

While I don't disagree that we've botched the QB position and Darnold was part of that, some of that blame needs to fall on the offensive staff.  It seems certain they've had input into every QB that's walked in the door . . . and all of them have failed.

For all his faults, TB5 is having his best season as a pro in Denver this year.  

Absolutely. We need a real NFL caliber offensive coordinator. Teddy was right about what he said. We have to recognize this and move forward accordingly. Lessons must be learned. To bring in a college head coach who had one year as a low level assistant and add a staff with no real experience in this league was a very poor move.

[LinvilleGorge]

Yep. There was a very clear shift when we got to 3-0 and Fitts and Rhule started strutting around talking about the playoffs as if we were already in them. Now we've traded away a good chunk of next year's draft and ate up a good chunk of once very good cap situation starting next year. Right now we seem to be at rock bottom but as the panic sets in at Panthers headquarters, keep an eye out for signs of continued digging.

[kungfoodude]

I am scared we see some Bill O'Brien level trading to save Rhule's ass.

I don't like having a one stop shop for decision making when they are on the hot seat.

[Call Me James]

For all the flack @LinvilleGorgegot for saying he didn't think we were a playoff team on this board, it looks like the guy you all called a wet napkin was right again.