David Tepper Still Won’t Talk

[Mr. Scot]

1 hour ago, LinvilleGorge said:

Dude talked a LOT when he first came to town. Talked a real big game. If we ever fall back asswards into winning again he'll be singing like a bird again.

 

That's the thing.

Being all out in public when we're winning but acting like Greta Garbo when we're losing makes him look like a coward.

This really shouldn't be a difficult thing to understand.

Edited March 28, 2022 by Mr. Scot

[Jackie Lee]

Anyone have a subscription to copy and paste this?

 

[razorwolf]

 

Q&A with Scott Fitterer: Panthers GM on new looks with Christian McCaffrey and updated QB pecking order

By Joseph Person 20m ago

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer was on a riser at Bank of America Stadium on Friday for a post-free agency news conference.

On Monday afternoon he was poolside overlooking the Atlantic for a Q&A with The Athletic after he’d wrapped up his meetings during the first day of NFL owners’ meetings at the Breakers. A relaxed Fitterer, wearing Hurley Amphibian shorts and Ray-Bans, spoke for about 15 minutes on a number of topics — expanding on some he touched on last week, while also covering some new ground.

The 48-year-old Fitterer, part of a group of young and aggressive GMs, discussed the potential of some different looks with Christian McCaffrey, a couple of new additions whom fans and media are sleeping on and a change in the Panthers’ pecking order among the top three quarterbacks in the draft.

Some answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.

Was there an under-the-radar signing from this free-agent group that people aren’t talking about enough?

I thought (Bradley) Bozeman and D’Onta Foreman, both those guys. I think D’Onta is really going to have a role on this team as a big back. He’s the one thing we were missing. So (Christian) McCaffrey’s dynamic. Chuba (Hubbard) is explosive. But we needed someone that can pound it, too. Someone who could finish. We knew we wanted a big back. And D’Onta was there, and the price was right. So we took a shot.

Christian’s on the field so much. Will there be opportunities for a guy like Foreman?

Yeah, I think there will. Because I think you can do different things with Christian. If they choose to do that. That’s up to the coaches. You can put him in the slot. You can go with two backs. You can do a lot of different things.

You haven’t done a whole lot of that in the past.

No, you don’t see him a whole lot (in two-back sets). Especially, it’ll help out the quarterback, too, having a couple guys in the backfield or quick slants, hitches, those type of things.

What was your biggest takeaway from the three quarterback pro days last week?

It was good to actually see how they interact in person. That was the biggest thing. You were at Liberty’s pro day, you saw Malik (Willis). He brings a lot of energy. Even when he missed a throw or they dropped a pass, he was like, “Wipe it off.” And you could feel the excitement in the building. That’s what you’re looking for in that position — someone that can lift those around him. And Malik showed he can do that. Kenny (Pickett) is like the very stable, easy, smart, delivers the ball. And then (Matt) Corral has a little moxie to him, in his game. So they’re all different. But it was good to see them back to back to back, and feel their presence on the field.

I know you’re not going to name names, but do you have a pecking order after that week?

I would say it’s shifted, from what you saw to what you think now. Now, we’ll go back to the tape, we’ll get with the coaches and we’ll kind of re-arrange it one more time. And we’ll keep it working for the next month.

Do you have a feel for drafting a quarterback versus acquiring one of those guys who’s still out there via trade?

I don’t know how far into it we want to get. I think with the economics of the position, though, going with the rookie is the good way to go. Drafting and developing. And if you miss on this one, take another one next year. Take another one the year after till you get one. Just keep swinging till you get one. Give it your best shot and try to surround him with an offensive line, skill positions and defense. Don’t make him win the game. Just let him run the offense.

What’s the likelihood that you’ll only pick once in the first 136 selections?

It really depends on who’s there at 6. We’d love to trade back. We’d love to acquire some picks. But if you can’t, and you get a really good player, then just do that. It’s hard to say right now.

Have you started doing your draft simulations, yet?

Not yet. That’ll come more like two weeks before the draft, a week before the draft. In your head, you’re always thinking about what if — if this happens, let’s do this.

Did you and Matt identify special teams as an area you really wanted to improve?

Absolutely. We went out and got (special teams coordinator Chris) Tabor. We knew we wanted to bring Zane (Gonzalez) back. Zane wanted to see what he was going to get out there. He saw some other big deals. But we got him back (on a two-year, $4.5 million deal), and it was fair for him and fair for us. The punter (Johnny Hekker) was big for us, just because he can place it. And he’s got the ability to throw the ball and do all these different things, so they have to play a certain type of defense. They just can’t load up and rush you, because all of a sudden, this guy can throw it. So now you make them play it straight. So that was a big emphasis getting him. And then the snapper, we’ll see what happens with Thomas (Fletcher) and J.J. (Jansen). J.J.’s been so steady forever. It’s his job to lose, and Thomas is the young guy coming up, competing.

Is there a move that you were really satisfied with in your first year in Charlotte?

Yeah, I liked bringing in (Stephon) Gilmore, even though he got hurt at the end (with a groin injury). Because of the maturity he brought to that (cornerbacks) room. It’s a very young room. The way he goes about his business day to day. He’s a pro, and he taught the other young guys in the room. C.J. Henderson took to him right away. And even though Steph doesn’t say a lot, (Henderson) just follows the example that he gives. He studies it the right way. Bringing Cam Newton in, you can say whatever you want about the on-field (performance). However, he was a great leader and he kind of stabilized the ship when he got here. Just a really good person, solid team guy.

You said last week you and Dan Morgan ran into Stephon Gilmore at dinner. That’s like the power neighborhood.

It was fun. Dan and I were having dinner with our wives and a couple people in the neighborhood. And there was a mutual friend that came over and he called Steph. And Steph came down with his son. We sat there and talked, and I told him where we were at and asked him what he was thinking. Obviously, he wants to be the lead corner. We want him to do what’s best for him, and the door’s always open with us. And I think he was appreciative of that. It was a really good conversation.

You’re in a position where you can’t dwell in regrets, but were there any deals where you were like, boy, that hasn’t worked out?

Oh, yeah. A lot of ‘em. But you keep swinging. And just because you miss on one doesn’t mean that you stop. You learn from it. You look at it and you’re like, why did we miss? Was it something we did from a scouting standpoint? Is there something that we didn’t use him the right way? And you learn from it and you just go from there.

Did you learn anything from the Robby Anderson deal?

I think Robby’s going to have more success in this offense. I think last year, quarterback play factored into (Anderson’s dip in production). The offense in general was just not clicking. A lot of that was because of the offensive line, as well. But you do — you go back and look at contracts and (ask), “OK, was that the right decision?” At the time we felt it was the right decision. So we did it.

I’ve heard you mention there’s a group of young GMs you’ve known over the years. How has that helped in your transition (from Seahawks assistant GM)?

A lot of us grew up on the scouting side. I think that really helps with communication, when we get into making trades or doing transactions or even just getting background. There’s a relationship there. We can do it by text. We can do it by phone calls, and it’s really easy and really quick. And I think that’s why there are so many more trades, why there’s so much more action. It’s because there’s so much more communication. You can send a text as you’re sitting there watching a guy: “Hey, is this guy available?’’ He’ll say yes or no. So it’s just so much easier than 20 years ago when I got into scouting, you had to pick up the phone. I used to watch Ted Thompson pick up the phone and he would call, say, Mickey Loomis. And they’d have a conversation and then they’d hang up. There probably wasn’t a lot of communication during that time other than once every other week or so. I think that whole dynamic has shifted.

It’s like the texting generation of GMs.

It is. It’s a texting generation. There’s ways of looking at the salary cap and how to work around some things. And I think just in general, GMs are more aggressive now. There’s more of a baseball mentality.

Is there an example of a deal that came together in the last year because of your familiarity with another GM?

C.J. (Henderson) is a good one. I’ve known (Jacksonville GM) Trent (Baalke) for 20 years. I called him and we went back and forth just a couple times. That happened fairly quickly. He was ready for a new home. We had actually talked to them in the summer about him. And it kind of cooled off and then it came back a few games into the season.

What was the most challenging part of your first year?

Learning how to manage your time. There’s so much besides football, like problem-solving and dealing with HR and other departments. And just trying to figure out when to find time for football. In the old role, it’s 80 percent football and 20 percent the other stuff. It’s almost the opposite now. That’s why it’s so important to have Dan Morgan, Pat Stewart and Samir (Suleiman), all these guys that can help you out.

[poundaway]

1 hour ago, countryboi said:

what do you want him to say that you will be happy with? he will comment you will still be pissed, let that hate go. 

facts

[travisura]

20 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

That's the thing.

Being all out in public when we're winning but acting like Greta Garbo when we're losing makes him look like a coward.

This really shouldn't be a difficult thing to understand.

It's not difficult to understand. It's also not difficult to understand that there's really nothing that he can say that will help the situation so why bother?

[poundaway]

I'm angry at you Mr Billionaire!   You should have to face the music and listen to my bitchy complaints because I know the football stuff better.

Edited March 28, 2022 by poundaway

[SizzleBuzz]

So what?

He's not involved in football ops and has nothing to add --- kudos to Big Tepp for leaving the floor to Fitty & Matty

[poundaway]

The huddle when we found out he won't fire Rhule.  Post after post, thread after thread.....

[RJK]

I think it was accidentally a smart move. Tepper obviously has little self control when he starts shooting his mouth off, prob because nobody’s told him no in 40 years. Speaking to the media could easily lead to him saying something that hurts the franchise 

[Mr. Scot]

13 minutes ago, travisura said:

It's not difficult to understand. It's also not difficult to understand that there's really nothing that he can say that will help the situation so why bother?

He did a lot to actually make the situation worse when he was talking about Teddy Bridgewater, but that didn't shut him up then.

[Mr. Scot]

1 minute ago, RJK said:

I think it was accidentally a smart move. Tepper obviously has little self control when he starts shooting his mouth off

That's actually true.

He's been known to say dumb things on more than one occasion.

[T-Wazzle]

Don't worry, fans.  When he wants taxpayers to foot the bill for a new stadium,  he'll talk-a-plenty.

[Dorian Gray]

35 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

That's the thing.

Being all out in public when we're winning but acting like Greta Garbo when we're losing makes him look like a coward.

This really shouldn't be a difficult thing to understand.

Correct.

Also, presumably he’s wanting fans (us) to pay for tickets to this trash fire next year. The least he can do is give us a reason why we should. What’s his vision for the future of this team? What are his expectations of Rhule this year? What positives did he see coming out of last year?

Dude was EVERYWHERE a couple of years ago. He’s hiding now and it’s a bad look.

[Mr. Scot]

21 minutes ago, travisura said:

It's not difficult to understand. It's also not difficult to understand that there's really nothing that he can say that will help the situation so why bother?

There's also this...

5 minutes ago, Dorian Gray said:

Correct.

Also, presumably he’s wanting fans (us) to pay for tickets to this trash fire next year. The least he can do is give us a reason why we should. What’s his vision for the future of this team? What are his expectations of Rhule this year? What positives did he see coming out of last year?

Dude was EVERYWHERE a couple of years ago. He’s hiding now and it’s a bad look.

When you have something to sell that you want people to buy, hiding from people who have questions about it isn't a good practice.

Bear in mind that he's going to be trying to sell public funding for a new stadium in a few years as well. Keeping mistrust and resentment at a minimum between now and then would probably be a good idea.

Edited March 28, 2022 by Mr. Scot