Let's take a step back and look at ourselves in the mirror as a fanbase

[NanuqoftheNorth]

The first thing John Fox told the Carolina Panthers players when he took charge of the team is as true today as it was twenty years ago...

 

[LinvilleGorge]

1 hour ago, CPcavedweller said:

I am a Panthers fan and am completely reasonable. I don't dislike Rhule, Fitterer, Darnold, or Tepper. 

 

I think Rhule came in to a project, Tepper gave him the leash to build a foundation from which success would be sustained, Fitterer was brought in to facilitate the front office portion of that, and Darnold was the product of the 2nd worst Panthers offensive line I've ever seen. 

Zac Taylor of the Bengels won like 3 games his first two years and they went to the Super Bowl in year 3. The Panthers are now in year 3 of Rhule and while I don't think a Super Bowl is expected, the pieces are in place for a Wild Card. 

I'm not optimistic or pessimistic. The margins are SLIM in the NFL and 10 yards across five games could be the difference between playoffs and Top 6 pick. 

Too bad we didn't fall back assward into a QB coming off of the greatest season in college football history and the best rookie WR anyone has ever seen.

[OceanPanther]

44 minutes ago, NanuqoftheNorth said:

The first thing John Fox told the Carolina Panthers players when he took charge of the team is as true today as it was twenty years ago...

 

Some need to remember 2002. 1-15

Matt Rhule is our biggest concern.

Baker has enough talent to equal Jakes , and Jake’s enthusiasm.  We have to have a leader at the QB position. 
 

David Tepper will fire Rhule if there aren’t MUCH better results. 10 plus wins & playoffs. I truly believe this. He’s not going to accept 4 seasons in a row with basically no signs of improvement. 
The ole saying comes to mind. “ you can snow a snowman, but you can’t BS a BS’er “

pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining etc 

[poundaway]

48 minutes ago, LinvilleGorge said:

Too bad we didn't fall back assward into a QB coming off of the greatest season in college football history and the best rookie WR anyone has ever seen.

Isn't that kind of how it works?  What is Belichek's post season record without Brady?  What was RR and Richardson without Cam?

We complain about Tepper and his "meddling".  Imagine an owner that thinks he's a GM who doesn't produce a playoff win in 25 years, and puts his children in key positions like the Bengals have. 

[SizzleBuzz]

6 hours ago, rippadonn said:

Honestly we would have preferred someone to buy the team and improve the team. That wasn't the plan apparently.

Now we're Jetsville when we used to say around here "at least we're not the Jets".

Now with Appaloser we are the Jets.

What an astoundingly uninformed comment…

…I know “Jetsville”, and sir, you have no clue, about “Jetsville” .

[CashNewton22]

I wasn’t sure positively was allowed on this board anymore kudos to you. Even though I dislike both Rhule and baker I’ll be rooting like a MF week one and a bunch of other games in person for a W. 

[Shocker]

5 hours ago, LinvilleGorge said:

Matt Rhule is by far my biggest concern. If we had a legit NFL coaching staff I would think we could potentially compete for the playoffs and honestly that should be Rhule's measuring stick for this season. He has to be sent packing if we flounder again.

Year 3 Matt Rhule teams have made a big jump.  In this league here it will be much more difficult but possible.  I personally like situations where we are expected to be terrible.  No pressure…I expect us to complete very hard but early in the season it could be difficult.  We need to finish strong this season or I have to agree there is very little chance Rhule is here next season 

[jayboogieman]

Panther fans are this guy

 

[Shocker]

This team is going to the NFL Championship game….lets enjoy it folks

[Actionman0z]

On 7/8/2022 at 6:01 PM, Ricky Spanish said:

This isn't me calling anyone out in particular, it's more just some self reflection that I think probably applies to quite a few fans of this franchise, I will admit to being one of the most guilty of this:

• I like the Panthers
• I don't like Matt Rhule 

The problem I, and it seems many, are running into is that Point 1 is almost fueling the rage and feelings dedicated to Point 2.

As a fan of this team, we should want to see the team succeed, but Rhule has sucked so bad, I want to see him fail as an individual. Unfortunately if Rhule fails, the team fails, and watching the team fail makes me angry. Thus the cycle perpetuates itself. 

Therein lies the conundrum that is being a fan of this franchise at the moment. The past two years as a Panther fan have not been fun. It would be one thing if the rest of the team looked competent minus the QB's but overall the team ended up looking worse in year 2 than they did in year 1. That falls on Rhule's Shoulders.

So here we are going into year 3, and we as a fanbase are unhappy. We as a team are trending down, and Matt Rhule is still at the helm. However, this offseason is different than last offseason and there have definitely been some objectively good changes that have been made going into year 3:

• Legitimate OL upgrade in FA with players we aren't scratching our heads over
• Brought in All-Pros in the Special Teams in Hekker and Andre Roberts
• Drafted an OT with our first pick at #6 overall, and he's a local kid
• Drafted a QB with upside to try and develop in the 3rd round
• Legitimate assistant coaches with track records of success at their positions (Wilks, Campen, McAdoo)
• Coaches added to the staff with NFL Experience, something we severely lacked the first two years of the Rhule Regime
• We made a legitimately good trade for Baker Mayfield. Say what you want about him as a QB, with the state of our current team, that was the best deal we could have made. There is a 0% chance the team improves with Sam starting under center next year.

Of course there are some not good things as well:

• We lost our best Corner and pass rusher and really didn't do anything to replace either. We are banking a crop of young unproven players stepping up and breaking out in CJ Henderson, Horn, and Gross-Matos. 
• Rhule and Tepper simped hard for Sexual Predator Deshaun Watson and failed at acquiring him in the process. Just made the team and themselves look desperate and foolish. This left a really bad taste in my, and many other fan's mouths.
• This will be the third year in a row that Matt Rhule tries to unfug the QB situation that he himself created. 

The third point I think is a big sticking point for a lot of the fanbase. He has already failed at identifying even mediocre talent at the position, and it seems like he has gotten carte blanche to do it for a third year in a row. It's like watching Star Wars Episodes 1 and 2 and knowing that 3 will be just as big of a pile of poo as the others. 

BUT, and I can't believe I'm saying this, it is a new year, and it is very possible that we COULD be surprised with a halfway decent third installment, much like the prequels did with Revenge of the Sith. Was it the best Star Wars movie ever made? God no. But it was a significant improvement over the previous two. 

I guess what I'm saying is I am a Panther Fan first and foremost, and I don't want to lose sight of that, regardless of who the coach is. I'm going to root for Matt Rhule to succeed, because his success means the team succeeds, and that's all any of us really care about. 

Objectively speaking, our team looks improved from last year. I honestly don't think I wanted to believe it because I don't like Matt Rhule and don't think he's a good head coach. But, there is a chance he surprises us and we actually contend for a playoff spot because the moves made this offseason have made the team better, on paper at least. 

So I ask that we all take a step back, take a breath, and look at the roster top to bottom compared to last year. 

Look at the Offense the Defense and the STs. We are a better team than 2021 even with Matt Rhule as a coach.

So until we are out of the playoff race, I'm willing to put my hatred of Matt Rhule aside and pull for this team to succeed even if it's being coached by a guy I think is incompetent. Let's hope 2022 is our Revenge of the Sith, and not the Rise of Skywalker.

Rhule is the coach. I support the Panthers, therefore I support Rhule. 

[Stuart Smith]

On 7/8/2022 at 10:35 PM, panthers55 said:

I see a change in Rhule this year over last. He is more in his lane letting other guys do what they do best.  Hopefully he stays that way. 

I have the same thought.

[NAS]

Just because we lost faith in Matt Rhule doesn’t mean we don’t want him to succeed. It’s on him to prove us wrong, show that he’s learned something about the NFL and put together a winning season.  If he does that, most of us will give him credit and support him. But the criticism he’s been getting is deserved and of his own making.  

[Peon Awesome]

Whoda thunk that saying you want your team to win even though you don't like the head coach would be some edgy and debated take? Can't think of much else that better encapsulates the Huddle than that.

[Stuart Smith]

20 hours ago, OceanPanther said:

Some need to remember 2002. 1-15

Matt Rhule is our biggest concern.

Baker has enough talent to equal Jakes , and Jake’s enthusiasm.  We have to have a leader at the QB position. 
 

David Tepper will fire Rhule if there aren’t MUCH better results. 10 plus wins & playoffs. I truly believe this. He’s not going to accept 4 seasons in a row with basically no signs of improvement. 
The ole saying comes to mind. “ you can snow a snowman, but you can’t BS a BS’er “

pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining etc 

Thanks for sharing this. The 93 defensive line was awesome, the entire year was amazing. Great memories!