FMIA: Tanking shouldn’t be a dirty word

[NAS]

Carolina: Great tanking trade.

The Panthers are gold right now. Even with the win over Tampa Bay Sunday (I bet David Tepper was very quietly perturbed), they enter the last 10 games of the season 2-5, with the third overall pick in the 2023 draft. That’s almost certain to fluctuate in the next 10 weeks. But this is a draft stocked with quarterbacks. None is perfect, though. The Panthers may well get to have their pick of Bryce Young (Alabama), C.J. Stroud (Ohio State) or Will Levis (Kentucky), wherever they pick. After trading their best player, and with a mishmash at quarterback, it’ll be a surprise if they don’t pick in the top five next April, with some draft capital to move up if need be. They already had picks near the top of the first, second and fourth rounds, and this deal adds the Niner picks in rounds two, three and four.

Young, Stroud and Levis might not be Burrow, Herbert and Allen from recent top tens, but one or two will get hot in February and March. If it happens that the Panthers need to trade up a slot or two for the passer of their dreams, five picks in the second, third and fourth rounds will be good chips to play.

Credit GM Scott Fitterer for playing poker correctly. Even though the Rams were involved, L.A. never got close to the Niners’ offer of three picks in the top 130 (estimate) of next year’s draft plus a 2025 pick in round five. Fitterer got more for a back with McCaffrey’s injury history than he had a right to hope for.

Re tanking: It shouldn’t be a dirty word. If I’m a Panthers’ fan, I want my team to tank so as to gain the highest possible pick next year. What difference does it make if Carolina is 3-14 or 6-11? Winning five or six would mean the Panthers likely wouldn’t have their pick of the litter at quarterback, and that’s all that should matter to the franchise in the next six months

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/10/24/geno-smith-peter-king-fmia-week-seven/

Edited October 24, 2022 by NAS

[GEM]

I want no part of being a loser. If loser is not a dirty word to you. You will always be one.

[NAS]

15 minutes ago, GEM said:

I want no part of being a loser. If loser is not a dirty word to you. You will always be one.

It’s not about trying to lose, it’s about prioritizing the future which Panthers have already done by trading CMC. Knowing that we need to draft a QB in the top portion of the draft, I would rather they don’t win a game or two so they don’t end up needlessly trading away picks to move up.

This is a fan’s and perhaps even a GM’s perspective. A head coach or players always want to win and they should try their best. My hope is that they will do enough to keep hopes for the future but not too much where the future is another 6-11 or 7-10 season in perpetuity because we didn’t tank when it mattered to draft a future franchise QB.

Today’s victory was sweet and team is still in it but let’s be realistic. PJ Walker isn’t a franchise QB and hopefully that means we’re in good positions to draft one in April.

[Aussie Tank]

Still don’t think we’re done gathering picks for next year 

[MHS831]

22 minutes ago, GEM said:

I want no part of being a loser. If loser is not a dirty word to you. You will always be one.

  Each year, there are 31 losers in the NFL--that is how I see it. Winning a few games to achieve mediocrity does not make you a winner.   So if you losing leads to winning, isn't losing simply a part of the process of winning?  If losing gives you a franchise QB moving forward, and a franchise QB is necessary to win in the NFL--and if winning a few meaningless games causes you to miss out on that QB, are we really smart to pound our chests about being winners when we are 8-9? 

I think the smart thing to do is try to win while developing your young players, making winning unlikely. Look at the day TMJ had yesterday--progress.  Bozeman?  Progress.  I am liking what I am seeing from our LBs.  the RBs looked good.  Yes we won, but TB was putrid. 

[lightsout]

What's better for the health of a franchise? To tank for a lottery scratcher at QB, hoping you hit or to win the division/strongly compete for the division and start building a sense of pride and work ethic and winning culture?

If you say the former, you've never been involved in sports to any serious degree.

[Move the Panthers to Raleigh]

I wonder how many people around here are gonna be happy when we start next year with nothing but JAG QBs again. I’ve noticed a lot of these ant-tank accounts are new anyways and only post when this situation arises (ie the 2020 Washington game). How’d that work for us?

Look at the Jets now. From bottom-dweller to 5-2 now. 

For Jacksonville, Lawrence seems to getting better and will no doubt be a difference-maker for them.

No matter how much talent we get in other positions our ceiling would be what the 49ers currently are: 3-4 and MEDIOCRE 

[Monrowed]

Which QB is worth a #1 pick? Maybe one or two of them could go in the first 15 picks, but I am not sure that there is some sort of next Cam Newton, Andrew Luck, or even Trevor Lawrence waiting for some team to take at the first spot. If they are the worst team, then they will get the first pick. Otherwise, they will get the pick that is appropriate for the talent level that exists on this team. 

[CardiacCat]

"tankers" are miserable people.....  calling yourself a fan and hoping for your team to lose... over and over again, year after year, is pretty sad. 

[Move the Panthers to Raleigh]

7 minutes ago, MHS831 said:

  Each year, there are 31 losers in the NFL--that is how I see it. Winning a few games to achieve mediocrity does not make you a winner.   So if you losing leads to winning, isn't losing simply a part of the process of winning?  If losing gives you a franchise QB moving forward, and a franchise QB is necessary to win in the NFL--and if winning a few meaningless games causes you to miss out on that QB, are we really smart to pound our chests about being winners when we are 8-9? 

I think the smart thing to do is try to win while developing your young players, making winning unlikely. Look at the day TMJ had yesterday--progress.  Bozeman?  Progress.  I am liking what I am seeing from our LBs.  the RBs looked good.  Yes we won, but TB was putrid. 

Very well said 

[Chiefzack]

Itll be funny to watch the huddle explode if we win on Sunday and drop from #3 ovr to the mid 20s lol

[Move the Panthers to Raleigh]

4 minutes ago, CardiacCat said:

"tankers" are miserable people.....  calling yourself a fan and hoping for your team to lose... over and over again, year after year, is pretty sad. 

Who said they want the team to lose every year?

[Harbingers]

Didn’t we draft a QB this year? Or is he just yesterdays news?

Edited October 24, 2022 by Harbingers

[NAS]

14 minutes ago, Harbingers said:

Didn’t we draft a QB this year? Or is he just yesterdays news?

He’s a developmental prospect, a third round pick. We need another QB who has a stronger chance of developing into a franchise QB