Will the Panthers or won't they contend for a playoff spot

[csx]

They contended for one last year....so of course 

[Eric4280]

Another thread of placing predictions, another slew of probable .500 outcomes. We did that last year with Darnold/Pj Walker.

We only got better at everything while the Falcons and Saints still have terrible coaching (Smith is OK I guess). Saints added Derek Carr who’s only proven that he’s gonna be forever mid. Bijan (as fun and cool as he is) doesn’t change the w/l for ATL. Everyone is infatuated with their top heavy, expensive offense, with a terrible driver in Ridder. 
 

I know it’s not conventional and I won’t flat out say “we’re going to the Super Bowl” but honestly ask yourselves, how many of you guys saw the Bengals en route to their Super Bowl run when they had like 2 or 3 wins the season before. We may have magic in our pocket. Let’s not limit the ceiling as fans.

[RenoCarolina]

11 hours ago, Cdparr7 said:

We are going to be around .500 mark

 

Depends what our dysfunctional 3 cousins do in the NFCS

I think we are going to be better than .500 with the changes and schedule.

But in the NFC South, "be around .500 mark" pretty much means you are going for the division title and a playoff spot.

And despite the random media hype bits on the falcons and saints we have a better roster and better coaching so I like our chances.  Bucs either stay just off the lead or go into total tank mode.

 

[shaqattaq]

3 hours ago, Pejorative Miscreant said:

4 hours ago, WhoKnows said:

It’s amazing how the 2015 OL gets discredited. When BC, Bozeman and Corbett start racking up pro bowls and all pros, then this OL is much better. The current OL is better at tackles but that OL was better G to G. When all 3 of your IOL were all pro and/or pro bowl caliber, it’s a good OL. We were ranked top 5 and in some cases only behind Dallas in OL.

Also, we absolutely will have a chance to win the division. All we have to get to is above .500 and Id bet we’d be leading the division or at most 1 game out.

 

3 hours ago, Tbe said:

This group is not better than Khalil, Turner, Oher, Norwell.

There is 11 pro bowls between those guys.

Yes. You are both correct.
 

That is a complete brain fart and was a stupid statement on my part.  Thanks for pointing that out. 

I agree that our starters were really good that year, especially the middle. Norwell, Khalil, and turner were as good a G-C-G combo as we've ever had. Remmers was the weak link, and he was serviceable until the SB. But our depth was trash! Such fear inducing names as Amini Silatolu, Chris Scott, Daryl Williams, Fernando Velasco! Our current starters are solid, and our depth is significantly better IMO. We have a rookie and year 2 guard that may push for starting and a couple of decent (back up) vets in Erving and McCray.

I predict that 2023 o-line will outperform 2015.

[UnluckyforSome]

There are so many unknowns at this point, on all teams, that it might as well be a coinflip to decide. My kneejerk reaction today, would be no. It's very rare that rookie qbs excel right out of the gate.

[mccjeff]

Contend? Yes they will contend for the south title. Win? Quite possibly but far from a slam dunk. Will come down to Bryce and how he adapts to the mistakes he will inevitably make.

[Gerry Green]

1 minute ago, mccjeff said:

Contend? Yes they will contend for the south title. Win? Quite possibly but far from a slam dunk. Will come down to Bryce and how he adapts to the mistakes he will inevitably make.

 

Dude had like -5 INTs his whole college career. Dude doesn't make mistakes. He makes the Defense make the mistakes.

[WarHeel]

There’s no way this group is worse than 2015 was on paper and that turned out decent enough. This O line is certainly better on paper. I personally think the team as a whole will overperform for a supposed rebuild year. 

[Mage]

I think we challenge for the No. 3 seed.

[PghPanther]

Nope............they will finish just under .500................I guarantee it. 

[Gerry Green]

4 minutes ago, Mage said:

I think we challenge for the No. 3 seed.

 

Yuppers. This team is set up nicely for Bryce to shine. Not many rookie QB get to start right off with a team that is built to compete. 

 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again and again. If Bryce even sniffs at ROY? This team can be dangerous. Fingers crossed.

[CRA]

Compared to the rest of the NFL, our skill talent around the QB is lacking to really compete with good teams. 

Could the NFCS be such a dumpster fire we might could compete for a spot? Maybe. 

[rayzor]

17 hours ago, pantherclaw said:

I believe we're a better team top to bottom than last year. 

Better coaching staff. 

Led by a kid that doesn't get rattled. 

Call me a Homer, but I see our playoff drought coming to an end. 

This 100%.

We'll do quite a bit better than last year and last year almost had us winning the division.

I think

1) people are thrown by the notion that a team who picked 1st overall could become a legit contender in the playoffs and

2) that this is the same crappy panthers team we've seen the past half decade.

Newsflash ....we aren't your usual team who picked 1st overall because they "earned" it. We didn't earn it. We paid for it.

We were a decent team held back by inferior coaching (remember the turnaround we had moving from Rhule to Wilks...now imagine taking another few steps forward using a much better coaching staff with a full off-season) and also held back by crap QB play. Young is an instant and drastic upgrade from what we've had the last half decade. (Sorry  if any of you can't see that yet, but you will).

This team will win at least 3 more games this year than last just because of the upgrade in coaching and QB. Of this I am completely confident.

[Khyber53]

Every season there's an NFL team that comes out of nowhere (to everyone but their diehard fans) and makes a huge leap forward. There's no reason it couldn't be us this time around. 

Every season there's also a team that inexplicably collapses at the halfway point. I don't see us as being that team.

So, I'm optimistic that in a crippled NFCSouth, we somehow pull out enough wins to take the division. Beyond that, well, there's no way I can predict a win there right now. I think we are poised for better days, just we aren't fully there yet.