The one possible attempt at a silver lining (?)

[Dorian Gray]

(And yes I realize this is #cope, but otherwise we're looking into the dark abyss of years of dog ass football. At least I'm trying.)

A lot of us are trying to make sense of what's happening, considering a team led by Wilks and Darnold looked better at the end of last year than we have at any point this year.

My attempt at a silver lining is this - has anyone on the team other than Chuba looked BETTER this year? I feel like every player, and every position, has either significant regressed, mildly regressed, or made zero improvement.

From that perspective, it falls on one thing: coaching.

We were fed all offseason that we had an "all-star coaching staff." I drank the Kool-Aid. I wanted a real NFL staff after the clown show years we'd endured with Rhule. I didn't think there was any way our entire team would be WORSE than last year.

But here we are.

Someone mentioned the offensive line taking a dramatic step back with many of the same guys. We all see Bryce is like a deer in headlights. Has Burns done anything since week 1? Why can't this staff figure out where to use Chinn? The schemes on offense look pedestrian compared to any other team in the league, and even looked slow when Dalton was in there. 

Maybe it's as simple as a new QB like some folks think. Occam's razor and all. But looking from the top down, it feels like the whole well is poisoned. And if that's the case, then maybe a regime change - from GM to coaching staff - can actually use our guys to their potential, play to their strengths, and become more competitive. And that's a fix that can happen in one offseason if the Powers That Be decide to make those moves.

That's all I got. I'll be back at the bar if you need me.

[X-Clown]

Frankie Luvu is even better this year - and before he got hurt Yetur Gross-Matos was showing a pulse when I wasn't even sure he would make the team this year. But yeah other than that I've got nothing

Edited November 7, 2023 by X-Clown

[LinvilleGorge]

Yes. Chuba has been solid. Looks like a good backup/marginal starter type. Don't get me wrong, he ain't CMC but he's the least of what's wrong.

[Khyber53]

Yeah, you're right everyone outside of Chuba, Luvu and Tremble seems to have regressed. 

And yes, it points management and coaching. And yes, we were told ad nauseum what an all-star staff we were putting together here.

My one thought is.. if Reich could put together a decent staff to make things work out, how come he didn't do that in Indianapolis and get that worked out? 

I think we're watching a man get sped by on the speedway... he's gone from the days when he weaved through traffic and made good time to the point where he just shakes his head and proclaims everyone is out to get killed out there! 

He got him some young blood to run the offense and defense and then, well, didn't really let them. And he's been saddled with doing some kind of lame hybrid 3-4/4-3 that we've been stuck in since the last year of the Rivera regime as we try and fit our square peg into the round hole of  Tepper's dream team of New Pittsburgh South. 

Sheesh. This is just a season where you've got to look at what's on the field and say, "Don't you see this isn't working? Any of  it? Not even a little?"

 

[PleaseCutStewart]

I will give the defense some reprieve because they have been decimated by injuries (and have still for the most part at least looked average). The offense is a complete trainwreck, from QB play to oline to receivers to playcalling.

[DeAngelo Beason]

What the Panthers accomplished under Ron Rivera cannot be understated.  The idea that a franchise as utterly pathetic and floundering as ours was able to go 15-1 and produce an MVP QB is absolutely mind-boggling.

[Waldo]

The well is poisoned and just doing it half ass again will just be more of the same. 

Unfortunately the poisoner is also the owner. They spent too much and look too bad to admit anything yet in this build and I have only seen blame with little meaningful change from the Tepper. I can't imagine Tepper is at the point where he would hire a good hire vs hiring what he wants, someone he likes who will do the things he wants vs everything being on the table and turn them lose after verifying their competency and direction. He needs help and has no one around is that is qualified because of the kinds of people he hires. Burn it all down, flip everyone and just start from the ashes.

[TN05]

37 minutes ago, DeAngelo Beason said:

What the Panthers accomplished under Ron Rivera cannot be understated.  The idea that a franchise as utterly pathetic and floundering as ours was able to go 15-1 and produce an MVP QB is absolutely mind-boggling.

We made the playoffs 4 times in 5 years from 2013-17, with three division titles. The one year we didn't make the playoffs in that stretch was when Gettleman just decided to nuke our roster for no reason

[4Corners]

Here’s some silver lining - there’s only like 9 games left

[Varking]

I’m not mad at the defense at all. I think they have played admirably. When you looking at “points against” you have to remember a few things: 

1. Bryce has been pick six’d twice and fumbled away a ball that got returned for a TD. So that’s 21 points right there. 
 

2. Bryce has turned the ball over 6 times on our side of the field which lead to I believe four more touchdowns and a field goal. This means the defense just got off the field and now they are back on and then they get gashed for a score. 
 

You’d have to be a top 2 defense to be handed that field position repeatedly and not give up many points. 
 

So my silver lining is the defense has been better than the score has indicated outside of the Miami game but even in that game our defense scored points for us. 

[WhamBamTYCam]

5 minutes ago, Varking said:

I’m not mad at the defense at all. I think they have played admirably. When you looking at “points against” you have to remember a few things: 

1. Bryce has been pick six’d twice and fumbled away a ball that got returned for a TD. So that’s 21 points right there. 
 

2. Bryce has turned the ball over 6 times on our side of the field which lead to I believe four more touchdowns and a field goal. This means the defense just got off the field and now they are back on and then they get gashed for a score. 
 

You’d have to be a top 2 defense to be handed that field position repeatedly and not give up many points. 
 

So my silver lining is the defense has been better than the score has indicated outside of the Miami game but even in that game our defense scored points for us. 

But Bryce has a super processor!

[Camp Fodder]

9 minutes ago, Varking said:

I’m not mad at the defense at all. I think they have played admirably. When you looking at “points against” you have to remember a few things: 

1. Bryce has been pick six’d twice and fumbled away a ball that got returned for a TD. So that’s 21 points right there. 
 

2. Bryce has turned the ball over 6 times on our side of the field which lead to I believe four more touchdowns and a field goal. This means the defense just got off the field and now they are back on and then they get gashed for a score. 
 

You’d have to be a top 2 defense to be handed that field position repeatedly and not give up many points. 
 

So my silver lining is the defense has been better than the score has indicated outside of the Miami game but even in that game our defense scored points for us. 

The defense is good enough to win. The offense is 2010 bad. 

[X-Clown]

44 minutes ago, Varking said:

I’m not mad at the defense at all. I think they have played admirably. When you looking at “points against” you have to remember a few things: 

1. Bryce has been pick six’d twice and fumbled away a ball that got returned for a TD. So that’s 21 points right there. 
 

2. Bryce has turned the ball over 6 times on our side of the field which lead to I believe four more touchdowns and a field goal. This means the defense just got off the field and now they are back on and then they get gashed for a score. 
 

You’d have to be a top 2 defense to be handed that field position repeatedly and not give up many points. 
 

So my silver lining is the defense has been better than the score has indicated outside of the Miami game but even in that game our defense scored points for us. 

They were bad in the Seattle game too to be fair. Complementary football is not in this teams vocabulary.

[WarHeel]

Luvu has gotten better each year. 
 

And this is where my list ends.