who do you resign?

[GreatPoupon]

with all the speculation of trading this player or that player for draft picks i wanted to open the floor to some discussion about running backs - who do you retain long term?

how many think we can now afford to keep both jonathan stewart and deangelo williams? and is it wise to do so?

**i was discussing this with a friend who was of the opinion we couldnt afford to keep deangelo and may be better off trading him before signing him to a big time contract. i am of the opinion that locking up deangelo AND Stewart is the best option. the two work well together and keep miles off the other's legs. i think the panthers could insure a potent two pronged rushing attach longer this way than only retaining one and drafting a back up.

declines of veteran backs (LT, westbrook) came after they were thrust into the "feature back" role.

[jramsey4]

with all the speculation of trading this player or that player for draft picks i wanted to open the floor to some discussion about running backs - who do you retain long term?

how many think we can now afford to keep both jonathan stewart and deangelo williams? and is it wise to do so?

**i was discussing this with a friend who was of the opinion we couldnt afford to keep deangelo and may be better off trading him before signing him to a big time contract. i am of the opinion that locking up deangelo AND Stewart is the best option. the two work well together and keep miles off the other's legs. i think the panthers could insure a potent two pronged rushing attach longer this way than only retaining one and drafting a back up.

declines of veteran backs (LT, westbrook) came after they were trust into the "feature back" role.

LT was always the featured back with Turner filling in. And when he finally left LTs miles finally caught up to him. Westbrook should never have been considered a featured back as he is most effective as a receiver out of the backfield in a west coast system not a inside runner.

Stewart has the same kind of ability that made LT so fantastic in his prime. While I think Dwill is a much better playmaker he is fastly approaching a decline based on age (maybe not due to low miles but who knows). I think if we let him play out the last year in his deal we will tag him next year when his trade value will have most likely decreased base on age and I think Stewart take a majority of the carries.

I think it depends entirely on what is offered. A low to mid 1st and I probably would take it. Anything less and he is far more valuable to us. I would miss him though because I think he has Barry Sanders type ability but it is one of those instances where we have another great back and could use help in other places.

Don't worry I think a combo of Stewart/Sutton/Goodson/Draftee (My vote Joique Bell late) would be excellent with our OLine. I was a little quick to judge the FO signing Sutton when we were already stacked there but the guy did everything we could have asked for (hell he played FB at his diminutive for a FB size). I still would have kept Rashon Harris and cut Hayden but thats me. He was an excellent pickup and could fill in nicely at #2 in a 2 back system This would also allow Goodson to get more snaps, if he can get his fumbling correct he could be special.

[HSCBandit07]

This depends on the players. If we can get them to work with us (I am pretty sure these guys would rather be surrounded by good players and be on a winning team than just get big bucks), I say keep everyone. So what if we have 6 backs on our roster. Don't forget the 2005 season and they can always contribute in special teams

[Bobby]

Williams knows when to hit the floor, he doesn't take a lot of massive shots. Because of that I think he has more gallons in the tank than most people realize.

Goodson still scares the crap out of me with those fumbles.

[GreatPoupon]

i feel the same way about deangelo.

for me... you cant let him walk. pay him a hefty contract and still get 4-5 more productive seasons as long as you have stewart on the roster with him. that way even if the injury bug strikes you should still have a potent rushing attack. splitting carries 50/50 should increase the logevity of their career by 50% or so right?

[CRA]

i feel the same way about deangelo.

for me... you cant let him walk. pay him a hefty contract and still get 4-5 more productive seasons as long as you have stewart on the roster with him. that way even if the injury bug strikes you should still have a potent rushing attack. splitting carries 50/50 should increase the logevity of their career by 50% or so right?

I think the time to use Stewart is now......I don't think he will have a long career but I think he will have a good one. I think Williams can do more longer than Stewart but his college mileage I think will show on him eventually and I think people tend to overlook how much more of a workload he recieved than your average RB entering the NFL. I love running the ball but you can't tie too much money up in the backfield when RBs are easy to find when you have a good OL. The NFL becomes more of a passing league every season and the Panthers eventually are going to have to catch up.

[GreatPoupon]

yeap, that's a good point. Olinemen could be most important thing. then just plug in whatever back you need. however, i think we have ellite runningbacks. difference makers. i'm curious to see if we lock them both up long term for this reason. if that's even possible.

[TANTRIC-NINJA]

I think the time to use Stewart is now......I don't think he will have a long career but I think he will have a good one. I think Williams can do more longer than Stewart but his college mileage I think will show on him eventually and I think people tend to overlook how much more of a workload he recieved than your average RB entering the NFL. I love running the ball but you can't tie too much money up in the backfield when RBs are easy to find when you have a good OL. The NFL becomes more of a passing league every season and the Panthers eventually are going to have to catch up.

I still think that DeAngelo has more than 4 years left. You extend Williams and Stewart still has a couple of years on his rookie contract. You will have a decision to make when Stewart is up but our options would be good.

Option A Extend Stewart and continue the two back system.

Option B Extend Stewart and trade/release Deangelo if need be

Option C NOT extend Stewart b/c of lingering injuries, disgruntled etc. and draft or aquire a replacement.

Everyone keeps saying you cant have such a heavy investment in two backs but we are not extending both at the same time. Having a player that can touch the ball and score from anywhere on the field is a rare thing and to give it up for a first round pick is a huge gamble.

We should just draft or sign some receiving options and we should be just fine on offense. ....and by recieving options I mean strong #2 reciever and Smitty's replacement in three years!!

[pantherfan49]

How many backs have had longer than 5 productive NFL seasons?

This is just something to think of when extending DeAngelo. I would hope the contract extension is structured as basically a 3 year deal.

[CRA]

I still think that DeAngelo has more than 4 years left. You extend Williams and Stewart still has a couple of years on his rookie contract. You will have a decision to make when Stewart is up but our options would be good.

Option A Extend Stewart and continue the two back system.

Option B Extend Stewart and trade/release Deangelo if need be

Option C NOT extend Stewart b/c of lingering injuries, disgruntled etc. and draft or aquire a replacement.

Everyone keeps saying you cant have such a heavy investment in two backs but we are not extending both at the same time. Having a player that can touch the ball and score from anywhere on the field is a rare thing and to give it up for a first round pick is a huge gamble.

We should just draft or sign some receiving options and we should be just fine on offense. ....and by recieving options I mean strong #2 reciever and Smitty's replacement in three years!!

DeAngelo will be 27 when this season starts.....5 years puts him at 32. You know what former stud RBs do at 30 (see this week with LT and Westbrook).....they get cut and sent looking for jobs. Usually coming off a prior year of disappointment. I give Williams 2 more years tops and then he becomes a less effective role player who won't be worth much.

[GreatPoupon]

How many backs have had longer than 5 productive NFL seasons?

This is just something to think of when extending DeAngelo. I would hope the contract extension is structured as basically a 3 year deal.

history is a factor. but perhaps the tougher question is: how many more productive years does deangelo have in the tank.

[nosuchthingasapanther]

a lot of replies have and will be made based on favoritism...from a pure business standpoint, williams should be extended...but not with a big contract.

has anyone noticed how much more stewart makes vs. williams? next season, williams will make $725k while stewart will make just shy of $2.1 million...and if he activates any escalators based on last season's performance, it'll be closer to $3 million.

with stewart locked in until 2013 and at a cost of up to $4 million, how much more do you pay an aging williams who may have 1-2 productive seasons left?

the smart thing to do is a short term 2-3 year contract with a $5-6 million guarantee...and loaded with incentives and bonuses.

this keeps both williams and stewart together, protects the organization, and pays williams what he deserves should he produce at a high level.

the biggest investments should be put into the o-line, not the running backs. that's the bread and butter of the run game. with a contract structured like this, the organization now has 2-3 seasons to find suitable replacements for either or both backs.

[Ricky Spanish]

i want them both forever.

[pantherfan81]

DeAngelo will be 27 when this season starts.....5 years puts him at 32. You know what former stud RBs do at 30 (see this week with LT and Westbrook).....they get cut and sent looking for jobs. Usually coming off a prior year of disappointment. I give Williams 2 more years tops and then he becomes a less effective role player who won't be worth much.

Yeah but also keep in mind a lot of those backs that hit 30 had big mileage on them. I think D-will could very well be productive for another 5 years, especially if Stewart & him are still sharing the ball like they have been.