Worried about morale this season....

[ant2125]

With Foxy as the football brain...getting a starting job with the Panthers was like getting tenure.

So things have changed. It is a shock to the system of everyone [players] who had been comfortable, and sad for those of us who felt fan affection for players. Tough decisions are hard, in part, because they are not popular.

When players leave for a bigger contract....they say , "It is just business." Well, it works both ways.

I say the players need to man up....and watch out because some young upstart wants your job and now knows he can have it if he earns it.

Great post and I would just like to add that is about time that the org. ran as the "big" business that it is and not some small mom and pop shop where no one gets fired ( coaches included).

[cookinwithgas]

If veteran leadership is what wins Superbowls we would have put Rodney Peete back in after the Jacksonville game in 2003 to make sure we still won LOL

And never let a rookie CB go up against the Greatest Show on Turf and McNabb, or let a rookie RB run against the Eagles.

I hate losing Hoover, I hate losing Delhomme, hell I hate losing Kemo - but right now I don't see a ton of downside from all this besides having to endure the whining.

[panthers55]

but every team is not doing this. we are one of very few. even of the best franchises. my question is why all these cuts now? these guys have been on the team for years. we have had young rosters before. why cut now? the only explanation that makes sense is a salary dump not because these guys were ineffective. you dont have the 10th ranked d by having a bunch of ineffective average vets. whats is funny is that most of the guys we want to rely on hardly contributed to that effort.

Good point. All these changes do is ensure we won't win a Super bowl anytime soon. We could have done a few of the moves without doing all of them at once. We were already one of the youngest teams in the league. Now we we will be the youngest and most inexperienced at the same time that other teams are taking a less radical approach and staying more competitive.

[panthers55]

I think that you are completly right and utterly wrong.

Getting a CBA agreement without the concessions would not be good for the owners, probably not for the league itself in general.

However I do not think that it is what Richardson wants. I also do not think that he is convinced that it will happen. What he has done in so far as cutting over priced vets is not a slap in the face to the fans. If anything it is a telling sign that he is committed to doing what is good for the team in the long run instead of what would be good for tommorrow.

Can you honestly say that any single move that the FO has made this year has cost it a chance to win the SB? What vet that we cut was so important that he could not be replaced? Hoover? He was good but there is logic in letting him go and his absence is not going to cost us a ring.

Also what FA could we have picked up that would have guaranteed a SB? No one. Not one single FA that we have "missed" out on so far would help this team at all. The only person that would have helped would be Boldin and he was not a FA he was a trade. He has also made it known that he wants Fitzgerald money, which is more than he is worth. I would hate to see this team sink $10 mil a year into a WR.

You can say whatever you want about JR and how you believe that he is just trying to screw the fans to make a buck but the truth is not in it. He has done exactly the right thing. Using the uncapped year to shed off the contracts that were hampering this team. EVERY team should be doing this.

I would gladly trade next year being a mediocre year, which I don't think it will be, for future success. Nothing that has been done and no one that has been cut has cost us more than +/- 2 wins next year at absolute worst.

The truth is that we don't need to be mediocre in order to be better in the future. This all or nothing approach isn't necessary nor it is advisable. No one is saying Richardson is screwing the fans deliberately it just will happen based on his chosen path. He is doing what in his mind is the best approach. Doesn't mean it will work and not blow up. It isn't as if he hasn't changed horses in the middle of the stream before. Problem is that he hasn't won a Super bowl no matter what he has done.

While I can't guarantee that one veteran signing would guarantee a Super Bowl if we don't make these changes, you can't even guarantee with these changes we will even win 5 or 6 games. In my opinion with who we have right now we won't win more than 5 games even with the easier schedule. The only good news is that we are still a work in progress and could get better. I just don't agree that all of these cuts were necessary at this time. And they were all over priced ineffective guys. Guys like Hoover, Brayton, Lewis, Vincent and Diggs were all still productive and cheap. Even cutting guys like Delhomme saved us no money. We did it to help Moore win the locker room.

There were plenty of guys who could have helped us this year. Problem is that we will need half a dozen of those guys just to get back to respectable rather than make a deep playoff run.

I was excited about how we finished the season last year and was looking forward to picking up where we left off. Instead of that we will struggle mightly just to have a winning season. We will instead start off this season very slowly no matter who we play. Lets see how Moore plays if we end up going on a losing streak instead of a winning one. It could get really ugly if things don't go well. I don't know if Moore for example will have the respect that Jake did when things get tough. The only reason they trusted him this year was because he won. The question is whether they will continue to believe in him if we start losing. And if they don't believe in him we are in big trouble.

All of the justifications and excuses won't change the fact that these flurry of moves will bite us in the butt on the field and in the locker room.

[Snake]

Its time for some of the younger Vets to step up. On the offense Moore and Dwill are gonna have to be leaders and on the other side Beason and Harris will.

[AnalyzeThIs#28]

This is the NFL, and this happens to every team in the NFL at some point and time. Teams are constantly going with younger players, happens every year. Get real people!

[pstall]

It's always time for guys to step up. It's called Professional sports. I have to step up on my job at a much higher frequency on my job. Guess what happens if I don't? Guess how much they care if I have kids and a mortgage or glue sniffing problem?

This is a no brainer. JR is getting lean and mean whether it's a lockout or not.

It's not a change of heart or his health is the reason and now he is doing this. He is as loyal to the NFL as he is the fan base.

He is making 2011 as dirt cheap and ready made for the next coach to come in here. Easy to start from scratch and mold the team to your liking.

However, if Fox was to win 7 or more games with this current motley crew, how do you NOT think about keeping him?

Either way, don't expect much money going out the door until 2012. Just deal with that reality.

[frash.exe]

most of these guys (save for kemo) had a chance to showcase all that leadership and put that good morale to work and it didn't get us anywhere last season but a .36 winning percentage until Moore came in and led the team when it was missing many players to injury.

[mick eye]

HOUSE has made some great points. It seems we are divided. Some have NO faith in the young replacements. Others are having a wait and see approach. People of the former camp have made their minds up in the off-season that Hoover, Diggs, Kemo Etc. Etc. are not replaceable. What the later realize is that it is a team sport and reloading is a necessary evil. No one player is more important than the TEAM ( PEP, JAKE ) The notion of salary dumping meaning we are rebuilding is silly. Sooner or later you have to allow your young talent to step up. We all know FOX is a vet loyalist. Deshaun Foster and Jake Delhomme both have been on the good side of that. On the other side MOORE and DWILL suffered and so did the team. We have leaders ( Smith and Beason ) that will unify the locker room. We have vets that can hopefully step up ( we will find out who they are.) So in closing i say. GROWTH MEANS CHANGE AND CHANGE INVOLVES RISK, STEPPING FROM THE UNKNOWN TO THE KNOWN.

[Oldschool Leroy]

I was looking forward to seeing what Moore could do with last years team, from start to finish this year. It seems to me that some of those vets. could help with the transition of a new QB. It seems like having so many new faces will add more stress to an already stressful situation.

[hoover fanz]

If veteran leadership is what wins Superbowls we would have put Rodney Peete back in after the Jacksonville game in 2003 to make sure we still won LOL

And never let a rookie CB go up against the Greatest Show on Turf and McNabb, or let a rookie RB run against the Eagles.

I hate losing Hoover, I hate losing Delhomme, hell I hate losing Kemo - but right now I don't see a ton of downside from all this besides having to endure the whining.

i guess if a ship dont have a captain, it will find its destination

[panthers55]

most of these guys (save for kemo) had a chance to showcase all that leadership and put that good morale to work and it didn't get us anywhere last season but a .36 winning percentage until Moore came in and led the team when it was missing many players to injury.

But they gave Moore the support to win by providing a strong defense and a strong supporting cast. They kept the team together when we were 4-7 and instead of mailing it in, they helped Moore to shine. What happens if Moore goes on a losing streak because we don't have the talent we had last year? What happens to the veteran confidence in him if we don't win. What happens to Moore if things suddenly get tougher and he doesn't win as he is used to doing. He won't have the defense he had last year and will be counted on to carry the defense until they get things going. That is alot of pressure to put on a guy with 8 career starts under his belt and no expereince dealing with adversity while he is the leader. It is a set up for him at this point.

[mick eye]

i guess if a ship dont have a captain, it will find its destination

Leadership is a funny thing. It being what 4 months away from the training camp i have faith that SOMEONE will right the SHIP to carry on your lame metaphor. Oh, and we have CAPT. MUNNERLYN so he is the Cpt. duh.

[mick eye]

But they gave Moore the support to win by providing a strong defense and a strong supporting cast. They kept the team together when we were 4-7 and instead of mailing it in, they helped Moore to shine. What happens if Moore goes on a losing streak because we don't have the talent we had last year? What happens to the veteran confidence in him if we don't win. What happens to Moore if things suddenly get tougher and he doesn't win as he is used to doing. He won't have the defense he had last year and will be counted on to carry the defense until they get things going. That is alot of pressure to put on a guy with 8 career starts under his belt and no expereince dealing with adversity while he is the leader. It is a set up for him at this point.

What if what if? The sky is falling, the sky is falling. I know i am new here but let me introduce myself... I am Panther fan through thick and thin, this upcoming year does not SCARE ME. It should not you either. Let me ask you something. Do you have less faith in Moore than Jake or Wienke? Come on man we have seen worse. Be excited this is gonna be an interesting year.