2010 Panthers 4th WORST team in the NFL

[panthers55]

I have said this year's team will be an 8-8 or 9-7 team. I'm lumped in the pessimistic crowd. However, to be the 4th worst team in the NFL means probably 5 wins tops. Is this how folks...not just jounalists, view our team?

Right now if things fall right we will win 6 maybe 7 games. LOL at people predicting 12 wins. We have done that one time in Fox's tenure and it wasn't with a bunch of nobodies and inexperienced guys.

[bigcatdaddy]

We have them all the time. 2007 if I remember correctly. What will it take?

1.An injury to Moore, Smitty, or Beason for starters.

2.A slow start on defense or offense.

3. A struggle the first few games and panic without the veterans to calm the ship.

4. Injuries like last year at positions where we are thin. Frankly that will be anywhere on the DLine, O line, wide receiver, linebackers etc.

Not hard to envision at all. It has happened to us at least 4 times in 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2009 under Fox where injuries to key players contributed to us finishing 7-9 or 8-8.

Okay but you can't help injuries, the team as a whole right now has probably the same amount of talent except for maybe at D-end. If you get contribution from Johnson, Brayton, Brown, and Hardy it could be better, at least these players won't take plays off. Plus our schedule is easier, I think 9-11 wins this year is not that far of a stretch. We sure as hell won't be in the 4-6 win range, that is crazy talk with the offense we have.

[Mother Grabber]

Right now if things fall right we will win 6 maybe 7 games. LOL at people predicting 12 wins. We have done that one time in Fox's tenure and it wasn't with a bunch of nobodies and inexperienced guys.

Just because you have a naked chick on your avatar doesn't mean we won't laugh at you after we have double digit wins this year.

[QuasiYoda]

Right now if things fall right we will win 6 maybe 7 games. LOL at people predicting 12 wins. We have done that one time in Fox's tenure and it wasn't with a bunch of nobodies and inexperienced guys.

I've always been a big fan of your posts but I do think we will surprise folks this year as our defense jelled at end of year and the value of having a great O Line and running game will make whatever Quarterback we have look Good.

Winning Season in my opinion 9 or 10 games

[Swarly]

some of you guys read too much into this poo

Bengals were expected to be picking top 3-5 last season... then they swept arguably one of the toughest divisions in the league, and made the playoffs.

[Khyber53]

And never, ever base what next year's team will do based on last year's team. Young teams do often struggle, but that's often because their coaching staff has been blown up and rebuilt as well.

Here, we've got a good number of people in their mid-20s who have been starting for some time, and tons of young players with lots of time on the field. This isn't your typical rebuilding project.

Still, one or two key injuries can sink a team to the bottom of the rankings. Colts without Manning? Vikings without Petersen and Favre? Really, at this point, it's anyone's game. We may all be hearing about the meteoric rise of the Lions or Rams come December.

But fourth worst in the NFL? Nah, don't think we're going to be bad, much less that bad. I'm thinking 9-7, wild carder.

[jpniner]

Offense could be pretty good(IF, Fox/Davidson knows how to use it), problem is the Defense may turn around and give all those points and then some back?

Special Teams can only be better than last year also.

Surely we'll sign a solid veteran DT and DE and maybe a Safety?

[Dilla]

If it's any consolidation, the mock I use around the NFL Draft, Walter Football, have the Panthers at 22 next year (taking a DT, Jared Crick from Nebraska).

http://walterfootball.com/draft2011_1.php

[ItsNotGonnaBeAlright]

I still refuse to believe that Schrager gets paid for his football knowledge.

[ncbobcat]

If it's any consolidation, the mock I use around the NFL Draft, Walter Football, have the Panthers at 22 next year (taking a DT, Jared Crick from Nebraska).

http://walterfootball.com/draft2011_1.php

I could see us being 10th best sooner than I can see us being 4th worst.

Yep, DT next draft, going smallish this year is going to bite us in the @ss. Leonard better had earn his pay check.

[grateflday]

This works for me because the Panthers usually end up having a good season when the main stream sports media thinks they will be down. I can see in some cases how that could be true, but there is still to much talent on this team to be bottom four and there is potential for them to have a winning record.

[pstall]

Wow! He has us only better than the Bills, Bucs and Rams. Even the most pessimistic of us on this board doesn't have us doing THAT bad. CRAP!

*ahem*

[Metal_Sparty]

We have them all the time. 2007 if I remember correctly. What will it take?

4. Injuries like last year at positions where we are thin. Frankly that will be anywhere on the DLine, O line, wide receiver, linebackers etc.

Not hard to envision at all. It has happened to us at least 4 times in 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2009 under Fox where injuries to key players contributed to us finishing 7-9 or 8-8.

Skipping a few pages to respond to this point.

Unless Smitty gets injured, I don't think we have anything to worry about at any of the positions you listed.

D-Line: we've got a ton of unproven talent and in most peoples eyes, all of this talent is relatively close. So if we lose one or two, the drop off shouldn't be HUGE.

O-Line: we can handle one or two here, we've done it before. Now if we lose 3 thats really pushing it. 2 would certainly hurt, but I don't think it'd spell doom.

WR: Look above, outside of Smitty we can afford an injury here now that we've got 30 WR's without a bona fide second receiver.

LB: We've got our PSU boy fighting with Anderson for OLB who could sub in for Beason (Or Anderson if Andy gets injured after winning the batter) and picked up/drafted 2 decent guys.

QB is even debatable. We don't know if Matt Moore really is all that great, and if Clausen lives up to his hype he should be able to at least be able to hand it off and throw 10-15 passes a game without losing it for us.

[raleigh-panther]

Let's be optimistic, if they have a great season, which to me is 9-7 or better given the turn-over wonderful.

If they don't at least there is a #1 pick for a change.

...and possibly a new coach....and don't say the sky fails with a new coach, seems like the Jets and Ravens did ok with theirs.

Watching the new players try and come together as a team, with players who want to be here, well, it might be a lot better than what we saw last year.

things could be worse.