Pike’s role shrinks, not optimism

[CharlotteBeer.com]

No one's going to make a "Pike's pole shrinks" parody thread?

[CharlotteBeer.com]

All I am saying is let's give the guy more of a chance before we write him off. I bet he plays a good bit tomorrow. I was down in training camp last week and he got just as many reps as Cantwell. Cantwell to me looks like he has a sissy arm.

It's not even Pike that I have the problem with -- it's the fact that we didn't need another quarterback. And all accounts out of camp are that Cantwell has the strongest arm on the team.

[scpanther22]

I don't get it. Everyone on this site complains about the QB situation. So what do the Panthers do, they go out and draft two excellent QB's in the draft. Now people are selling Pike down the road after throwing a couple passes in the pouring down rain. One of the passes was a bad drop.

The reality is a lot of 6th round picks never make the team. Some times you make great picks and some times you don't. There is no way to guarantee that every pick is going to be a starter, even the Patriots and Steelers can't do that.

All I am saying is let's give the guy more of a chance before we write him off. I bet he plays a good bit tomorrow. I was down in training camp last week and he got just as many reps as Cantwell. Cantwell to me looks like he has a sissy arm.

the problem is since he is 4th on the depth chart its going to hard to give him a fair chance.he is getting little if any reps and he is coming from a spread system.

I hope we can sneak him on the PS but I doubt he would last

[KillerKat]

People saying "oh its just a sixth round pick, who cares if we cut him"...well looking at the roster, RJ Standford most likely wont make it because we already have 5 CBs including Witherspoon for STs. Even if we decided to keep 6 CBs, Wilson most likely would be the 6th. Then Pike is going to get cut. Then theres also the slight possiblity, although I think unlikely, that Gettis gets cut. Thats 2-3 draft picks we might cut. Fox has never cut 2 draft picks after just drafting them much less 3. Thats 2-3 picks they just wasted and would make this draft look like one of our worsts under Fox we have ever had since that would be the most picks under Fox he has cut before the start of the following regular season.

[Jpjr]

I can understand insurance, which is why I was fine with the Clausen pick. As a Panthers fan, it's nice to have someone that could be your franchise quarterback in a year or two just in case Moore doesn't work out or we franchise and trade him next year.

Again, that's what killed me about this year's draft. The quarterback position was an afterthought for Fox and Co. for years, and then they take three quarterbacks in this year's draft, one of which they're going to turn into a receiver. I'm fine with having Armanti play receiver, but I bet he'd be a fine No. 4 quarterback who would probably never see the field. A quarterback stable of Moore, Clausen, Cantwell with Edwards as your emergency option sounds fine with me, and it would have left that sixth-round pick for us to do something else.

I can see your point here. My only response is that they looked at the draft field and felt Tony Pike was the most talented player left in the draft. That way he either 1) works out, or 2) they can possibly get the most value for him from another team that has a QB go down.

[Jpjr]

the problem is since he is 4th on the depth chart its going to hard to give him a fair chance.he is getting little if any reps and he is coming from a spread system.

I hope we can sneak him on the PS but I doubt he would last

Pike's bad draw is the yes mostly due to the spread background and missing OTAs, but it also has to do with how fast Clausen was able to grasp the offense. In my opinion the college game is getting worse every season from a pro-ready perspective. The name of the college game these days is to maximize raw talent via the spread rather than teach fundamentals and develop skill players. Pike is an output of a Brian Kelly system that is highly effective in college but doesn't translate well to the pros. Ironic that Kelly is now the coach at Notre Dame.

[pantherclaw]

Can't believe people are freaking out over a 6th round pick.

[MaineManPanther]

People saying "oh its just a sixth round pick, who cares if we cut him"...well looking at the roster, RJ Standford most likely wont make it because we already have 5 CBs including Witherspoon for STs. Even if we decided to keep 6 CBs, Wilson most likely would be the 6th. Then Pike is going to get cut. Then theres also the slight possiblity, although I think unlikely, that Gettis gets cut. Thats 2-3 draft picks we might cut. Fox has never cut 2 draft picks after just drafting them much less 3. Thats 2-3 picks they just wasted and would make this draft look like one of our worsts under Fox we have ever had since that would be the most picks under Fox he has cut before the start of the following regular season.

Your saying that it would be one of our worsts because our sixth and seventh round picks didnt make it? If the said players werent good enough to make the roster or PS, then why should we complain over it? We should field the best team, if that means we have to cut our late round picks why is it a big deal?

[KillerKat]

Your saying that it would be one of our worsts because our sixth and seventh round picks didnt make it? If the said players werent good enough to make the roster or PS, then why should we complain over it? We should field the best team, if that means we have to cut our late round picks why is it a big deal?

Because the FO just pissed away picks in one of the deepest draft classes this decade when they could've selected better players.

[MaineManPanther]

Because the FO just pissed away picks in one of the deepest draft classes this decade when they could've selected better players.

Regardless of wether this is a deep draft class, the majority of the sixth and seventh round picks will be out of the league in a short amount of time. Picking late picks is a crapshoot, expecting them or any FO to consistnelty find solid talent in the last two rounds is naive.

If you base an entire teams draft on wether two late round players make it or not. Then every team draft sucks nealy every year.

[KillerKat]

Regardless of wether this is a deep draft class, the majority of the sixth and seventh round picks will be out of the league in a short amount of time. Picking late picks is a crapshoot, expecting them or any FO to consistnelty find solid talent in the last two rounds is naive.

If you base an entire teams draft on wether two late round players make it or not. Then every team draft sucks nealy every year.

They may be out of the league soon, but you got to at least try to pick up good players that can contribute to the team. We didnt even try and picked up Pike when we already had 4 QBs, then yet another project at WR in Gettis, and yet another CB when we already had 5-6. Sometimes BPA bites you in the ass and it has the potential to do that majorly this year. Everyone was hanging off Hurney's nuts predraft for the way he drafts. Well those same people cant exactly say this years draft was one of the best. Picks are too valuable to just piss away. And for this year to end up being the year where we have our highest number of draft picks cut in a very deep class, thats pretty pathetic.

[Jangler]

Trade Pike for TO.

[eViL jEsTeR]

you can spew all of your stats you want but you can't deny tony pike was a waste of a draft pick. i have thought about the pick for a while now and I still have zero grasp on why he chose him, it makes no sense.

we already had moore, cantwell, clausen and even edwards as an emergency 4th QB/ future wildcat QB with other WR potential as well. why did we need pike? i'd rather have best available DT and see what happens... maybe he can be worked into the defensive line rotation. but pike? offers nothing at all to the team except put additional strain on the QB coaches as they are already trying to develop 3 young inexperienced QB's.

[panthers55]

If Pike and Gettis are put on the practice squad it is little different than putting Schwartz and Bernadeau on the practice squad, in 2008, if I remember correctly. They were seventh rounders who became good contributers last year and at least 1 may start this year. There is no guarantee that they would be plucked off the PS and even if they were, it just means we have several guys who are much better than they are.

As for that meaning our draft was a poor one, that is just stupid logic. It isn't how many guys make the squad that determined how the draft class works out, but how many become starters and contribute both right away and ultimately down the road. If LaFell and Hardy start this year, having 2 guys starting their rookie year who aren't first rounders would be the most we have had under Fox in one draft. Then if Clausen becomes our Franchise quarterback and guys like Norwood and Edwards become big contributers and at least one of the 7th round DBs develop for us, this will go down as one of the best drafts ever.

After all we had 4 sixth rounders. If we lose 2 of them that still gives us 2 6th rounders that made the team. Would people rather keep a guy like Pike who was a 6th rounder and will likely never see the field only to get cut down the road, or just put the best guys on the squad no matter where they were picked.