Yasinskas puts Carolina's 'purge' into perspective

[CatMan72]

I think looking back we will all realize JR ripped the bandaid off quickly. We were on the down slope of a competitive curve. Let it go on like that for a few years or rip it off and get to the up curve quicker?

Agree, the window had just about closed on our core of veteran players so it was time to rebuild. The Bucs waited too long so the scale of their rebuild is much greater than ours.

We're using this year to take stock of our younger players and see what we have. When a new CBA is agreed upon we'll have a good idea of what we need and a big wad of $ to pay for it...

[blackcatgrowl]

Wow... Yasinskas totally missed this, or is putting some spin on this...

As it stands right now, the Panthers have just about $70 million committed toward a 2011 cap. Only the Chiefs, Raiders and Buccaneers have less committed and none of them are dramatically below the Panthers. The league average teams have committed toward the salary cap right now is $96 million.

If we are making roster moves to clear salary room for a future cap after a new CBA takes effect, we are absolutely "being cheap".

I've said it all along... I honestly believe 2010 is a throw away year for Richardson.

[CatMan72]

Wow... Yasinskas totally missed this, or is putting some spin on this...

If we are making roster moves to clear salary room for a future cap after a new CBA takes effect, we are absolutely "being cheap".

I've said it all along... I honestly believe 2010 is a throw away year for Richardson.

Yup, we're taking a step back this year to take two steps forward with the new CBA.

[Khyber53]

First off, good piece by Yas there. Nice to see all the numbers laid out.

Secondly, while I hated to see so many of the team's notables go, the pasture was calling for many of them, either this year or the next.

Third, I still don't see this as a throwaway year for JR. Let's face it, after heart transplant surgery, he doesn't have years to be throwing away. He wants a winning team. We might just have it, Fox has done more with a whole lot less before.

Another aspect of the shedding of players is that the team comes first and the chemistry is extremely important to JR and Fox. Peppers was not about the team any more, Harris basically showed himself the door and Jake (and I am a big fan here) became an unwilling lightning rod and scapegoat who became a bigger story last year than the team. Out they go and suddenly the talk gets back to the team first, individual players second.

The others, sad to say, had just reached the end of their probable use as starting football players. Hoover and Moose were tough losses for the fanbase, but both had given and given until there just wasn't much more than a couple of old warhorses straining under their armor each time the battle trumpets blared. Kemo was a big, big guy with a bad leg -- that doesn't spell durability. Diggs was steady and solid, but it's hard to stay in top form as a linebacker in your 30s.

But it's not a bunch of rookies we're left with, mainly in one or two positions, but we aren't that different from 2003's team right now. Except we've got a solid O-line and two running backs that would have given Stephen Davis a run for his money on his best days. We've also got a pretty much unknown quarterback stolen out from under the Cowboys' noses, a damn fine receiver and some unknowns along with a defense held together by the best linebacker in the league.

Oh yeah, and we've still got Kasay who will win the Super Bowl this time since we'll have someone to handle the follow-up kick-off for him. :thumbsup:

[panthers55]

The payroll may be low but, as Yas pointed out, JR did cough out some cash.

The FO is going to have to use that money to sign a lot of core players before buying 1/2 an NFL team.

That money was going to spend whether he kept the players or not. What he spent he saved by not resigning guys like Moose for example who wasn't under contract.

All Yaz did was point out what we already knew, he dumped alot of salaries and got rid of a bunch of veterans for cheaper guys. He didn't make an argument that it wasn't a salary dump, nor did he tell us anything we didn't already know which is that we have one of the cheapest payrolls in the league.

The article also forgets to mention that by not paying options to Kemo or Lewis for example, this was their last year. When you include Hoover whose contract was up after this year and Moose who would have been on a one year deal if he were signed, etc, 4 guys they supposed got rid of to save money down the road were gone after 2010 anyway.

Then you have to scratch your head and ask why they extended Diggs for 4 years (when 2010 was his last year) back in January only to cut him 3 months later???? My conspiracy theory is that the dump began when they let Peppers walk and the CBA wasn't going to get done soon so they said switch to plan B which was to dump.

The real story is whether he signs all the core players or not. That will tell the tale whether this this is an abberation due to the CBA or a new way of thinking. In any event the point was dumping salaries and players not getting better

[pantherclaw]

Going after marshall doesn't make sense for the panthers.

I understand wanting a dominant receiver like him, but the panthers, and more importantly, richardson would never bring in marshall, regardless of the money. That is cause of how marshall carries himself as a professional. No way richardson would even want him to be a panther, regardless on the contract. That is the main reason. That doesn't even mention other issues there would have been.

boldin, am glad the panthers didn't trade for and then pay for a player that rarely completes a healthy season.

As much as fans like to think those two were good options, they were not.

[Wither]

porn clips as real money

I would be in the top 5.

Also, I'm surprised no one has accused Jake of being the reason they didn't spend any $$$. "He ate up $12 million we could've paid for a #2!"

[KBRed]

Maybe we can sign Ted Ginn Jr. for a 5th round next year?

[panthers55]

Going after marshall doesn't make sense for the panthers.

I understand wanting a dominant receiver like him, but the panthers, and more importantly, richardson would never bring in marshall, regardless of the money. That is cause of how marshall carries himself as a professional. No way richardson would even want him to be a panther, regardless on the contract. That is the main reason. That doesn't even mention other issues there would have been.

boldin, am glad the panthers didn't trade for and then pay for a player that rarely completes a healthy season.

As much as fans like to think those two were good options, they were not.

Does Smitty have a rap as someone who rarely completes a full season? Boldin did have injuries in 2007 and 2008 where he started 11 games but in 2006 he started 16 and last year he started 15. Smitty has only started every game of an entire season one time in his career.

I asked about Smitty because in the last 4 years Smitty has started in 58 games while Boltin has started in 53. The biggest difference being the jaw injury to Boltin. And that was a shot to the head.

[pepaw]

haloti ngata to the panthers in 2011

Wow if we could get him I really do think a top 5 defense would be in our future.

[SOJA]

First of all what is this? The huddle having a legitmate, semi-positive conversation about panthers football that doesn't involve a specific player thread in which people are being overly critical or overly praiseworthy of a said player's efforts. This is where Amazing happens.

Secondly I have to give kudos points to Yas, this is a well-written article and I have to say I agree with all of his comments (except the Hoover one- injury prone at the downside of his career, plus we invested a lot in Fiammeta, as hard as it was it was the right one).

Third and possibly most important is that teams like the Jets that have been spending like crazy on semi-washed up guys aren't going to be in a good position after this CBA. We will have a ton of money to resign our core young players, plus two promising young quaterbacks, plus any good talent we get in next years draft, plus more than enough money to sign some big name free agent if we so choose.

I do not think we are throwing this season away either. Are you guys honestly saying those players we released are THAT much better than the players we have now? No offense but they had their year last year and sucked it up. I honestly believe we are going to surprise a lot of people this year with a young, fast and hungry team and a relatively easy schedule. But things are definitely looking up for the Panthers future.

[Chaos]

But it's not a bunch of rookies we're left with, mainly in one or two positions, but we aren't that different from 2003's team right now. Except we've got a solid O-line and two running backs that would have given Stephen Davis a run for his money on his best days. We've also got a pretty much unknown quarterback stolen out from under the Cowboys' noses, a damn fine receiver and some unknowns along with a defense held together by the best linebacker in the league.

Except that hopefully our O-line this year isn't on the 'roids.

[Fiz]

you know who else committed a purge? stalin

all he did was go on to defeat the nazis

[Dpantherman]

Except that hopefully our O-line this year isn't on the 'roids.

You have can't prove that!!! :leaving: