Everybody always yearns for the '03 Panthers, look at the key players from '03

[Sam Mills Fan]

I'm no longer arguing, I'm trying to understand the point you think you're making.

Originally I thought you were saying we should be bigger players in Free Agency because we were in 2003. But somewhere along the way I got the feeling you were just mad because we haven't signed a big name this year. So help me out, I'm not smart enough to follow you and you aren't answering my questions.

My point is that we should have been bigger players in free agency this offseason. For example, it should have been an absolute no-brainer to have gone after a guy like Houshmanzadeh. Our biggest need on the entire team right now is at #2 receiver. A guy who has been known as a model #2 receiver since his days with Ochocinco was just cut loose after having a good year last year. This should have been a no-brainer.

[Sam Mills Fan]

So why didn't you just make a thread about how we should have dumped DJ and signed TJ? There's room on the front page for one of those.

It's more than that though. Charlie Dayton crowing about how gee-golly-awesome it is to have basically nothing but free agents on the team is indicative of the new philosophy the team has adopted this offseason: Draft picks only, don't even make any initial inquiries into free agents that would have a chance at upstaging our own draft picks.

Like I said in the hypothetical 5-11 scenario: If we end up sucking this year, am I supposed to take solace in the fact that we did it with only 1 of our 22 starters being free agents?

[Cyberjag]

My point is that we should have been bigger players in free agency this offseason. For example, it should have been an absolute no-brainer to have gone after a guy like Houshmanzadeh. Our biggest need on the entire team right now is at #2 receiver. A guy who has been known as a model #2 receiver since his days with Ochocinco was just cut loose after having a good year last year. This should have been a no-brainer.

Well, in their defense I'll offer up the example where everyone here thought we should have gotten help on the defensive line as well. And in the preseason I think we all gained a solid understanding of why they didn't.

Maybe they know something about TJ, their scheme, the fit, and what we've got that we don't. There's precedent for that...

[Jangler]

Maybe we did go after TJ, since he is already getting paid by Seattle, he could chose the team he went to, not the other way around.

[Cyberjag]

It's more than that though. Charlie Dayton crowing about how gee-golly-awesome it is to have basically nothing but free agents on the team is indicative of the new philosophy the team has adopted this offseason: Draft picks only, don't even make any initial inquiries into free agents that would have a chance at upstaging our own draft picks.

Like I said in the hypothetical 5-11 scenario: If we end up sucking this year, am I supposed to take solace in the fact that we did it with only 1 of our 22 starters being free agents?

Would you prefer that we drafted more busts? I'm kind of happy with the guys they've gotten.

[DickolausJ]

A list of cheap scrubs isn't going to put this team into the playoffs. There are only 4 possible starters on that list anyway, the rest are on IR or buried on the depth chart

I think the guys on that list would take offense to that. I don't think that any of them are scrubs but actually solid football players.

When you draft superstars you don't have to sign em in free agency.

Now go make some posts about how drafting E. Brown was a bust.

[Sam Mills Fan]

Maybe we did go after TJ, since he is already getting paid by Seattle, he could chose the team he went to, not the other way around.

Did you hear the slightest inkling of that anywhere? Gantt denied it constantly, zero mentions of even a possibility of Houshmanzadeh to the Panthers were found anywhere.

[Sam Mills Fan]

Would you prefer that we drafted more busts? I'm kind of happy with the guys they've gotten.

I wish I shared in your happiness. I can't shake this sense of pessimism I have towards the current roster that I don't think I'll be able to shake so long as John Fox and Marty Hurney are still here. If we had brought in new people in the front office, I might be thinking that this roster has a chance at being great in spots. With the same old guys running the show, I have no expectations that we're going to be anything but our same old mediocre selves this season. I do hope I'm wrong though.

[Cyberjag]

Tell me why Seattle cut him again? It's not like they have a wealth of talent at WR.

[Cyberjag]

I wish I shared in your happiness. I can't shake this sense of pessimism I have towards the current roster that I don't think I'll be able to shake so long as John Fox and Marty Hurney are still here. If we had brought in new people in the front office, I might be thinking that this roster has a chance at being great in spots. With the same old guys running the show, I have no expectations that we're going to be anything but our same old mediocre selves this season. I do hope I'm wrong though.

Well, you certainly can't say that they're doing the same old thing this year, not with all the cuts. So there's change in the air...

[Jangler]

Did you hear about Baltimore before this morning? It was always Minnesota and Washington.

[Sam Mills Fan]

He's an older guy with a fat contract who was trying to make the team ran by a guy intent on recreating USC in the NFL.

[CLTPanther]

I don't know why he bothered to sign with Baltimore when this guy is throwing the ball back there.

[Sam Mills Fan]

Did you hear about Baltimore before this morning? It was always Minnesota and Washington.

No that's a good point.

However, Darin Gantt flat-out *denied* it which is different from just saying he didn't know.