There are plenty of good things to consider

[davos]

Many people are down in the dumps about this season, but I think there are a few things to consider that concern the potential beyond this year in the not so distant future...but first, let's look to the past

In 2001:

-We had drafted a Rookie QB that people were constantly unsure about that played pretty damn bad, a young black QB never used, and a crappy non-starter named Matt Lytle (easily one of the worst QB situations in the league that year)

-We had drafted a new D-lineman, Wide Receiver, Safety and Linebacker that showed sparks, but we were still unsure of them somewhat...but knew there was plenty of potential

-The rest of the draft was pretty blah

-We had old veterans still starting with the likes of Wesley Walls, Kevin Donnally, Buckner, Sean Gilbert, Todd Steussie (god I hated him) & Doug Evans who as a group didn't have many years left

-Mike Minter, Moose, & Muhammad were still relatively young and showed signs of a core for the team

-We still fought hard in games with a coach that was a deaf mute zombie about 7 years away from his Super Bowl run on the sidelines

-We all pretty much knew we were getting a new coach the following season by the mid-way point, or maybe sooner

Now, consider this:

-Our players are still showing fight week in and week out

-That QB Weinke was a bust, but we found studs in Steve Smith (especially), Dan Morgan (only when healthy), Kris Jenkins, & Deon Grant

-Gettis, LaFell, Hardy, Goodson, and even players like Pugh have all showed sparks at some point this year. Play has been inconsistent, but the team is in a state of flux so its expected. There is plenty of potential with this group.

-Clausen may be a bust, we may not know yet, but so what? There's plenty of other opportunities in the coming year to grab new potentially starting quality QBs. This time, it may be taking a risk at another young QB rather than going into a Peete/Delhomme situation

-John Fox is 7 years removed from our Super Bowl run

-We are younger and have a bigger core in my opinion than 2001 who have shown tons more potential with a group that has a lot of years left and can only get better beyond this craptastic season

-We know we'll have a new coach with a new attitude next season (If there is one)

Now I know 2001 comparisons are somewhat abundant here but lighten up, its almost near the end of the season. Root for the team, remain sane, and know being great isn't that far away especially with the parody of the NFL

This thread was to simply lighten the mood up in this joint. peace.

[PhillyB]

so superbowl in 2012?

[davos]

...

[The Saltman]

son of a beach

[MHS831]

so superbowl in 2012?

Go ahead an make reservations. I recomment Jerry Jones' agent. Seriously, we are not far from being good. We just suck where you can't hide it.

[Mr. Scot]

The roster overall isn't in thatbad a shape.

A normal offseason's turnover could put us back in contention.

[panthers55]

Funny no one mentions Charles Johnson as one of the stars this year. He is on pace for double digit sacks based on his last 4 games and has 50 tackles to boot. He is 1.5 sacks behind the leaders in sack among DEs, a half sack better than Peppers and only 1/2 sack behind guys like Suh and Freeney who get all the press.

[Delhommey]

QB:

Luck. FA Vet. Done.

WR:

We've actually got our #2, # 3 and # 4 on the roster. If we don't get Luck, get Green. If we don't get Green get one of the 12 FA #1's up for grabs next year.

O Line:

Get a quality RT and kick Otah inside. Use current RG's for the 4-6 games Otah does not play.

OR

Kick Gross to the Right, Otah inside and pick up a quality LT out of FA. Easier said than done.

RB:

Clearly an area of high need.

D Line:

A pass rushing DT is all that's needed. We'd have to look for a good FA or a Lewis like reclamation project. I think we throw bodies at it till we can grab someone with our first in 2012. A pass rush specialist DE would help too, but Hardy could develop into that role.

CB:

We've got our replacements. Only depth is needed. Unless we change out of the Tampa 2, not an area of major concern.

S:

Godfrey will develop into a "no worse than Chris Harris" player, but Pugh is a likely replacement in a Tampa 2 with Godfrey coming into running situations. He may end up being a utility player to fill in at any DB spot.

LB:

Seems fine to me.

None of this is more than 2 good drafts away, especially with our team being so young.

[Jangler]

Funny no one mentions Charles Johnson as one of the stars this year. He is on pace for double digit sacks based on his last 4 games and has 50 tackles to boot. He is 1.5 sacks behind the leaders in sack among DEs, a half sack better than Peppers and only 1/2 sack behind guys like Suh and Freeney who get all the press.

did that take 10 or 15 seconds to find out?

[davos]

Funny no one mentions Charles Johnson as one of the stars this year. He is on pace for double digit sacks based on his last 4 games and has 50 tackles to boot. He is 1.5 sacks behind the leaders in sack among DEs, a half sack better than Peppers and only 1/2 sack behind guys like Suh and Freeney who get all the press.

We've mentioned him. There was a good conversation not to long ago (forgot what thread) where pretty much everyone agreed he's part of our core

[Jackofalltrades]

so superbowl in 2012?

World will be gone by then.

[Seal (SmittyIsOurSavior)]

When I tell people that we will be a playoff team come 2012/2013, they always say no way. To back it up, I use situations like us.

Kansas City Chiefs - The were a young team the last couple of seasons. As the squad got older and they got a new coach, well, you can probably see what happened.

Tampa Bay Bucs - Basically the same deal as the Chiefs.

There teams went from rags to riches in a season. I believe our fate will turn out the same in the near future.

[Cat'sGrowl]

Don't you guys know?

It takes 5+ years to build a decent team.

[SorthNarolina]

The entire defense is very good for the situations they are in.

With a horrible offense and terrible interior run defense it's a wonder they've stayed competitive and maintained a decent ranking this year.

We need a blue chip DT, an NT, and a DT/DE all of good quality. That will make the defense elite. Good interior pressure and lock down the run defense. They can't get to the outside so the D would be epic. I can't imagine how much better the secondary would look with a good D-line.

On offense it's just QB and O-line depth. Draft a RT that can play RG when Otah is not injured or a RG that can play RT when he is.

We need a true beast at RG. Run game would be unstoppable.