Source: Panthers leaning to stick w/Clausen & pick Dareus

[chef17]

I've been checking this site out the past few weeks and I am very curious. When Carolina draft Cam Newton(because when it is said and done he will be the quarterback of the Panthers next season. Sorry Mr. Scot, Madhatter, etc.), are you Anti-Cam gentlemen going to root for him or hope he fails so you can be right? Once this draft process is over, will you put your beliefs aside and embrace him as part of the Panther family? Because quite frankly I think it will divide the fan base.

Much like Deshaun Foster and Deangelo did. He should start, no he should start. Much like Deangelo & J-Stew did for a minute. I don't have to mention any names but there is a certain individual who hates for Deangelo Williams to do well, because he loves Jonathan Stewart so much. You couldn't be a fan of a certain player without your fellow panther fan swooping in and demeaning that player to build his favorite player up. Well DeAngelo did well, but Stewart needs touches, or vice versa. the whole thing is just stupid, and I'll be damned it is going to rear it's ugly head again when Cam Newton comes to town.

The kid won't have a chance with some fans, and that is unfortunate. You have some lame talking about making anti-newton shirts??? Why??? It is great to have fun and debate who the Panthers should pick, but some of you guys attitude or negativity in regards to Cam Newton is absolutely pitiful!!! Some of you rather have the worst starting qb this franchise have ever seen back as a starter rather than Cam Newton be part of this team. Many of you have never seen Blaine Gabbert play in your life, but at the same time your positive he is the right choice because some scout or talking head told you he is more fluid in his drop. So is Alex Smith, so was Tim Couch...

Have you all thought and wondered why Gabbert held his pro day indoors, when it was reported that the wind was gusty in Columbia the day of his pro-day? Have you all thought to yourself why would Mel Kiper call Cam Newton a one year wonder, and Jimmy Clausen never had consecutive good seasons at Notre Dame. He was HORRIBLE his freshman and sophmore years. Speaking of Jimmy Clausen I want you all to watch this

, and tell me what does his high school footage have in common with his professional footage...

When it is all said and done we all are Panther fans, and we want this team to do well and be amongst the elite. I hope when the real #2 get in town people will stand behind him and not against him. Get your black home Cam Newton jersey Mr. Scot. I can't wait to see that avatar with you sporting it and smiling from ear to ear.

Just curious, are you a professional psychic?

[Cyberjag]

The extreme emotions in this thread are palpable...

None of our QBs are as bad as they showed last year. You can think that Moore turned into a turnover machine if you want, and that Clausen is as bad as he looked and will never get any better, and that Pike is incapable of gaining weight all you want, but it's not so. Last year we had a lot of organizational problems that went well beyond one position, and the wheels just fell off. QB is the most visible position on offense, and a lot of people act like we would have been just fine with an average guy back there.

Clausen will probably improve a lot in his second year. And he can play the Coryell (if you still insist he's a WCO, please please please do a 30 second search on Youtube and watch his deep balls first?). Moore has developed a fairly nice deep ball, and should be healed by the time Training Camp breaks. And Pike is probably still a little weak, but he was supposed to be this guy with all the intangibles you ever wanted coming out of college.

I'm not saying that all three of those guys are capable of being great, or even good. But we don't need them all to be--we just need one. And the chances are fair to good that an off-season of study, working out, and learning from what happened in 2010 will actually be good for one of them. Toss a veteran backup into the mix, and you'll probably be pretty happy with what comes out of camp at that position.

Even if we do take Newton or Gabbert or Mallett, they're still going to have to adjust to the speed of the game, and learn to play under center, and learn an entirely new playbook. Our current guys just have to do the latter, and each one is probably studying it now.

So if this latest rumor is true, step off the ledge. We've got a new OC, who has actually had some success at the position before (unlike Davidson). We have a new QB Coach, who's helped a couple of 'meh' prospects play pretty well (Fiedler and Garrard). We will hopefully have Geoff Otah back, who should combine with Schwartz to give us a monster right side to run behind. Williams will be back. LaFell and Gettis will have had a year. We have a Tight End who's a genuine receiving threat. And we have coaches who will be highly interested in molding the offense into a cohesive unit that's built to get better and better over time.

I don't think we're suddenly going to have an offense that's feared throughout the league. But I don't see another 32nd ranked unit, no matter which of our current QBs gets the start.

[CRA]

See this is bad judgment. If you think we had the 8th best defense last year, you are sadly mistaken.

we had the easily the worst passing offense in the NFL.

overall, we had a decent D that put us in the position to win some games.

[teeray]

Cyber are you talking anout the latest rumor from the draft guy on twitter or John Clayton's rumor?

[Cyberjag]

Cyber are you talking anout the latest rumor from the draft guy on twitter or John Clayton's rumor?

Does it matter? People take this stuff to the extreme too much, none of our guys is as bad or as good as people like to say they are. :)

[Peppers90 NC]

nah man with Cam we'd go from the 32nd ranked offense to the 28th ranked offense

but don't worry, we'll be the Clippers of the NFL. We'll have a top 10 play every week on sportscenter but in the end will be terrible

draft 101: don't reach on a bad player because you're desperate. a bad pick at #1 overall could set the franchise back years.

Good analogy. I just can't see how some people are so convinced Cam would be the savior to our team. He is not the best player in the draft(yet), and I'm not sure what people see in him to make him think he is. I'm not a scout of any means, so i wont pretend to be and I wouldnt be disappointed if he or another QB is selected, but from the eye test, there are more holes in this team than just at the QB position, and I do trust my eyes.

Anyone who thinks our defense doesnt need help, is no different than the talking heads making suggestions for teams they dont really know about, using stat sheets alone.

[prowler2k8]

did you watch clausen play at ND? every pass he threw was a screen, quick slant, or a prayer thrown up for his receivers to come down with. he did not "stretch the field" in the slightest. he hardly ever threw past 10 yards...

I have to disagree with you on this, McNasty. Granted, I didn't watch too many ND games when Clausen was playing; however, the highlights of Clausen's games on youtube tell a different story. If you look some of the highlights during his last year or two before turning pro, Clausen actually showed a good arm for getting the ball downfield to his WRs and TEs. He also showed decent mobility in the pocket and made plays on the run. Of course, comparing college to pros is apples to oranges, but you get my point.

As was stated earlier, I'm willing to wait and see what a fresh start with a new coaching regime and offensive strategy will do for his game. IMO the kid has been given a fair chance by us fans. True, he looked terrible in his first year here, but so did the rest of our team. Fox utter failure to develop young players, a subpar OL, and inconsistent running/passing game can make even a vet QB look bad, let alone a rookie that was ill-prepared to handle the starting role. Clausen obviously has the tools and talent to be successful; let's see what he can do under a coaching staff motivated to win consistenly before we throw dirt on his career.

[micnificent28]

Good analogy. I just can't see how some people are so convinced Cam would be the savior to our team. He is not the best player in the draft(yet), and I'm not sure what people see in him to make him think he is. I'm not a scout of any means, so i wont pretend to be and I wouldnt be disappointed if he or another QB is selected, but from the eye test, there are more holes in this team than just at the QB position, and I do trust my eyes.

Anyone who thinks our defense doesnt need help, is no different than the talking heads making suggestions for teams they dont really know about, using stat sheets alone.

And anyone who thinks the defense needs as much help as the offense is just lying to themself.

[Cyberjag]

we had the easily the worst passing offense in the NFL.

overall, we had a decent D that put us in the position to win some games.

New Orleans, at New Orleans. Defense gives up a late field goal, we lose by two.

Browns, at Cleveland. Defense gives up a late field goal, we lose by one.

Over the second half of the season, in our losses we give up 34, 31, 37, 31, 31, 27, 31.

I'm wondering if you realized you were on a Panthers forum when you typed that.

[Peppers90 NC]

And anyone who thinks the defense needs as much help as the offense is just lying to themself.

and anyone who thinks there is an offensive player in this draft that can make a difference is just reaching.

[teeray]

Does it matter? People take this stuff to the extreme too much, none of our guys is as bad or as good as people like to say they are. :)

Exactly my point :iagree:

[micnificent28]

New Orleans, at New Orleans. Defense gives up a late field goal, we lose by two.

Browns, at Cleveland. Defense gives up a late field goal, we lose by one.

Over the second half of the season, in our losses we give up 34, 31, 37, 31, 31, 27, 31.

I'm wondering if you realized you were on a Panthers forum when you typed that.

That's only half the story... how many points did the offense put up in those games? how many 3 and outs were there? half of those high scoring games could be attributed to the fact that,the defense stayed on the field the majority of the game.

[tjmurray]

Just curious, are you a professional psychic?

Nope, not at all. I am just a brotha who has common sense. Every team in our division have a great qb;we have arguably the worst one in the league; Hurney said the qb position was the biggest priority; Cam Newton is the most gifted one in the draft; Ron Ron loves him;he fits Chud's style; again, we have arguably the worst qb in the league;defense wasn't the problem last year; the offense was, because, we had the worst qb in the league; multiple members of the organization was at his pro day; he has a meeting with the OWNER... I am just connecting the dots and reading the signs. Sometimes things aren't as difficult as you make it out to be. Sometimes it is as easy as 1 2 3.

[micnificent28]

and anyone who thinks there is an offensive player in this draft that can make a difference is just reaching.

So you know how bad or how good all offensive players are in this draft? are you a mind reader? what about the who offensive class seems to be a fail in your mind?