Lets be realistic for a moment

[Carolina Fan]

I can't stand losing more then the next person, But lets all be honest before the season started during preseason on the prediction thread almost everyone expected a 5-7 win season with hopes of a 10+ win season.

With everything that has happened this year, 5 or 6 on IR new coaches new coaching schemes new players i think we are on par of what our expectation were.

Steve smith is having a career year and that's so nice to see

Offense is clicking, we have a new franchise QB

Gamble is back we have a pretty decent d-line we just need more depth considering injurys they have played up to par.

all things considered 1 more off-season i think we are done with the rebuilding stage and it went faster then expected, we have accomplished alot this year, next year im betting we get some sunday night games maybe even a monday night game, not saying this year is over and look in the future, it's not that bad of a year.

TL;DR: not having the best year, but better then expected imo.

[Hotsauce]

Truth

[Cyberjag]

Nanee starting. Poor clock management. Poor halftime adjustments. Horrid special teams. That's all real, and it's all cause for concern. Losing with promise to get better is one thing, we're looking incompetent in some areas that will cause problems no matter how much talent we field.

[CatMan72]

Thing is, Cam has changed the expectations... nobody had any idea he would be this good. Having a QB play this well just makes our weaknesses even more glaring.

[Carolina Fan]

Thing is, Cam has changed the expectations... nobody had any idea he would be this good. Having a QB play this well just makes our weaknesses even more glaring.

I think thats a bittersweet thing.

[Jesse]

Hey, at least we didn't lose to St. Louis.

[Wither]

LB play and a few DB issues along with a sometimes problematic running game is basically the only problems we had this past game. Also an issue with kicking apparently.

[Carolina Fan]

LB play and a few DB issues along with a sometimes problematic running game is basically the only problems we had this past game. Also an issue with kicking apparently.

now theres no reason for our LBs to play this badly considering we had one of the better LB core the last couple of years and it is the NFL, but considering injurys they do earn a little bit of sympathy, and our running game isn't even close to what it used to be... but we do have a new philosophy i think with time will be fine.

[the butch]

The big complaints are not that we should have been winning from the beginning. Everyone expected exactly what you posted. The outrage stems from us being in every game and blowing it. We should be winning these games.

[Pantherball]

Let's be realistic followed by *a bunch of comments that continue to dodge the real issue*

Realistic? There are only 2 main issues:

1. Our offense chokes and can't score points to win close games in the 4th quarter.

2. Our offense turns over the ball too much, giving our opponents easy points, and puts themselves in that position.

[Carolina Fan]

Let's be realistic followed by *a bunch of comments that continue to dodge the real issue*

Realistic? There are only 2 main issues:

1. Our offense chokes and can't score points to win close games in the 4th quarter.

2. Our offense turns over the ball too much, giving our opponents easy points, and puts themselves in that position.

You can't pin blame on only the offense or the defense or the special teams, I mean the steelers have a leagues worst -9 Turnover ratio, yet they are one of the better teams this year.

but there is no excuse for our redzone offense and turnovers, but in every single game this year you can blame it on 1 bad call, 1 missed FG, 1 blown coverage, 1 punt return

i can understand the frustration in these losses as every single one of them could have been wins and it makes me sick knowing that, but i can't place blame on any one thing.

[Sword]

realistically i thought our team turned a corner in the 2nd half of redskins game but as a whole we just fell back many steps today in the 2nd half of this one. I'm not really sure how the bye is going to effect our team. Will they take a step back and find what's been missing, or will this lose and the rest of them finally get to them now that they can't look to the next game to forget past losses.

[Pantherball]

You know what pisses me off...when people say "what did you expect?"

Not all of us were cool with the idea of going into rebuilding last year. I didn't even know we would be doing that. I expected us to win last year too like other teams who also go through re-building, but in less drastic ways.

Not all of us were cool with the idea of drafting yet another rookie QB(Personally, I wanted AJ and didn't believe a rookie QB was going to get us wins, nor was it smart when we just wasted 2 pics the year before on rookie QB's. I didn't even want Luck if he came out...I wanted a trade for picks).

Not all of us believed in this franchise's ideology of building through the draft and refusal to go for vets. I didn't want Fox anymore, but I sure as hell agree with his belief in the importance of experience and veterans in the NFL.

So NO! I DID NOT expect to lose like this in 2011. I did not expect nor want another year like 2010. I NEVER expected 2010 to begin with. I believe this franchise has made a grave mistake in the way it's doing things, and has taken a hopeful team and because of ONE blown playoff game under one QB's/Coach's mistake has freaking stripped its guts and I don't see the end in sight.

So please stop telling me to be ok with losing. I was NEVER on board with rebuilding and losing for years until we get there. NEVER.

And if it takes 3 years to get back there...what the hell does that mean anyway? Doesn't that just mean we're waiting for our rookies to become vets? We gonna cut them loose at that point too?

So no, I do not subscribe to the ideology of having to suffer through these shitty seasons and losses in order to make the playoffs at some point in the future! I have been 100% against this mentality and I hate it that it's infected this forum. We're no closer in 2011 to having a consistently winning team than we were in 2009. If you ask me we're further away.

[BBQ&Beer]

You know what pisses me off...when people say "what did you expect?"

Not all of us were cool with the idea of going into rebuilding last year. I didn't even know we would be doing that. I expected us to win last year too like other teams who also go through re-building, but in less drastic ways.

Not all of us were cool with the idea of drafting yet another rookie QB(Personally, I wanted AJ and didn't believe a rookie QB was going to get us wins, nor was it smart when we just wasted 2 pics the year before on rookie QB's. I didn't even want Luck if he came out...I wanted a trade for picks).

Not all of us believed in this franchise's ideology of building through the draft and refusal to go for vets. I didn't want Fox anymore, but I sure as hell agree with his belief in the importance of experience and veterans in the NFL.

So NO! I DID NOT expect to lose like this in 2011. I did not expect nor want another year like 2010. I NEVER expected 2010 to begin with. I believe this franchise has made a grave mistake in the way it's doing things, and has taken a hopeful team and because of ONE blown playoff game under one QB's/Coach's mistake has freaking stripped its guts and I don't see the end in sight.

So please stop telling me to be ok with losing. I was NEVER on board with rebuilding and losing for years until we get there. NEVER.

And if it takes 3 years to get back there...what the hell does that mean anyway? Doesn't that just mean we're waiting for our rookies to become vets? We gonna cut them loose at that point too?

So no, I do not subscribe to the ideology of having to suffer through these pooty seasons and losses in order to make the playoffs at some point in the future! I have been 100% against this mentality and I hate it that it's infected this forum. We're no closer in 2011 to having a consistently winning team than we were in 2009. If you ask me we're further away.

So you're mad we drafted Cam instead of Green because Green would've taken us on game on game winning drives in all of our losses.