Bell and Keiser shine as undrafted free agent rookies for the Panthers

[KillerKat]

bell was 47th in the league at pass protection....47th

[Fiz]

bell was 47th in the league at pass protection....47th

Uh he's going to improve substantially into the high thirties thanks.

[rainwater]

I think this love is all because he went undrafted. If he was drafted and performed like he did, everyone on this board would want him cut. But people love the under dog story.

[KillerKat]

I think this love is all because he went undrafted. If he was drafted and performed like he did, everyone on this board would want him cut. But people love the under dog story.

That's the problem with a lot of posters

What happens when you have a couple of injury plagued years is that you see what your backups are capable of. And we have plenty of solid backups. But that is just what they are...backups. You got to remember what they are and that we can't keep all of them.

What a lot of people are forgetting is that this team needs STARTERS at certain postitions. We need them at DT (Edwards is old and big so basically he's half a starter), WLB (Davis can't be dependable), CB (Munnerlyn sucks), FS (Martin sucks), RT (Otah can't be dependable). Yes we have capable backups behind these guys. But we shouldn't rely on them to be full season starters...again.

[frash.exe]

seriously with how much the huddle poos on bell i assumed he gave up a lot more than 4 sacks

now i don't know how many pressures and knockdowns he was responsible for (sacks don't tell the whole story) but 4 sacks allowed is pretty remarkable for an undrafted rookie who started 12 games regardless of how the offseason was

ok so today i found pff link on here that said he allowed 7 sacks and ranked bottom 20 in OT rankings, sooo it wasn't that impressive after all

[panthers55]

ok so today i found pff link on here that said he allowed 7 sacks and ranked bottom 20 in OT rankings, sooo it wasn't that impressive after all

I don't think anyone thinks that he played well last year. What I and others have said was that given the circumstances and the fact he was a rookie, he showed promise and could figure into the mix this year.

I think that Otah will be given the chance to start this year. Given we have already invested a first rounder in the RT position I would be surprised if we devote a first or second rounder this year into the position again. So it really comes down to whether we use the guys who are slated as his backup to come in to start if Otah fails, bring in a FA, or draft one or more guys at RT. Th question for me is whether we are looking for an immediate replacement or one down the road. I doubt a draft pick outside of the first or second round makes an impact this year so if we are looking for a guy to start if Otah doesn't, do we go FA, high draft pick, or use what we have?

I think we will draft a guy in the middle rounds, and go with what we have. Will it work? Time will tell.

[DaveThePanther2008]

WE should fire Hurney and every one in the entire war room. Bring this forum in and let them make the decisions. Hell after all no one knows more than this forum about what needs to happen.

Truth is, our offense was top 10 in both rushing and passing. For all bad Bell did he must have been doing something right.

I never claimed him to be a Pro Bowler. I think for the position we got him for was OUTSTANDING. I think with a complete offseason Bell will be better in 2012. I might be wrong but unless Mr. I cannot stay on the field OTAH get miraclously healthy. BELL will be the #1 RT going into OTAs/

[csx]

If Bell had been drafted then everyone would think he sucks. Neat story and hope it works out for him but you should all be hoping that Otah or Schwartz can come back healthy.

[DaveThePanther2008]

If Bell had been drafted then everyone would think he sucks. Neat story and hope it works out for him but you should all be hoping that Otah or Schwartz can come back healthy.

I hope we cut Otah. He has played less than 1/2 of time he has been here. Secondly I think he is a big P,

You can claim superstar on Schwartz but he is a injury list regular as well. Bell might not be as good but at least you can count on him being ready to play.

[csx]

I hope we cut Otah. He has played less than 1/2 of time he has been here. Secondly I think he is a big P,

You can claim superstar on Schwartz but he is a injury list regular as well. Bell might not be as good but at least you can count on him being ready to play.

You should call Otah that to his face. Really you should. I didn't claim superstar, I just think he's better than Bell at this point. Bell needs to improve greatly or he needs to be upgrade. It's that simple.

I think for the position we got him for was OUTSTANDING.

That would be fantastic if the game was handicapped based upon how players were acquired.

[carolinarolls]

Both played very well for UFA rooks IMO. Cannot beat live fire experience or guys with something to prove. These type guys believe there is still a story to tell and its possible we have only seen the first chapters from each. If, however they end up being career backups, we are better than most from both salary cap and "want-to" factors.

[panthers55]

If Bell had been drafted then everyone would think he sucks. Neat story and hope it works out for him but you should all be hoping that Otah or Schwartz can come back healthy.

Of course we all hope that Otah and Schwartz come back healthy. And you are right, if Bell had been drafted in the first 2 rounds, expectations would have been much higher. But that doesn't take away from the fact he was thrust into a starting role merely weeks after finding out he was even going to make the team. He had no offseason or prep and had no time to develop chemistry with the other guys which everyone I have heard is considered vital to playing as a unit. Most players make their biggest improvement between year 1 and 2. I hope that is the case with Bell. I am just not sure I would want to invest more into that position until I know Otah is unwilling to come back and play.

Truth is that you can't have first and second rounders at every position. You need guys like a Bell or Schwartz to step up and overachieve.

Why the negative for a guy who did his very best in a tough situation. I would think you would want Bell to have a great year and really improve over last year.

[carolinarolls]

Of course we all hope that Otah and Schwartz come back healthy. And you are right, if Bell had been drafted in the first 2 rounds, expectations would have been much higher. But that doesn't take away from the fact he was thrust into a starting role merely weeks after finding out he was even going to make the team. He had no offseason or prep and had no time to develop chemistry with the other guys which everyone I have heard is considered vital to playing as a unit. Most players make their biggest improvement between year 1 and 2. I hope that is the case with Bell. I am just not sure I would want to invest more into that position until I know Otah is unwilling to come back and play.

Truth is that you can't have first and second rounders at every position. You need guys like a Bell or Schwartz to step up and overachieve.

Why the negative for a guy who did his very best in a tough situation. I would think you would want Bell to have a great year and really improve over last year.

QFT

Blue Chip playmakers get the press, but guys like this who potentially have what it takes to fill in at a higher level than that of their counterparts are huge IMO. Can they push a Division Cahamp over the top to the Lomardi, yes. They can also be the difference that gets a building team over the hump and back into the playoffs. Either way these types are a positive and they give a franchise the ability to focus the build in other areas.

[bigdog10]

One of the best things about the 2011 season was guys like these two got a chance to see a ton of minutes. This is how a good team builds depth.