If you were tasked with fixing this team what would be your approach?

[PantherTrain84]

82-59.

Oh, my mistake

[davos]

or:

Gus Bradley?

One thing I do know: If there was a defense I'd prefer us to be like in the league it'd be the type that's in Seattle. Love the scheme, use of talent, and overall tenacious play. Kam Chancellor is crazy good

[Rubi]

Rivera hasn't been here for 2 full seasons and its clear he's not head coach material. Watch us play and anyone would see why

New staff immediately.

Draft the meanest most athletic guys (not Armanti in the 3rd damn round)

Use free agency

Stop being pussies

[Swaggasaurus]

I would start by removing the option as our base O. Five option plays per game would be ok. I would consider a replacement for McDermott. Draft the best WR avail with our 1st. Best available FS in the 2nd. Sign Sammie Lee Hill to play DT, mid tier guy. We would make the playoffs with these changes.

[CardiacCats]

Fire Hurney and the entire coaching staff. For GM hire Marc Ross from the Giants and head coach either Tom Clements from the Packers or Perry Fewell from the Giants. Then, we have to get rid of the past and move on. Cut Steve Smith and DeAngelo Williams to free up cap space. Hell I'd be awfully tempted to trade Jon Beason if he doesn't start playing better, he's not serving much of a purpose right now. Williams is holding us back and we don't need Steve Smith yelling in Cam's ear anymore, you can tell it's had an affect on him this year. Last season he was great at spreading the ball around but that has been one of his biggest issues this year, he's locked in on Smith. We can find some stop-gap receivers in free agency or hell, possibly the draft you can find your number one in the first or second round. Make Cam learn to spread the ball around more again. And DeAngelo is holding Stewart back imo, I think Stewart can be a very effective 25+ carry a game guy if he can stay healthy. And go back to smash mouth, play action football. Build up a strong, mean offensive line. Then in the draft this year in the first take Star, Barkevious Mingo, Hankins, or Keenan Allen then in the second get a defensive back.

So I definitely would move on from Smith and Williams. Then like I said possibly trade Beason, he could net us a second or third round pick easy which we can use to fill a need because right now we really don't need him at linebacker. Our best core of guys right now is Davis-Kuechly-Anderson.

I know many of you are determined Smith is not one of our problems right now but there's no doubt in my mind that he is. He's dropped more passes than I've ever seen him this year and I just don't think he's been a positive influence in the locker room, I think he's rattled Cam some. So my dream scenario as of right now if I was GM, cut Smith and Williams and assuming Beason continues to play like he is trade him for a third round pick.

First round: Keenan Allen, WR, Cal

Second Round: Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington

Third Round: Bacarri Rambo, S, Georgia

New look Carolina Panthers:

QB: Cam Newton

RB: Jonathan Stewart

FB: Mike Tolbert

WR: Keenan Allen

WR: Brandon LaFell

TE: Greg Olsen

LT: Jordan Gross

LG: Amini Silatolu

C: Ryan Kalil

RG: Hangartner/mid-round draft pick

RT: Byron Bell

DE: Charles Johnson

DT: Dwan Edwards

DT: Ron Edwards

DE: Frank Alexander

OLB: Thomas Davis

MLB: Luke Kuechly

OLB: James Anderson

CB: Chris Gamble

FS: Bacarri Rambo

SS: Charles Godfrey

CB: Desmond Trufant

Still a lot of holes especially on the defensive line but I really like that. It's time to move on, damn I'd make a great GM. That secondary right now could be our secondary for the future pending on how you feel about Godfrey and the linebacker core is set. That's just me and this is just what I'd do if the season was over right now. Who knows? We could catch serious fire and still be a playoff team but I'm not counting on that happening.

[Marguide]

First, this assumes we do not see marked improvement over the 2nd half of the year. It's not too late for this coaching staff to get it together, but I honestly don't expect that to happen.

1) Clean house - Marty and the coaching staff are shown the door

2) Put together a search team to find the absolute best GM candidates out there, and don't let a few million dollars keep you from getting the best

3) Let the new GM hire the coaching staff. Again, no more flea market shopping. Find the best candidates and pay what it takes to get them. We piss away money on players all the time, and nothing is more important than good coaching.

4) Godfrey and DWill would both be cut at the beginning of the league year, using the allowance to cut 2 players early and call them post-June 1st cuts. We have to do it this way or the cap penalty is too severe. Even spreading it over two years, it would have a slight negative impact next year, but not enough to worry about. While it would not provide cap savings, we have to start getting the books in order There's just no alternative.

5) Try to trade Beason post June 1st. We might get a 4th if he is willing to re-do his deal for a new team. If he won't, I'd go ahead and cut him. He's a fine player when healthy, but he just isn't worth the cap hit.

6) Re-do the contracts of Gross and Gamble. We should be able to free up at least $8 million a year off these two. While not desirable to re-do Gross this late in his career, the reality is we still need him, although at a reduced cap number.

7) Look for secondary/wide receiver/offensive line help in the draft.

8) Fill in the other holes with a mid-level FA or two. That's all we will be able to afford next year. Sorry, but that's reality.

One final point...we have tended towards "player's coaches" in the past. While I'm not advocating someone like Schiano or Coughlin necessarily, I would like to see us target someone a bit more on the tough side. The team as it's constructed now lacks that toughness and killer instinct, and it seems to have become a culture within the organization as it's carried over from the late Fox years to the Rivera years. Some of it is a function of the type of players we target, but some is coaching as well.

[Mr. Burgundy]

Hire mind coach for cam

[thefuzz]

Hurney: Gone

Williams: Gone

Beason: Rework deal or Gone.

First and foremost, get bigger. O Line and D Line. We seem to be one of the smaller teams out there, may not be, but certainly seems that way.

Since we have Stew, who is a strong between the tackles runner, use him that way, and let him set up the play action.

Acquire a WR that works in this system. I preferred VJ over any RB extensions, but whatever.

We need help at CB, DT, DE, OT, G, S, and WR. Start addressing them and stop fuging around with "CORE" guys.

RB's and LB's don't win games in the NFL. You can find RB's on the scrap heap.

Hire the best QB coach money can buy. Don't know who this is, but if I had millions of $$$ I could certainly figure that out.

Cam is the franchise, get him some good blockers, and receiving options.

[chknwing]

[csx]

Find an adequate GM, a young guy with a real strategy that he sticks to

Focus on the offensive and defensive lines. When in doubt, draft a linemen.

Stop trading draft picks away on a regular basis, lean toward stockpiling them instead.

Determine what the teams identity is and draft and pick up free agents who fit that identity.....

Stop overpaying to keep average talent and never draft a running back in the first round ever again.

[SetfreexX]

I am very happy none of you run this team.

[h0llywood]

I know many of you are determined Smith is not one of our problems right now but there's no doubt in my mind that he is. He's dropped more passes than I've ever seen him this year and I just don't think he's been a positive influence in the locker room, I think he's rattled Cam some. So my dream scenario as of right now if I was GM, cut Smith and Williams and assuming Beason continues to play like he is trade him for a third round pick.

#89 has 3 dropped passes in 5 games. Maybe you're so used to him being sure handed but I wouldn't hit the freak out button and call for his departure. Fact of the matter is, when you get the ball into #89's hand, there is only a handful that can put up the numbers that he can. The problem is getting the ball into his hands.

Things that I would do different if I ran the team:

1) I formation with Stewart as the feature back. Mixing in Tolbert with the FB give.

2) More screen plays to Stewart (in short DWill is gone)

3) Use Olsen and Barnidge 10-15 targets per game.

4) Pilares and Armanti in the slot and run more 4-5 WR sets.

5) Let Cam throw the ball more than he currently does. Let him throw the ball 30+ times.

6) Get a physical/taller safety to offset Nakamura's lack of height and coverage.

7) Ban all fairweather and flip flopping fans from the stadium and revoke their PSL's and access to the games on TV.

[PhillyB]

lol @ anyone wanting wade phillips as HC. you think rivera looks clueless on the sideline?

[Marguide]

#89 has 3 dropped passes in 5 games. Maybe you're so used to him being sure handed but I wouldn't hit the freak out button and call for his departure. Fact of the matter is, when you get the ball into #89's hand, there is only a handful that can put up the numbers that he can. The problem is getting the ball into his hands.

The other factor working in Smitty's favor is his price tag. For what he gives us, he is relatively cheap. Smith is one of the few that have not taken advantage of Hurney's largess.

I was a bit shocked when his contract terms were announced after re-doing his deal last year. I expected him to want much more.