Do you think the new GM signing will get this franchise beyond 2nd place?

[frash.exe]

Gonna quote this to post after their annual one and done.

Keep talking poo about how playoff teams manage their roster while the panthers sit at home for the fourth year in a row

[rayzor]

Yes keep making the thread about me so you don't have to think of an argument for spending big in free agency.

you just made a big argument for it yourself.

the two best seasons we've had were when we were biggest in FA.

that was THE best recipe for success we've had, but somehow it proved that it's not a good strategy?

not following that at all.

[Mage]

That's 4 players. You think all we need is four good players to succeed? LOL

Maybe if you actually read what I'm saying and weren't so caught up in trying to be cool for your CarolinaHuddle pals by spouting off childish insults, you'd know my point in naming those players was to merely point out we have a foundation to be successful. Of course we have more than those 4 players (Kalil, Stewart, LaFell, Olsen, potentially Alexander, Godfrey albeit inconsistent, our corners looked real solid this year at times). But those 4 players happen to play impact positions and happen to be damn good in Kuechly, Hardy, Johnson, and Cam. So you build around those guys. You build around the foundation.

[Mr. Scot]

Now I'll answer the question.

Yes :D

[Mage]

And nobody, at least I'm not, is saying that you shouldn't utilize free agency. You should.

But you should not rely on big name free agency guys to improve your team. It doesn't work that way. You build through the draft. Free agency is to help fill your holes or if you are a team that is great but needs that one piece to complete your squad (ala 90s Packers with Reggie White). But if you are a bad team, spending $50 on free agent Mario Williams is not a good idea.

Bringing in a guy like Alan Branch is a great move. He'll likely be cheap and will give us the bang for the buck. But that is a lot different than spending a lot on (hypothetically speaking) say a guy like Mario Williams if he was in FA (and assuming we didn't have Johnson/Hardy) because sure, while he is good, it is not really worth it and he's not even that good where he's going to improve our team by much.

[frash.exe]

Hey Mage Godfrey sucks, LaFell is still inconsistent and Alexander hasn't arrived yet so let's not just pen him in yet

[frash.exe]

And nobody, at least I'm not, is saying that you shouldn't utilize free agency. You should.

But you should not rely on big name free agency guys to improve your team. It doesn't work that way. You build through the draft. Free agency is to help fill your holes or if you are a team that is great but needs that one piece to complete your squad (ala 90s Packers with Reggie White). But if you are a bad team, spending $50 on free agent Mario Williams is not a good idea.

Every single team builds a significant portion of their roster through the draft, and many good teams have signed free agents over the years that didn't break the bank. The panthers barely sign anybody worth mention, at least since they've been losing.

[Chimera]

you just made a big argument for it yourself.

the two best seasons we've had were when we were biggest in FA.

that was THE best recipe for success we've had, but somehow it proved that it's not a good strategy?

not following that at all.

After 1996, what happened? Cap hell. 4-12 in 1998. That big spending set us back years in building a team that could win consistently

2003 was a little different. No one expected a nobody like Delhomme to make an impact. Or a washed up Stephen Davis. Or Rickey Proehl. They weren't exactly big names. They filled holes and turned out to be great.

The same with Brees and Warner - the conventional wisdom was that they were done.

[Mage]

Hey Mage Godfrey sucks, LaFell is still inconsistent and Alexander hasn't arrived yet so let's not just pen him in yet

I never did. I even added by Alexander that it is merely for the potential he showed.

[Mage]

Every single team builds a significant portion of their roster through the draft, and many good teams have signed free agents over the years that didn't break the bank. The panthers barely sign anybody worth mention, at least since they've been losing.

A significant portion? Uhh, no they don't.

Just looking at Greenbay, only TWO of their starters were not drafted. Those two being Charles Woodson (signed in like 2005) and Erik Walden, who is not good.

The only major players starting for the Ravens from another team are Pollard and Boldin. Otherwise most of their team was from their draft. Only 1 non-drafted player from the Steelers starts for them.

Now, with that out of the way and your significant portion junk being proven false, will you actually take the time to read what I'm saying now? I'm not saying don't sign FAs. I never said that. Yes, a team should utilize free agency. My point is to not RELY on free agency. Do not use free agency as a tool to single handedly improve your team. It doesn't work that way. If you are not a very good team, do not go out and sign a big name guy in FA like Bills, Redskins, Raiders, Eagles, etc. have done and expect it'll immediately improve your team. All I've said is to build through the draft and use FA to help build up depth and to fill holes ala the signing of Dwan Edwards. Which is exactly what those teams do. Which is the method I prefer. That's all I've said. I don't even see how we really disagree but alas. I'm merely saying that this team shouldn't just go out and sign any top name free agency for the sake of it (like how last year people were begging for us to sign Vincent Jackson - and as great as he was for TB, would he really have made that much of a difference to our season with Chud's incompetence early on? - we'd have then broke the bank for a player who still wouldn't have helped us to the postseason). That is my point. That is all I've said.

[frash.exe]

I don't think you read that right

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

Absolutely not, this team is destined to suck forever. We have shitty players in Johnson, Hardy, Luke, TD, Cam, Olsen, Smith, etc... Nope we will never be good. No use even discussing it.