"Right now I'd take Mike Mitchell over Mike Minter" -Steve Smith

[Lemory]

Watching Mike and Steve pump one another up on the sidelines you can tell that those guys are buddies and feed of each others emotion.

[Brandon]

How long is he signed for?

 

He has a one-year contract but I can't imagine we let him walk.

[KSpan]

I agree completely. Minter played smarter but Mitchell has something special. Just curious has anyone noticed Mitchell's closing speed. It is unreal. He makes up for some of the lapses on our young defense. In my opinion, that has been one of the biggest differences. His athleticism is underrated. I am sure he will be one of the players Gettleman attempts to re-sign.

 

And he's a fantastic open-field tackler.  That seems to be rather uncommon in today's NFL. 

[Herbert The Love Bug]

Seems a lot of you have forgotten how good minter was

Sent from my SCH-I545 using CarolinaHuddle mobile app

[KJ89]

He's a keeper. Probably my next jersey.

[CatMan72]

I love Minter, but based on what I've seen so far I would take Mitchell over him too... Mitchell isn't getting nearly enough credit for changing the attitude of our defense, we have a mean streak now that has been missing for a long time. Say what you want, but opponents are intimidated by a guy like Mitchell who brings the hammer down several times a game.

 

Ask Vernon Davis what it's like to be tackled by Mitchell... 

[frash.exe]

He's a keeper. Probably my next jersey.

"Oh hai" - Mike Mitchell

[Huell]

Seems a lot of you have forgotten how good minter was

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Definitely not....

[csx]

Smith said he would take Mitchell right now because it's who he's got right now. 

 

It wouldn't take a ton to be equal to or better than Minter. We've not been blessed with great safeties over the years.

[stankowalski]

Not sure I'd take him over Minter.  Minter was the best safety we've ever had.  Mitchell is more explosive, no doubt and probably a bit more physical but Minter was no slouch and I think he was a bit better in coverage.

[the butch]

A current player praising another current player.  Not saying he doesn't believe it, but what else is he supposed to say?

 

FWIW, I agree.  Mitchell needs to play smarter, though.

[L-TownCat]

Smitty said he would take Mike Mitchell because that's who we have now, and you can't compare seasons that far apart; he acknowledged that he was a much different player and a person back then, so his perspective of the team would have been different.  He also said that as good as the 2003 defense was, it wasn't quite the best because they came up short that year.

 

In no way was it a knock on Minter, at least not how I heard it.

 

This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

The quote from OP is taken waaaaay out of context.  The question was asked of Smitty to compare the two defenses and as Smitty's example he chose to say he would take Mike Mitchell over Mike Minter because of who they are at this moment in time.  Not ground breaking to take the stud in the league vs the retired former player.  No disrespect was ever the intention.  I'm sure at the time(03) Smitty would take the veteran leader(Minter) over the kid still playing in high school(Mitchell).

[DecrypticShadow]

Mitchell has a lot to prove still to be held in the same breath as Mike Minter. He was and will forever will be a Carolina Panthers legend..

 

He's a keeper. Probably my next jersey.

 

stealing this as my new sig... been waiting for this gif.. wish i knew how to capture my own.. 

[cavic7585]

I love the attitude that Mitchell has brung to this team but Minter was awesome.  I dont know if Mitchell was a harder hitter than Minter, I remember Minter destroying players of all positions in the secondary. I mean he was up there with John Lynch in hittting ability.