The worst article ever published by the Charlotte Observer

[philp]

This poo is worse than reading about jamarcus russell's come back.

[BANE]

my thoughts exactly!! In fact I'm willing to bet Cam more than anyone else would be DEVASTATED by the departure of Smith this offseason. Hardy already announced today that he felt losing him now would be a detriment to the team. & I'm sure the others would feel similarly.

That's because it would be a detriment. There's no one behind the guy and his leadership is invaluable at this point.

[heel31ok]

this song has been stuck in my head for weeks. so odd that u'd post it up here.

 

 

In other news that article sucks.  "what else does steve have to play for?"  Well maybe he you know... believes in this coach, GM, guys like Cam, Keuchly, TD, Hardy and thinks this team has a chance to win a ring.  A ring locks him for the hall of fame.

 

You can't tell me there isn't a spot for smith on this roster, especially with our receiving corps. maybe he has to take a nice paycut and DG has to play some hardball with steve. maybe steve gets a significantly reduced role.

 

There is definitely a way for both sides to come to a fair agreement.  Also as a fan I'd be absolutely crushed to see both Gross and Steve retire in the same offseason.

 No he doesn't have to take a pay cut.The pressure is on the Panthers not SS. it is cheaper to keep him even if it is at his current salary. 0What is the incentive for him to take a cut?  No, Steve is holding most of the cards in this deal.

[panthers55]

  that must be in a vacuum.Restructure still pays what he wants.

 Your whole leadership thing is ridiculous.Leaders lead and if Cam and Luke are overshadowed then they are not strong enough to be the leaders.I highly doubt either one of them are fretting over SS being in the locker room.

Anyone who has followed this saga knows that Steve is very much a vocal leader in the locker room and overshadows guys like Cam who are less fiery and confrontational.  Plus Smith has been here since 2001 and Cam and everyone else came in deferring to Smith. It is hard to just take over especially when Cam was often considered aloof and distant in the locker room until this year.  The same thing happened with Jake who was canned partly because he overshadowed Moore and Moore couldn't be the leader as long as Jake was here.  Funny that the article mentioned the same thing,  Seems both Tom and myself who have followed the team since its inception know these things that folks like you don't have a clue about.

 

Clearly you have no idea how personalities function in the locker room in a competitive sports environment. And yes while I am not a great athlete I do know how this works and why you can't just switch leaders particularly when someone like Smith is not going to back down or easily assume a diminished role.

 

As for restructured contracts we are already obligated to pay him at least 3 million of the 4 million in salary that he is due in 2014. Getting rid of him now would cost us 9 million in dead cap space,  However next year his salary is 7 million and the year after 10 million if we exercise his option this year.  So cutting him this year makes no sense but cutting him next year is totally likely even probable.  He will only be here if he restructures to reduce his salaries for the next 2 years like Gross did.

 

Someone doesn't have a clue here and it isn't me.

[Scrumtrilescent]

So long Steve and thanks for all the fish.

Sent from my SM-N900V using CarolinaHuddle mobile app

[Pejorative Miscreant]

Real solid work Tom

And

My conspiracy theorist innards say Joe P stole Tom's credentials or password help.

[NFLFangirl19]

Anyone who has followed this saga knows that Steve is very much a vocal leader in the locker room and overshadows guys like Cam who are less fiery and confrontational. Plus Smith has been here since 2001 and Cam and everyone else came in deferring to Smith. It is hard to just take over especially when Cam was often considered aloof and distant in the locker room until this year. The same thing happened with Jake who was canned partly because he overshadowed Moore and Moore couldn't be the leader as long as Jake was here. Funny that the article mentioned the same thing, Seems both Tom and myself who have followed the team since its inception know these things that folks like you don't have a clue about.

Clearly you have no idea how personalities function in the locker room in a competitive sports environment. And yes while I am not a great athlete I do know how this works and why you can't just switch leaders particularly when someone like Smith is not going to back down or easily assume a diminished role.

As for restructured contracts we are already obligated to pay him at least 3 million of the 4 million in salary that he is due in 2014. Getting rid of him now would cost us 9 million in dead cap space, However next year his salary is 7 million and the year after 10 million if we exercise his option this year. So cutting him this year makes no sense but cutting him next year is totally likely even probable. He will only be here if he restructures to reduce his salaries for the next 2 years like Gross did.

Someone doesn't have a clue here and it isn't me.

so the guys in the locker room told you that Smitty was too overbearing a personality & that they were impatiently awaiting his departure?

[panthers55]

The "he's hindering the leadership of other players" angle that's being thrown around is some of the most asinine drivel that I've ever read, and only something a fan or a reporter who's never been a part of an NFL locker room would say.

Obviously your  are the idiot that hasn't been in the locker room.  Sorenson has talked with players and been in the locker room for a decade.  Voth just got done talking to several team officials who all said leadership issues where a big issue.  As I told you yesterday it is common knowledge that Jake was canned in part because of overshadowing Moore.  What you are too stupid to realize is that when players are guaranteed their salary like Jake was in 2010 and Smitty is this year, if they are still cut it is because the team feels that cutting them is necessary and locker room issues are often a major factor.

 

What makes you think you know more that folks who are paid to cover the Panthers for a living?  You have no clue what you are talking about so why not stick to things you  know about unless that would prohibit you from ever posting.

[duke11693]

So forcing our best receiver from our already horrendous receiving corps to retire will bring us back to back winning seasons...

[panthers55]

so the guys in the locker room told you that Smitty was too overbearing a personality & that they were impatiently awaiting his departure?

Where have you been for the last decade.  Go listen to the piece Greg Hardy did on ESPN today and what he said about Smith.  Then read between the lines if you can and get back with me.  Anyone who doesn't know that Smith is a mercurial figure who rubs as many people the wrong way as those who like him must be a bandwagon fan who jumped on board this year.

[TheRed]

Obviously your are the idiot

I stopped reading right there.

[NFLFangirl19]

Where have you been for the last decade. Go listen to the piece Greg Hardy did on ESPN today and what he said about Smith. Then read between the lines if you can and get back with me. Anyone who doesn't know that Smith is a mercurial figure who rubs as many people the wrong way as those who like him must be a bandwagon fan who jumped on board this year.

so did they tell you this or not? lol I'm not reading between anybodies "lines". & the only excerpt that I read from an interview given by Hardy today referring to Smith must've been the only one they felt was important enough to announce. & it stated that losing him now would be detrimental to the team. Posted by @CharlotteVibe on twitter

[Kevin Greene]

 

“Here’s what you need to get. These aren't the Panthers you grew up with. In the old days owner Jerry Richardson and general manager Marty Hurney shared a philosophy. If they drafted a player, and the player performed, they took care of him. Look at Dan Morgan, who was drafted two rounds in front of you in 2001. When Morgan was healthy he was all-Pro. But he was rarely healthy. Despite his history of injuries, the Panthers paid him as if he'd never get hurt again.

“Look at Charles Johnson, DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, Jon Beason, Julius Peppers and Delhomme. Perform for us and we’ll pay you more than anybody else will. How'd that work out? How many back to back winning seasons has the franchise had?

“I replaced Hurney last season. And I was under no pressure to do things the Panther Way. I was brought in to win. And that means hard choices. I heard a story. Years ago, an elite team traded a near-elite player who was nearing the end of his contract. Panthers decision makers said that could never happen in Carolina. They didn’t treat their players that way, no sir. And it couldn’t have happened in Carolina – then. It can now. It will now. Ask your buddy Jordan Gross. It’s what winning teams do.

“People think I made a mistake last month, Steve, when I publicly talked about you in the past tense. It wasn’t a mistake or I wouldn’t have repeated it. I was trying to get the word out. If I had come to you the way everybody says I should have and said, ‘Steve, we think you should retire,” you would have been shocked. And you would have been angry. You still don’t like it. But you can’t pretend you’re surprised.

 

What a load of shyt.

Johnson, Williams, Stewart, Beason, etc. All these guys (OK not Delhomme) were in the prime of their careers, yes Hurney paid them too much and in badly structured deals.

 

But anyone who thinks Gettleman isn't going to bend over and spread his ass cheeks come contract time to get our current studs in their primes signed long term, mainly Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly have their heads in the sand. These guys will get paid market value.

Now Steve Smith is an entirely different situation as was Jordan Gross, both 10 year plus vets and have no similarity to those guys. The Panthers wanted Gross back, it was his decision to retire. The Panthers roster and budget can carry a Steve Smith, the last of Hurney's bloated contracts need to be the focus. Currently we're set to pay way too much to the RB and DE position. Right now 13 million of that is on Gettleman BTW.

The Panthers have a lot bigger problems than currently paying the best WR on the roster 7 million dollars in 2014.

[KendrickPanther]

I don't know why Tom Sorensen is so well respected. Everything he writes pisses me off. I never give him an internet hit or 2 dollars for a paper. He's a terrible human being and he sees us fans as mindless groundlings.