ESPN's Newton Revisits Bell Topic: Avoid if you don't want more (Cow) Bell

[AceMan]

Bell and Sitalou on the left side have potential to be great or horrible

[Ja Rhule]

After everything reported by the Panthers, it's almost guaranteed Bell will be our LT. It's almost guaranteed we're taking a WR in 1st.

[Clicheking]

Let's suppose for a moment that the front office actually didn't believe in Bell.

What would people expect them to say publicly?

"We have confidence in him" or "OMG WE'RE SCREWED WE'RE GONNA GET KILLED THIS YEAR CAM WILL NEVER SURVIVE!!!" :blink:

Does the team leadership really believe in him like they say they do? No idea.

But the one thing I do know is that if they didn't, you sure as heck wouldn't hear about it.

This. They'll never express a lack of confidence. I do however they are not as sold as they'd have us believe.

[carpanfan96]

This. They'll never express a lack of confidence. I do however they are not as sold as they'd have us believe.

Why give him a 2nd round tender then???

[Woodie]

I disagree, I think last year's draft is a perfect example of BPA philosophy at work. Star was a no brainer at 14, no one expected Short who was a fringe first rounder and was another BPA. Too much value in either to pass up, luckily for us they also filled a glaring need.

I think we'll see similar circumstances in May.

 

I think Short was a need last year as well.  We not only needed a 1, but a 3 tech as well.  And while we like to say Short was BPA, a lot of sites had him rated in the range we got him.  I just think he was another example of need meeting quality player, and the team having to make a choice between positions.  We could have gone CB or WR as well and no one would have complained that we didn't go BPA.  IMO, there was a grouping of players at multiple positions that could all have been considered BPA, and Short was in that group.

 

[Woodie]

As for Bell, I don't think he was anywhere near as bad as some here do.  And while he's not my 1st choice at LT, I can see some logic in what Gross and Rivera have said.  He's always been a left tackle, but when he came here, he was asked to switch sides.  And while that may not seem like a big deal to some, for him it might have been.  All of his muscle memory has been focused on going left, and mentally, he's always seen the field from one angle, and was suddenly asked to change his perspective.  That's a recipe for thinking too much and overcompensating.  So I can see moving back as being more comfortable for him.

 

Does that mean I think he is the future at LT? No, I actually think at his core, he is a backup.  And to be honest, I think that is where Rivera and Gettleman see him.  After all, there have been no ringing endorsements, just some comments about he might be a better fit at LT.  To be honest, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they go OT in the 1st, WR in the 2nd, then OT again in the 3rd with the hope that we can get our future LT and RT this draft. 

[Woodie]

Why give him a 2nd round tender then???

 

Because we have no one else, so they needed to make sure they had an experienced body there.  If they give him a long-term deal at that salary, then I might think differently, but I see this as a Band-Aid move for this year alone.

[pantherclaw]

As much as I am NOT a Bell supporter, if our head coach and GM feel he'll be better on the left, than I eagerly await to see this, while believing that Chandler can step up and play if Bell fails.

[PantherAZ]

Let's suppose for a moment that the front office actually didn't believe in Bell.

What would people expect them to say publicly?

"We have confidence in him" or "OMG WE'RE SCREWED WE'RE GONNA GET KILLED THIS YEAR CAM WILL NEVER SURVIVE!!!" :blink:

Does the team leadership really believe in him like they say they do? No idea.

But the one thing I do know is that if they didn't, you sure as heck wouldn't hear about it.

Very true, however, from what I've seen there has been 0 attempts to replace Gross. If they didn't believe in Bell as at least serviceable, they would have tried.

[Mr. Scot]

Very true, however, from what I've seen there has been 0 attempts to replace Gross. If they didn't believe in Bell as at least serviceable, they would have tried.

I'm not confident that we'd know if they had.

Sad to say our beat writers miss things occasionally :unsure:

[iamhubby1]

Because we have no one else, so they needed to make sure they had an experienced body there.  If they give him a long-term deal at that salary, then I might think differently, but I see this as a Band-Aid move for this year alone.

The moving of Bell over to the left serves two purposes. One, it gets Chandler on the field. He is our most athletic Tackle prospect. But RT is the only position he can really excel. I like more size at LT, and Chandler is a tad smaller than I would prefer. At RT, he can use his quickness, and athleticism to his advantage. Worst case. He is still going to be better than Bell was last year.

Moving Bell over to LT, supposedly, and a 2nd round tender as well, could be a last ditch effort to get something out of him. Give him a good ol' shot of, we believe in you kid. Boost that confidence level, maybe the play will follow? If he can succeed, yea. If he fails, he is depthish.

Bell-340, Amini-320, Kalil-309, KugZilla-330, Chandler-310. There is some size in there. And with what happened against SF still fresh in our minds. We are going to get bigger, when, and where, possible.

If I said Rookie LT, Amini, Kalil, KugZilla, Chandler. Would that seem better? Not a bad starter kit.

Ah hellz, I can't lie anymore. This unit concerns me more than I would like.

[DaveThePanther2008]

I give Bell the benefit of doubt.   If you have ever tired to do something with the opposite hand you know that, though you might get good at it, it never quite feels the same as it does on your natural side.

 

Getting my certifications (many MANY years ago) to be a certified bowling instructor one of the practical test we had to do was to bowl with our opposite hand.  To get the feel of what it is like to your student.   Though I could do it I still had to process the steps in my mind before I performed.   While comparing bowling to play LT in the NFL is a stretch the mental process could be similar. 

 

I think once Bell moves to the Left side he won't be thinking as much and just performing.   That is why I think he might be a better LT than a right.

[d-dave]

So here's kind of a crazy question, what if Bell slims down?  He was in the 340 range last year, which is a whole lotta man!  What if he drops 20 pounds?  Will he have enough agility with the power to be at least an average starting LT?  That is the biggest question regarding this transition.  The staff believes he has the skills to do it, which is something we just have to accept.

 

In the draft, if we can get a good value pick on a guy who can play LT, then I think it's kind of a no brainer.  As much as we moan and groan about no one to catch passes, we made a lot of our games based on the 3rd/4th and 1 plays.  I think that's going to happen again.  We need that push to get us that 1 yard TD.  We'd all be singing a different tune if we'd have made those plays against SF in the playoffs.

[Gin and Juice]

The plan is starting to reveal itself to a degree! One of two things:

1)RR has always known Bell would be a bad ass LT and has forced him to play RT for field time against NFL competition, despite the set backs, in preparation for the day Gross retires. Would be interesting to know of a study showing Southpaw Tackles having above avg success at LT than a right-handed LT.

2)Chandler is the real deal! Looking at it, I think this is less likely scenario or they would have pressed more playing time on him for experience and line continuity.

Gross says he left the Panthers in very capable hands. I think that was a reflection more of his position over the organization! One thing for sure, looking at FA's brought in and private visits among draft prospects, DG is way more concerned with upgrading the WR position than OT position. And that is coming from a guy that builds from the line out. Something tells me that the staff "knows" Bell is the answer at LT