Factoring age into the equation, the only QB I'd take over Cam at this point is RW and Rodgers. Luck and Foles are good, but I'd take Cam over those guys all day.

Cam played a lot smarter this year, but he has three things he has to improve on big time.

-He's got to get more consistent in his mechanics so he's not sailing passes half the time.

-He's GOT to make quicker decisions. He holds the ball entirely too long some plays, making our questionable OL look even worse.

-He needs to pick up the pace in the 2 minute drill. Our hurry-up offense looked like it was covered in molasses yesterday.

The guy is still a star, and he's only 24 years old IIRC. He's gonna be a good one for a long time with a chance to be a great one if he can improve keep improving.

[Edited on January 13, 2014 at 9:08 AM. Reason : go pants]

1/13/2014 9:07:49 AM

shut it down. let's go home.

1/13/2014 11:54:58 AM

just got back from the game

1/13/2014 12:12:25 PM

1/13/2014 12:24:32 PM

Quote :

"He's GOT to make quicker decisions. He holds the ball entirely too long some plays, making our questionable OL look even worse. -He needs to pick up the pace in the 2 minute drill. Our hurry-up offense looked like it was covered in molasses yesterday. "

while I agree to a degree, I put more of the blame on the personnel he's working with

1/13/2014 12:48:13 PM

Quote :

"Luck is ridiculously overrated/hyped."

post this on a colts board

then say that luke kuechly is overhyped on the same colts board

1/13/2014 12:59:43 PM

The fake tough guy shit got way out of hand too. Not the first time I've seen a Rivera coached team totally lose it's composure in the playoffs. Happened to his last Charger's defense that made the playoffs and went out with a whimper against the Jets.

1/13/2014 1:28:24 PM

aka, tell us something we don't know

How Panthers can take the next step
http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/mike-sando/post?id=6473

Quote :

"The Carolina Panthers took a giant step forward in 2013 and changed perceptions in the process. Coach Ron Rivera ditched his play-not-to-lose reputation, embracing a "Riverboat Ron" persona reflecting greater comfort with calculated risks. Quarterback Cam Newton grew even if his raw stats did not. The Panthers defense, which allowed 46 touchdowns in 2011 and 33 last season, cut the total to 21. The No. 1 concern heading into the season -- whether the Panthers had done enough to arm Newton with the weapons to succeed -- faded into the background as a vastly improved defense carried Carolina. The Panthers' 12-4 record and NFC South title validated their approach to team building under first-year general manager Dave Gettleman, but the weaponry issue is on the table again after Carolina's season ended with a 23-10 playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Every look at the Panthers is going to include a sentence along the lines of, "Leading receiver Steve Smith turns 35 in May." Three other wide receivers caught passes for Carolina this season, and all three can become unrestricted free agents. Contract decisions regarding Newton and defensive end Greg Hardy will require resources in the short term and planning for the long term. The Panthers head into the offseason picking 28th in the 2014 NFL draft. Their next challenge is clear. Every new GM has a philosophy, but different circumstances affect how they proceed. There were seven new GMs in 2013, and of those, only Gettleman and the New York Jets' John Idzik inherited head coaches from the previous season. Gettleman and the San Diego Chargers' Tom Telesco were the only ones to inherit franchise quarterbacks. And Gettleman also inherited a franchise player on defense in middle linebacker Luke Kuechly. Wideout Steve Smith will be 35 in May.The Panthers were not a blank slate, in other words. They had better personnel than some of the other teams starting fresh with new GMs. Gettleman's history with the New York Giants tipped off the Panthers' approach to personnel under him initially. The Giants won two Super Bowls with a deep and ferocious defensive front. Carolina has that type of rotation after using its first two draft choices under Gettleman for defensive tackles Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short. No defensive tackles played more snaps for Carolina this season than Lotulelei (583) and Short (496). Both finished among the NFL's 16 highest-rated defensive tackles in cumulative regular-season grading by Pro Football Focus. They were the right choices at the right time for Carolina, a team that was going to lean on its defense to take pressure off Newton. The flip side was that sixth-round choice Kenjon Barner, a change-of-pace back from Oregon, was the only skill-position player Carolina selected in 2013. That left Carolina and Oakland as the only teams in the NFL to select zero wide receivers, tight ends or running backs in the first three rounds since 2011, the year Newton went first overall. Joe Adams and Kealoha Pilares are the only receivers Carolina has drafted in the Newton era. It's time for that trend to change. Gettleman's history could provide some clues along those lines as well. The Giants, for all their emphasis on building a deep rotation up front on defense, drafted a league-high seven wide receivers in the first three rounds from 2006 through 2012, Gettleman's final seven seasons with the organization. Rueben Randle, Jerrel Jernigan, Hakeem Nicks, Ramses Barden, Mario Manningham, the Steve Smith from USC and Sinorice Moss went to the Giants between the 29th and 95th overall choices during that seven-year span. That run on receivers for the Giants began as quarterback Eli Manning was entering his third season. Newton will be entering his fourth in 2014 and it's time for the team to draft young offensive skill players to grow with him for years to come. That is what the Cincinnati Bengals have done with Andy Dalton. It is what the St. Louis Rams are trying to do with Sam Bradford and what the Indianapolis Colts are trying to do with Andrew Luck. The approach doesn't ensure success, but it makes sense. I wrote back in November that Newton was realizing more of his potential. He was delivering a wider range of throws with more consistent accuracy. There was evidence Newton was adjusting for subtleties in coverage, including when he and receiver Brandon LaFell beat Atlanta Falcons corner Asante Samuel with a smart adjustment in Week 9. When the season ended, however, Newton's passer rating (88.8) and Total QBR score (56.2) were similar to what they were previously. His average for total yards per game stood at 247.8, down from 288.5 in 2012 and 299.0 during his rookie season. The largest year-over-year gains for Carolina came on defense, where only New Orleans realized a greater reduction in points allowed. Buffalo, Kansas City and the Saints were the only defenses realizing greater gains in expected points added, which accounts for situations. The Panthers need additional firepower to win the type of game they lost to the rugged 49ers on Sunday. Counting playoffs, the Panthers played eight games against teams that ranked among the NFL's top 10 in fewest points allowed. They averaged 13.4 points per game against those opponents and 29.9 points per game against everyone else. LaFell, Ted Ginn Jr. and Domenik Hixon are without contracts for 2014, and while none of them qualify as a player Carolina absolutely has to have back, someone needs to catch passes. Smith isn't finished yet, but age is increasingly a concern. Rod Smith, Derrick Mason and Joey Galloway are the only receivers over the past decade with 1,000-yard seasons past age 34. After building up the defensive front seven to take pressure off the offense in 2013, the Panthers are now in position to improve their weaponry for those games when more points are needed. They also have potential needs in the secondary and along the offensive line. The draft is where the Panthers need to turn for help at wideout. Many of the veteran receivers with a shot at free agency should have greater value with their current teams than on the market. Golden Tate, Riley Cooper and Julian Edelman come to mind as examples. Paying retail for someone such as Nicks, who was with Gettleman on the Giants, would provide an upgrade. And if Carolina could make a move along the lines of San Francisco's addition of Anquan Boldin last offseason, they would have to consider it. But the Panthers aren't in great position to take on overpriced contracts. Gettleman inherited a roster with salary-cap issues stemming in part from having too much money tied up in running backs. Now, Newton is entering the final year of his rookie deal and Hardy should be in line for the franchise tag or a long-term contract. Left tackle Jordan Gross, the team's best offensive lineman, took a pay cut last summer in exchange for free agency this offseason. He'll be 34 in July. Our first mock draft from Todd McShay projected six wide receivers in the first round. McShay had the Panthers taking Kelvin Benjamin, a 6-foot-4, 233-pound junior wideout from Florida State. He compared Benjamin to the Chicago Bears' Alshon Jeffery and said he thought Benjamin could flourish playing for a quarterback with Newton's ability to buy time. Sammy Watkins, Marqise Lee, Mike Evans, Jordan Matthews and Paul Richardson were the other wideouts McShay projected in the first round. Any of them would likely help the Panthers. The Panthers are picking in the general range where teams have found receivers DeAndre Hopkins, Cordarrelle Patterson, Justin Hunter, A.J. Jenkins, Brian Quick, Jon Baldwin, Nicks and Kenny Britt over the past five drafts. Some of those prospects were hits and some were misses, but as the Panthers have proved in recent years, there's no chance in upgrading the position through the draft without making a concerted effort to do so. As the Panthers prepare to invest heavily in Newton for the long term, it would be very wise to try to maximize that investment. Drafting a talented receiver would be a very sound step in that process."

1/13/2014 2:14:14 PM

There's talk that Gross is mulling retirement. That would really suck.

1/13/2014 3:15:35 PM

^ Yes that would suck. He was quoted in the Observer today basically saying he's not interested in relocating and if he doesn't play with the Panthers next year, he's not playing at all. Should be a topic that comes up today though if Smitty is on with Marc James.

1/13/2014 3:30:26 PM

I think he'll come back. It'd be different if the team stunk this year, but we're a couple pieces away from being legit contenders for the next few seasons at least. I think he sticks around another year or two.

1/13/2014 4:18:18 PM

yeah he's playing next year unless his body really can't take it. He's good value for what he'll cost and we simply can't afford to try to find an LT with a low draft pick or our tiny FA budget. Too important of a position to leave to chance. He'll get like a 1 yr, $7M deal is my prediction. Well it could be like a backloaded more cap friendly deal, but effectively around the number i through out with plenty of team options to release him during the contract

1/13/2014 5:58:28 PM

1/13/2014 7:04:31 PM

http://larrybrownsports.com/football/cam-newton-walks-out-colin-kaepernick-celebration/216668

...

1/13/2014 9:02:42 PM

^^
What a prideful competitor asshole.

1/13/2014 10:47:18 PM

still hurts

1/14/2014 10:48:42 AM

I can't read any more analysis of the game. we had a hell of a season and it's a great step in the right direction.

I'll check back in when we're talking about contract extensions, salary cap, picks, FA, and trades because that's all I'm concerned about moving on from here.

1/14/2014 11:20:26 AM

Going to be interesting to see how different our roster is going into next season. Ton of FAs to figure out with limited cap space.

1/14/2014 12:27:55 PM

Gonna be lots of turnover in the secondary, but I think most of the team will be back unchanged. The big question mark is Hardy. If we keep the front seven mostly intact, any bums off the street who run 4.5 40s can play zone defense in the secondary.

[Edited on January 14, 2014 at 12:49 PM. Reason : :]

1/14/2014 12:48:17 PM

Secondary: Captain, Florence, Mitchell, Mikell,
WRs: LaFell, Ginn, Hixon,
OL: Gross, Bell, Wharton, Hangartner
DL: Hardy, Cole
K: Gano

Those are FAs/UFAs that are on our 2-deep.

1/14/2014 1:14:38 PM

Only WR of those I would care to see back is Ginn. Lafell is fun to root for an all, and he's a good blocker, but damn that guy is never open.

I'd like to see Hardy back but I don't know if it's gonna happen.

1/14/2014 6:13:05 PM

If we can't get Hardy signed to a long-term contract, I don't see any reason we wouldn't tag him

1/14/2014 6:17:34 PM

TT is right, Hardy will 100% be back through a long term deal or a tag. It sounded like Gman already started posturing today when he got asked about him during the PC.

It's really going to be interesting to see what happens with Gross. We don't currently have a tackle under contract, so if he retires it would have to trump the WR need in the first round that I believe they currently would lean. I could see us going OT/OT the first two rounds much like Gman did with the D-line last year. Get Amini back and hope Kugbila pans out and that could be a really nice line for the future.

Bring Captain and Mitchell back for sure, and if you can get Flo and Mikell on a deal I would like to see them both back too.

Stew and Godfrey have to be the first two options for renegotiation for some cap relief.

[Edited on January 14, 2014 at 7:10 PM. Reason : ..]

1/14/2014 7:08:24 PM

I definitely wanna see Ginn back. I don't care about Hixon at all. And while LaFell is a good blocker, I'm not sure he should be a priority this offseason.

1/14/2014 8:32:19 PM

Next year is our best chance to win the Super Bowl for the next three years for sure. We're going to have to rebuild after next year. Smith, Olsen, Gross, Deangelo, Tolbert, and Davis probably all likely have only one productive year left in their careers. Some may not even be productive next year. Stewart is probably done and his cap figure is still a nightmare so we can't even cut him. Cam is going to get somewhere in the neighborhood of a 10 year/$300 million deal. Hardy, Johnson, and Star probably won't all three be productive two years from now. Pass rushers age and get banged up and can quickly go from stars to mediocre or injury ravaged players. Right now they're all in their prime. You have to go for it. The NFL has a tight window for building a team if you don't make a ton of good decisions and have some luck with health you can go from top to bottom really quick.

you can't start two rookie offensive tackles and it's basically impossible to find a rookie that can start at left tackle in the lower part of the first round.

So Gross will be re-signed no matter what. Probably to a 2-3 year deal to minimize the cap hit for this year, but a 1 yr, ~$7 mil deal is possible. Hard to say what's better for us but obviously he has to be back.

Hardy could be replaced by a veteran situational rusher and a rookie all around player in the first three rounds. That strategy may or may not be successful. I say give Hardy the long term big deal because our d-line is so sick and young that it's worth it. It saves us a ton of money that we'd otherwise need to spend on our secondary. Lock him up.

If we try to find a guy who can start at DE as low as we are drafting he's either going to be a PURE pass rusher who can't do anything else worth a shit or a guy who is okay but can't rush the passer as a rookie. Both are bad options compared to paying the one we've got.

We absolutely must add a good young running back (doesnt have to be an early draft pick) to this team if Barner can't stop fumbling. It's gonna be tough for Deangelo to make it another season with that many games/plays/carries. You can't count on Stewart to even make the active roster at this point. He was terrible this year. And Tolbert isn't a workhorse back and he's got some wear and tear on him.

A tight end is absolutely necessary. Olsen is aging and we need a 2nd te to open up our offense since we lack WR's.

A big WR is a necessity. Has to be like Nicks or a rookie. I'd go rookie myself. And resign Ginn. and pick up a fa vet/resign hixon.

I'd pick a safety or CB in the 2nd rd if you go wr in the 1st.

1/15/2014 12:14:28 AM

I feel pretty safe saying that they'll be at least one lineman drafted in the first 2 rounds, especially if we go WR with the first pick.

Gettlemen's "philosophy" relies on building on both sides of the ball up front. Doesn't do any good paying Cam/playmakers if they can't do their job.

1/15/2014 8:13:57 AM

Offer Hardy the franchise tender, if he rejects it then go after Nicks or a big time DB. Losing Hardy would suck though, when he's on our line is practically unblockable. This is one of the most loaded WR drafts ever, it's an ideal year to pick one or two in the top 3 rounds. Jeremy Maclin may be a guy we can get cheap on a one year deal too, coming off an ACL injury that cost him the entire season.

1/15/2014 9:27:27 AM

Quote :

"Gettlemen's "philosophy" relies on building on both sides of the ball up front. Doesn't do any good paying Cam/playmakers if they can't do their job. "

It's not like he completely ignores playmakers. He did draft Nicks, Rueben Randle, Steve Smith, and a few other WR's in the 1st or 2nd round while he was in NY.

I actually agree with Face that this team is built to win now, but I'm not sure counting on a rookie WR for big production is a good idea. Seems like they almost always need a year or two to develop.

I'd still take a WR in the first few rounds, but I might go CB, TE, or OT in the 1st round. We could bring in a proven FA like Maclin or Decker to help Cam right away.



[Edited on January 15, 2014 at 10:08 AM. Reason : ]

1/15/2014 10:06:58 AM

Quote :

"I'd still take a WR in the first few rounds, but I might go CB, TE, or OT in the 1st round. We could bring in a proven FA like Maclin or Decker to help Cam right away."

I agree with this. Another thought... Marquese Colston. I am not sure NO will be able to afford him and Graham.


III

1/15/2014 6:39:14 PM

You can forget about Decker. Peyton made him too much money this year. I honestly don't believe he's a true #1 either. He never saw doubles due to everyone around him.

Maclin would be sneaky as hell depending on his market. When healthy, he's a game breaker. I'm wondering what kind of deal he would want.

1/15/2014 8:35:43 PM

Peyton definitely made Decker a lot of money. And he made Decker look better. But in 2011, without Peyton, Decker had 8 TDs. He's not worth what he's going to get paid this offseason. But he'd probably the best WR on the Panthers roster. That said, Maclin is a very interesting possibility...depending on the price tag.

[Edited on January 16, 2014 at 8:27 AM. Reason : Jjh]

1/16/2014 8:27:03 AM

I'd love to bring Maclin in for the right price. He already tore his ACL once in college (same leg), and came back just as explosive. No reason to think he can't do it again.

Emmanuel Sanders might be another good option. He's a little guy, but he gets open as well as anyone in the league. And he's surprisingly deadly in the redzone.

1/16/2014 9:35:58 AM

I like this Bruce Ellington kid out of SC. Played basketball but he's built exactly like Steve Smith and was really productive on the football field. He could be available in the 3rd round too, this is such a loaded WR draft.

1/16/2014 11:08:23 AM

Rivera named coach of the year per Pro Football Writers of America: http://www.catscratchreader.com/2014/1/16/5316784/ron-rivera-named-pfwas-coach-of-the-year

Gotta figure AP Coach of the Year is down to him and Andy Reid.

1/16/2014 6:40:01 PM

You would hope they'd give it to the guy who won 11 out of his last 12 games and not the guy who lost 5 of his last 7.

1/16/2014 8:27:58 PM

At least this did't get like the convo on pack pride about raleigh versus charlotte in the whole damn topic.

1/17/2014 2:49:50 AM

Congrats to Coach Fox

I'll always have a soft spot for him after what he did for our team.

1/19/2014 6:08:36 PM

man gets fired for not changing his philosophy in an ever changing league and holding on too long and gets fired then goes to a better situation with a hall of fame quarterback. Lane Kiffin imo.

I dont blame him

1/19/2014 6:13:13 PM

I'm happy for Fox.

His time was done here and it was best for both sides to move on. He still hasn't changed, but he's damn good at what he's good at and having Peyton in control of the other side of the ball is obviously way better than having Jake.

1/19/2014 6:54:37 PM

i dont think you can really give fox much credit at all. Their defense has pretty much been garbage since he's been there.

And Peyton Manning is the offensive coordinator really. I mean he won a Super Bowl with jim caldwell of all people. One of the worst coaches in the NFL probably. Can't wait to see how quickly he bombs in Detroit. My guess would be he's out after this year.

1/19/2014 10:21:48 PM

Read back through those last 4 posts and point out where somebody gave him credit.

Of course he lucked out with Peyton, did you think that was news to anyone?

1/19/2014 10:25:13 PM

Cam scored a TD
Tolbert scored the game winning TD
Rivera was the winning coach
Kuechly had a nice pass breakup against Larry Fitzgerald...but he also got smashed by Tolbert on another play
Hardy had a sack
Gross and Kalil probably got abused, but every OL in the whole game did

1/26/2014 11:21:19 PM

Yeah, JJ Watt beat Gross pretty bad several plays. But he beat everybody. Not really fair to ask OL to go one on one all game.

1/27/2014 12:23:48 AM

^^Tolbert scored the game winning two-point conversion.

1/27/2014 5:42:31 PM

oh yeah

1/27/2014 6:14:56 PM

3 year extension for Riverboat

[Edited on January 28, 2014 at 3:41 PM. Reason : http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10365691/ron-rivera-carolina-panthers-coach-signs-3-year-extension]

1/28/2014 3:40:54 PM

eh, as long as he doesnt view the security as a reason to go back to his old retarded coaching methods

1/28/2014 4:29:34 PM

Congrats to the riverboat

1/28/2014 4:38:23 PM

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/cardiac-cats-10-years-removed-from-the-unlikely-almost-immortal-2003-panthers/

Thought this grantland piece was a fun read about the 2003 panthers team.

2/1/2014 4:42:42 PM

Quote :

"Three years his junior, Delhomme looked up to Warner. He admired his lack of conscience as a quarterback, how interceptions never deterred him. “He was always attacking,” Delhomme says. Even in Warner’s second MVP season, he threw 22 interceptions. It was a style Delhomme took with him."

2/1/2014 5:14:55 PM