well this definetly was not the way i wanted us to start the offseason...

http://www.panthers.com/Common/Article.aspx?id=16968

-i mean with Rucker getting older and probably not coming back with the ACL, why would we let AW go when he was most definetly a proven DE

2/19/2007 5:20:14 PM

i dont like this move at all. but in john fox i trust.

2/19/2007 5:24:56 PM

the position is clearly Stanley McClover's now....he showed some promise late in the season and i think Hurney knows he may be a beast lurking in the shadows...

2/19/2007 5:27:37 PM

^good call

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/02/19/bc.fbn.panthers.wallace.ap/index.html

2/19/2007 5:31:24 PM

lets hope it all works out for the best

2/19/2007 5:38:26 PM

Quote :

"Wallace was a key reserve in 2006, but was scheduled to count almost $2 million against the salary cap next season. Releasing him clears more than $1 million in cap space and will keep the Panthers from paying him an offseason roster bonus."

2/19/2007 5:41:14 PM

who do you guys like us getting in the draft? i would love to get reggie nelson from florida. hes arguably the best safety in the draft (landry - lsu) and minter looked slower and more our of position after every week last year. i think hell be a stud in the league

2/19/2007 5:42:19 PM

I would be happy with either Nelson or Landry.

2/19/2007 5:46:31 PM

A safety would be a good 1st round pick. Possibly an offensive lineman if there's a good one available to us. Possibly WR depending on whether Keyshawn is back or not.

2nd round WR if they didn't get one in the 1st, or linebacker.

3rd round, I would love to see us take Chris Leak if he's still there. I know he's short and doesn't have the strongest arm, but the same can be said about Drew Brees. Have him sit a few years and see if he comes back.

How many years does Kasay have left?

2/19/2007 5:52:31 PM

kasay is franchise

he plays until the panthers are no more

2/19/2007 6:09:16 PM

we're too deep in the draft to get a decent qb

2/19/2007 6:13:35 PM

RB first round, especially if adrian is there....best player available

2/19/2007 7:03:39 PM

^ i doubt hell slide past 8 at houston. i really like deangelo williams upside anyway. im down with the leak pick in the 3rd round. maybe anthony gonzalez in 2nd round. i think hes a good complement to steve smith seeing as he is a possession receiver (if no moer keyshawn).

2/19/2007 7:06:06 PM

there is absoultely no way in hell he'll last that long and i agree, pick up a safety with our 1st round pick

i think deangelo is the future at RB, no need to waste a first round pick on another RB

2/19/2007 7:06:30 PM

i think we are goin MLB...i actually talked with kevin donnalley about 2 weeks ago and he said that they are considering cutting Dan...and that coach fox and staff was looking hard at that Penn State MLB....his stock has dropped a bit and that could throw a safety like Landry in the mix if he stays on the board....Minter has definitely lost his speed...


releasing Ken Lucas for cap room and drafting AJ Davis is a very real possibilty.














(joke)


theres also virtually no salary cap for the rich ass teams...$137 million i think, so the most active teams in F.A are gona be NYG, 49ers, Jets, etc...49ers are gonna be good next year.

[Edited on February 19, 2007 at 7:36 PM. Reason : ps:]

2/19/2007 7:34:27 PM

the Panthers are surrounded with talent, which should be a super bowl contender. That being said, they totally fucked up last year (I put the blame on delhomme and coaching staff, especially O.C). They wont have but this comming year, and MAYBE the next to make a run at the super bowl, so they better produce

2/19/2007 7:34:42 PM

Quote :

"we're too deep in the draft to get a decent qb"

if quinn drops past the Vikes @ #7, then i really think we should go after that and pick him. if not, im becoming more and more convinced that we need to pick Reggie Nelson (S from FL), or pick either Patrick Willis (LB from Ole Miss, won Butkus Award and hits hard/tackles well) or Paul Posluzny (LB from Penn St). in the later rounds, like the 2nd we need to keep and eye on the QB's leftover, such as Troy Smith, Leak, Drew Stanton from Mich St, or the kid from Stanord (might be picked up late in the first)

[Edited on February 19, 2007 at 7:37 PM. Reason : ]

2/19/2007 7:36:25 PM

And they need to draft a WR with speed with their first pick, to compliment Steve Smith. Keyshawn is good, but can't get the job done with speed going up the field, and another threat would make Steve and Jakes job a lot easier

2/19/2007 7:36:27 PM

i actually wouldnt be opposed to the idea of Ted Ginn...its been a while since we had freakin special teams (Michael Bates...Rocket Ismail).

but realistically, hes not gonna be more than a Devin Hester could have been this year. Which is why we go defense.

2/19/2007 7:38:40 PM

^ginn wouldnt be a bad idea

2/19/2007 7:46:41 PM

Quote :

"Adding a defensive end might become a priority for the Panthers. Even if Mike Rucker stays, there's not much depth beyond him and Julius Peppers. Stanley McClover played sparingly as a rookie, and the team might look to the draft or free agency for depth. -- Charlotte Observer"

2/20/2007 12:22:11 PM

I'd cut Dan Morgan and Rucker fast. Pick up a FA and draft appropriately.

2/20/2007 12:53:11 PM

1.) shit can delhomme and dan morgan

2.) WIN NEXT YEAR

2/20/2007 12:56:20 PM

did morgan restructure his contract? If not the cap hit will be too big to just release him.

LB or Saftey for sure in the first round, unless there is something there that's too good to pass up (peterson)

^who would be QB? besides, a decent O-line will solve most of delhomme's problems.

[Edited on February 20, 2007 at 1:00 PM. Reason : .]

2/20/2007 12:59:17 PM

who do you guys think we need to draft, on a name by name basis in the first round...

-Im gonna start with Reggie Nelson (S).



-If hes gone, then Patrick Willis (MLB)



[Edited on February 20, 2007 at 4:49 PM. Reason : ]

2/20/2007 4:48:45 PM

i think I'd rather have Landry if he's still there but I don't see the Falcons passing on him.

2/20/2007 7:34:40 PM

Quote :

"Mike Rucker isn't going anywhere. Despite rampant speculation to the contrary, the veteran defensive end looks destined to stick with the Panthers for the 2007 season. -- Charlotte Observer"

2/22/2007 3:46:56 PM

This is good, but I can't believe it took replacing the OC to start taking this approach.

Quote :

"INDIANAPOLIS - A priority for the 2007 Carolina Panthers will be to get the football to Steve Smith. That has always been important, but it seemed to become more difficult as last season progressed. Smith, who missed the season's first two games, had four 100-yard receiving games in his first seven, one in his last seven. He finished with 1,166 yards after piling up 1,563 the year before. Opponents routinely double-teamed him. New Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson, in Indianapolis for the NFL scouting combine, wants that to change. "We've got a few things that we've already put in the playbook that would allow him to not play the same position all the time," Davidson said. "So it's not as easy for defenses to zone in on where he's going to be." Expect to see Smith, who has met with Davidson, in motion more, as well as lining up in different locations. And Smith already knows changes are in the works. "I'm excited that we have something new," said Smith, in Indy Thursday for a NFL Players Association meeting. "But I haven't gotten to the second tier of excitement because one, I haven't got a playbook, and two, I haven't seen the plays, and three, I might be switching positions." He will still be a receiver, but various adjustments are possible. "I want to know, will I have more roles as far as added positions," Smith said. "I mean, I don't know. I'm playing it by ear." You would expect Davidson, a mini-mountain who played and coached offensive line in the league, to want a smash-mouth, run-oriented offense. "There's going to be some of that," he said through a grin. "I think the major push is to try and stay balanced. Are we going to run the ball? Yeah. My personality will show through." However, Davidson knows that Smith must be a huge part of whatever the Panthers do offensively. "I think what I learned is that winning is important to him," Davidson said of their meeting. "If he has to go a game without getting the ball, he's OK with that. Now, I don't think it would be very smart of me. But at least I was able to see that he's more of a team guy than a `me' guy. That's what I took away as a major positive." "

2/23/2007 10:58:27 AM

Adalius Thomas has become an unrestricted Free Agent after the Ravens didn't franchise him. I think we need to go after him hard in free agency so we don't have to reach for a Linebacker in the first round.

-he can play defensive end as well and I think they even had him at Safety a couple of plays last season

[Edited on February 23, 2007 at 11:28 AM. Reason : a]

2/23/2007 11:27:21 AM

^we have no $$ (LOW cap room). hes probably lookin to get a 6-7yr contract for 50-60mil

2/23/2007 11:31:49 AM

They'll have a little wiggle room after they release some and re-neg. some contracts, but not much maybe 1 or 2 key players depending on each salary.

if they're going to spend in fa, it needs to be either a mlb, o-lineman, or a saftey.

[Edited on February 23, 2007 at 11:42 AM. Reason : .]

2/23/2007 11:41:17 AM

Quote :

"besides, a decent O-line will solve most of delhomme's problems."

bingo. Jake deserves one more shot and hopefully the O-line wont get killed in the 1st game of the season again.

that being said: havent we lost significant players in the 1st game of just about every season for the last 4 years?

focus for the panthers this year : stay healthy

We can talk all we want about who the Panthers should draft, but predicting the NFL draft is next to impossible to even get close. I mean look at last year : Reggie Bush #2?!?! DeAngelo Williams to the Panthers !!?!?! No body saw either of those coming.

That being said, if Peterson drops to us we have to take him. But thats silly talk right now. We have NO STABLE OFFENSE unless we have a Stephen Davis-like RB that can guarantee a gain on every run. I love DeAngelo, but him and Foster are not the kind of backs that will open up the top for Jake and get us to the Super Bowl. They both would greatly benefit from a short yardage back who can move some bodies. Maybe Shelton will see more PT this year?

[Edited on February 23, 2007 at 11:50 AM. Reason : /]

[Edited on February 23, 2007 at 11:52 AM. Reason : more]

2/23/2007 11:50:29 AM

^that's pretty much on point,

I was hoping we would get lawrence maroney in last years draft....we came close, but DeA was a pretty good pick up.

2/23/2007 12:01:43 PM

Quote :

" if Peterson drops to us we have to take him. But thats silly talk right now. We have NO STABLE OFFENSE unless we have a Stephen Davis-like RB that can guarantee a gain on every run. "

What if we go after Corey Dillon, despite him possibly being a distraction?

2/23/2007 5:29:29 PM

with an offensive line deangelo and deshaun are more than adequete

2/24/2007 2:36:09 AM

we're not going RB, thats for sure, and I wouldnt expect big action in free agency. we might pick do some late transactions but expect all the big money high cap teams to go after all the premiere FA's. besides, we have never been into big FA aquisitions, i was suprised last year when we signed Key.

2/24/2007 10:24:44 AM

I want Levi Brown or Nelson/Landry. We need some help at OL and Minter is getting up there.

I doubt Brown will be available when we pick though, think his combine workouts are going to propel him way up the list.

Also wouldn't mind to trade down and get Willis or one of the other LB's.

2/24/2007 10:32:48 AM

I wouldn't mind get either Brown, Nelson or Landry. I don't think we're gonna draft Willis though.

2/24/2007 10:54:36 AM

Corey Dillon would be a great help, but he is leaning towards retirement and he will get more $$ from other teams with more cap room if he decides to go it another year. The panthers probably wouldnt even consider risking the $$ on another questionable aging vet, but he would certainly fill in a much needed void in our offense.

I would like to believe that DAngelo and DShaun are adequate RBs, but they are too similar already and cannot move bodies or run between tackles very well.

How many teams get to the big playoff games without a short yardage guarantee bruiser back to force stronger run defense and keep the D off balance for the speedier back? Lets look at this past year:

Saints - Deuce bruiser/ Reggie speed (ding ding)
Bears - Thomas Jones / Ced Benson combo (ding ding)
Pats - Dillon bruiser/ Maroney is just going to be sick (ding ding)
Colts - dont have a bruiser, but they have friggin peyton manning and top TE/WRs, nuff said
Chargers - LT + Turner, nuff said
Giants - Tiki's speed / Jacobs bruiser (ding ding)
Ravens - nice range of backs with Lewis bruiser, and then 2-3 good backs behind him for cuts
Eagles - Westbrook pretty much is a one man offense just under LT status, nuff said
Cowboys - Great combo of Jones speed and M. Barber red zone short yardage carries (ding ding)
Seahawks - Alexander / Morris didnt get the job done, look at what it cost em
Jets - did not have a bruiser, they have too many similar backs; never were consistent, cost em

The panthers need a back like Stephen Davis if they want to get back in it That run two years ago with Foster and Goings was made because Smitty and the DL played like HallofFamers.

Unfortunately we probably wont pick up a back because we have greater needs. I did read an article where the new OC and Smitty are talking about lining him up at RB more often. Interesting solution to not having a bruiser back....

2/24/2007 12:11:33 PM

Dillon would be a bad idea.....he's almost at the end of his rope.

don't forget about Shelton....he isn't out of the mix just yet....a new OC may be just the thing to jump start his play.

We really need to come away with 2 solid starters from this draft for it to be a success imo. Nelson @ saftey will probably be one, and, in a perfect world, either LB or OL. Hopefully this will be one of those years where we come away with a gem in the 3rd/4th round.

Also, this would be a good year to look TE in the 2nd or 3rd round, unfortunately, from what I've read, this is a very weak year @ TE.

2/26/2007 11:19:31 AM

mangum retired today

2/28/2007 4:50:36 PM

hey, that's one less O-lineman parading as a TE.

I did like mangum tho.....came up with a few big plays over the years.

2/28/2007 4:54:54 PM

Quote :

"don't forget about Shelton"

I already forgot about him

2/28/2007 5:03:32 PM

^^even more reason to get a receiving TE

from listening to some sports radio its sounding more and more certain that dan morgan is NOT coming back

2/28/2007 5:03:59 PM

Dan Morgan has a $3 million bonus coming up on March 1st I think, so the Panthers have to decide by then to keep him or not.

2/28/2007 5:22:38 PM

yeah thats tomorrow!

and apparently even though we think "damn 3 million" the panthers arent really worried about taking a cap hit...they seem more worried about the health and wellbeing of dan

2/28/2007 5:31:35 PM

i.e tomorrow?

2/28/2007 5:32:07 PM

I thought roster bonuses were tomorrow? Are they all on one day, or does it depend on the contract?

Quote :

"As expected, defensive end Mike Rucker will remain with the Carolina Panthers for the 2007 season. According to a league source, Rucker has restructured his contract to help the Panthers free up $2 million in salary cap room. Rucker's base salary was dropped from $1.9 million to $1 million. The $2.35 million roster bonus he was scheduled to receive Friday has been dropped to $937,500 and a $150,000 workout bonus in his previous contract was eliminated. Quarterback Jake Delhomme also restructured his contract to free up $4 million in salary cap space."

looks like rucker is coming back....bad move imo.

also, i saw that jamal lewis was cut by baltimore....interesting.

3/1/2007 2:09:33 PM

I don't know if Rucker will be ready for training camp, considering he injured his knee pretty late in the season.

3/1/2007 2:16:26 PM

So we have to get a TE now right?


III

3/1/2007 2:17:23 PM