I fully expect Steve Smith to go to the Hall of Fame. He has accomplished so many things in his career, but I base my prediction in part on what's to come. I also see specific reasons why certain other great receivers are not in the Hall, and Smitty won't have those issues. I'll break it down for you ... after the jump

Continue reading this post »

I keep reading scouting reports on possible draft choices, and I am often left wondering who do we cut for these people, or who do we get rid of. We have tons of talent on our roster, and our losing season was not simply due to a lack of talent. I understand the need for depth and drafting the best player available, but obviously you have to look at who's on the roster. I don't just want to hear about someone's attributes, but I also want to know how they compare to current Panthers.

Continue reading this post »

So I got a couple things on my mind, and I wanted to get it out there. The first is the Hall of Fame. I just read an article about the Hall of Fame that bugged me. I also think the way we evaluate draft picks is kind of skewed. We're tricked into believing that a guy could be worthy of 11 overall, but not 9. And then there are some scenarios I think are possible, and I wonder how you would feel about it.

Continue reading this post »

So I'm looking at CAM break all these records, and the won people seem most concerned with is Peyton Manning's yardage record. So I look at CAM and I wonder if he can do other things like Peyton, such as win 13 games in his second season. I belive we have the talent now on our roster to win it all, but we aren't winning very many, so what does it take to win it all in 2012?

Continue reading this post »

I'm talking about the rookie of the year award, and CAM is gonna start wrapping it up.  There are three distinct ways to measure his success and compare him to other rookies.  We can look at his records, the team's won-loss record, and how he compare to other rookies curent rookies.  Let's take a brief look at all three.

Continue reading this post »

It seems every time I break down how I think we can win it all, or at least be competitive, the naysayers come out and tell me that 4 or 5 wins would be good enough, and we shouldn't expect more.  I disagree.  I'm gonna keep making my point until we either get to win number 8, or loss number 8.  We'll know real soon if I'm right.  I wanted to break this down by looking at team stats, and comparing us to other worst to first teams.

The first team I want to brin gup is the Miami Dolphins.  In 2007, the Dolphins were 1-15.  The next year, they won the division at 11-5.  Ronnie Brown led the 2007 team with 600 yards, and Cleo Lemon was the starting QB.  Cam Cameron was the coach.  The next season, Chad Pennington was the QB, Ronnie Brown led the team with over 900 yds rushing, but Ricky Williams contributed 650 yds also, and Tony Sparano was the coach.

Then there were the Rams of last year.  They were 1-15 in 2009, and only averaged 10.9 pts a game with Marc Bulger, who some think should come to Carolina.  They kept the same coach, and added one key player, Sam Bradford.  They were one win away from winning their division at 7-9.  The Seahawks won it at 7-9.

So now I look at our Panthers...after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

I have stated on several posts that my biggest reason for believing in this team is that we have more overall talent than the 2008 Panthers.  The 2008 Panthers went 12-4 and won the division.  What I'm gonna do is compare the 2011 projected roster (based on keeping all important FAs) to the 2008 team.

Continue reading this post »

So I was thinking, Cam Newton has all the tools to be the greatest football player of all-time.  The guy I think about most when it comes to Cam's potential is Damon Allen.  Who the hell is that?  you might ask.  He is Marcus Allen's brother and he played in Canada.  Obviously, if he played in the NFL, he wouldn't have been as successful.  But let's look at my comparison between him, Cam, and other greats.

Continue reading this post »

Well here we go.  Everyone is asleep and I'm bored, and that's all I need to tell you guys exactly how 2011 is gonna end up.  Here's the thing with making predictions for 2011 that makes it a little tricky.  I have to predict which FAs stay and who we draft.  But what is more than that, if I am completely wrong, it doesn't matter, I'm going for it anyway.

Continue reading this post »

So I was looking at our roster and some of the players available through the draft, trades and free agency.  There are a ton of possibilities.  I was one of the guys to say JR was cheap and the reason we were so horrible last year.  This season he has the chance to prove me wrong, as well as many other critics who dogged him.  I will avoid putting Peyton Manning on the roster, but think about what I write, and see if you agree, or tell me what you would do differently.

Continue reading this post »

The idea of us picking Peterson and another QB has me thinking.  I know you want to continue to debate who is better and who should be our starter, but this post is for me to ask one question:  How good does our QB have to be, really?  If we could trade the 1st pick for Clay Matthews and Aaron Rodgers, we'd do it, but we're probably not gonna get the guy who has the highest passer rating of all-time in the regular season and the playoffs.  However, how would we fair with guys like Doug Williams, Trent Dilfer, and Brad Johnson? 

Continue reading this post »

I was checking out the bleacher report, and they have us picking Blaine Gabbert number one.  That's not cool, but I am telling you that I fully believe that if we pick Gabbert, it will be the right choice.  That is based purely in my confidence in our staff.  I would feel the same if we picked Locker number one, even though there would be a few more questions someone would have to answer.  Either way, it got more interesting as it went along.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/634451-2011-nfl-mock-draft-matt-millers-full-seven-round-mock-draft#page/8

Continue reading this post »

In my opinion, the real draft debate is between picking need vs BPA, which to me is Cam Newton or Patrick Peterson respectively.  Some other people may think Gabbert, Bowers, Fairley, Green, Quinn or Dareus can either be the number one need and/or BPA pick.  I can respect that.  But the more I think about it, the more one particular phrase comes to mind..."once every ten years type of player"  Is that more applicable to Cam or PP7?

Continue reading this post »

via cdn2.sbnation.com

So I was looking at some stats and some posts on here, and realized that some Panthers have had really good seasons.  In the midst of all this losing, I wanted to take a look at these individual efforts and make some comparisons to other big name players. 

Charles Johnson has 9.5 sacks and about 19 million dollars less than Julius Peppers this season.  Pep has 8 sacks, but he also has 11 PD, 2 INTs and 3 FF, compared to Johnson's 0,0, and 1.  For the price, though, I'd rather have the younger Johnson.  

James Anderson has more tackles than any OLB in the NFL besides Chad Greenway, and also 3.5 sacks and 3 fumble recoveries.  In the last four games, Arian Foster has run for 341 yards and 1 TD on 83 carries, and Beef Stew has 460 yds and 1 TD on 78 carries.  We know teams work harder to defend the pass against Matt Schaub than the Clausen/Pike/BSP combo. 

Continue reading this post »

I've been thinking about our roster and what to do. I gotta be honest, I am fully confident that we will win it all next year. First of all, look at the Saints record and struggles of 2008. I think they were 8-8 with Brees, Colston, Bush, and a bunch of other guys. Then this year, they upgraded the secondary, but that was about it. Also, if you look at our losses, you see we weren't that far from 9 to 11 wins. There was Jake's INT in the Buffalo game (although the loss was not totally his fault), the complete secondary meltdown in the 2nd half of the Saints game, and a couple others we should have had. Then look at the playoff teams...we destroyed the Cardinals and Vikings, and also beat the Saints. Haters wanna make excuses for our wins, and that's fine. But seriously, we could've made the playoffs, even after the 0-3 start. So I'm thinking we can win it all with the following starters...Moore, D-Will, Hoov, Smitty, Moose, Rosario, the same starting 5 OL, Brown, Johnson, Thomas, Kemo, Diggs, Davis, Beason, Harris, Martin, Marshall and Gamble. WHo would you bench for whom? And who would you sign as a free agent to bench who we already have? I could see a Karlos Dansby, Umenyiora, Kampman or Dunta Robinson joining the team and possibly being upgrades. I could also see Adalius Thomas. Julius Peppers' 2009 money would be used to pay for these guys, if we get any of them. Who would you start (Barnidge and J-Stew maybe, or Jarrett - or bring in T.O.), and is that enough to win it all. I think 2010 is our year to win it all.

We have beaten the hell out of jake and foxy this year, and of course davidson.  there has been some awful coaching.  i mean we have seen what we judged to be ridiculous play calling and having the wrong guys in the game.  i think one thing no one has really talked about is that maybe james anderson should've been starting over diggs and landon johnson the whole time.  and then when it seemed things couldn't get any worse, jake gets hurt, moore starts winning, and the defense is crushing people.  we will probably end up 8-8.  foxy looks pretty good with this schedule and this many injuries, moore makes davidson look like a genius, and the defense has other teams wanting to bench future hall of famers.  so i think the coaching in carolina hasn't been too bad, but when you get outside of carolina, that's when it gets ugly.


the list of horrible coaching moves in the nfl this year is unbelievable.  i'm almost writing this just to show you the difference between fox and some other guys.  here are some examples.  the seahawks lose the game and coach mora goes on a rampage in the press conference about how the kicker blew the game.  this is the nfl, he says, and missing those kicks is unacceptable.  kasay has missed some, too, but foxy never called him out like that.  last year, smitty broke ken lucas' eye and got suspended.  in oakland, cable was in the process of killing his assistant when the fight got broken up.  there was a criminal investigation and everything.  that doesn't make him a bad coach, though.  neither do the three accusations of physical abuse from different tom cable girlfriends.  but after the last game, he says in the press conference that oakland would be in the playoff hunt if it wasn't for jamarcus russell.  that was low.  i can blame jake all i want, but if foxy did that in a press conference, he'd have to go.  then there was eric mangini.  how do you have "opportunity drills" after practice so the practice squad guys can impress you, and two of them get hurt during the drills and are lost for the season.  then there is that derek anderson guy whose qb rating was much lower than jake's.  he kept anderson in the starting lineup because too many snaps meant a bonus for brady quinn.  wtf?  it takes him until the 14th game to realize jerome harrison is a pretty good back.  wow.  then there is childress trying to bench favre while the team is winning, and he loses the argument.  of course, our defense had something to do with that whole episode.  then there is the first colts loss.  how do you mess up benching starters?  it was weird to me.  i think the colts lose their first playoff game.  of course, belichek fails to convert a 4th down once a game out of habit, but they've been winning those games.  what else can you think of that was really mind blowing, and how do you feel about what i've written.  one last note, the whole season was a mockery of good coaching in washington, especially the worst trick play in nfl history.

This season has been very hectic and often painful.  As I look at what we've done, I wonder if any of you are truly impressed by anything that's happened this year, or by anyone's individual effort.  Who has made plays that you didn't expect, or who is making an impression that you never heard of before?  Who looks like they've earned a real shot to compete next year?  And does anyone deserve a pro bowl nod?  Here are my thoughts on the season, and like pro bowl votes, you have to make up your mind with two games left in the season.

Continue reading this post »

Check out this link:  http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d81476f6e&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true.  This article talks about the MVP race and who is the most invaluable player to their team.  They mention so many players, but leave out D-Will.  He gets no respect.  It's really frustrating.

Continue reading this post »

There's a lot of talk about what we should do.  I've offered my opinion as well.  Regardless of how Jake performs, we need to bring in a young guy.  If we finish 10-6 or 9-7 and Jake plays well, it will be hard to argue that Fox should go as we have back to back winning seasons for the first time.  Edwards will be drafted by the Panthers if he has the best value for the pick whenever we get that far down the Panthers draft board.  With all that said, the rest of the team is looking to beat the Saints, and I say we're gonna get it done.

Continue reading this post »

So I'm watching the Cardinals/Giants game and there is real concern.  For the record, I'm watching AFN, and they show games late.  The Cardinals are the real deal, and could end up playing in New Orleans (or Carolina) for the NFC Championship game.  The Vikings are playing better than they really are, and the Pack and Giants aren't good enough either.  So here my observations that I noticed so far that I hope Fox noticed, and I have some suggestions.

Continue reading this post »

The word fanbole seems very familiar to me.  I don't remember who said it first, but I think we've used that word here on the CSR before.  If I'm wrong, someone please correct me.  Well whoever said it first, Joe Posnanski took credit for it.  Check out this qupte from his column: 

"I haven't come up with a new word for a while, so I want to throw one out there .. the word is "fanbole" (pronounced FAN-buh-lee).

The definition is simply: A sweeping, exaggerated and often ludicrous sports statement that a fan makes when under the influence of an emotional sports event (and perhaps various substances)."

Thoughts?

I bet this guy has read the CSR a few times and thinks no one else is on to him.  I've never even heard of him before.

So I have a couple questions for you guys.  The first one is simple for people other than me.  What is a 30 second timeout in the NFL?  I've seen the call before and never understood it.  In the Colts game, the defender runs up to the coach asking for a timeout and then the coach runs to the ref asking for a timeout.  The ref blows the whistle and then says the Colts have taken a 30 second timeout.  What is that, and what makes it different than a regular timeout?

Speaking of coaches...

Continue reading this post »

Rich, VA

01:22 PM ET

Who do you see the Panthers picking up to replace Kemoeatu

Jason La Canfora, NFL Network

You can't find guys like that on the street, that's the problem. There aren't too many 330 pounders who can play. They have been scouting Green Bay closely and were very interested in Dusty Dvoracek from Chicago before he was lost for the season, again. If Casey Hamton hit the market he would be of interest for sure, I imagine, but would they want to give him a big ticket extension at age 31? They have been actively looking for sure. Better tighten up that run defense.

IMO, signing Casey Hampton would be a no-brainer, and if we can trade for him, I think we should.  Of course, I don't know if he'll be cut, or if we can even afford him.  But with him in the mix, we'd be instantly tougher against the run, and we need that facing Brandon Jacobs, Clinton Portis, Marion Barber, Brian Westbrook, Michael Turner twice, Derrick Ward/Cadillac twice, and Pierre Thomas twice (not so bad, but he's the best RB on the Saints).

Check out this video:  http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-cant-miss-plays/09000d5d811ee805/Pre-WK-1-Can-t-Miss-Play-QB-keeper.  I always liked Josh Johnson and I really wanted us to draft him.  Last season was his rookie year, and if you look at our draft, I'm sure there's a name or two we could have replaced with this guy.  As a senior in college, he threw 43 TDs and only ONE interception.  With Freeman, McCown, and Leftwich in Tampa, this guy doesn't even get a look anymore.  I think if we don't draft a top-tier Tim Tebow like QB next year, we should trade for this guy.  The price can't be that high for a 4th string QB.  Then again, with all those faces, he might just get cut in the three weeks. 

Did anyone else see the ratings for Madden '10.  I think they came out a while ago, so maybe i'm pretty late, but i'm offended.  Let me give you some examples..

Continue reading this post »