SB Nation User Blog: usana_gaines

future Hall of Famers

usana_gaines — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:31:23 -0000

There are no Carolina Panthers in the Hall of Fame, and I would say there are no current Panthers who have done enough to get there. My question is who do you think will get there that is on the roster right now? I think Smitty is definitely on his way, but a new offense that is in the top 5 in pass attempts would help. That isn't Foxy football, though, and Smitty would rather win than have better stats. I think D-Will will be considered a shoo-in within six years. Peppers has to play here longer and at last years level for a few more years. What do you think? What about Beason, Stewart, Moose, or Gross?

Fantasy Football

usana_gaines — Thu, 07 May 2009 05:09:24 -0000

That's right, I've made the decision that from now on, Cicno De Mayo is the official day to start thinking fantasy football. I really think we should have a CSR league, but besides that, let's talk Carolina fantasy.

I am saying it here, first, D-Will is the BEST RB in the NFL. However, his fantasy numbers will not be as good because defenses will be geared to stop him more, and I'm expecting J-Stew to miss less time due to injury. Smitty, under a revised Jake (it's all mental) will be even better than last year, and will play all 16 games.

The question, however, is this. Which offensive player will have a breakout year?

Poll

Which player will have a breakout fantasy year?

Gary Barnidge

1 votes

Jon Stewart

14 votes

Dante Rosario

1 votes

Dwayne Jarrett

14 votes

Jake Delhomme

4 votes

34 votes | Poll has closed

The enemy is getting better

usana_gaines — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:18:13 -0000

So here we go again...after the Bucs get Kellen Winslow, the Falcons get Tony Gonzales. Although TB has no real QB, the Falcons do have Matt Ryan. You think those teams noticed that the division winning Panthers couldn't cover anybody down the stretch? Meanwhile, we guarantee that Jake's 80 QB rating from last year will be with us until he is 39 years old. I think that is just a salary cap ploy, and next year will be Jake's last year as our starter. At least I hope so.

The opposition...the new NFC South

usana_gaines — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 08:26:59 -0000

While we've been stuck on Peppers, other teams in our division have made some changes, specifically the Bucs. They signed Leftwich, Winslow and Derrick Ward, while letting go some key veterans like Derrick Brooks. I'm assuming the Saints will be better as Dan Morgan comes back, last year's 1st rd draft pick CB Porter returns from injury, and I'm sure they'll draft defense early. I think they also realized that Pierre Thomas is the best RB on their roster. The Falcons haven't changed much, but they were 11-5 with a rookie QB last year, and they put up 45 on us the last time we played. I think the key to this season is how other teams handle our offense as our offense is clearly the new strength of our team. I think we were the first team ever to have two RBs with 800+ yards and 10+ TDs. And there is always Smitty and we might finally have all five OL starters for all 16 games. What do you guys think, this season may get rough, but we can still finish 12-4, or can we?

Poll

Which team has the best chance of unseating the Panthers as NFC South division champs?

Falcons

97 votes

Bucs

24 votes

Saints

43 votes

164 votes | Poll has closed

How would 18 games effect us?

usana_gaines — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 18:12:33 -0000

I've been reading recently that we're gonna be going to probably an 18 game regular season. My guess is that the first 18 game season will be the 2010 season. What do you guys think? Last year I'm not sure it would've effected us much because Jake played horrible and the defense stunk it up for two months. But we'll have to have bigger rosters to make up for the increase in injuries. We'll definitely need another QB and more OL sooner rather than later. And Peppers would think he's worth $25 million a year.

"Peppers to Pats Laughable" says Fox

usana_gaines — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 07:16:12 -0000

Fox: Peppers-to-Patriots 'almost laughable'

"Julius Peppers being traded to the Patriots did not happen at the NFL owners' meetings. New England doesn't have the cap room to absorb Peppers's $16.68 million franchise tag salary, and yesterday Carolina Panthers coach John Fox called the reported trade that would have sent Peppers to the Patriots for a second-round pick "almost laughable." Fox disputed the perception that the Panthers would have to dump Peppers from a cap standpoint."

This article is from the NFL Truth and Rumors section of CNNSI.COM. Here's my take, and I think me and Foxy see eye to eye. What makes it laughable is the Peppers for a 2nd rounder portion. Peppers for a 2nd rounder is idiotic. Since he's not under contract, if the Pats sign him, they have to give up 2 1st rounders. We can't trade him because technically he's not a Panther. If he was a Panther, he would not be traded for less than a 1st rd pick and one additional 1st day pick, either this year or next. That's my theory. So if you read between the lines, Fox isn't saying a trade to NE is laughable, but a trade involving an unsigned but franchised All-Pro for a 2nd rounder is laughable. I see what Fox is up to, and I'm calling his bluff.

Latest Peppers "Interview" More of the Same

usana_gaines — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 21:04:08 -0000

The following quote is from this link:

"Seven years is a long time and since I’ve been here, I’ve given everything I had. There’s never been a time that I wasn’t giving my all. It’s a situation where I feel I’m at the point in my career where I want to do different things. It has nothing to do with anything that happened with me and coaches or me and the owner. There’s nothing that happened. I just feel like personally, for me and my career, it’s time for a change.”

Update by Jaxon:

Or you can read it here from Darin Gantt. The two quotes that piss me off yet again:

I said things about wanting to maybe play in a 3-4 and that’s still the case. But that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m ruling out any other teams that play the 4-3, I just want to have the option available. I feel that particular system would allow me to do things that playing defensive end in a 4-3 doesn’t necessarily allow me to do.

And the second:

What I’d say is, ‘Put yourself in my shoes, and look at the situation instead of being emotional about it.’”

michael vick

usana_gaines — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 11:12:45 -0000

Do you guys think Vick could have a future in Carolina? I'm going to highlight some pros and cons. First of all, he throws the ball harder and faster than Jake. He has one of the strongest arms I've ever seen. He can do ridiculously amazing things running the ball. His accuracy isn't much worse than Jake's, plus he would very rarely throw the ball more than 20-25 times in a game, like Jake. I think about him in the Cardinals game, and I think he may have run the ball a couple times instead of throwing INTs. Overall, I don't think he'd be better than Jake, but I think any team that signs him should be able to sign him for minimum wage. I mean, if he wants more money than Matt Moore, I wouldn't sign him. He should get 3rd string money, and if he proves that his attitude toward football hasn't changed, then we cut him at a cost less than we paid Carr. If he was in our camp this offseason, he could compete with Moore and McCown for a back-up spot. As for the negatives, well, they're on him. In the past, he chose not to spend his offseason learning playbooks and practicing with his receivers. I think Jake's leadership, Smitty's fire, Moose's teaching, and the RBs skills would humble him quickly. If not, he gets cut. What do you think?

D-Will Ground Player of the Year

usana_gaines — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:30:00 -0000

Everyone needs to get out and vote. On NFL.com, there are three finalists for NFL Ground Player of the Year. Vote for the one who did not make the Pro Bowl, you know the one who scored 20 TDs and was the NFL Player of the Month. Yeah, D-Will, that guy. The other nominees are Peterson and Turner. I honestly think D-Will had a better season than both of those guys, and his TD total and team wins back me up on that.

50 Best Players

usana_gaines — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:41:35 -0000

Pete Prisco of CBSSportsline.com posted a list of the 50 Best Players in the league. Using stats and other intangible factors, the feat isn't too difficult. I can't stand Prisco because he writes some absurd garbage at times, and as a non-journalist, I can say that. However, I wanted to point out a couple things. Steve Smith is ranked #21, behind guys like Champ Bailey, Albert Haynesworth and Charles Woodson. Here is the link: http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/10877567

Let's look at the list another way. Don't look at stats and try to be unbiased. Who would you actually pick for your team before Steve Smith? I think his list is garbage, but I never like Prisco's work. Peppers isn't on the list, but Freeney is.

Anyway, what I want to know is who are the top five Carolina Panthers. When you understand the difficulty in this exercise, you'll see how talented we really are.

Here's mine

1. Steve Smith

2. Julius Peppers

3. Jon Beason

4. Richard Marshall

5. Jake Delhomme

Let me know what you think about Prisco's list as well.