Is there any way we could package the 25th pick in this years NFL draft with Marty McFly and a hoover board to be named later, and go back in time to not trade Steve Smith? Am I the only one who really wishes we could have seen Smitty, Benjamin, and Olsen together? That could have been fun.
The reality is that it happened and there is nothing that Dave Gettleman or Marty McFly can do about that now. But I sure hope this offseason is better than last years.
Just to re-cap, last year the Panthers used the offseason to get worse in the secondary, worse in the recieving group, and worse on the offensive and defensive lines. I personally hold Gettleman accountable for the Hardy fiasco. There is a good reason they didn't sign Hardy to a long term deal. Those same reasons are why it's dangerous to franchise tag a player you can't trust. I don't blame Gettleman for franchising Hardy, but he can't say he was shocked that things went sour. He took a gamble and it didn't pay off.
As a fan, I am really hoping that he didn't really take a gamble on the WR's, DB's, and Offensive Linemen he brought in. I hope that he knew they stunk. I hope that he purposefully bit the bullet, knowing they may take a step back, with an eye on the future. Obviously he couldn't say that. Rivera couldn't say that. You can't have a pre-season press conference where you say "We brought in some below average talent. If we make the playoffs with this group, then Rivera may be the second coming of Lombardi". Rivera is not the second coming of Lombardi, although I really like him as a coach. The reality is the Panthers won what ended up being arguably the worst division in the history of the NFL.
So what happens this offseason really matters. What's up with Cam's contract? Do we keep all the running backs? Who replaces Greg Hardy? Who replaces Roman Harper? Roman isn't going anywhere, I just wish he was. No disrespect to the man. He just can't run. They don't even need a stopwatch to time him. They just need a cloud on a windless day. That may be a race Harper could win. In reality, Harper would probably take a bad angle and let the cloud get by him.
There is really only one question I need answered this offseason. Who is going to play Left Tackle? Byron Bell is not an acceptable answer. I love Byron Bell. From all accounts he is a great man. He gets every thing possible from his large body. I love his story. I love his work ethic. I love everything he says in the press. I love that he brought his family in for his first start a couple of years ago. I just don't love his talent. He just doesn't have the tools to play Left Tackle in the NFL for a title contending team. I would love for him to be they guy who comes in when someone is hurt. The Panthers always end up playing that guy. And that guys backup. I would much rather Byron Bell be our emergency starting LT instead of David Foucault, who is another good story, and another poor LT.
What I really hope is that Roger Goodell stands up on draft day and says "with the 25th pick, aquired in a trade from Carolina..." because Carolina has traded up to get a Tackle that can play right now. Unless something crazy happens there will not be any Tackles worthy of the 25th pick available. And Gettleman is not going to reach for a player. I'm keeping my eye on TJ Clemmings, out of Pittsburgh. According to what I have read, this guy has the best chance to be special, and has the best physical gifts.
Let's see what Cam can do when he isn't getting hit all the time. Let's see what our defense does when they aren't on the field all the time. Let's see what Jonathan Steward can do when he has lanes to run in and a Tackle that can get out and block on screen plays. We need a really good Left Tackle to be able to see that. I want to see that. Will you let us see that Dave Gettleman? Please?
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