2023 NFL offseason thread

Beckham looks like shit in cornrows. I don’t think any less of him.

It’s 2023. I don’t give a shit if a black person has dreadlocks, cornrows, huge afro, fade, high fade… It doesn’t say anything about them to me.

 

Daily Mail never ran them; you’re thinking of The Sun.

 

This is a serious overpay for the No. 1 overall pick for the Panthers.

It's even worse when there's no generational quarterback available. None of what will be available are can't-miss sorts. Of course, they might develop and they might surprise.

For Scott Fitterer's sake, whoever is chosen had better do so ... or he'll join Teddy Bridgewater, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and Matt Rhule on the trail leaving Charlotte.

If you factor in what the Panthers failed to get for Christian McCaffrey, this is basically McCaffrey, DJ Moore and two No. 1s for the No. 1 overall next month ... with no generational quarterback on the board. Also factor in that whoever is drafted - assuming he starts right away - who is this quarterback going to throw to? The Panthers never replaced Greg Olsen at TE, McCaffrey was far and away their best receiving option out of the backfield and Moore was the best option among the wideouts. And while it's always important for a quarterback to have a go-to guy, it's even more important when one is just getting started. OK, so - assuming they re-sign D'Onta Foreman, they'll have a power running game and an improving offensive line. But who's going to catch the nine-year slant over the middle on 3rd-and-7? Who can be counted on for the potential game-winning drive down five with 90 seconds to go?

Congrats to the Bears for capitalizing on the Panthers' FOMO. Justin Fields just picked up a strong No. 1 WR, and Chicago got a truckload of draft capital for the next three years.

 

What's not an overpay then, to go from 9 to 1?


And I would disagree that if they choose Bryce Young, there are those who do view him as a generational guy.

 

I don't. Not even close. And no one is certain whether they're going with Young or C.J. Stroud. Going with Will Levis or Anthony Richardson – based on what we think we now know – should be followed with an immediate housecleaning of anyone who thinks this move was brilliant.

Handing them DJ Moore instead of another first-round pick was a mistake, but the Bears made Moore a key to the deal. Of course, Fitterer couldn't say no ... not sure if it was Fitterer's ego or the pressure David Tepper has been putting on this situation that didn't calm them down enough to avoid finalizing the deal.

 

What?

What about Young says generational? Size? Speed? Arm strength? Undefeated in college? Accuracy?

Fuck me.

Could he be a great pro? Possibly. Generational? Jesus.

 

Young was the best quarterback I saw in college last season. That's all I know. How that will translate to the NFL I have no idea. I also know the Panthers paid a very very high price for that number one pick because the Bears, almost two months before the draft and before free agency even started, figured it was the best offer they were gonna get.

 

Not a shot at you but more a shot at the idiots making that comment for clicks.

 

I didn't think it was a shot at me at all. I was just commenting on the difficulty of projecting how a college QB will fare in the pros. And after all the Panthers could well pick Stroud instead. He's got the same problem in terms of my and anyone else's judgment. They are both quarterbacks who looked great running offenses that had superior personnel to almost every defense they faced, sometimes vastly superior. They will go to teams with offenses that, well, don't have that. Close to the reverse.
Back in 2021 when Mac Jones was a rookie I did some research. Of all the eventual Hall of Fame quarterbacks who were high draft picks and were starters for most or all of their rookie years, only one came in and became an instant star. That was Dan Marino, who went to a team that had been to the Super Bowl the previous season. Great as Marino was, I daresay that going to an already good team was the major factor in his fast start.

 

Sorry you didn’t get the chance to see Hendon Hooker play.

 

I saw Hooker twice. Once against Alabama, where he was fabulous. Once against Georgia, less so.

 

Young strikes me as a Tua/Kyler Murray comp. Maybe he'll be beat up by year three. But it looks like their only other option would have been to stay put and see what's left, or pull the trigger on Garrapolo - I'm guessing they were hoping for Carr. I do think the trade may get some FAs to head to Charlotte, and the team's defense is already decent.

Like the Giants opting to re-sign Jones - teams would rather HAVE a QB they feel they can commit to for a couple of years than do the musical chairs, as the Panthers have done for a while now. If they can get an 85 passer rating out of him - they'll chalk it up as a win.