If you're strictly a Cam Newton fan, this thread isn’t for you. If you didn’t care about the Panthers before six months ago, this thread isn’t for you. If you fancy one of the other teams and think you’ll get your daily two scoops of TWW schadenfreude by posting something clever here, this thread isn’t for you either, but I hope that won't stop you from trying.

This thread is for the dweedles, the TreeTwistas, the Good Lifes, the KevMc86’s, the Ribs, the Jeepin4x4s, the AndyMacs, the Genghis Johns, the Fortes, the Mavericks, the skokiaans, the Dale’s Dead Bugs, the dmspacks, the Actionpants, the Wolfman Tims, the markos, the BioFreaks, and even the faces of TWW to opine and discuss everything Panther-related until that first game this September. If I neglected you, apologies, but you probably didn’t warrant mentioning the first place.



First order of business: Our own unrestricted free agents.

Jeremy Shockey, TE
Geoff Hangartner, OG
Dan Connor, MLB
Derek Anderson, QB
Legedu Naanee, WR
Antwan Applewhite, OLB
J.J. Jansen, LS
Jordan Senn, OLB
Mackenzy Bernadeau, OG
Richie Brockel, TE
Cletis Gordon, DB


Money's tight this year, so we're going to have to be smart. No big Deangelo type deals this year.
Who do we bring back, and, more importantly, who do we tell to fuck off?

[Edited on February 13, 2012 at 2:45 PM. Reason : Removed ThePeter from my list. Simply inexcusable mistake.]

2/13/2012 2:18:33 PM

Naanee started to show promise, but he can fuck off.

Keep Shockey if the price is right. I like his edge.

Got to somehow replace Mare. Just make it happen.

2/13/2012 2:24:50 PM

JJ Jansen was already re-signed a week or so ago, so that big name UFA can be crossed off.

2/13/2012 2:25:19 PM

I'd like to keep Shockey to continue the dual threat TE options for Cam, but not if he wants too much money
Hangartner is a solid lineman who shouldn't command too much money
Connor played well and with our LB injury questions, we should keep him around
Anderson is better than Pickles, but if either one of them has to play significant minutes, we're fucked anyway
Naanee got better throughout the year but hopefully Gettis will be back at full strength, I say we kick Naanee to the curb
Applewhite proved that he has a legitimate pass rush and can play inside on 3rd downs, gotta keep him
JJ Jansen - didn't we ink him to an extension a few weeks ago?
Bernadeau is kinda like Hangartner, not great but solid, as long as we keep one of the two I'm good
Brockel scored a touchdown but I don't give a shit about keeping him
Who the fuck is Cletis Gordon?

2/13/2012 2:25:58 PM

I would love to be included in that group, but yes I'm not worth mentioning b/c I don't post that often. Definitely try and keep Shockey, Applewhite, Senn, and Hangartner if we can. Anderson would be nice to bring back, but I really hope the Panthers are able to draft Russell in the later rounds so he might be expendable, but I would rather we just straight up release Clausen. Conner is as good as gone as he has said he wants to test the market and go somewhere he can start. Nanee and the rest aren't really worth trying to re-sign. Our offense is good enough to win right now, we just need to focus on defense, especially CB and DT, maybe safety too

2/13/2012 2:26:04 PM

Quote :

"the Peters"

Please inform your boy about high profile rookies this year

Quote :

"Didn't realize Julio was a rookie too lol."

2/13/2012 2:41:54 PM

Duly noted

2/13/2012 2:46:20 PM

I fully expect Shockey to take some sort of a hometown discount. I also fully expect Hurney to lowball the fuck out of him because of this

it'll be interesting to see what other teams would be willing to pay a 31 year old TE with a history of injuries

definitely want him back though

2/13/2012 2:54:04 PM

i'm not too overly concerned with the tight cap this year. I feel like the foundation has been poured. Shockey is definitely a priority and I think at this stage in his career he will agree to stay for an affordable price.


i really want to see how our linebackers are recovering from injuries. i'm not putting any trust in Thomas Davis and hope we will make contingent plans as if he were not going to be around.

and what's next for Jeff Otah? How much longer will the front office sit by and watch him half ass it through training camp only to come up lame and sit out the season?

2/13/2012 2:56:18 PM

haha I was about to say, my posts aren't much for content around here

ndmetcal else has a damn odd memory though



[Edited on February 13, 2012 at 3:04 PM. Reason : dfasadf]

2/13/2012 3:03:33 PM

Just helpful to know who to ignore with everybody posting advice in the fantasy thread

2/13/2012 3:35:06 PM

still doesn't explain why you recalled an obscure post after like a year

2/13/2012 3:38:44 PM

Photographic memory to start with, so when I see someone giving fantasy advice to others in the same post they say something so silly makes it easy for me to remember "don't listen to this dude"

Haha, no offense or anything, just found it funny you got mentioned by name is all

2/13/2012 3:48:02 PM

#1 priority - resign Conner and Applewhite.

Shockey can get an offer, but I wouldn't pay him much, he's old and has injury problems.
Probably let Anderson go and try to sign a backup QB who can run pretty much the same offense as Cam. (also cut pickles, he is just a waste of money now).
Don't really care about the O-linemen, just depends on what they are willing to sign for. They aren't all-pro guys, so you can just sign somebody else if they want to much money. No big deal.

The Naanee experiment shouldn't get a second year, that was awful.
As far as Cletis Gordon: if he couldn't get on the field with how shitty the secondary was last season, why should the panthers resign him? that said, i'm sure marty "genius" hurney will probably pay him like $30 million. also munnerlyn will become the highest paid CB in football.

2/13/2012 3:59:34 PM

Really the number one priority will be getting below the cap, so we can keep some guys and bring in some help.

They will almost definitely cut Thomas Davis who is due an $8M option bonus the day after the league year starts (which I think is March 1). That'll end up putting the Panthers right above the estimated $120M salary cap, which means some more moves will have to be made. They can also cut Lawlsen early on and be off the hook for about a $900k roster bonus.

2/13/2012 4:17:05 PM

I don't think anyone would be disappointed of we got a cheaper kicker

2/13/2012 4:23:04 PM

wouldn't there be some cap penalties for cutting Mare? he's due a lot of money the next 3 years or whatever

i would like to see Senn back. he's a great special teams player, which is nice since the special teams are poo. he also performed admirably when called upon due to injuries to the LBs. my only question about him is in the same mold of a Richard Marshall...was he getting tackles because he was getting beat and/or caught out of position? or is he a ball-hawking LB who can contribute? Rivera seems like he can get the most out of guys like Senn, Applewhite, etc., so i look forward to seeing how they approach these guys in the future.

2/13/2012 5:05:57 PM

IMO Shockey is the most important of those free agents. He's the tight end version of Steve Smith, I think his intensity helps the team even more than his on field production.

Naanee got a little better towards the end of the year but he still wasn't as good as Lafell, and Gettis should be coming back and looked promising his rookie year.

2/13/2012 5:41:23 PM

Jeremy Shockey, TE - YES
Geoff Hangartner, OG - YES
Dan Connor, MLB - YES
Derek Anderson, QB - Eh, as far as veterans go, he's not, but he's better than Pickles and shouldn't cost much
Legedu Naanee, WR - FUCK NO
Antwan Applewhite, OLB - Yes, if can be afforded
J.J. Jansen, LS - RESIGNED
Jordan Senn, OLB - Eh
Mackenzy Bernadeau, OG - Eh
Richie Brockel, TE - Meh
Cletis Gordon, DB - Who?


And if we can get rid of Mare somehow, then for fucks sake do it

2/13/2012 5:46:53 PM

just saw Clausen is owed a bonus of almost $1M on March 27...hopefully they drop his ass in the next month and a half

2/13/2012 5:59:11 PM

^^gotta give Brockel a little more love than a "meh" for his help in converting the trick play

2/13/2012 8:07:20 PM

that's why he got a "meh" instead of a "who?"

2/13/2012 8:13:39 PM

I've thought more about this, and the panthers need to sign some more of the 7th floor crew to go along with greg”g-reg” olsen and jon ”big beast” beason.

2/13/2012 8:19:06 PM

Wonder if they plan on restructuring any deals in order to give them more space to work with.

2/13/2012 8:24:20 PM

Jeremy Shockey, TE - I was definitely ambivalent about his addition, but it proved to be a very shrewd one. His 37 catches were the lowest of his career; however, 37 catches and 4 TDs out of a #2 TE is very good indeed. Keep him unless we decide to go crazy and draft a TE with the 2nd round pick.

Geoff Hangartner, OG - Always liked this guy, his versatility is extremely valuable. Unless he is going to be unreasonable and expect starting money, sign him up.

Dan Connor, MLB - Consistency is one hell of a valuable trait, and again you need to do what you can to keep this guy unless he wants a big payday.

Derek Anderson, QB - I suppose he could stay and I wouldn't be upset, but I guess I don't care either way. He looked good in the preseason, but we could have new #2 and #3 QBs next year.

Legedu Naanee, WR - HELL NO. I think he did get better towards the end of the season, but I feel like the first 75% of it was constant facepalming and screams of "NO NAANEE WHY"

Antwan Applewhite, OLB - Certainly not disappointed in what he brought, just depends on contract. Not a priority.

J.J. Jansen, LS - Already taken care of.

Jordan Senn, OLB - This guy was all over the field at the end of the year. Definitely worth paying a short term deal worth modest money.

Mackenzy Bernadeau, OG - I'd like to keep him because we drafted him, and he has been a solid roleplayer. But not a priority.

Richie Brockel, TE - That trick play was fun, he played some different roles well, but I think he's about the last person on the list needing to be resigned.

Cletis Gordon, DB - wat
[Edited on February 13, 2012 at 8:31 PM. Reason : awww Slave Famous you shouldn't have]

ha didn't read anyone elses beforehand but looks like we are all close in agreement, except perhaps i should value applewhite more

2/13/2012 8:30:36 PM

from Applewhite's wiki page

Quote :

"He also has all of the Warp levels from "Super Mario Brothers 3" tattooed on his left thigh. He also enjoys his dog Pene.[citation needed]"

2/13/2012 8:35:36 PM

Fair enough

Anywho, I'm curious, have any other teams publicly looked at Russell Wilson? Hard to say on a player like him, but it seems to make sense that Wilson would fit in here...and conveniently replace bith Anderson and Pickles

2/13/2012 8:46:07 PM

what evil would we have to do to clear up enough cap space to sign Mario?

pipe dream, I know, but damn that would be sick.

2/15/2012 11:11:52 AM

dunno if theres something more recent than this but http://www.sportscity.com/NFL/Carolina-Panthers-Salaries

cut Otah
Hangartner was making over twice what Bernadeau was, he might want too much
time to part ways with Thomas Davis
get rid of Ron Edwards if we haven't already

this clause in the most recent CBA is interesting, you can roll over unused cap space from 2011 towards 2012 giving teams like the Chiefs over $60M to spend http://www.sbnation.com/2012-nfl-free-agency/2012/2/14/2797628/salary-cap-update-2012-nfl-free-agency

unfortunately the Panthers are on the opposite end of the spectrum

[Edited on February 15, 2012 at 11:32 AM. Reason : .]

2/15/2012 11:25:36 AM

^Go back in time and not give DeAngelo all that money.

2/15/2012 11:26:57 AM

^^Bucs have around $60 million as well.

i just hope they either strike out on high end FAs or the ones they sign flop. they could be a dramatically different team next season with a new coach and all that cap room.

2/15/2012 12:04:55 PM

Naanee definitely needs to fuck off. Connor and at least one of Applewhite/Senn should come back because they all played pretty damn well, not to mention Beason and Davis are injury prone.

I agree with most about Shockey, would like to keep him but not if he asks for too much money.

2/15/2012 12:31:33 PM

^^

Quote :

"After rolling over $23.5 million in salary cap space from 2011, Bucs GM Mark Dominik expects to be one of the league's most active teams in free agency this offseason. "We purposely rolled every penny we could into this year's cap," explained Dominik. "Clubs didn't have to do that, but we wanted to. We have plans." Tampa has been mentioned by various sources as a potential landing spot for free agents Vincent Jackson, Mario Williams, Brent Grimes, Curtis Lofton, and Mike Tolbert. According to figures compiled by ESPN, the Bucs' $60.5 million in salary cap space is second only to the Chiefs' $62.9 million. "

[Edited on February 15, 2012 at 12:33 PM. Reason : jklh]

2/15/2012 12:32:54 PM

Beason is not injury prone:



That, and Richardson is not a shitty penny-pinching owner.

What happens once should not define the total picture

2/15/2012 2:45:58 PM

shockey and hangartner are the only must signs

conner would be nice but he may not want to be relegated back to the bench with everyone coming back, so he'll probably have a high asking price

nanee and anderson aren't needed

the rest are whatever

2/15/2012 2:55:41 PM

I wouldn't count on Beason to be 100% at the start of the season. Achilles tears aren't ACLs ... they're a lot worse. I think resigning Connor is a no-brainer

2/15/2012 3:51:56 PM

^^^shouldn't of lumped Beason into there but the depth still can't hurt

2/15/2012 3:59:43 PM

slave always hating. I've been a fan since the mid 90's hater.

2/15/2012 10:11:48 PM

I've been a fan since the mid 80s, so gtfo.

2/15/2012 10:27:48 PM

I've been alive since the mid 80s, so gtfo.

2/15/2012 10:28:42 PM

i don't really remember this guy from Wake, but depth can't hurt

http://blogs.charlotte.com/panthers/2012/02/panthers-sign-defensive-end.html

2/17/2012 4:11:13 PM

Beason is not injury prone. Thomas Davis has been injured and put on IR for 2 years in a row now.

2/17/2012 4:49:11 PM

I have a source for some inside knowledge on the team.

Not sure if it's been mentioned but we signed Pontbriand. My source also says that Jeff Otah is a big pussy and likely not to be around next season.

[Edited on February 17, 2012 at 9:43 PM. Reason : She also mentioned that treatments for Mare's sissyfoot were unsuccessful. ]

2/17/2012 9:41:06 PM

so we ink JJ Jansen to an extension, then we sign another long snapper the Browns cut for not being able to snap the ball well?

prufrock source credibility watch or Martey Hurney credibility watch?

[Edited on February 17, 2012 at 9:45 PM. Reason : .]

2/17/2012 9:44:21 PM

Yeah Slave. Because the panthers were a team in the 80's.....

2/17/2012 9:56:57 PM

TT10: Yea, I'm questioning my source as well, but she definitely has inside knowledge, and she even mentioned he was coming from CLE. He's been at the facility.

This was like two weeks ago, and no mention of him being signed so looks like they are sticking with JJ. My bad.

[Edited on February 18, 2012 at 2:09 AM. Reason : :FAIL:]

2/18/2012 2:05:42 AM

Oh shit slave, he's got you there.

2/18/2012 2:44:39 AM

Quote :

"Martey Hurney credibility watch?"

hurney hasn't been credible ever.

2/18/2012 2:57:45 AM

he drafted Cam instead of (LOL) Patrick Peterson or (LOL) Dareus/Fairley

2/18/2012 11:50:50 AM

everette brown

armanti edwards

2/19/2012 12:25:26 PM