Moose Scores Old Number OTH
By Brinson | May 2, 2008
Nothing beats On The House. Ever. Because it means free. A.K.A. nothing. Which is what Mushin Muhammad paid Jeff King for number 87, his old digits. It’s very, very rare that you see such a giveaway happen, too; generally players end up having to cough up at least like 10 large in order to land their old numbers. Not the case here.
Usually, when a player wants a number somebody already has, some kind of deal is transacted, or a fee is charged.
Not so with King, who gave Muhammad the number back and took No. 47 for himself.
‘Amazingly enough, it was freely given,’ Muhammad said. ‘Where the market is these days, it was actually free!’
Nice move by King, although I can’t say I would have done the same thing. And actually, I like the idea (and I’m somehow drawing a blank on who it was last year) of making the new player donate X thousands of dollars to a particular charity in order to get the number back. That’s really the way to go. But good for Moose, I suppose. Wide receivers happy = everyone happy.
Topics: NFL, Panthers, Random Cackalacka | No Comments »
Delhomme Throws, Appears Fine
By Brinson | May 2, 2008
In case the talking heads didn’t beat it through your skull over the past few weeks, one of the most important things that can happen for the Panthers 2008 season is that Jake Delhomme stays healthy. Via ITP, it appears that even if he’s not completely healed, the recovery progress is going well, as he actually threw passes at the team’s minicamp today. Word up.
In somewhat of a surprise, Delhomme threw 34 passes during individual drills Friday morning as the Panthers opened a three-day minicamp. He didn’t throw during team drills.
Delhomme said his recovery is going great and that he hasn’t had any setbacks. He said he hasn’t thrown a deep pass yet, but did throw an equally difficult 15-yard out pass to Steve Smith Saturday.
Delhomme looked comfortable and at ease throwing.
The news doesn’t get much better than that, Panther fans. Of course, I still think that we need to a) keep expectations down for Delhomme as much as possible, b) make sure that Matt Moore is getting plenty of snaps with the first team and that he’s prepared to step in as a starter at any moment and c) sign a veteran backup. Even if it’s someone like Byron Leftwich, unless he’s actually a clubhouse cancer, the addition of a veteran who has a decent grasp on the playbook and can step in and not be worse than David Carr have everyone immediately become terrified would be a nice bonus.
Image via Carolina Huddle
Topics: Delhomme, Injury Report, NFL, Panthers, Quarterback | No Comments »
On the Meaninglessness of Draft Grades
By Brinson | April 30, 2008
I have all intention of combing through the tube-series to find a collection of draft grades and then posting it here, but for now, I want to touch on Mel Kiper’s comments with a slew of sports reporters from the other day, courtesy of ITP.
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. says he would have given the Carolina Panthers an “A” grade for their picks last weekend if they hadn’t given up a 2009 first round pick to acquire Pittsburgh offensive tackle Jeff Otah with the 19th selection this year. So he gave them a “B” instead.
Speaking Monday on a conference call with reporters from around the country, Kiper said the Panthers’ talent takeaway was comparable to that of the Kansas City Chiefs, whose draft class has been widely hailed as the best in the league.
See, to me, that’s meaningless. Otah cost us our second round pick this year and first rounder this year, yes, but he was an additional first round pick. In other words, we obtained an additional top 20 pick. Yes, I know, it’s relatively obvious. Which is why I don’t understand Kiper’s reaction and subsequent docking of our draft grade.
Topics: Draft, Front Office, Random Cackalacka | No Comments »
Message! Add Jeff Otah to Our 2008 First Round
By Brinson | April 26, 2008
A lot of people bitched about the Panthers’ inactivity in the offseason, but near the end Fox and Hurney got kind of warm and suddenly we’ve got a very competitive team. Add to that competitive team Jeff Otah, offensive lineman for Pittsburgh, and now a starting tackle for the Carolina Panthers.
Mel Kiper gave this pickk a “B” and ESPN says the “fans” gave this pick an “F”. Both of those are absolutely stupid. We just landed our second rated (behind Jake Long, obviously) offensive lineman and our top rated running back in the first round. This is what’s called a coup. Great job by Hurney and Fox.
Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »
We Got Our Running Back - Cats Take Jonathan Stewart
By Brinson | April 26, 2008
I think it was pretty obvious that if Ryan Clady was sitting there at 13 for the Panthers, then John Fox and Marty Hurney were going to pull the trigger on the Boise St. offensive lineman. What was not so obvious was the apparent crush the organization had on Jonathan Stewart, choosing to select him over Rashard Mendenhall when pick time came.
Personally, I love the pick. Stewart is a bruiser, or as Dave Warner points out at FanHouse, a “Stephen Davis clone“. And that’s what makes this such a solid pick; Stewart gives us a legitimate running threat that can control game pace and pound the rock. DeAngelo Williams can’t do that. Sorry, D. Although, it should be noted that Stewart will likely make Williams more effective in a non-everyday role, giving him the ability to hit the home run and change the pace.
Great pick. I actually expect a trade up followed by an offensive lineman. But for now, it’s tough to be angry with what we landed at the 13th overall pick. Stewart is a top five selection, imho, in any other draft that doesn’t feature teams with running backs in place that high.
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We’re the 78th Best Franchise in a Totally Meaningless Survey!
By Brinson | April 25, 2008
Every year, ESPN rolls out these stupid “fan surveys” — because ESPN is the home of the fan, you know — where the point is to let you know where your franchise ranks based on several categories. Bang for your Buck, Fan Relations, Ownership, Affordability, Stadium Experience, Players, Coach/Manager and Title Track. Purportedly, the have surveys done. I tend to think they ask the 10,000 drooling morons who log onto SportsNation to vote and then tweak the rankings to make Boston team looks good their liking.
I guess it’s mildly entertaining, but the WWL really just has too much time on it’s hands. And too many people snowed into thinking they actually give a crap about fans. But that’s another rant for another time. Let’s see how the Cats fit into the “full, Ultimate standings” (sounds like something from Biscuitville) shall we?
Bang for your Buck (BNG) — 42 — Wins/divided by revenue from fans. So, like, we must have a ton of money last year.
Fan Relations (FRL) — 93 — Really? We’re eight spots below the Dodgers who wouldn’t let kids get autographs? Oh, right. It’s just “access to coaches, staff, management”. That explains why the Pats check in at 18. Because Bill Belichick is friendly. Get the eff out of here.
Ownership (OWN) — 53 — This is our second highest rank. I find this hard to believe, considering Mr. Richardson, well, kicks ass. What does he do that’s so “middling”?
Affordability (AFF) — 80 — I’m sorry. I have a serious, serious problem believing that it’s cheaper to go to a Dallas Cowboy game or a Boston Celtic game than a Carolina Panther game. I just do.
Stadium Experience (STD) — 86 — I’m not justifying anything now, just based on the acronym used here.
Players (PLA) — 102 — Right. But the Bears, with Rex Grossman and Cedric Benson, are 85. Sure.
Coach/Manager (CCH) — 83 — Dusty Baker checks in at 77 here, folks. Let’s move on.
Title Track (TTR) — 68 — Really? We’re that freaking high? And the Giants are 31? Sheesh.
So, to sum up, ESPN’s surveys are stupid. Thanks for particpating.
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2008 NFL Draft Odds: Rashard Mendenhall
By Brinson | April 23, 2008
Check it, kids. From the indispensable Vegas Watch comes a link to Bodog’s team props leading up to the NFL draft. This particular one, and I’ll “release” more of them if I’m not feeling too lazy tonight, deals with the drafting of Rashard Mendenhall. Interestingly, the Cats are less favored to take him than Chicago or Detroit, despite drafting in front of them. In other words, Vegas believes that we’re inclined to take a lineman.What Team will draft Rashard Mendenhall?
Topics: Draft, Front Office, Gambling, Offseason, Panthers | No Comments »
Mike Rucker to Retire
By Brinson | April 22, 2008
Sources buried deep inside the Carolina Panthers organization have indicated to me (read with sarcasm please) that Mike Rucker will announce his retirement from professional football this afternoon. In fact, if I lived/worked anything closer than an hour and a half from Charlotte, I would just go down there and tell you. As it is though, I have to take Chuck Chandler’s word for it.
Former Panthers defensive end Mike Rucker, an unrestricted free agent who has not signed with the team, will announce his retirement at a 1 p.m. news conference at Bank of America Stadium, according to a source close to the situation.
Rucker obviously wasn’t signed by anyone, so it’s not that shocking. It still hurts to see three-fourths of what was at one time the most dominant defensive line in the NFL no longer anywhere near the Panthers (Jenkins to the Jets, my boy Brentsen Buckner retired and now Rucker). On the other hand, at least the team is growing up and moving on — hanging onto ties with players that we can’t afford to roster never did anyone any good, especially as the Cats attempt to take strides forward in making this team relevant again.
Assuming the rumor is true, best wishes go out to Mike Rucker in all his future endeavors; Rucker spent his entire career with the Panthers and ranks second in team history with tackles and sacks at 553 and 55.5, respectively.
Photo courtesy of Charlotte.com
Topics: Defensive Line, NFL, Offseason, Panthers | No Comments »