2022 Carolina Panthers

[PhillyBirds]

2022 Carolina Panthers "Pre"view
After a promising 3-0 start to the Sam Darnold Era last season, Carolina, exacerbated by an injury to Christian McCaffrey, completely imploded. Finishing 5-12 on the year, they should be hoping to ride a healthy McCaffrey to a more successful season in 2022. They are, however, off to an 0-2 start at time of posting...

Total White players on 53-man roster: 12
Total White starters: 6
Starters listed in bold.

OFFENSE
QB: Baker Mayfield
RB: Christian McCaffrey
TE: Giovanni Ricci
C: Pat Elflein, Bradley Bozeman
G: Brady Christensen, Austin Corbett, Cade Mays

DEFENSE
DE: Henry Anderson
DT: Matt Ionnidis

SPECIALISTS
P: Johnny Hekker
LS: J.J. Jansen

INJURED RESERVE
QB: Sam Darnold
K: Zane Gonzalez

PRACTICE SQUAD
TE: Josh Babicz, Colin Thompson
QB: Jacob Eason
WR: C.J. Saunders, Derek Wright
C: Sam Tecklenburg

Few teams in all of football rely more on one player to dictate their success than Carolina. Christian McCaffrey's health is all that separates competitive weeks from completely lost seasons. McCaffrey fits pretty much any superlative you could foist upon a star player. Yet, as their 0-2 record is testament to, McCaffrey cannot do it alone. Though both losses were competitive, new QB Baker Mayfield has not found the win column as of yet; he gets a fresh start in Carolina after Cleveland torpedoed their franchise for Deshaun Watson. However, aside from D.J. Moore, Mayfield's receiving options are either totally inexperienced or downright putrid outside of McCaffrey. Veteran former Viking Pat Elflein returns to anchor the middle of the line. Second-year man Christensen slides over from his natural tackle position to start at guard. Austin Corbett is a fifth-year man out of Nevada.

Veteran DT Matt Ionnidis spent quite a few productive years in Washington, teaming up with Ryan Kerrigan to terrorize offensive backfields. The dependable former Temple man is already in his seventh season, and is part of a small-but-mighty club of starting White defensive tackles. Henry Anderson saw some success while part of some truly terrible Jets teams, and even spent a season as a starter. In Carolina however, he is moved to a rotational spot, as teams now swap out their defensive lines like hockey shifts.

11th-year punter Johnny Hekker is worth a mention, as he begins his first season away from the St. Louis/LA Rams. The six-time All-Pro has lead the league in net yardage many times, and brought a flair for the dramatic to the position as a semi-frequent passer in fake punting situations. There's some interesting skill player depth on the practice squad, with two each White wide receivers and tight ends. Hopefully one or several of these lads can make their way onto the field this season.

 

[Freethinker]

Where to begin with the Panthers….

Matt Rhule, and whoever the GM is, has done a terrible job of constructing this roster around CMac and Mayfield / Darnold. As PhillyBirds said, the receivers beyond Moore and sometimes Anderson, are total garbage. Then they operate out of base offense of 2 tight ends. In a league with outstanding White TEs everywhere, they start Ian Thomas and Tommy Tremble. That’s just not going to cut it as both are backup types. And speaking of backups, it’s criminal that PJ Walker is the backup QB (technically 3rd string but still). He’s under 6’ and has a career 55% completion with a 2/8 TD to INT ratio. He’s also not a threat to run. There are easily 20 White QBs on practice squads or out of the league who would be more deserving, but because Rhule coached Walker in college he has a job. This right here shows that Rhule is a fool who isn’t cut out for the job. Hopefully this buffoon will be fired after another predictably disappointing season.

 

[Leonardfan]

There were several drops in the game vs the Giants by Panthers WRs/TEs. I hope that Mayfield starts looking to McCaffery as a safety blanket in the passing game. The misuses of McCaffery in the first two games is frustrating. The season is still early and the NFC South is a weak division outside of Tampa Bay. Rooting for Mayfield and McCaffery!

 

[Warhawk_46]

CMC grinds out another 100 yard game. No yards came easy and the play-calling so far this season has been ugly.

The Panthers need to get this man into space and let him shine!

 

[Leonardfan]

@white is right already mentioned this but Rhule has been shitcanned. Mayfield out with a high ankle sprain

 

[wile]

The Panthers need to get that man out of town and up to Buffalo.

 

[Phall]

I don't really have anything productive to add, but I feel compelled to wonder out loud about the next coaching hire.

College football is a lot different than the NFL because there seems to be a lot less pressure to hire minorities (blacks) for whatever reason. It's grumbled about at a meta level by sports journalists, but universities like Nebraska and Wisconsin are still considered 'shrewd' to some extent for having fired their unwanted coaches early because it gives them the jumpstart on 'cream of the crop' candidates.

I'd read in different places that Matt Rhule had a $20+ million buyout and $42 million left on his contract. Firing him will pay him some amount like that on a schedule. One reason the Carolina Panthers' jewish owner was being "shrewd" with this timely October firing is that college teams will presumably offer Rhule big bucks from colleges to work again immediately, thereby reducing the buyout clauses. Personally, if I was guaranteed between $20- and $40 million dollars after being fired, I'd never work again a day in my life, but that's just me. What sort of figure do you think it takes to outbid a $20 million retirement parachute? Another $70 million guaranteed is no longer even record-setting.

Back to the Panthers' job, it's a shame that the jewish billionaire owner Tepper is not even allowed to proactively hunt for his ideal coach. He needs to be *very* careful from now until Day One of camp to treat every black man with kid gloves, ie calling them "sir" and bowing when greeting. The insane black maniac Brian Flores accused John Elway of racism for "merely" granting him a four-hour interview in Denver, also calling him a drunk! These fates (and worse) await the next franchise who does not hire a black for any reason! I remember the Lions in 2003 being scrutinized for hiring Steve Mariucci, a playoff-winner, rather than fully vetting more black position coaches. Just last year, the game of coaching musical chairs played out that the first 4-5 vacancies were filled by white men, and the remaining two (Texans and Dolphins) HAD to be filled with blacks (the Dolphins' jewish billionaire owner hilariously found an octaroon analyst nerd rather than giving some ex-player their job).

In the meantime, the black DC Steve Wilks gets to man the helm as the Panthers' interim coach. He is a better choice than white OC Bob McAdoo, whose offense ranks as worst in the league. Wilks is also a better choice because he is black and therefore counts as a Rooney Rule consideration; he will not be able to sue the Tepper family if he doesn't get the full-time gig because he is now receiving an extended audition. I did not remember that Wilks had been a terrible coach for Arizona as recently as 2018, nor that he was just a college (Missouri) DC just a year ago. Anyway, I don't think the Panthers franchise really won themselves any advantage in the game of "Eric Bienemy hot potato" where the losing team *IS FORCED* to hire him.

Is Tepper the same owner who told Cam Newton he was "one of the good ones" because he wasn't covered in tattoos? Both Darnold and Mayfield's career prospects are shot; this team really ought to trade McCaffrey (to Buffalo) immediately and go to a 100%-diversity model (all black roster, all black coaching staff).

 

[Flint]

The Lambert league player updates on CMAC has Buffalo asking about him. I think it’s more fantasy blather (Buffalo has denied it). Its such a good scenario that it probably won’t happen. But it sure would be nice if it did!

 

[Leonardfan]

@Phall - good post. In retrospect Mayfield chose poorly. A year serving as a second qb would have done him well. Again this is another example of a White QB going into a new system - one that does not play to his strengths. He will be out for at least a few weeks which now ironically leaves Rhule’s pet black quarterback as the starting qb.

 

[Leonardfan]

Panthers choose to stick with PJ Walker after a terrible game yesterday.

 

[Freethinker]

Panthers choose to stick with PJ Walker after a terrible game yesterday.

LOL. Walker may have had one of the worst halves of football of any quarterback in decades. Just check the stats for anyone thinking I'm being hyperbolic.

Its clear that the black interim HC is playing Walker out of solidarity with his racial brother. I hear Darnold is getting healthy as well, yet the immortal PJ Walker is going to keep getting run out there? Wake up DWFs!

 

[Leonardfan]

LOL. Walker may have had one of the worst halves of football of any quarterback in decades. Just check the stats for anyone thinking I'm being hyperbolic.

Its clear that the black interim HC is playing Walker out of solidarity with his racial brother. I hear Darnold is getting healthy as well, yet the immortal PJ Walker is going to keep getting run out there? Wake up DWFs!

The DWFs won’t wake up. They are useful idiots.

At least the members of Caste Football can all be proud of the fact we see through the charade for what it is.

 

[white is right]

LOL. Walker may have had one of the worst halves of football of any quarterback in decades. Just check the stats for anyone thinking I'm being hyperbolic.

Its clear that the black interim HC is playing Walker out of solidarity with his racial brother. I hear Darnold is getting healthy as well, yet the immortal PJ Walker is going to keep getting run out there? Wake up DWFs!

It could be a tank job for the top pick too, that's the only legitimate reason to start a guy who is a CFL level qb at best.

 

[Don Wassall]

In four starts, Walker has 563 yards passing with 3 TDs and 3 picks. And he's only run for 25 yards. So he brings nothing, not even running ability.

I'm still hoping Sam Darnold gets some starts this season, not that he has much to work with on that ultra-dysfunctional team. But he's Peyton Manning compared to the likes of Walker.