Panthers Offseason Plan

Yep. Peete knows our system and the philosophy. It would be a plus to have him pair up with a kid like Navarre Lorenzon or Schaub. In the 4th or 5th I bet we'll be able to steal a good QB prospect . . . '04 should be flooded with them.)
IMO Peete could keep Delhomme (and Weinke?) on the right track too. We could do much worse.

 

However, a youngster waiting and learning is not someone who will likely be a "starter" in waiting unless you invest a high round draft pick in him. Sure there are a few exceptions of late round pix making good, but for the most part you can count on late round quarterback pix to be nothing more than roster fodder. If we really feel like we need a youngster to develop then we probably would want to invest a 2nd round pick in him. I can see Delhomme and Weinke at 1/2 for a while, and I can see us picking up a later round qb, but that pick-up won't really be grooming a potential starter, imho.

 

We start winning consitantly and QBs will want to come here. One word, Davis and the OL.

 

prioritys:


1. A top flight CB, unless Winslow falls to us.

2. LB for depth since ours cant seem to stay on the field.

3. OT-OG keep bringing in fresh blood on the line.

 

Many starters in the league right now were NOT high draft picks. Farve was a fifth, I think. Last years SB QB's, Gannon and Johnson, neither were high picks.
The solid not spectacular college QB's are often guys who develop into good NFL QB's. These are those 3-5 round guys I am talking about. The idea is to bring in one of these Delhomme type guys and develop him. A #3 for a few years, bump to #2 for a few years, then he's the man. Older, wiser & low miles.
A first or second QB is no more a starter than a 3rd thru 7th or a UFA for that matter...the expectations are just higher. I love under rated college QB's, they ALWAYS play like they have something to prove.

 

Peete would likely have to be kept after the year to be any sort of "coach" for the team, as in on the roster. Any guy who's got the money Rodney does, with a Hollywood wife and a california pedigree, probably doesn't want to put in 12 hour days for 1/5th at best of what he was making. Same as Beuerlein, I just don't see the draw.

As well, I don't know if I want Peete back again, but I assume he's here as long as he wants to be, because of the coaches.

I'd like to see us get something for Weinke, get an extension for Delhomme, and draft someone. Right now, we can probably use the pick more, Weinke can be better used elsewhere, and having Peete around one more year suggests having time to develop a player. THAT's the only situation I'd want to see a QB drafted after the 3rd, because those players just don't pan out unless they have a lot of ample time to push into a niche.



Right now, I'd look to re-sign Grant first, and plan to target corner bigtime, or target FS bigtime and find a way to get a decent corner to fill in. I'm waffling on James, but Donnalley needs to stay.
Either way I'd target a top flight wide receiver. I'd bring in a later round receiver/return man to compete as well. I'd find a way to keep Smith, but I'd also consider trade value for him, or anticipating his eventual free agency after he serves a year of RFA. He's a distraction, and will probably not get the contract he feels he deserves, so it may be best to part ways with him. That might be for the best, he's a slot receiver who probably shouldn't be starting.

I still feel like getting value for Wallace and drafting/buying two good backup ends would be a wise use of value.

We do need backup players at LB, OT. I would not bother trying to find a fullback, since we keep going and getting players who would fit better at H-back and yet don't use any of them (including Hoover) in that way; I would also look away from getting more projects.

 

I will have to respectfully disagree with that notion. The few who make it from rags to riches get a lot of talk, but they are the exception not the rule. In the NFC, of the 16 starters 9 of them were drafted in the 1st or 2nd round and another in the 4th, and these guys generally represent the class of the NFC in terms of quarterbacks. The 5 guys drafted in lower rounds are: Brad Johnson, Matt Hassellback. ,Marc Bulger, Jeff Blake and Jeff Garcia. Brad Johnson and Jeff Garcia have been the exceptions, Jeff Blake is simply a transition quarterback for Arizona, the dumped 2nd round pick Jake Plummer. Marc Bulger and Matt Hasselback are 6th and 5th rounders who have some potential. No, I would have to say that the majority of starting quarterbacks are high round picks. I would be willing to bet that a majority of the Pro Bowl quarterbacks over the last 10 years were drafted in the 4th round or higher as well. You can get lucky and pick up a quality qb in the later rounds (5-7), but the chances of them becomming quality starters is much much lower than those taken in the 1st 2 rounds, imo.

As for Brett Favre, he was a 2nd round pick in the mold of Deshaun Foster. He was drafted 33rd, near the top of the 2nd round and Ron Wolf had him rated as the top quarterback in the draft, that's why he went after him when he moved to Green Bay as GM.

 

Yep. QBs generally have a pedigree for a reason. The ones that pan out from later rounds usually succeed for the same reason that most busted higher round QBs didn't - they fit the system (teams reach for high QBs because of need, not style), they have time to develop (and need it - where most higher QBs have to play soon), and usually have a lot more college experience (most 3+ year starters have small amounts of bust potential, as long as tools are there - a lot of bust high round picks played two years or less, with a lot higher chance of busting with juniors or one year senior starters). But even still, you're picking out of a lot, hoping to get one in a handful, with a later pick. They're not the solution to your problems, if you have problems. That's a sure fire way to burn out any later prospect.