Panthers to make offer to Conwell

I don't think he liked the offer we made. He is still shopping for a better deal.

 

Just curious, but who are our competiton for him and realistically when would he make a decision before we pull the offer? Has to be before the draft should we go Witten in rd 2?

 

Can't remember and my internet connection sucks today so I'm not gonna go look. He is visiting with other teams though.

Witten ain't lasting to #2 IMO. I think Robert Johnson of Auburn would be a nice pickup. But since I think the 3rd would be the earliest we look at TE, I'm not sure he gets there. I'd take him in the 3rd if he lasts.

 

Rams are still trying to get him. Pats were, I think. Who knows. I do expect that there's no way we sign a player before draft day.
Nope, Witten probably won't make it outside the top 20. Most internet scouts have different criteria for TE, which is why so many of them rate different players differently, so since I tend not to scout TEs much, it's hard to say who and what will be there when. Johnson might make it to 3, because of his speed, but I do like him here. Big, good blocker, decent receiving abilities when open. Like Mangum, he probably won't get open a whole lot and would have to make the big catches against smaller players. At least RJ is bigger than Mangum is. The Seidman kid from UCLA wouldn't be terrible either. If it comes down to say, TE or G, I'd rather sign Conwell and be locked down with him and Mangum and let Heinrich do something down the road.

If we were after one in 2, then I can't say I disagree with the people putting us with Dallas Clark. Strong, tough, just not huge. That's the difference between him and Witten right now, that and a little more athleticism. He's more of a football player made into a TE, and I like that.

 

Conwell to Saints or Rams

Conwell will pick between Rams, Saints shortly
By JIM THOMAS Post-Dispatch
updated: 04/11/2003 11:33 PM



The Saints have made a contract offer to free agent tight end Ernie Conwell. His only other offer has come from the Rams.
(Chris Lee/P-D)
It has been six weeks in the making, but a decision finally is at hand for free-agent tight end Ernie Conwell.

Conwell, 30, received a contract offer from New Orleans on Friday. According to his agent, Michael Sullivan, Conwell will decide between the Saints and the Rams.

"It might take 24 hours, it might be Sunday, it might be Monday," Sullivan said Friday evening.

The Rams are believed to be offering Conwell a multi-year deal averaging about $1.6 million a year. It is an offer that has been on the table for more than a month while Conwell attended the NFL Players Association meetings in Hawaii and took free-agent trips to Jacksonville, Carolina, and New Orleans. Several other teams had expressed at least some interest in Conwell, but he had yet to receive another offer until the one from the Saints on Friday.

Complicating matters has been the fact that Conwell had minor knee surgery earlier this offseason. Some teams seem to have been hesitant to offer Conwell a contract until he was fully recovered.

? I thought we started contract talks a week ago?

 

Good for us..

Seems we had some issues with his knee, and decided against offering a contract, good for us, error on the side of caution.

 

Re: Good for us..

I agree. We've had too many bad experiences with players and bum knees--namely Chuck Smith. We ran and ran fast away from Conwell.:thumbup: Way to go Panthers!