Time to start dreaming

non-divisionally, we could do very well. We face GB at their worst, everyone's injured but Favre. AZ and Dallas suck.
I do get what Paul's saying overall. If we go 6-0 and then tank the rest of the season because we are weak versus our division, we're not accomplishing much.

>>So the theory is let's be less than or average now, so we can be better down the road???

I can't say completely yes, because if you feel you can win you do so. But 6-10 would have been more than fine to me, all the same, and would afford us another star level player. There's nothing that says that wanting elite talent makes you less of a fan.

 

I'm still standing on 10-6, possible 11-5


I'd be happy if we win our remaing HOME games. That's always possible, and right now that would be 9-7. Add we have Green Bay and Dallas on the road.

hmmm

 

I can see his thought process magnus but anyone saying "I don't want a better record than that due to schedules next year and worse draft picks." after that debacle of a season we had last year...well let's just say it upsets me too.


I know mattarific has been cruising this board for quite some time now and I feel the same way.

Every year I say we have the potential to go 16-0 until we lose our first game and then it's 15-1 and so on and so forth.

You get me?

 

that's fine if that's what gets you through the day. It doesn't do it for me and nobody's less of a fan for looking at the business side of the equation.

 

Absolutely not, wanting elite talent does not make you less of a fan.

If it sounded like I was saying PantherPaul was less of a fan for his views I wasn't. I personally just don't agree with the statement.

All I'm saying is we are winning right now, and I'm not saying we are gonna win every game(but wouldn't it be nice if we did)......
I'm just saying that if we can win, let's win.......and worry about the holes that we have to fill in the off season.

Here's to 16-0.

 

There is only one thing that is certain...we'll finish somewhere between 3-13 and 16-0!
What does that mean? It means we're 3-0, that's it, and it feels damn good. What we do from here on out can determine the future.
We go 3-13 and we get a top talent in the draft, likely three players of starter quality. 4-12 to 6-10 Still gets us a pretty good draft.
However 7-9 to 10-6 puts us in line to get some good FA talent to fill needs and draft the best available player, we still need depth at ALL positions.
Anything much better than that, and we're looking at second tier draft picks and FA's lining up, but a MUCH tougher schedule than that we face now.
There is a plus side and a minus side either way you slice it!

 

Losing games to get the first couple (the true "quality" draft picks a coupla spots earlier is kinda stupid thinking. You are only talking a minor difference in quality, unless you have the first five picks. I don't think we'll be that low, even having a worse year than we think, seeing some of the teams play this year. The fans, team needs wins to propel us into next year.
I agree, we could be more attractive to FAs with a good showing this year.

Losing games (or wishing for a worse record) because of "tough scheduling" next year is even more obsurd. The difference between a first place division schedule and a third place divisional schedule now is nothing.
First of all you never know how a first/second/third/fourth place team this year is gonna turn out next year.

For example, I give you the Rams and the Panthers.

Nobody liked having the Rams on their 1st place schedule at the beginning of the year, but now who wouldn't want to play them?
I'd rather play them than the Saints (third place last year NFC west).
When the scheduling came out last spring I would imagine everybody who got us on their schedule placed a "W" next to that game the second they saw it. Three of them have lost to us already. I think the rest are re-thinking their preseason conclusion. The Packers surely considered us a pushover this week, at the beginning of the season, yet are watching film right now figuring what their gonna do with us instead of worrying about wo they play NEXT week.

Second of all, the 2nd and third place teams could flip-flop the next year anyway- see the Saints (third in the West last year), and the 49ers (2nd place). I'd take the Saints right now to smash the 49ers with an 8 pt spread.
Also the Saints could go 12-4 this year, meaning if we go 11-5 (I'm still holding my breath), then we get a second place schedule:
Which would only be a two team difference in the NFC, and a 1 team difference in the AFC than the third place schedule. Whose to say those three teams would be any better next year?
Hell, the Saints could go 12-4, Tampa could go 11-5, and we could go 10-6 (almost guarenteeing both wildcards comming from the South), yet we would have a third place schedule next year.
And yet, with our luck, the third place teams (of this year)-next year would be beating the first and 2nd place teams (of this year).

I'm not predicting playoffs or a real great record, but realistically, most fans, players, coaches, and the Panther Administration would be very happy with a 9-7 (winning record- only 2nd time in team history, after a 1-15 season). That record would probably mean 2nd or 3rd in our division, we could look to improve it next year, and the scheduling and draft pick difference would be almost nothing compared to if we went 6-10 or better. We would almost surely get a Monday and Sunday night game next year, and ya'll know how we usually play in prime time- pretty damn good. Also think about ticket sales next year, have you thought about impending blackouts this year and next year only going 6-10 or worse this year? Sure you can say "well just buy a ticket if you want to see the game", but I'm talking about exposure, product sale, sponsors, etc.

MVM, you seem like a very smart sports-guy, and I respect your opinions, but sometimes you need to think more like a fan. Get out and smell the roses man, they are smelling quite good right now!