Pick #33

My fantasy is when this pick comes up JR gives Hurney a call and fires him on the spot

 

I wonder if Jerry didnt have his own finger stuck in that one.

 

I'd like that too.

But, it's Armanti, like it or not. I'm not counting him out as a contributor but #33, no.

 

Clausen, this trade, and Pike were all mind-numbing, to me.

That said, call your nearest Bears fan and ask them about their recent draft history. We kill it in the first round almost every year. Thereafter, it's been a mixed bag (everything from Travelle Wharton to Bruce Nelson)

 

There's been a lot of consternation about the trade. I get it. It was not a value pick, though I say it could very well turn into one.

But it's not the end of the world. Just like Hurney trading a first round pick for Everette Brown and Mike Goodson, nor Hurney trading to get Jeff Otah are the end of the world. Sometimes the gamble pays off and sometimes it doesn't.

Picking value has been mostly good for Hurney, with the Conner and Kalil selections. I have a bigger problem with his slot selections, such as Shelton, Jarrett and Irvin, than I do with his trading for a specific player.

Edwards was picked for his potential as much as anything. And the player was not ready, either mentally nor physically, to play the pro game. It was obvious that he didn't know what he was getting into and that he didn't prepare like he should have. Edwards as much as admitted to this. Let's hope he has a better handle on things now.

If he does, and enters the season (whenever that'll be) with a clear path and good coaching, I contend he'll make the kind of impact expected from a second round pick, perhaps as much as a first round pick. Those who've been around him during his college career know that he has impact abilities.

Of course, the fact that the Panthers were horrible last season makes the trade less than palatable. Fact is it'll probably go down in Panthers history as a mistake on Hurney's part, especially with New England having all night Thursday night to make a deal for that #33, whereas everybody else in the second round will have five minutes to deal. That's a huge advantage for the Pats. And I doubt Edwards will ever live up to the value Hurney gave up to get him.

Still, the world won't end because of this trade. It'll hurt to watch New England make the pick or ream some other poor franchise for the privilege. Pride is wounded, and Marty Hurney has some culpability in that.

But Edwards barely played. He was a rookie playing an unfamiliar position. He had a lame duck coach and a lame offensive coordinator. Quarterback play was less than stellar. No excuses, because Edwards didn't come ready to play. But facts are facts: we didn't get to see him show his stuff to justify his selection, and as a result our Panthers pride took a hit. I know I felt it, strongly, because I'm an App State alum and I know what Edwards can do.

Edwards, Hurney and the Panthers deserve a mulligan on this one, though. I still believe the young man can do special things with actual coaching and a legitimate opportunity.

Or at least, let the season play out before making a judgment call on the player or calling for Marty Hurney to be fired.

Panther fans' constant public bitterness over this trade does nothing but strengthen non-Panther public opinion of the franchise's incompetence. Justified or not, do we really want everyone else laughing at us? We were 2-14 last season. We're already considered the worst franchise in football. Especially with Jerry Richardson and his recent woeful public appearances.

We can't defend the trade, and neither can Hurney. Not yet. But at least we can keep things from getting worse by not adding fuel to the fire.

 

Consternation - I usually take metamucil for that.

 

the reality is that while it's escalated a bit because of our terrible finish, the fact that we paid the requisite premium (trading a future pick a round higher) in the first place hurts more than it being a 33 pick instead of, say, a 45. The value difference isn't huge.

And, there's nothing we can do about it now. But, the Brown/Goodson and Otah trades at least have paid out dividends.

 

I can't fault him for Clausen. He's not ready like they thought, but he's talented. I don't buy that the "Mel Kiper thought he was the best QB" thing made him into someone he wasn't, people knew him. He wasn't a 5th round guy we took in the 2nd.

Pike was forced by the idea that we wouldn't have money for a vet. Moore's the vet, so to speak.

The trades, well, it worked out the first time. So you go back to it, and love it or hate it, both of those worked toward fixing what needed to be fixed. And then it was fixed.

So we had to break that habit eventually, and maybe this did it. He always does better trading down, so more of that hopefully (though honestly there's no reason to trade down either, if you don't get a 2nd again. not as if we don't have youth). I feel a lot better about trying to get Brown, a lot better than who I wanted, and getting a Hardy next draft than I do by picking one WR, forcing a tradeup for a 2nd, and then possibly finding the best the 3 in the 6th. Getting that type WR in the 6th is why you don't trade up for a project.

 

Not many people realize this, but the Armanti Edwards trade was all me.


Have fun, bitches.

 

Uhm ... don't you think that has a lot to do with why the Panthers were the worst team in the NFL last season?

You think? Good grief, man. Analysts were blasting Hurney from the very second that trade was announced. They didn't need to wait and see it was #33 to start calling him out. Seriously, just do not post anything that even resembles a defense of Hurney because everyone with a brain will consider anything less than his total condemnation to be a sign of intellectual inferiority.

No, they absolutely don't.

Please stop posting stuff like this because my blood pressure rises every time you do. Opinions of the franchise's incompetence derive from their actions, not fan reaction.