Sackem90
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Here is a 
article (especially the bolded part):
What you see is what you'll get next year
By Darin Gantt · The Herald - Updated 12/20/06 - 12:55 AM
Story Tools
CHARLOTTE -- Carolina Panthers general manager Marty Hurney might not have known exactly what his old boss was telling him the first time he heard it.
He knows exactly what it means now, painfully so.
Of all the lessons picked up from former Washington general manager Bobby Beathard, Hurney's leaning on this -- when things aren't going well as a whole, it's not the right time to evaluate individual parts.
The line or some variation comes up often when Hurney's talking about the last month or so, mostly because the Panthers' season is down the toilet in ways spectacular and demoralizing.
The initial reaction from most -- specifically the fan base -- is that something has to change. Old heads should roll, players should be cut, new ideas should be brought in and entire systems uprooted.
The good news for fans is that it doesn't work like that.
At varying times this season, I've gotten e-mails calling for the firing of basically every member of the coaching staff, but particularly John Fox, Dan Henning, Mike Trgovac, Danny Crossman and Mike Maser.
Players aren't immune either, as it's been suggested the Panthers get rid of Jake Delhomme and Chris Weinke (they haven't called for Brett Basanez yet, but if he wears that glove again, they might). They should also part with DeShaun Foster, Keyshawn Johnson, all the tight ends, most of the offensive line.
The entire secondary and linebacker corps has needed to be cut at one point or another, along with most of the defensive line.
There are few immune to the criticism, with the possible exception of Julius Peppers, Steve Smith and John Kasay.
And that's only for the sympathetic souls willing to overlook that Peppers hasn't made a play in a month and Smith hasn't been able to do anything with the other problems around him. It's also pretty hard to throw rocks at Kasay.
So if you go by popular perception, the Panthers should go into the offseason with 50 roster spots to fill, no coaching staff and no front office.
Shouldn't be much of a problem.
When things go as they have, people are going to be upset. Fans have had their hearts broken by this bunch, and the ones with Internet connections or the time to call talk radio shows want their pound of flesh, want it now, and are quite loud about it.
But if the running game's not working, cutting Foster's not going to fix it. It's just that no one wants to hear that getting Travelle Wharton, Justin Hartwig and Mike Wahle well again, and maybe supplementing a young core with one more guy on the line, might be the way to go.
It's hard to look at problems and not want immediate answers. But there are few single-button fixes, and taking a deep breath and a cool look at the issues makes far more sense.
There might be some changes, but by and large, the team you see now plus the guys on injured reserve is the team you'll see next year.
That means Delhomme's coming back. So should most of the other guys who have had their heads on platters.
Unless he decides to retire, Henning's probably coming back to call the plays. And if he doesn't, protégé Mike McCoy would probably move and the play-calling wouldn't change much.
The Panthers built a solid base going into this year, and a few injuries, some bad luck and circumstance landed them at this spot.
That doesn't mean it's time to raze the building. They have to figure out what didn't work and fix it.
The job's not as big as many believe. If the first round of the draft yields a solid tackle or a play-making safety or linebacker, that'll be a good start. But unlike past years, they need a few more hits in the later rounds to fill in some holes.
What they don't need to do is panic.
Or start over.
Or fire a bunch of people to satisfy the critics.
They're smarter than that.
How much smarter they are at filling in the cracks -- rather than knocking down entire walls -- will determine whether next year's a disappointment as well.
Darin Gantt | [email protected]
article (especially the bolded part):What you see is what you'll get next year
By Darin Gantt · The Herald - Updated 12/20/06 - 12:55 AM
Story Tools
CHARLOTTE -- Carolina Panthers general manager Marty Hurney might not have known exactly what his old boss was telling him the first time he heard it.
He knows exactly what it means now, painfully so.
Of all the lessons picked up from former Washington general manager Bobby Beathard, Hurney's leaning on this -- when things aren't going well as a whole, it's not the right time to evaluate individual parts.
The line or some variation comes up often when Hurney's talking about the last month or so, mostly because the Panthers' season is down the toilet in ways spectacular and demoralizing.
The initial reaction from most -- specifically the fan base -- is that something has to change. Old heads should roll, players should be cut, new ideas should be brought in and entire systems uprooted.
The good news for fans is that it doesn't work like that.
At varying times this season, I've gotten e-mails calling for the firing of basically every member of the coaching staff, but particularly John Fox, Dan Henning, Mike Trgovac, Danny Crossman and Mike Maser.
Players aren't immune either, as it's been suggested the Panthers get rid of Jake Delhomme and Chris Weinke (they haven't called for Brett Basanez yet, but if he wears that glove again, they might). They should also part with DeShaun Foster, Keyshawn Johnson, all the tight ends, most of the offensive line.
The entire secondary and linebacker corps has needed to be cut at one point or another, along with most of the defensive line.
There are few immune to the criticism, with the possible exception of Julius Peppers, Steve Smith and John Kasay.
And that's only for the sympathetic souls willing to overlook that Peppers hasn't made a play in a month and Smith hasn't been able to do anything with the other problems around him. It's also pretty hard to throw rocks at Kasay.
So if you go by popular perception, the Panthers should go into the offseason with 50 roster spots to fill, no coaching staff and no front office.
Shouldn't be much of a problem.
When things go as they have, people are going to be upset. Fans have had their hearts broken by this bunch, and the ones with Internet connections or the time to call talk radio shows want their pound of flesh, want it now, and are quite loud about it.
But if the running game's not working, cutting Foster's not going to fix it. It's just that no one wants to hear that getting Travelle Wharton, Justin Hartwig and Mike Wahle well again, and maybe supplementing a young core with one more guy on the line, might be the way to go.
It's hard to look at problems and not want immediate answers. But there are few single-button fixes, and taking a deep breath and a cool look at the issues makes far more sense.
There might be some changes, but by and large, the team you see now plus the guys on injured reserve is the team you'll see next year.
That means Delhomme's coming back. So should most of the other guys who have had their heads on platters.
Unless he decides to retire, Henning's probably coming back to call the plays. And if he doesn't, protégé Mike McCoy would probably move and the play-calling wouldn't change much.
The Panthers built a solid base going into this year, and a few injuries, some bad luck and circumstance landed them at this spot.
That doesn't mean it's time to raze the building. They have to figure out what didn't work and fix it.
The job's not as big as many believe. If the first round of the draft yields a solid tackle or a play-making safety or linebacker, that'll be a good start. But unlike past years, they need a few more hits in the later rounds to fill in some holes.
What they don't need to do is panic.
Or start over.
Or fire a bunch of people to satisfy the critics.
They're smarter than that.
How much smarter they are at filling in the cracks -- rather than knocking down entire walls -- will determine whether next year's a disappointment as well.
Darin Gantt | [email protected]
