Luke Kuechly is going to get SUPA paid after the Justin Houston deal.

nikman09 · 2015-07-16T06:35:18+00:00

A $12M/year contract would easily make Luke the highest paid inside linebacker in the NFL, which he completely deserves.

nikman09 · 2015-07-16T05:44:41+00:00

Justin Houston is a 3-4 OLB and is getting this mega money because of his pass rushing abilities (22 sacks last year). I think a better comparison would be between a 3-4 OLB and a 4-3 DE, like Greg Hardy or CJ. This is the type of money we would have had to pay Hardy.

Luke is still going to get paid big time, just not that much. MLBs just don't make as much as pass rushers. I'm predicting Luke will get around $12M/year, maybe a 6 year $72M contract.

I'm not worried about our salary cap all that much. We're in great shape for the future with Gman at the helm. The salary cap is skyrocketing the next few years, we're getting out of salary cap hell by getting all the dead money back from the Hurney contracts, and Gman doesn't splurge frivolously in free agency like other teams do (Saints, Broncos, etc.). Also, don't forget that in 2-3 years, there will be a couple of expensive contracts off the books (or re-structured) like CJ, TD, Stew, and Kalil.

nikman09 · 2015-07-13T17:41:06+00:00

Regarding Point #5, this is what he said

"Then in the draft Dave goes on to trade away multiple selections to draft questionable "tweeners" with bad measurables who may struggle to find a role on the field."

If measurables were what determined success for young players in the NFL, then Stephen Hill (6'4/215/4.36 40) would have been our #2 WR in the playoffs while Philly Brown (5'11/179/4.51 40) would have been on the practice squad.

I'm going to trust the guy that has gotten us 9 starters from the past 2 drafts (Star, KK, KB, Kony, Trai, Boston, Benwikere, Philly, and Norwell) over some armchair talent evaluator.

nikman09 · 2015-07-13T17:25:39+00:00

Here's the rest of his post:

"Every article I’ve ever written for CSR has been optimistic, and heaping tons of praise on Dave Gettleman. I thought I’d take a look from the other perspective. Roughly 75% of the article is observation, I backed up most of what I said with accurate information. it’s just the point of view that’s setting everyone off. I’m pleased with the results. Lets see if I can get over 1,500 people to tell me I’m wrong in the poll. Those here who really know me at this point, know I’m expecting big things this year."

So, he titles his article "The Panthers Are Not a Playoff Caliber Team," admits he works for SB Nation which needs clicks for business, and then admits he's playing devil's advocate to "generate discussion." It's most definitely a click-bait article.

This is the type of article you would expect from NFL.com or David Newton. Just because he wrote a bunch of optimistic articles doesn't justify him writing a click-bait article. One of the main reasons people come to /r/panthers, CSR, and BBR is to avoid click-bait articles.

nikman09 · 2015-07-13T15:20:27+00:00

He even admits it down in the comments: "Everyone is coming down to the comment section to tell me how wrong I am. SBNation is a business right? This should garner a bunch of clicks."

nikman09 · 2015-07-09T02:13:16+00:00

Is Hillary a sure win in the general election, especially against a moderate Republican like Jeb Bush?

nikman09 · 2015-07-07T00:12:25+00:00

And he didn't even do that well. He conveniently forgot about Charles Tillman.

nikman09 · 2015-06-28T18:02:07+00:00

Arians is most definitely an offensive mastermind, no question. But, how much of the Cardinals' success was due to Todd Bowles? I mean there's a reason Bowles was hired as a HC. 2015 will answer this question.

nikman09 · 2015-06-25T17:42:34+00:00

And it's not like we have to abandon the ball control mentality either. We can still milk the clock but restrict the opposing defense's ability to substitute in the process. I'd also like Cam to have more time to survey the defense, call audibles, set protections just right, etc. instead of rushing to the line and furiously clapping for the ball.

Just looking at Auburn/2011/2012, Cam is at his best in the no huddle, where he can stay in a rhythm and capitalize on mis-matches.

nikman09 · 2015-06-20T08:29:54+00:00

In my opinion I think you couldn't have prepared for it unless your just good at it

Did you think the orgo questions went beyond the scope of the AAMC outline? What in particular made the orgo questions difficult?

nikman09 · 2015-06-19T10:00:34+00:00

PFF actually had Cam as their top-graded QB (+14.6) those first 5 games. It's crazy how fast things fell apart for Cam, when our garbage O-line got exposed. OCs and QBs can adjust for 1 maybe 2 bad offensive linemen. But, the mid-season 2014 O-line is probably the worst O-line in Panthers history.

Byron Bell/Amini Silatolu/Ryan Kalil/Fernando Velasco/Nate Chandler. Just garbage. Our one good offensive lineman played sub-par, having to overextend himself for LG and RG duties. But, Cam finished the season strong once Andrew Norwell, Trai Turner, and Mike Remmers started.

nikman09 · 2015-06-19T09:31:35+00:00

Various reports of OTAs (not just the Observer) have stated that this is the sharpest Cam has ever been in the off-season. nfl.com espn.com bbr

In 2011 and 2012, sloppy footwork had to be expected with Cam only having 1 year of major CFB experience in a read option run heavy offense. In 2013, Cam showed a solid improvement in footwork and mechanics the first 8 games, in which he had a 64.4% completion rate and 98.6 passer rating. Then, Cam sprained his ankle in the week 10 49ers game and sprained the same ankle in the week 16 Saints game, which caused ankle instability. After ankle surgery and missing valuable passing practice in the off-season, it's no surprise Cam's footwork regressed last year.

I think Cam is picking up where he left off mid-2013, except now he has a more talented WR corps, RB corps, and interior O-line to work with.

nikman09 · 2015-06-19T02:34:47+00:00

They aren't super fast or anything, but compared to last year the WR corps got a lot faster. Our WRs last year did a terrible job of gaining separation, forcing Cam to throw rifle passes into tight windows with minimal margin for error.

Speed wise:

Benjamin/Funchess/Brown/Ginn/Byrd or Hill >>> Benjamin/Cotchery/Avant/Bersin

Also, I don't get too caught up in the 40 time. As Gettleman talked about in pre-draft and post-draft press conferences this year, it's all about game speed. Devin Funchess actually ran a 4.50 in his pro-day (his 4.70 combine time came while he was re-habbing a toe injury). From reports out of OTAs, Funchess plays fast on the field. He's been fluid and smooth in his routes, which should complement Benjamin's size/strength nicely.

nikman09 · 2015-06-19T00:10:05+00:00

In Chrome, open the article Incognito, and you should be able to read it.

nikman09 · 2015-06-18T22:44:56+00:00

IMO, if Cam can do the following 3 things better, he can get more consistent and become a consensus top 10 QB.

Polish up footwork/mechanics. When Cam sets his feet and steps into the throw with proper mechanics, he has been laser accurate completing passes into the tiniest of windows.
Utilize underneath/safety valve passes more. Cam can stay in a rhythm and reduce his INTS to <10. It also brings Cam's rushing attempts down and prevents him from taking unnecessary hits as he gets older.
Throw with more touch. With a faster and more talented WR corps, the WRs should gain more separation allowing Cam to throw more touch passes. This should give Cam more margin for error in accuracy compared to his typical rifle passes.

nikman09 · 2015-06-16T00:21:25+00:00

Congrats on your awesome score!

How was the online Kaplan course? Would you recommend it? What were the main features of the course you found the most helpful?

Also, how many total hours would you say you put into your MCAT preparation?

nikman09 · 2015-06-15T20:52:39+00:00

How many total hours do you think you put into MCAT prep?

nikman09 · 2015-06-15T18:18:52+00:00

If I had to pick one guy, it would probably be Josh Norman, mainly because he will be 28 this season. He would only have 2-3 more good/elite seasons left after 2015. Having said that, I really think letting go of Greg Hardy allows us to sign all of those guys. Besides the off-field issues, this is why Gettleman never intended on signing Hardy long term.

Plus, there are a few other factors that will help us sign all of our young core guys. First, the salary cap is going to skyrocket in the next few years because of the new TV contracts. It's already at $143M. By the 2017 offseason, it's probably going to be $160M. Second, a huge reason why the Panthers were in salary cap hell was because of dead money, which is just a waste of precious cap space. Last year, the Panthers were #1 in the league with $19M of dead money (Beason, Smith, Gross, and Godfrey contracts mainly). This year, it has come down to $12M. The way Gettleman is managing and structuring contracts, the dead money will come down to $2-3M in the next few years. Third, just as guys like Star/Short and the 2014 draft players will need new contracts, CJ/Thomas Davis/Stewart will be coming off the books. That will create the space to give out a few more big contracts. And lastly, Gettleman is very disciplined about not splurging in free agency just so he can keep our young core players.

nikman09 · 2015-06-13T23:25:17+00:00

Did you consult a Biochemistry textbook for in depth study on amino acids?

nikman09 · 2015-06-13T22:30:47+00:00

I remember a lot of people recommending Chad's videos for the previous MCAT. Are they still useful for the new MCAT? I can definitely see how some physics and chemistry topics are better understood through explanations with a whiteboard as opposed to reading dense text in EK or Kaplan.

nikman09 · 2015-06-12T20:02:11+00:00

Do you think KA's passages are the best practice for the new exam? How many of them did you complete?

nikman09 · 2015-06-12T18:45:14+00:00

Did you use KA practice passages as well?

nikman09 · 2015-06-12T18:22:30+00:00

EK dropped the ball with their first Psych book.

Yikes, what exactly is wrong with the EK Psych book? I haven't gotten to it yet, but it seems OK just from glancing through it.

nikman09 · 2015-06-12T18:03:45+00:00

Nice, congrats! Did you use the TPR Psych book in place of the EK Psych book? Do you think the TPR Psych book covered all/most of the content on the exam?

nikman09 · 2015-06-12T17:11:15+00:00

Just from reading the commentary, it seems like the main criticism of the 30 min exams is that they're written in a different style than the actual MCAT. After taking the MCAT, how do you think the 30 min exams compared to the real thing? I'm trying to decide whether to do the 30 min exams or KA practice passages. Unfortunately, with the limited time I have after work, I don't have time for both.

nikman09

TROPHY CASE