Rivera's "close" games record

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Originally Posted by N.E.PanthersFan

Dwan Edwards is younger than Ron Edwards and is every bit as essentially to this D-line as Ron. Losing either without drafting his replacement could be disastrous. I would give them both extensions AND draft a NT in the first or second round. Obviously, we can't afford too much, but we should be able to afford something reasonable for both.

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No way Ron gets an extension. He still has another year on his contract. At his age (and injury status), the only thing he should get is a pay-cut. We can talk about an extension after next year is over. Dwan has done a stellar job this season, but I wouldn't say he's irreplaceable or anything. I'd love to see him re-signed, but we all know how this team is with overpaying it's players.

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Originally Posted by homestarunner93

Today proves that Edwards is top 3 among the most important players on the defense this year.

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100% agree here, but I just hope he's willing to take a pay-cut. Even if we do draft a NT in the draft, I'd like to keep Ron if possible.


If we can get Ron, Beason, Gamble, Gross, or maybe even Smitty to take cuts we would be in fine position to get a difference maker in FA + sign Dwan to a 3 year deal.

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Originally Posted by manbearchef

No way Ron gets an extension. He still has another year on his contract. At his age (and injury status), the only thing he should get is a pay-cut. We can talk about an extension after next year is over. Dwan has done a stellar job this season, but I wouldn't say he's irreplaceable or anything. I'd love to see him re-signed, but we all know how this team is with overpaying it's players.

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Derp. Thought Ron Edwards was a free agent after this year. My mistake.

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Originally Posted by manbearchef

If we can get Ron, Beason, Gamble, Gross, or maybe even Smitty to take cuts we would be in fine position to get a difference maker in FA + sign Dwan to a 3 year deal.

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I hope this happens. I stand by my assertion that we're not many pieces away from being very competitive -- I think we're closer this year than the Bucs were last year.

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Originally Posted by N.E.PanthersFan

Derp. Thought Ron Edwards was a free agent after this year. My mistake.

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Yeah, thankfully the only huge FA's we had leading into next year were Jonathan Stewart and Jeff Otah, who are not longer an issue (Stewart re-signed, Otah cut).

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I hope this happens. I stand by my assertion that we're not many pieces away from being very competitive -- I think we're closer this year than the Bucs were last year.

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I'm really not one to get hyped about FA's or even want them tbh, but I would almost kill for Dwayne Bowe to be on this team. I don't think he's a top 5 WR or anything, but he's a huge target that would really help this team. With Bowe, we could also finally have Smitty in single coverage at some points.

Long is another obvious desire, but like Bowe, highly unlikely to fall in our lap (or even leave his own team). Long would help us avoid spending a high pick on an OT in the draft and also help us plan for the future since Gross is getting older.

The only other FA I currently want (I don't know the complete list or anything) is FS Jarius Byrd. He's an absolute ball-hawk and an obvious upgrade over what we have. He's better at defending the pass than Martin and better at defending the run than Nakamura. Would be a huge upgrade for our pass-defense.

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Originally Posted by manbearchef

I'm really not one to get hyped about FA's or even want them tbh, but I would almost kill for Dwayne Bowe to be on this team. I don't think he's a top 5 WR or anything, but he's a huge target that would really help this team. With Bowe, we could also finally have Smitty in single coverage at some points.

Long is another obvious desire, but like Bowe, highly unlikely to fall in our lap (or even leave his own team). Long would help us avoid spending a high pick on an OT in the draft and also help us plan for the future since Gross is getting older.

The only other FA I currently want (I don't know the complete list or anything) is FS Jarius Byrd. He's an absolute ball-hawk and an obvious upgrade over what we have. He's better at defending the pass than Martin and better at defending the run than Nakamura. Would be a huge upgrade for our pass-defense.

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You guys know I typically don't get worked up about FAs. In fact, I'm pretty much always against them. I think my perspective is changing a little bit though, given our limited success in the draft. If what you're saying about Byrd is correct, I wouldn't mind bringing him in. I'd really like to see what Gettis buys us offensively, but LaFell has shown that he's not drawing attention away from anyone, even though he's an effective WR2 or WR3.

Byrd is the sound type of FA investment this team needs to make. He's a very good safety, still quite young, and can probably be pried away from Buffalo.

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Originally Posted by N.E.PanthersFan

You guys know I typically don't get worked up about FAs. In fact, I'm pretty much always against them. I think my perspective is changing a little bit though, given our limited success in the draft. If what you're saying about Byrd is correct, I wouldn't mind bringing him in. I'd really like to see what Gettis buys us offensively, but LaFell has shown that he's not drawing attention away from anyone, even though he's an effective WR2 or WR3.

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I really want to keep holding out hope for Gettis, but I honestly think he's becoming a lost cause. I originally thought Edwards would be the odd man out in the WR group, but I'm thinking it could end up being Gettis given how Armanti is finally getting reps in the offense.

I really like LaFell, but those occasional drops he has are so hard to watch. He is still a young WR who had some catching issues when he was drafted, but he's so hard to read. He looks like the slow possession type WR, but we've also seen him burn some defenses (that 60ish yard TD run his rookie season comes to mind). At one point I was hoping he could be an eventual #1 for us, but he's looking like a definite #2.

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Originally Posted by homestarunner93

Byrd is the sound type of FA investment this team needs to make. He's a very good safety, still quite young, and can probably be pried away from Buffalo.

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Yeah, I actually read an article (not sure how credible) that showed some sign of how Byrd is linked to Charlotte. It also claimed that he made comments about hating how cold it always is in Buffalo, so Charlotte would obviously be significantly warmer. The best thing about signing a safety in FA is even if you overspend on a safety it won't have the type of risk that you'd have if you overpay a DL/OL.

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Originally Posted by manbearchef

I really want to keep holding out hope for Gettis, but I honestly think he's becoming a lost cause. I originally thought Edwards would be the odd man out in the WR group, but I'm thinking it could end up being Gettis given how Armanti is finally getting reps in the offense.

I really like LaFell, but those occasional drops he has are so hard to watch. He is still a young WR who had some catching issues when he was drafted, but he's so hard to read. He looks like the slow possession type WR, but we've also seen him burn some defenses (that 60ish yard TD run his rookie season comes to mind). At one point I was hoping he could be an eventual #1 for us, but he's looking like a definite #2.

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I don't think there's any question that LaFell is a WR2 at best. If Gettis doesn't get on the field this year, he'll likely have a very short leash next year, which would be a shame. As we all know, I think Edwards could be a solid WR3 for this team. (No, I'm not from App State, I'm not an App State fan, it probably stems from what Randle El always brought to the Steelers and Redskins teams he played for.)

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Originally Posted by manbearchef

Yeah, I actually read an article (not sure how credible) that showed some sign of how Byrd is linked to Charlotte. It also claimed that he made comments about hating how cold it always is in Buffalo, so Charlotte would obviously be significantly warmer. The best thing about signing a safety in FA is even if you overspend on a safety it won't have the type of risk that you'd have if you overpay a DL/OL.

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I'm completely on board with you guys here. Again, completely uncharacteristic of me, I know. Game-changing safeties are difficult to find. I had high hopes for Martin, but his tackling issues last season remain bothersome and now he has what looked like an MCL injury. I admittedly haven't really seen Byrd play, but if he's as you're describing him, he and Godfrey could be a really nice pair.

In other news, I find it amusing that the Bucs losing a close game means they "haven't turned the corner"... I think I've heard that one before. Sometime in 2011...

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Originally Posted by N.E.PanthersFan

I don't think there's any question that LaFell is a WR2 at best. If Gettis doesn't get on the field this year, he'll likely have a very short leash next year, which would be a shame. As we all know, I think Edwards could be a solid WR3 for this team. (No, I'm not from App State, I'm not an App State fan, it probably stems from what Randle El always brought to the Steelers and Redskins teams he played for.)

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I know what you mean. I hated the AE pick/trade, and prior to this season didn't see a reason to even keep him around, but I think he's seriously made progress this season. If there's room to keep him I'd love for him to stay another year. I'm not interested in his PR/KR abilities (though he's pretty reliable to not lose the ball on a stupid risk), but I like what he could bring as a slot WR.

He'll have a tough time make the roster though. For pure slot WRs we already have AE, Pilaris, and Adams. For the outside WRs we have Smitty, LaFell, and Murphy (who could also play slot, but isn't a slot-only guy), plus Gettis who is on IR.

Smitty, LaFell, and Pilaris are absolute locks. Adams and Murphy are probably also locks. That leaves us AE and Gettis, and we could possibly see both of them off the roster if we sign another WR.

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I'm completely on board with you guys here. Again, completely uncharacteristic of me, I know. Game-changing safeties are difficult to find. I had high hopes for Martin, but his tackling issues last season remain bothersome and now he has what looked like an MCL injury. I admittedly haven't really seen Byrd play, but if he's as you're describing him, he and Godfrey could be a really nice pair.

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Yeah, don't get me wrong, Byrd isn't a Reed/Polamalu elite safety, and he's not the up-coming elite like Berry/Thomas, but he's certainly just under that group. I'd say he might have elite coverage abilities, but he's not an elite tackling safety, but still better than any safety on our roster (including Godfrey).

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Originally Posted by manbearchef

Yeah, thankfully the only huge FA's we had leading into next year were Jonathan Stewart and Jeff Otah, who are not longer an issue (Stewart re-signed, Otah cut).



I'm really not one to get hyped about FA's or even want them tbh, but I would almost kill for Dwayne Bowe to be on this team. I don't think he's a top 5 WR or anything, but he's a huge target that would really help this team. With Bowe, we could also finally have Smitty in single coverage at some points.

Long is another obvious desire, but like Bowe, highly unlikely to fall in our lap (or even leave his own team). Long would help us avoid spending a high pick on an OT in the draft and also help us plan for the future since Gross is getting older.

The only other FA I currently want (I don't know the complete list or anything) is FS Jarius Byrd. He's an absolute ball-hawk and an obvious upgrade over what we have. He's better at defending the pass than Martin and better at defending the run than Nakamura. Would be a huge upgrade for our pass-defense.

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Well, Long has been placed on IR for the second season in a row for a torn tricep (last year it was a bicep). I don't believe I care for Carolina to pursue him at this point. He was struggling a lot this season, but that + injuries + the risk of him busting after a huge contract = no sale for me.

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Originally Posted by manbearchef

I know what you mean. I hated the AE pick/trade, and prior to this season didn't see a reason to even keep him around, but I think he's seriously made progress this season. If there's room to keep him I'd love for him to stay another year. I'm not interested in his PR/KR abilities (though he's pretty reliable to not lose the ball on a stupid risk), but I like what he could bring as a slot WR.

He'll have a tough time make the roster though. For pure slot WRs we already have AE, Pilaris, and Adams. For the outside WRs we have Smitty, LaFell, and Murphy (who could also play slot, but isn't a slot-only guy), plus Gettis who is on IR.

Smitty, LaFell, and Pilaris are absolute locks. Adams and Murphy are probably also locks. That leaves us AE and Gettis, and we could possibly see both of them off the roster if we sign another WR.

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I really hope Murphy isn't a lock, but otherwise I agree. I don't think either AE or Gettis is going to be cut before preseason, though, especially if Gettis doesn't get on the field this year (I think he will, but who knows).

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Originally Posted by manbearchef

Yeah, don't get me wrong, Byrd isn't a Reed/Polamalu elite safety, and he's not the up-coming elite like Berry/Thomas, but he's certainly just under that group. I'd say he might have elite coverage abilities, but he's not an elite tackling safety, but still better than any safety on our roster (including Godfrey).

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I'd be plenty happy with an all-around solid S to pair with Godfrey, even if he isn't elite. We have more pressing needs than an elite S right now, so we can't exactly afford to spend a 1st or 2nd round pick at that position.