starting quarterback. Two
players will do that with the way that they play. My job is
to make sure that we have really good players in
the room, which we now, you know, which we do in that room
and make sure that they have opportunities. And so,
you know, it'll be a fun ride when we know we know
not many teams have, you know, for Quality players like that and
it's going to be a lot of great competition. And to be quite
honest with you, Nick, I think it'll be really good for our
team, the competition
Matt rule, coach the Panthers. Talking about the quarterback
competition headlined by Baker, Mayfield and Sam
darn old. And look when they made the trade for Baker
Mayfield. The widespread assumption was Mayfield is
going to be the starter. They wouldn't have made the move for
him. If they were happy with Sam dharna, based upon what
they've seen to date, including most recently, the offseason
program.
But you could also make the argument like they just got
Mayfield because they got em for cheap. It was Bi-Lo. A
distressed asset as
owner. David Tepper would call it and five million dollars.
Fifth round, pick with the possibility of some incentives.
He's got to do a lot
to unlock his full incentives, including win the Super Bowl
and
so you throw it into the mix and you see what happens. I,
I just wonder Chris, is it going to be a fair and square
competition?
Or is it going to be rigged in Mayfield's favor? And if may
feel doesn't win, the starting job, do the Panthers, have
a whole new host of issues. In the locker room, if Mayfield
ends up believing that he and his eels, weren't the ones that
were obvious to the coaching staff should make him the guy
who starts Week, 1 against the Browns. Yeah,
I mean, listen, he is, he's a big-time asset.
I think it was necessary to
cover their asses, okay?
They need another option at quarterback, right. They can't
just say, oh, we're gonna go into it again with Sam Donald
and just cross our fingers and hope it went well, our hope it
goes. Well, I mean that's hard to do after what we saw last
year
and then, you know, to your point Mike? Yeah. And I know we
talked about this in the spring obviously.
Do anything that made the organization feel like, oh wow,
he's really improved or he's got the offense, he's our guy,
come on, let's stay with it. There's obviously still that
question mark there
so they go and get Baker. Mayfield, I expect Baker,
Mayfield to be the starting quarterback in Cleveland one.
I think is think he's better than same Donald and I think he's
a better thrower, a better passer, whatever you want to
say there. He definitely plays better with in the pocket than
Sam Donald that way. You know,
he's played better in his NFL career, he's shown the ability
to do some special things. And, as we always talk about and
what the things we like about Baker, Mayfield, He's got
a little bit of an edge and Leadership factor
that, you know, I do think is, you know, more conducive to
playing quarterback maybe than Sam Donald. So that's where
I give them the edge. I do your question, Mike, though about,
like, if he doesn't win the job,
you know, when he's in he has to be the backup,
man. He's got to be careful. He's got a little reputation.
So it mean, if he wants to be that guy, you better watch out.
And the other thing I'll say about him to Mike is just like
he is behind the eight ball a little bit and he's picking up
the offense here late. He's not going to know all
the intricacies of the offense quite the same way. Sam Donald
is these first three weeks of training camp. So that's where
I'm interested to
see if he can make up some, you know, some room there and that
and that part of it.
Hey look, he's going to be a free agent next year. He needs
to have a big season, he's a repair some of his reputational
damage and and, and this reminds me, I said this
at some point in the past few weeks, it reminds me of Carson
Wentz. In that when Wentz went from Philly 2nd, he was able to
leave saying, it's not my fault, it's their fault
and we found out after a year in India that it was his fault.
How is Baker processing? Everything that went down in
Cleveland and is he walking out the door thinking they're
the idiots. They don't know what they had
and he walks into Carolina and maybe still carries some of
those same traits that could be problematic if and when he
encounters adversity, that's a reality. Chris adversities
going to happen in some
Fashion either. He's not going to be the weak one starter or
he's gonna get injured, or he's going to throw three
interceptions. There's going to be something at some point.
That tests,
the question of whether or not he has matured
and has learned from the mistakes that contributed to
the disintegration of his time in Cleveland.
Yeah, yeah. I mean hopefully he has learned from those,
you know, I mean it wasn't perfect but there still was
a lot of good, you know. We do know that he does seem a God to
be a guy. That's pretty obsessed with football and
loves it.
It, you know, and he does have talent and he made them
relevant, he brought him back to the playoffs. So again,
I sit here, just as in Late, July thinking, yes, he will be
the starter, I don't know. You feel the same way
you think it's going to be him to when all said and done.
I think is going to be Baker. Yeah, I think
you don't do that trade for Baker. Mayfield without
accepting the fact that he's your guy week one, especially
when it's against the Browns. Yeah, now.
But, but the reality, anytime we see a competition like this,
the guy who wins it, he's the guy who wins the opportunity to
be the first one bench, you know, now so no David doesn't
work. They'll go with Sam. Donald at some point this year,
we mentioned that Matt rule does have questions about his
job security. There was a report several weeks back that
the Panthers are already may be eyeballing Sean Payton
for next year. We're going Was Peyton, or anyone else I think
rules salary saved him after 20 21 that bloated, nine million
dollars plus per year, and I think he's clearly on the hot
seat last year. No matter what he says,
David Tepper again.
No one's going to come out and say the coach is on the hot
seat. This is all the stuff. Copy paste and repeat lather,
rinse. Repeat every year we see this and what happens
guys were on the hot seat all along,
it's just wasn't good business to come out and tell the world
Chris. No. No, you're right, it's not it's not good business
but it's obvious. We know, we know where it's at
and you know, again, they're a team that has a lot of things
to like about the roster, you know, to your point with
the Sean Payton that I would see, I would think he's looking at it
going down. There's a lot of guys there that I like that are
young and talented.
Now the defense is real, it's special.
It really is across the board. We know they got some weapons
on offense, so now it's just going to start showing on
the field. They gave us a little Glimpse early in the year last
year, but things fell apart. Heart. So can they keep the do
a little more consistency this year and be
you know, relevant or at least in the playoff conversation?
I think that could at least save their job as long as they're in
that playoff conversation
and remember as it relates to Peyton, the Saints do control
his rights and if they're going to trade him anywhere it's
probably not going to be in the division but we'll see how that
all plays that's going to be a story that we cover all year
long.