Carolina Tank

[Woodman]

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/10/21/the-panthers-slide-squarely-into-tank-mode/

Tanking happens in the NFL. And the Panthers are now clearly doing it.

They’ll deny it. They have to. The first rule of Tank Club is you do not talk about Tank Club. More specifically, through any and all subtle or obvious efforts to embrace the suck in order to enhance draft status, the team needs to claim it’s not doing that which it plainly is. And the league office will look the other way as long as no one says the magic word.

Owner David Tepper recently used the right words when asked about striking the balance between winning games now and drafting high later.

The truth, even if it never will be uttered by Tepper or anyone employed by him, is that they’re sacrificing 2022 competitiveness for the pieces needed to make moves in 2023. Since Monday, they’ve stockpiled six draft picks by trading away two players. While the deal that sent receiver Robbie Anderson to Arizona falls more into the category of “addition by subtraction,” the deal that shipped running back Christian McCaffrey to the 49ers counts as subtraction by subtraction, with the hopes of adding better players later.

[OpIv37]

Re: Carolina Tank

It sucks for fans and season ticket holders.

But long term, it's the only option. They can keep McCaffrey and maybe get to 6-11 if they're lucky. And maybe get to .500 next year if they draft well.

Or, they can admit the reality that they aren't making the playoffs, stockpile picks for next year, and lose more games so their existing picks are better.

It's mediocrity for nothing or sucking to set up a better future. Tanking is the only way to get something out of the season. And it happens to almost every team at some point.

[Mace]

Re: Carolina Tank

McCaffery is 26, has last played 16 games in 2019, has injuries going back to college on his hip, shoulder, a glute, and both ankles. Carolina needs to build a team. He's not going to be the centerpiece and might not even last 2 more games.

For those picks ? You sell while you have the apparent value someone wants to pay. They need those picks more than McCaffery to try and remake the team.

Who else gains them any capital

I guess calling it a tank is popular.

[Albany,n.y.]

Re: Carolina Tank

There's a reason tanking seldom works: Tanking is done by upper management by depleting a roster of talent, but it comes with major risks. The GM can find himself out of a job due to the poor record as well as the coaches & players left. So, on the field & sidelines, the players & coaches are doing everything to win in an effort to keep their jobs. The last thing a mediocre QB wants is for his team to get the #1 pick & draft his replacement. The last successful tank job, after P Manning was lost for the season was Indy. However, ownership obviously wasn't on board & fired the coach & GM.

[sukie]

Re: Carolina Tank

Tank for Tua was successful as far as them getting Tua.

but having a ton of draft capital to move up negates a need for total tank

[Albany,n.y.]

Re: Carolina Tank

Tank for Tua was successful as far as them getting Tua.

but having a ton of draft capital to move up negates a need for total tank

Actually it wasn't since the rumors around the draft were that Miami was trying to trade up to #1 for Burrow. They settled for Tua.

Beane proved your 2nd sentence right in 2018, going from 21 to 7, but it only worked because the Browns and Jets were the Browns & Jets.

[Mace]

Re: Carolina Tank

There's a line between tanking and incompetence.

I don't believe Indy tanked. They carried their vet roster through the season, and it was a good roster.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/clt/2011_roster.htm

Chris Polian was the GM (pro personnel head for the Washington Commanders atm), the lost but stoic Jim Caldwell was the coach, and they'd purposefully groomed Curtis Painter (no, really), as Manning's backup. They were inept and bumbled into it.

Look at the Browns, they look close to a tank, but they're still inept.

Houston, with a bumbling organization, looks like a tank, but still, inept.

In a different sport, the Sabres almost certainly tanked, and they're still trying to shake off the stench. If you instill losing, no one playing for money cares, it's just a paycheck from an organization not committed to anything but blue skies that might not include you anyway, because they're that shameless and you're a chip.

"Tank" is a popular term for "we're so clueless we've become that bad".

I still see selling off McCaffery as prudent, he's not going to last the rest of the season, and that draft pick haul can make Carolina a team again. If they aren't inept.

[Albany,n.y.]

Re: Carolina Tank

There's a line between tanking and incompetence.

I don't believe Indy tanked. They carried their vet roster through the season, and it was a good roster.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/clt/2011_roster.htm

Chris Polian was the GM (pro personnel head for the Washington Commanders atm), the lost but stoic Jim Caldwell was the coach, and they'd purposefully groomed Curtis Painter (no, really), as Manning's backup. They were inept and bumbled into it.

Look at the Browns, they look close to a tank, but they're still inept.

Houston, with a bumbling organization, looks like a tank, but still, inept.

In a different sport, the Sabres almost certainly tanked, and they're still trying to shake off the stench. If you instill losing, no one playing for money cares, it's just a paycheck from an organization not committed to anything but blue skies that might not include you anyway, because they're that shameless and you're a chip.

"Tank" is a popular term for "we're so clueless we've become that bad".

I still see selling off McCaffery as prudent, he's not going to last the rest of the season, and that draft pick haul can make Carolina a team again. If they aren't inept.

I don't think Indy's original intention was to tank. That only happened after their original choice to replace Manning, Kerry Collins, went down. Painter was never supposed to play. I think you're too harsh on Jim Caldwell. He's stoic, but I've never thought of him as lost. Just look at his time in Detroit and what they were before him & after him. That shows he's a lot better coach than you think.

[Albany,n.y.]

Re: Carolina Tank

Looks more like Tampa Bay is tanking than Carolina.

[Mace]

Re: Carolina Tank

I don't think Indy's original intention was to tank. That only happened after their original choice to replace Manning, Kerry Collins, went down. Painter was never supposed to play. I think you're too harsh on Jim Caldwell. He's stoic, but I've never thought of him as lost. Just look at his time in Detroit and what they were before him & after him. That shows he's a lot better coach than you think.

I remember his time at Detroit. He had Stafford, Megatron, Tate, Suh, etc. I also remember his poor coaching and bad game decisions which he'd refuse to second guess. Detroit has been a terrible franchise, that Caldwell looks good there comparatively is more a statement on the Lions than Caldwell.

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2018/01/01/detroit-lions-fire-jim-caldwell-10-things-well-never-forget/980486001/

One of the last things in there, and there are some examples of his coaching issues, is :

• Mediocrity reigns: The Lions went 4-23 in the regular season against teams that finished with a winning record under Caldwell, and 32-5 against teams that went .500 or worse. Enough said.

That was with a pretty good roster.

[swiper]

Re: Carolina Tank

Looks more like Tampa Bay is tanking than Carolina.

Can be get a Gisele vs Bridget Moynahan catfight please? Supposedly Tom was recently spotted in the Hampton's with his old flame.

[Albany,n.y.]

Re: Carolina Tank

Can be get a Gisele vs Bridget Moynahan catfight please? Supposedly Tom was recently spotted in the Hampton's with his old flame.

They do have a kid together, so it might have been more related to a day together with the kid.