After politely declining all on-the-record interviews during the season, Panthers GM Dave Gettleman met with the media Tuesday, and many of the questions that were asked are still unanswered.
#Panthers fans: Know there have been many unanswered questions and not many were cleared up today. What’s your most pressing question?— Bill Voth (@billvoth) January 14, 2014
@billvoth Jordan Gross expiring/retiring. — Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) January 14, 2014
The Panthers have nothing to lose by bringing him back. He’s their second-best player on the weakest offensive unit. Even at 33, Gross proved he has a good amount of tread left on his tires, and depending on what happens in this weekend’s NFC Championship, he could be heading to his third Pro Bowl. That’s not bad for an 11-year veteran. He’s made it clear he won’t play anywhere else, so it’s not like the Panthers will have to bid much for another year of his services.I think the bigger question is if Gross will want to play another season. Does he want to exit in relatively good health and start his post-career life? His podcast this season proved he could carve out something in radio, but I think he also has potential to do some national TV.Gross did seem truly conflicted when I asked about his future Sunday, but most players in his position usually are. They also usually end up getting the bug back once the past season is in their rearview mirror a bit.My GUESS: The Panthers will draft a tackle with their 28th pick in April. That guy will start off at right tackle — just like Gross did his rookie season — before moving over to left tackle once Gross retires after a 12th season.
@billvoth Will/when Panthers extend Rivera? Option or extension for Cam? — T.J. Hoyt (@teejBCP) January 14, 2014
After taking over a team that won 2 games in 2010, Rivera has won 6, 7 and 12. I’m not great at math, but that looks like improvement to me. Rivera deserves and will likely be offered an extension, but which kind?Multiyear would be ideal for what Carolina is trying to build, but remember two things: 1) One of Jerry Richardson’s most passionate unachieved hopes is for his franchise to have back-to-back winning seasons, 2) Richardson admitted he didn’t want to pay two coaching staffs in 2010. So going into that season, you had Richardson and Fox both knowing a divorce was upcoming, but Richardson was unwilling to cut ties because of what that meant financially.I don’t think anyone wants to see another lame-duck year — even if Rivera is in better graces than Fox was in back then — but is Richardson willing to commit long-term right now? Gettleman claimed he has “ultimate faith in Ron” today, but this isn’t completely his call.My GUESS: Rivera will be offered a one-year extension, and if he can deliver a coveted second straight winning season, he’ll then get locked up long-term.
@billvoth is team going to exercise team option on Cam? It’s a no-brainer but I still want to know. — w b (@dcarcass) January 14, 2014
The Panthers have until May to activate their club option on Newton for 2015, but for these purposes, let’s take that off out of the equation for right now. They’ll want to extend him this offseason because if they don’t, he could possibly be looking at record-breaking contract numbers in the future.So why wouldn’t Cam roll the dice and see if he could earn a much bigger deal with another Pro Bowl season? Because in the NFL, so little is guaranteed. A smaller deal right now would still equal a ton of security for him now and later in life.My GUESS: It’s hard not to see the Panthers offering a generous but not overwhelming extension, putting the ball in Cam’s court. I think he’ll take it and the Panthers will have their most important player locked up.
@billvoth what are the odds Hardy comes back now after the press conference? — Kurt Zamora (@FriscoKTank) January 14, 2014
Since he’s been here for just one year, it’s too early to read much into what Gettleman says publicly. But for what it’s worth, he did foreshadow what he did in the 2013 draft by openly talking about his love for hog mollies.When asked about Hardy today, Gettleman deflected by referencing teams able to survive the loss of big-money free agents. Based on those comments, you could possibly assume Gettleman would be ok with letting Hardy walk, but I wouldn’t go there just yet. Sure, it could’ve been some hog mollie-like truth telling, but it may have also been a message for Drew Rosenhaus. Or it could’ve been nothing at all.My GUESS: I can’t see Carolina, with its cap issues, giving Hardy a long-term deal right now. I also don’t see them letting him get away without anything in return. Gettleman wouldn’t say much about his franchise tag philosophy today, but a tag of about $12 million for Hardy still seems to make the most sense. A tag and trade could also be in play.
@billvoth why are bye weeks so bad for rr and panthers— Lee Griffin (@prayjoypower) January 14, 2014
I know fans want to read deep into something like this, and Rivera’s well aware of his now 0-4 record after a bye, but I just can’t get all that worked up over it. Just looking at this weekend: They lost to a better team. The Panthers would’ve had to play, not a perfect game, but a much better game than they did to beat the defending NFC champs.Did what Rivera and the Panthers do and not do during the off week make them commit bad penalties or cause them to struggle to stop Anquan Boldin?The after-a-bye-week stat is there and it’s not pretty, but it’s also not a seminal issue. My GUESS: The Panthers will get another chance to play after a bye week next season and what they do in that game won’t have much to do with their past.
@billvoth stah set the bhaa? Right lol— Jasun Bird™ (@RacinJasun) January 14, 2014
Yes, yes he did, and Gettleman’s answer about his first draft, and Star Lotuleli in particular, was a great example of how perfectly he played today’s presser. Deflect the questions you know have to be asked, drop a few useful nuggets and be personable — Gettleman did it all. My GUESS: Gettleman’s Boston accent will continue to charm and bring levity, but as with all general managers, he will end up making some mistakes. Only then will we see how much Panthers fans truly admire him, or if many will forget the smart things he did like they’ve done with his predecessor.Which brings me to this:http://youtu.be/MwI1cjL-HbcIt was nice to hear Gettleman give proper credit to Marty Hurney for what he built. Hurney has become a popular punching bag over the past few years, with many forgetting things like: 1) He took a 1-15 to the Super Bowl in just two years, 2) He put together two NFC Championship teams, 3) He was responsible for the bulk of talent that just went 12-4, winning the NFC South and earning a No. 2 seed.Did Hurney make mistakes? Yes. Should he be dinged for some of them, especially the ones that have put them in a salary cap mess? Yes. But so many focus on what he did wrong while totally skimming over what he did well.Without going much further into it, Gettleman made reference to how no one knows all that happens behind the scenes. Not every big decision is made by just one guy. There’s often much more to mistakes than what meets the eye.A few more guesses to commonly-asked questions heading into the offseason:-Jonathan Stewart isn’t going anywhere. You may be upset he hasn’t played during the majority of his latest contract, but the salary cap hit (and this is one you can pin on Hurney) the Panthers would take by cutting him will keep him here through at least 2014.-Mike Shula isn’t going anywhere. I know the offense wasn’t all that exciting. I know it seemed too conservative at times. But calming down Newton and making him realize he doesn’t have to shoulder everything was something the previous offensive coordinator wasn’t able to do. He actually did the opposite. But if you’d rather have a guy who badly misused his personnel which greatly contributed to two nonwinning seasons versus a guy who made unsexy, but vital changes to the offense, I don’t know what to tell you.-Most of Gettleman’s moves and cuts will make total sense, but there could be a surprise that truly signals a new future for the Panthers.-Mike Mitchell, Captain Munnerlyn and Ted Ginn will all be back. Brandon LaFell? They won’t have to pay a lot, but how much of the current receiving corps do they want to continue bringing back?The Panthers exceed most expectations this year, you have to assume Atlanta will bounce back next season and Tampa Bay has a better coach. The NFC South’s only going to get tougher and Carolina still has to try to get better than Seattle and San Francisco.So Dave Gettleman, you wanted to be a general manager?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5j4DIellR4