UPoR Panthers reporter Darin Gantt is a homer that’s high on the snark factor but low on actual insight. Today, he examines what teams might be interested in drafting Andrew Luck, who is widely projected to be the best quarterback available in April’s NFL draft, should Luck decide to come out of Stanford early. About Luck being drafted by the Buffalo Bills, Gantt writes:
Would they take Luck: They’d like to, but the bigger question might be whether Luck would take the Bills.
There are already rumors within the scouting community that his coming out of school early isn’t a sure thing, and that the owner of the first pick could well impact that.
That’s a polite way of suggesting that Buffalo might not be viewed as a desirable destination. Go figure.
Hate to break this to you Darin, if Luck’s coming out early depends upon where he might end up, then the Panthers are in just as much trouble as the Bills. Why? Let’s see:
- 2011 Panthers’ head coach: TBD
- 2011 Panthers’ offensive coordinator: TBD
- 2011 Panthers’ offensive philosophy: TBD
- Panthers national media exposure: Low. Last year’s 8-8 record got them exactly zero regular season games on Sunday or Monday nights.
- Quality of the Panthers’ offensive line: Poor – give up sacks at the second highest rate in the league.
- Offensive line upside: Little if any
- Fate of the Panthers’ 2010 opening day starter: On IR with torn labrum
- Number of concussions suffered by Panthers’ QBs in 2010: Two
- Last Panthers’ significant free agent signing: Not recently
- Reasons to think the Panthers will again be big players in the free agent market: None
OK, the weather is nicer in Charlotte than Buffalo. But other than that, why would Andrew Luck really want to be drafted by the Panthers?
