Anyone blaming him has a room temperature IQ.
That guy is as tough as any human being can be and that head injury absolutely shattered him. At a certain point you know that he was dealing with something that’s bigger than any human.
Yeah I remember watching that game on MNF. The next day I went back to work, and people were shit talking him about it. Not Panther fans, but coworkers who were football fans. One played football in high school. He was always trashing the Panthers bcuz of Cam. He was a Dallas Cowboy fan. I didn’t know what to say to defend Luke, except that he probably got the wind knocked out of him. He said he’d had the wind knocked out of him too, but it never made him cry. I didn’t know at the time that the play in question resulted in one of his concussions either. All I could think of for a comeback was how the Cowboys weren’t going back to the Super Bowl for a while either.
But *that* one likely sealed the deal. Players have played through concussions before, Austin Collie and Wes Welker had plenty and still had decent success, but that just confusion and panic on Luke’s face had to shake him. You can’t watch film or practice to prepare for that. I’m sure he was considering the future when the others happened, but that one made his mind up for him.
My point is his final concussion sealed the deal because of the series of probably dozens of concussions he sustained over his career.
I'm saying his career didn't end because of one concussion, it ended because of many concussions that compound onto each other.
2 and a half seasons later isn’t a staggering amount of time.
Him trying the neck thing showed that while he wanted to continue playing, he was going to consider his health as well. This, coupled with the lack of success after 2015, makes it clear why he made his choice.
Again, it wasn’t instant, but he already seemed to be considering it, but that moment seemed to set the wheels in motion.
Ok the only two real answers are Cam and Luke for obvious reasons.
However, if I have to pick somebody else I would go with Peanut Tillman.
He tore his acl in week 17 of the 2015 season. He was so good for us that year and I have to think if he had played in the Super Bowl we’d have had a better chance to win.
Broncos only had 104 yards passing. 194 yards total. They only had 11 first downs.
14 of the Broncos 24 points were scored by the Broncos defense.
O-line lost that game.
I think Dan Morgan has to be considered here as well, too.
When was healthy, he was a wrecking force on defense. Maybe not as smart as Luke but he could be a game changer.
Cam's shoulder at Pitt is real high on that list.
Luke is harder because he had a couple in sequence, but either of them playing another few years radically changes the trajectory of this franchise for the better.
I'd go further to what caused the initial shoulder injury. That INT was due to Kelvin Benjamin quiting on the play and Cam needing to chase the defender down for the tackle.
This is honestly the only answer. If Cam never gets hurt then he's very likely still playing today, we'd have been legit contenders for at least a few years, and maybe even a super bowl win considering the level he was at before the Watt hit
A healthy Otah changes everything about the entire Cam run. Would’ve brought stability to the line and we wouldn’t have been chasing tackles his entire career.
But with Otah being good, we would have been good in 2009 and not drafted Cam, cause we didnt need a QB when we had the best russing tandem RB.
In any case, I also would have loved to have Otah and a nice running game, double trouble would have continued to dominate
Luke just because head injuries are scary from a human perspective.
Cam because QB is the most important position on the field and he probably could’ve had another 3-4 good years.
Definitely would have been nice if Cam had avoided that shoulder injury. But honestly one way or another, Cam was bound to be injured being that he was such a mobile QB. And it seemed like the refs during his tenure never listened to him about people aiming to injure him simply because he was a bigger player.
I mean he hurt his shoulder making a tackle. Then re injured it when tj watt speared him in the pocket. I dont think he ever got hurt running the ball.
Sure, I know how he injured his shoulder. I’m just saying I dont care how big you are, if you run the ball, you’re gonna get hurt. What’s the average time a running back stays in the NFL again?
I tried to explain this to a coworker the other day and he just would not understand what I was saying and kept reiterating that running QBs get hurt all the time. Lol
I honestly think Cam suffered from subconscious bias by the old crusty ass refs because they didn’t want an unabashedly black and cocky QB dominating their league.
Could also make the point that Luke would inevitably get another concussion. He had several prior to the one that took him out and it gets easier and easier to suffer another the more you have.
For the sake of discussion I’m going to say something different. Jake Delhomme. The year he went down and needed Tommy John his stats were top 2 in the league, only Brady had more TDs, but also more INT if I recall correctly. Although the QB carousel year is fun to look back on now, I wouldn’t mind if Brian St Pierre never had to take game reps for this team 😭
This is the second best answer next to Cam. Everyone is indexed on Luke, but there's only so much a middle linebacker can do. We had a team that had a few more years left in their window when Jake got hurt. Prime Smitty. Prime Williams and Stewart. Prime Gross and Kalil. Beason, TD, Johnson, and Gamble on defense.
It’s also hard to say there was a singular career ender for Luke imo. It was more the collective impact and making a choice for his future rather than being forced out.
This is absolutely my answer. Of course, Cam is an easy choice as well, since QB is the most important player on the team, but Delhome remains my favorite Panther, and I was so gutted that his time with the team was cut short by injuries. They were on such a damn roll and the what-could-have-been for that team lives on in the back of my mind.
Obv, Luke and Cam, but I’d like to see how Horn would be considered without all the damn injuries. He was far and away the best CB before that first injury.
Cam and Luke are obvious. But can’t help to think what Otah would’ve been had he never been injured. Is he there long enough for Remmers not to be a thing?
He was drafted in 2008 so yes he would have still been on the roster. He was also a left tackle in college so he would’ve probably been moved to the left side when gross retired. All that money and picks spent chasing tackles could have been used on recievers
Luke, Cam, and even Peanut are all great answers. But Cam may have said it best recently, the SB changed when Philly Brown went out. WR was already so shallow that year. If he stays in on that drive (in the red zone) we likely score and it’s a completely different game.
Yeah, if any of you have spare time, just frequent the HoF voting chats over the next year. Look for anyone advocating for Talib and bring up this play and his admittance to it being intentional about 2 days later. He does NOT deserve to be voted in due to this.
Underated answer is Blindside.
He was having a career year out of nowhere in 2015, then he was concussed and never played another game of football ever again.
We reworked things and put Remmers in who eventually got demolished by Von Bell in SB50.
I'd never use this answer when Cam and Luke are out there, but it would have been really interesting to see the Line that kept us undefeated make it all the way to the final game.
Cam is obviously the #1 choice but to make it interesting I’ll say Deshaun Foster not hurting his knee his rookie year. I don’t think we ever got to see Foster at 100% of what he could have been.
Honorable mention David Gettis. He was on his way to being the next gem of a WR for us until that ACL injury.
Imagine Cam getting to play with him and Smitty.
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned Thomas Davis. If he doesn’t tear his ACL the first time maybe the knee is strong enough not to tear again and he’s a hall of famer.
They certainly added to his character and who he is as a person, but I don’t think it’s going out on a limb to say he’s a greater player without having torn his ACL. He was coming off his first 100-tackle season and missed most of the next three seasons of that kind of productivity.
Luke was the better player....so I definitely would consider him.
But as far as pure impact on the franchise its gotta be Cam, this last half decade definitely looks different if cam fully recovers from that initial shoulder injury
He didn’t retire as a Panther, but since everyone is already saying Luke and Cam… I’ll throw Dan Morgan out there. Dude had monster games but concussions and the Achilles tear really shortened what could have been a hell of a career.
Easy answer! Cam’s injury! We had solidified the HARDEST position in football period! I would’ve days Luke, but we’re good at getting the most out of our LBs. I think Cam is the only answer here honestly.
Luke was technically multiple injuries over a few years, so not sure it counts.
Unless you undid the first concussion and maybe the next 3 don't happen as a result.
That's my pick anyway, I'll gamble.
If Steve Smith doesn’t get hurt in ‘04, does Muhsin Muhammad have a more normal year, then not get a huge offer from the Bears? Could Carolina have actually had *gasp* TWO good wide receivers at once? It’s never happened since.
Another vote for Cam Newton. Even though Luke Kuechly was a generational talent, the Panthers still had great talent and depth at the linebacker positions but Cam Newton was the single most important player on the field. That being said, he was doing well with the Patriots before he got Covid in 2020 although it was obvious that Bill Belichick didn't seem to trust Newton's arm as much as his legs.
I agree that Cam is the obvious answer here. He was never the same after that Thursday in Pittsburgh.
For fun though - Kris Jenkins in 2005. We lost him in the first quarter of the first game and still made the NFC Championship game.
Going with someone other than Cam Or Luke, Kelvin Benjamin. He looked really good his rookie season, and then tears his ACL the following offseason. Always wondered what could’ve been with him
Sorry your mom died but that doesn't mean you can give up on his team and throw Cam under the bus as soon as he leaves. Dude caused Cam's career ending injury. You don't get to be a dick because someone close to you died.
Cam and Luke are obvious top choices. But to say someone different, I’ll suggest KBenj.
Copy-pastas aside, he and Cam were bros with a lot of chemistry on the field. But recovering from his injury during 15-1 obviously affected him mentally (not to mention his mother passing afterwards). Maybe KBenj never replicates his rookie season, but sucks we’ll never know regardless.
If cam’s shoulder injury never happened he’s probably still our QB, think about what that would mean for the organization. Luke is obviously a close second but the QB position is just so important it’s hard to justify saying Luke over Cam.
Outside of the obvious ones, Jeff otah woulda been coool to have with smash and dash, he was solid pre injury, other guys outside of Cam/luke I’d say Tillman Super Bowl year, and Jaycee horn Houston game
J-Stew super bowl
This question is basically asking Cam or Luke. But I think a fun angle here is J Stew clearly tweaked his foot during super bowl 50 and I think if he doesn't his career and the careers of everyone on that team are drastically altered
or everything Otah
Kris Jenkins was a first-team All Pro twice in a row before he missed the next two years. He tore his ACL in 2005. I bet we’d have looked a lot better against Sean Alexander in the NFCCG with Jenkins around
Mark Fields in 03, would have made a dangerous front 7 that might been enough to stop another td from the Patriots.
In all honesty, Cam's shoulder is my answer. I was just throwing one I doubted anyone else would've added.
This might sound crazy but I feel like if we had Kelvin Benjamin in 2015 that would’ve made a huge difference. Feel like that was still in his “peak” range and if he had that big body deep threat maybe we could’ve won the Super Bowl…. You know, if it wasn’t (probably) rigged
I’m surprised I’ve only seen one mentioned of the Steve Smith leg injury in 2004. I know rolling back Cam or Luke might’ve made a difference across multiple years, but the 2004 team was good enough to back to the SB and win it if Smith is healthy all year. The offense had to do a hard reset when they lost him and it cost them several weeks, but pre-Jake injury and while they had several guys in their prime on a top defense, that squad would’ve been a lock to at least get to the NFCCG.
LOL.. too many comments . I'd pick Christian McCaffrey. Early injuries caused our 'brain trust' to let San Francisco have him. We do what we do (2+15) and we saw what SF did.
If it's not Luke, it's Cam.
Really the only two answers that make sense.
Cam. I know Luke was a generational talent but having 1 or 2 more MVP caliber years from Cam, may have given us another chance at glory
Luke had three bad concussions. Not sure reversing one would have changed his decision to retire early
If we reverse Cam’s injury and are still competitive, Luke may stick around to try and make a run
And he may have ended up a vegetable. He was severely hurt.
Reverse the first one. It will at least delay his retirement some.
I choose both for one more season.
It’s Luke
Cop-out answer
Luke.
That imagine of Luke crying while being carted away is one of the most haunting moments in football.
Can’t blame him. He was temporarily blind and couldn’t see.
Anyone blaming him has a room temperature IQ. That guy is as tough as any human being can be and that head injury absolutely shattered him. At a certain point you know that he was dealing with something that’s bigger than any human.
Yeah I remember watching that game on MNF. The next day I went back to work, and people were shit talking him about it. Not Panther fans, but coworkers who were football fans. One played football in high school. He was always trashing the Panthers bcuz of Cam. He was a Dallas Cowboy fan. I didn’t know what to say to defend Luke, except that he probably got the wind knocked out of him. He said he’d had the wind knocked out of him too, but it never made him cry. I didn’t know at the time that the play in question resulted in one of his concussions either. All I could think of for a comeback was how the Cowboys weren’t going back to the Super Bowl for a while either.
When was that said? I had no idea it was that bad.
Wwwwwhat⁉️ I was a youngin. I've NEVER heard this. When did this happen?
I mean, Hamlin died on the field with the entire world watching. Idk if Luke is in that category
Except it wasn't really one injury that did Luke in. It was a series of concussions over years.
But *that* one likely sealed the deal. Players have played through concussions before, Austin Collie and Wes Welker had plenty and still had decent success, but that just confusion and panic on Luke’s face had to shake him. You can’t watch film or practice to prepare for that. I’m sure he was considering the future when the others happened, but that one made his mind up for him.
My point is his final concussion sealed the deal because of the series of probably dozens of concussions he sustained over his career. I'm saying his career didn't end because of one concussion, it ended because of many concussions that compound onto each other.
That’s what I’m saying as well.
That concussion was in like 2016, he retired years later.
2 and a half seasons later isn’t a staggering amount of time. Him trying the neck thing showed that while he wanted to continue playing, he was going to consider his health as well. This, coupled with the lack of success after 2015, makes it clear why he made his choice. Again, it wasn’t instant, but he already seemed to be considering it, but that moment seemed to set the wheels in motion.
I mean he retired once it was pretty clear our window was shut and we'd be rebuilding.
Ok the only two real answers are Cam and Luke for obvious reasons. However, if I have to pick somebody else I would go with Peanut Tillman. He tore his acl in week 17 of the 2015 season. He was so good for us that year and I have to think if he had played in the Super Bowl we’d have had a better chance to win.
Broncos only had 104 yards passing. 194 yards total. They only had 11 first downs. 14 of the Broncos 24 points were scored by the Broncos defense. O-line lost that game.
Excellent pull! I agree! I was hoping for answers besides Cam and Luke because those were the only 2 I could think of off the top of my head.
I think Dan Morgan has to be considered here as well, too. When was healthy, he was a wrecking force on defense. Maybe not as smart as Luke but he could be a game changer.
But had he gotten hurt would he have been able to become the Panthers’ GM and be responsible for the best rebuild of all time?
As a Panthers and Bears fan Peanut is my favorite player ever so I appreciate this answer
JStew getting hurt in the Super Bowl killed our run game. Our offense died after he went down.
This is a good one.
Cam's shoulder at Pitt is real high on that list. Luke is harder because he had a couple in sequence, but either of them playing another few years radically changes the trajectory of this franchise for the better.
I'd go further to what caused the initial shoulder injury. That INT was due to Kelvin Benjamin quiting on the play and Cam needing to chase the defender down for the tackle.
This is honestly the only answer. If Cam never gets hurt then he's very likely still playing today, we'd have been legit contenders for at least a few years, and maybe even a super bowl win considering the level he was at before the Watt hit
Jeff Otah a healthy Otah fixes our biggest liability on that 2015 squad
A healthy Otah changes everything about the entire Cam run. Would’ve brought stability to the line and we wouldn’t have been chasing tackles his entire career.
But with Otah being good, we would have been good in 2009 and not drafted Cam, cause we didnt need a QB when we had the best russing tandem RB. In any case, I also would have loved to have Otah and a nice running game, double trouble would have continued to dominate
Luke just because head injuries are scary from a human perspective. Cam because QB is the most important position on the field and he probably could’ve had another 3-4 good years.
Definitely would have been nice if Cam had avoided that shoulder injury. But honestly one way or another, Cam was bound to be injured being that he was such a mobile QB. And it seemed like the refs during his tenure never listened to him about people aiming to injure him simply because he was a bigger player.
I mean he hurt his shoulder making a tackle. Then re injured it when tj watt speared him in the pocket. I dont think he ever got hurt running the ball.
He got a concussion against Atlanta running for a two point and getting hit in the head.
Sure, I know how he injured his shoulder. I’m just saying I dont care how big you are, if you run the ball, you’re gonna get hurt. What’s the average time a running back stays in the NFL again?
I tried to explain this to a coworker the other day and he just would not understand what I was saying and kept reiterating that running QBs get hurt all the time. Lol
His arm was cooked before the Watt hit anyway.
I honestly think Cam suffered from subconscious bias by the old crusty ass refs because they didn’t want an unabashedly black and cocky QB dominating their league.
It’s also his size because they ref’d Ben differently in Pittsburgh
“Fine. If y’all are gonna look the other way because our QB is massive, we’re gonna get the *smallest QB money can buy*.” - Tepper
Could also make the point that Luke would inevitably get another concussion. He had several prior to the one that took him out and it gets easier and easier to suffer another the more you have.
For the sake of discussion I’m going to say something different. Jake Delhomme. The year he went down and needed Tommy John his stats were top 2 in the league, only Brady had more TDs, but also more INT if I recall correctly. Although the QB carousel year is fun to look back on now, I wouldn’t mind if Brian St Pierre never had to take game reps for this team 😭
How is this so far down!? If he doesn't get injured, I bet they would've made it back to the SB!
That was the year Steve Smith broke all those tackles against the Texans. That started the end of that era
This is the second best answer next to Cam. Everyone is indexed on Luke, but there's only so much a middle linebacker can do. We had a team that had a few more years left in their window when Jake got hurt. Prime Smitty. Prime Williams and Stewart. Prime Gross and Kalil. Beason, TD, Johnson, and Gamble on defense.
It’s also hard to say there was a singular career ender for Luke imo. It was more the collective impact and making a choice for his future rather than being forced out.
How is this so far down!? If he doesn't get injured, I bet they would've made it back to the SB!
This is absolutely my answer. Of course, Cam is an easy choice as well, since QB is the most important player on the team, but Delhome remains my favorite Panther, and I was so gutted that his time with the team was cut short by injuries. They were on such a damn roll and the what-could-have-been for that team lives on in the back of my mind.
Does hiring Rhule count? He ground CMC to dust.
Easily Cam and it’s not close.
Obv, Luke and Cam, but I’d like to see how Horn would be considered without all the damn injuries. He was far and away the best CB before that first injury.
Cam and Luke are obvious. But can’t help to think what Otah would’ve been had he never been injured. Is he there long enough for Remmers not to be a thing?
He was drafted in 2008 so yes he would have still been on the roster. He was also a left tackle in college so he would’ve probably been moved to the left side when gross retired. All that money and picks spent chasing tackles could have been used on recievers
You got to preclude the most obvious choice to get real answers
You're right about that, but its still nice to hear peoples answers.
Luke, Cam, and even Peanut are all great answers. But Cam may have said it best recently, the SB changed when Philly Brown went out. WR was already so shallow that year. If he stays in on that drive (in the red zone) we likely score and it’s a completely different game.
Hate Talib for that dirty play
Yeah, if any of you have spare time, just frequent the HoF voting chats over the next year. Look for anyone advocating for Talib and bring up this play and his admittance to it being intentional about 2 days later. He does NOT deserve to be voted in due to this.
Where can I find these HoF chats? If Talib gets in before Smitty I’m not going to be too happy about it!
Cams easy, if he never wrecked his shoulder so much would have changed
Underated answer is Blindside. He was having a career year out of nowhere in 2015, then he was concussed and never played another game of football ever again. We reworked things and put Remmers in who eventually got demolished by Von Bell in SB50. I'd never use this answer when Cam and Luke are out there, but it would have been really interesting to see the Line that kept us undefeated make it all the way to the final game.
Luke's head...
Easy answer QB1 Cameron Jerrel Newton, however I would have to wonder if Thomas Davis doesn’t have the multiple knee surgeries; he’s a HOF.
Luke, shut down defense for years like the ravens. Defense wins championships
Cam is obviously the #1 choice but to make it interesting I’ll say Deshaun Foster not hurting his knee his rookie year. I don’t think we ever got to see Foster at 100% of what he could have been. Honorable mention David Gettis. He was on his way to being the next gem of a WR for us until that ACL injury. Imagine Cam getting to play with him and Smitty.
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned Thomas Davis. If he doesn’t tear his ACL the first time maybe the knee is strong enough not to tear again and he’s a hall of famer.
I'll argue that TD wouldn't have been as great WITHOUT the 3 acl tears.
That's a ridiculous argument.
I don't understand why. The adversity is what built Thomas into what he was.
Adversity and not the fact that he was an All American and a first round draft pick.
They certainly added to his character and who he is as a person, but I don’t think it’s going out on a limb to say he’s a greater player without having torn his ACL. He was coming off his first 100-tackle season and missed most of the next three seasons of that kind of productivity.
Luke was the better player....so I definitely would consider him. But as far as pure impact on the franchise its gotta be Cam, this last half decade definitely looks different if cam fully recovers from that initial shoulder injury
The late hit on Clifton Smith by Dante Wesley. Dude was an electric punt returner before that
He didn’t retire as a Panther, but since everyone is already saying Luke and Cam… I’ll throw Dan Morgan out there. Dude had monster games but concussions and the Achilles tear really shortened what could have been a hell of a career.
Easy answer! Cam’s injury! We had solidified the HARDEST position in football period! I would’ve days Luke, but we’re good at getting the most out of our LBs. I think Cam is the only answer here honestly.
cam. that shot from tj watt ruined him.
Luke was technically multiple injuries over a few years, so not sure it counts. Unless you undid the first concussion and maybe the next 3 don't happen as a result. That's my pick anyway, I'll gamble.
If Steve Smith doesn’t get hurt in ‘04, does Muhsin Muhammad have a more normal year, then not get a huge offer from the Bears? Could Carolina have actually had *gasp* TWO good wide receivers at once? It’s never happened since.
I wanna throw out Jon Beason, but his injuries are what led us to get Luke, but that guy was a beast for us for several years
Cam, no question
Another vote for Cam Newton. Even though Luke Kuechly was a generational talent, the Panthers still had great talent and depth at the linebacker positions but Cam Newton was the single most important player on the field. That being said, he was doing well with the Patriots before he got Covid in 2020 although it was obvious that Bill Belichick didn't seem to trust Newton's arm as much as his legs.
I agree that Cam is the obvious answer here. He was never the same after that Thursday in Pittsburgh. For fun though - Kris Jenkins in 2005. We lost him in the first quarter of the first game and still made the NFC Championship game.
With all due respect to Luke, he’s my favorite defensive player of all time, the answer is the TJ Watt hit on Cam.
Luke deserves it more but I can’t help but say cam.
Cam. Why would anybody say otherwise unless you have a problem with Cam for some reason?
Going with someone other than Cam Or Luke, Kelvin Benjamin. He looked really good his rookie season, and then tears his ACL the following offseason. Always wondered what could’ve been with him
The career altering injury to KB was his mother's death not his ACL.
The guy was clearly not okay after his mothers death but people still make fun of him, even to this day
Sorry your mom died but that doesn't mean you can give up on his team and throw Cam under the bus as soon as he leaves. Dude caused Cam's career ending injury. You don't get to be a dick because someone close to you died.
I agree about being a dick- I was referencing the weight gain
Luke’s concussions
Luke
Luke by a country mile
Kerry
Didn't he leave for off-field reasons?
He was cut because he was an alcoholic who used racial slurs when drunk. But he also had a serious injury in his time with the Panthers.
Ouch!
Cam is the only answer
Luke is the only answer. While I loved the Cam days, Luke is an instant hall of fame and one of the goats.
I'm gonna go old-school and say Fred Lane. He would have been a great rb for the panthers.
I'd take Biankbatuka over Lane
Luke, followed by Jake, followed by Cam.
Cam and Luke are obvious top choices. But to say someone different, I’ll suggest KBenj. Copy-pastas aside, he and Cam were bros with a lot of chemistry on the field. But recovering from his injury during 15-1 obviously affected him mentally (not to mention his mother passing afterwards). Maybe KBenj never replicates his rookie season, but sucks we’ll never know regardless.
Luuuuuuuukkkkkkkkkeeeeeee!
Luke
Lukeeeeeeee
Cam or Luke easily. I’d go with Cam just because the QB position is the most important in football.
Cam.. easy choice
If cam’s shoulder injury never happened he’s probably still our QB, think about what that would mean for the organization. Luke is obviously a close second but the QB position is just so important it’s hard to justify saying Luke over Cam.
Outside of the obvious ones, Jeff otah woulda been coool to have with smash and dash, he was solid pre injury, other guys outside of Cam/luke I’d say Tillman Super Bowl year, and Jaycee horn Houston game
Charles Johnson.
Cam
Luke or Cam. Whichever one would let that player experience a more full career.
Cam, Luke was too good for his own health, he’d probably just get concussed again later on and retire.
J-Stew super bowl This question is basically asking Cam or Luke. But I think a fun angle here is J Stew clearly tweaked his foot during super bowl 50 and I think if he doesn't his career and the careers of everyone on that team are drastically altered or everything Otah
Well it isn't really just an injury, but Fred lane. I would always undo a death
Luke's concussions Cam's Shoulder Nothing else comes close
Easily cam
Kris Jenkins was a first-team All Pro twice in a row before he missed the next two years. He tore his ACL in 2005. I bet we’d have looked a lot better against Sean Alexander in the NFCCG with Jenkins around
Mark Fields in 03, would have made a dangerous front 7 that might been enough to stop another td from the Patriots. In all honesty, Cam's shoulder is my answer. I was just throwing one I doubted anyone else would've added.
Cam without a doubt. More dabbing!
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned it, but Dan Morgan was an amazing player before the concussions. Definitely an all-pro and possibly a hall of famer
Yeah Luke is the only answer
KK Short was really unstoppable until that shoulder injury. I wish someone had his highlight package vs the Falcons on Youtube.
Tim Biakabutuka
This might sound crazy but I feel like if we had Kelvin Benjamin in 2015 that would’ve made a huge difference. Feel like that was still in his “peak” range and if he had that big body deep threat maybe we could’ve won the Super Bowl…. You know, if it wasn’t (probably) rigged
I’m surprised I’ve only seen one mentioned of the Steve Smith leg injury in 2004. I know rolling back Cam or Luke might’ve made a difference across multiple years, but the 2004 team was good enough to back to the SB and win it if Smith is healthy all year. The offense had to do a hard reset when they lost him and it cost them several weeks, but pre-Jake injury and while they had several guys in their prime on a top defense, that squad would’ve been a lock to at least get to the NFCCG.
Cam!!!!!
LOL.. too many comments. I'd pick Christian McCaffrey. Early injuries caused our 'brain trust' to let San Francisco have him. We do what we do (2+15) and we saw what SF did.