Dan Morgan cut before he dies on the field, Wahle looking for work

Oh glorious day.

The Panthers have started the offseason, releasing LB Dan Morgan and LG Mike Wahle. No real surprise.

(Update: 5:45 p.m.) Both are going down as post-June 1 designated cuts, meaning they can spread the cap hit over the next two years. Quick math shows a net salary cap savings of around $2.2 million for Morgan and $1.1 million for Wahle. More room could come later with more releases.

Let me talk about Wahle first. I really don't feel bad at all about losing Wahle. He was a huge free agent signing who got to the pro bowl just because Packers fans are insane. He's been decaying since he got here and was constantly injured. If he plays next year he'll probably just fall apart on the field, or explode. Frankly whoever we put in there at his position, in terms of cost/production, will be an upgrade. This also frees up the Panthers to do their favorite thing: overpay for some overrated piece of shit lineman with 1 year left in the off season. You might as well just buy a house in Charlotte, Allen Faneca.

Dan Morgan is a little bit different. I feel something in my chest. It may be sorrow, or sadness. It may be a heart attack. Either way I'm not sure I like it.

Let's go back over the history of Dan Morgan for a moment.

His first season was 2001, and he was part of that epic George Seifert draft that Fox used to get to the Super Bowl in 2003. He went one, Jenkins went two, Smith went three. He came out and quickly set the tune for how his career would go. On a field ripped up by a Rolling Stones concert, he got stiff armed into oblivion by Brett Favre and shattered his leg.

The next year, 2002, he managed to play in 8 hole games, make 54 tackles, and get a sports hernia and send his shoulder into hell.

2003 was his banner year. He stayed healthy for 11 regular season games, raped everything he saw in the playoffs, and had 20 tackles in the Super Bowl. He was a fucking monster.

2004 was the beginning of his concussion fun. 2005 he was relatively healthy and proved to the front office that ten games of Dan Morgan was worth more than 16 from Will Witherspoon, a decision that is painful to think about. I literally wake up screaming in a cold sweat thinking about that mistake. It was like the Panthers raped themselves. They didn't even need Washington this time.

2005 and 2006 were just atrocious. If it weren't for Jon Beason the Superior it would have been a disaster in 2006. The bottom line is he can't be counted on anymore.

I'm going to break shtick for a second here. In all seriousness, Dan Morgan may be the best linebacker the Panthers have ever had. He was a once in a generation type talent; the kind of guy that could read defenses before some of the players on the other side of the ball knew the play. He was a natural leader and a phenomenal athlete. When he was healthy he couldn't be stopped. He made everyone else around him better.

He also set the team back because of his health. Since they committed to him, they overpaid for that fat sack of shit Kemo'eatu because for some reason they thought what they needed was a huge DT. He still got hurt and Kemo sucks. He was the reason they lost Will Witherspoon to the fucking cock sucking Rams. When he went out it set the defense back at least three games while they adjusted.

It's sad to see him go, but it's a move the Panthers had to make. Even if he played for nothing, he's blocking the development of younger players. No longer can he stand in the way of the Adam Seward Spectacle, or the Tim Shaw Variety Hour. I'd love to see him in a coaching capacity. Just as long as they keep him out of the training room I don't see a down side.

Farewell you goofy looking fucker. You will be missed.

And if you go to New England and play a full season I will fucking murder you.

Pat Yasinskas: Blatant Panthers Bias ftw

Pat Yasinskas, until very recently, was a kinda mediocre journalist who covered the Carolina Panthers. I know saying a journalist covering the Panthers is kinda redundant, but bare with me. In the face of Atlanta Falcons shill Len Pasquarelli's declining health, the faggots at ESPN decided they needed a new voice for that potential rich (read: apathetic) area of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

For some reason they tagged Charlotte Observer writer Pat Yasinskas.

At first I thought this was good just because he wouldn't be covering the Panthers any more. However, not only has his writing improved, but he's mentioning the Panthers a lot. His last two articles have contained more Panthers references than the last 2 years of ESPN. Let's take a look!

In this article, he talks about letting go of franchise players, the affect it has on the team, and whether or not it was a good move. He describes 5 "hugely popular" veteran players and spouts of 3 surefire and one probably hall of famer: Joe Montana, John Lynch, Emitt Smith, and Drew Bledsoe. Then the fuck out of nowhere...

4. Steve Beuerlein: He was an ordinary quarterback throughout a long career. But Beuerlein seemed to find a home with Carolina late in his career. He threw for 4,436 yards and made the Pro Bowl in the 1999 season. He followed that up with another solid season. But then, coach George Seifert single-handedly (and against the wishes of management and other members of the coaching staff) stunningly cut Beuerlein, who was well on his way to becoming one of the most popular players in Carolina's brief history.

Now, yes, Steve Beuerlein did have one of the best statistical years ever for a QB (4500 yds, 37 TDs, 17 yards a completion nigga!) but does he really belong on the same list as these guys? I mean, sure, anyone could have rushed for a thousand yards behind that Dallas line, and after Monk got in after a career of being average Bledsoe is almost assured entry, but Steve Beurlein? I could get used to this kind of blatant Panther love. It's about time someone talked about us meaninglessly! Maybe if we're lucky we can get on the same level as Brady's cock or Romo's trip to Mexico.

We even get a conclusion.

The verdict: Ultimately, cutting Beuerlein ended Seifert's coaching career (he had the NFL's all-time best winning percentage when he came to Carolina). Inexplicably, Seifert decided career backup Jeff Lewis, who had never done much of anything, was ready to start. Seifert was incredibly wrong. Lewis was physically and emotionally battered in the 2001 preseason. After throwing three interceptions in a five-minute span in an exhibition at Baltimore, Seifert realized his mistake and cut Lewis. But it was too late. Seifert had to turn to rookie Chris Weinke, and the Panthers went 1-15. Seifert was fired after the season and has rarely been heard from since.

Oh my god yes. Jeff fucking Lewis, was a terrible failure. Sometimes I wake up screaming in the middle of the night thinking of Jeff Lewis. If there's anything the Redskins have taught us, it's to never make a trade with Denver. Somehow, someway, you'll get fucking fleeced.

Look at this picture: Chris Weinke and Jeff Lewis. Is it capable to fit more failure into one picture?

His next article? All about the Panthers! And surprise of surprises, he's right about most of it!

It didn't cost the Panthers much financially to keep Minter, Rucker and Morgan last spring because all three players took massive salary cuts. But those moves cost the Panthers plenty in other ways. With Minter still on the roster, the Panthers pretty much ignored the safety position in free agency and the draft. They did the same thing at defensive end, even though Rucker was coming off major knee surgery at the end of the 2006 season.

Minter didn't even make it through training camp. Aching knees forced him to retire in August and the Panthers had to go out and trade for Chris Harris. Rucker made it through camp and through the season, but clearly wasn't the player he once was.

Holy shit, it's like Pat is channeling me through these articles. The guy who was once reluctant to criticize the Panthers in any way, shape, and form, just fired a salvo across Jerry Richardson's face! Take that old man! Pat won't listen to your bed time decrees! It's straight talk express time baby, except without some crazy ex-POW vowing to preemptively nuke Middle East countries.

Keeping the star-crossed Morgan and his untapped potential around no longer makes sense on any level. Jon Beason, who is what a healthy Morgan was supposed to be, is not far from being a Pro Bowler. Beason's going to be in the middle of Carolina's defense for the next eight or 10 years, the team recently signed weakside linebacker Na'il Diggs to a contract extension and strongside linebacker Thomas Davis is growing into his enormous physical skills. Even if Morgan was healthy and on the roster, the Panthers might not be able to squeeze him onto the field.

Hey, where the fuck was this when the Panthers were daring Will Witherspoon to test the free agent market? Why grow balls now? I mean, I guess it's better late than never, but we needed this kind of clearheaded thinking back when the Panthers were busy driving their defense into the ground.

Here's a picture of Dan Morgan about to get injured. Of course, every picture of Dan Morgan is him about to get injured

But what happened to the Panthers with Minter last season should serve as a reminder as the team makes decisions about Morgan and Rucker. It's nice to honor your past, but you can't let it block the future.

And he ends with a definitive statement. this isn't your dad's Pat Yasinskas boys and girls. He's ready to actually, you know, cover the team.

Welcome to a club populated by you, Darin Gantt, and Steve Reed. Punch and pie are in the back.