We may have a chance

We beat the falcons today, and I thought I'd write. We lost for an entire month, so it just felt good winning again. We ran the ball so many times. Josh Fox supposedly told the team that he will run the ball until they get a first down. He pretty much challenged their toughness and they responded. That was great. We have a 57% chance of making it according to ESPN. If NY and GB lose and we beat the saints, we may get in I think. I don't think we can beat the Saints with the offense we have, but you never know. I'll watch next week regardless. Keep running the rock.

Season is over

Skins beat us, and so did Philly and the Giants. I have given in. We do not have a good team this year. The players will probably be in Miami for the Superbowl; not to play there, but to party over there. Barring a major miracle, we will not make the playoffs. I will see you next year.

Skins

Well my friends. We have a great opportunity in less than 10 hours. I am at work once again comtemplating how I am going to watch this. Tje mimimum was paid last week to watch the Rams, but they have told me that it will be disconnected if the rest was not paid by Nov 26. It is Nov 26 right now, and I may have to pay up again tomorrow. Anyways, the skins are not as bad as their record indicates, so we have to be careful not to take this game for granted. if we play with the same focus and defensive intensity as we did last week, we should cream the skins. Good luck.

What the fuck did I say?

We assaulted the lambs. This is the best I have seen our defense play in a long time. If our defense plays like this, I don't know who is going to stop us. At one point late in the first half, the Rams had less yards on offense than the yards they lost giving up sacks. The defense pitched a shutout. They had a team record 7 sacks, and Pep got none of them. It was great. I may have underestimated our linebackers. They were all over the field. Richard Marshall started in place of injured Ken Lucas, and he played like a probowl corner. Saint Louis came into that game with a dominant offense and they were held to less than 200 yards on offense. What a performance by the defense. The D out there on Sunday reminded me of our Del Rio's D from 2002. They were flying to the ball, and there were hardly any missed tackles.

Of course with a defense playing like that, the offense just paced themselves. Offense finally found a running game. It may have come against one of the worst run Ds, but it was great. We had over 200 yards rushing. Deshaun Foster may be out for the season again, but in my opinion we have upgraded that position with DeAngelo Williams. Deshaun is always looking for the homerun, because he hesitates a lot looking for blocks to develop. Like the commentators said, our O-line is not that good, so we need a back that is explosive the moment he touches the ball. D-will may be the answer to our running game as he ran for 100+ yards for the first time in his career. And What can I say about Smitty! We have the best player in the NFL hands down. Honestly, most of the time Jake's throws are so terrible, and Smitty bails him out with great catches.

We did great in special teams as well, but there were so many penalties. We need to cut down on that. We got the redskins next week. We should handle them as well, but you never know. All I know is I don't like that team. They are in our way and they need to lose.

Lambs coming into town

We play the Rams in about 9 hours. I am at work just contemplating how I am going to watch the game. My DirecTV has followed the steps of my cellphone as it is cut as well. I get off work at 7.30am. I have to kill some time between 7.30am and 10.00am. I have picked Stick & Stein's sports bar in El Segundo. I am going to go there and see of they have the game. There is a lotta Ram fans in LA since they used to play here, so I may be walking into the lion's den.

I expect us to win, and win big. I also hope that our running game improves. If we do not establish a running game soon, we are going to find it hard to get into the playoffs and eventually get to the big dance. Steve Smith can't do everything like last year. And we saw what happened against Seattle last year when Smitty was covered.

The picture above in my opinion captured the greatest moment in Panthers history, which happened to be against the Rams three years ago. I think that game officially changed us from the NFL laughing stock to a solid team that will do some damage this decade, and hopefully more decades :-). Why not? We have the talent! Anyways, Smitty just took a simple pass on 3rd on 14 in double overtime to the house to stun the whole crowd in St. Louis. That took us back to the NFC championship for only the second time in Franchise history. That was the double OT stunner that was dubbed 'Silence of the Lambs by the NFL network. I don't expect that kind of drama. I think we will kill them easily. If we lose, I will come back in here and eat my words.

Can't think of a title

Well, it's been hectic, so I did not write about our win over Tampa last Monday night. All I know is we needed to win and we delivered. I still like to see more from our running game. Our offense seems to have woken up in the second half. It was a redeeming win too, because we embarassed ourselved in front of the nation two weeks ago. We redeemed ourselves in front of possibly a bigger audience. That was that.

The debacle in front of the nation

Well. For anyone that did not see the game. Dallas came to Charlotte and raped us. We seemed to be ok with the whole experience too. What a gutless performance by us in the second half. Dallas really exposed us. If there was any doubt over all the pre-season hype about us being a great superbowl caliber team, well that hype is gone. Right now, we are average at best. We do not have a running game. There is sloppy play all over the place. Poor tackling, dropped balls, mental breakdowns etc... we are showing the symptoms of a bad team. I have never seen us beat up this bad since Fox took over. Well, Seattle spanked us in the NFC championship last year, but we had a lot of people hurt. Last night we stepped onto the field in the 2nd half, we bent over and spread our buttcheeks(sorry). The way we are looking right now, if we finish 8-8 this year, It will be an accomplishment. It is only fair that I lower the expectation for this team, because it turns out we're not as good as advertised. On behalf of the Carolina Panthers, I would like to apologize for ruining 3 hours from the lives of anyone that had to watch that game.

What do we do now? I suggest drastic measures. We need to bench the people that are not producing. My candidate is DeShaun Foster. He appears slower and slower by the game. The last four games, the blocking has been there, but he seems to crawl into the grips of a defender instead of springing to the holes. That will also send a message to the team that they need to start producing. I lost hope on a season for the first time since Foxie took over. That was a flash back to the old stinky panther days. We have to correct it, and right the ship, because the schedule does not get any easier and the ship is starting to sink.

We need work

Well, we got our butts handed to us in Cincinnati. I may have been a little arrogant the three days leading up to the game. I was wearing my Pep Jersey yesterday and talking so much shit to anyone that was dissing my Panthers. But we all know superstition, speculation, self-pity and excuses have no place in sports. The winner was determined on the field earlier today. The Bengals were the better team and they won. End of story, and congratulations to them on a gutty performance.

As far as the actual game, I must say I was very disappointed with our defense. They went from pitching three-and-outs in the first half to getting shredded in the second half. Cincy adjusted, but our defense seemed so lost in the second half. We had no answer to them defensively. The supposedly depleted offensive line of Cincy was dominating our front four, which is supposed to be one of the best in the league. Pep had a couple of pressures, but the rest of the DL and the linebackers stole a game check today in my opinion. I am just angry, because we blew a great opportunity. We had the game. We were down by three with two minutes left, and we are at their goal line trying to score. Keyshawn went to the back of the endzone to get the ball, but Jake must have thought Keyshawn was cutting in front of the DB. That miscommunication cost us the game as Jake threw a pick in the endzone. A win would have put us in a better position in the NFC playoff race. That was a big loss. I hope the players will remember how this one felt, because this one hurt.

I just think the Bengals wanted this game more than we did. They played with more intensity. You can tell they are well coached, because in the second half, it was an entirely different team that took the field. Either our defense is overrated or they take games off, because that kind of defensive performance won’t even get you to the playoffs. Turgovac gotta go back to the drawing board after this. How can you have all that talent on defense and lit up like that in the 2nd half? We have today to get over this loss, and prepare for Dallas next week. Do not dwell on losses.


PS – Smitty Played great again

Preview: Carolina @ Cincinnati

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We have a tough matchup against a very good team tomorrow. They are not playing the way they played last year, but all their weapons are there and in tact. We have to prepare accordingly. We have to prepare as if we are playing the Bengals with an explosive offense and a defense that creates turnovers. And this season, their frount four is actually making some noise, so our offensive line has to maintain their level of play from our past 3 games.

I think we got this game if we run the ball well, and if we can get to Carson Palmer. Their 0-line has looked shaky so far, and we have to take advantage. If we get into a passing contest like last week in Baltimore, they have the weapons to go toe to toe with us, so I don't think that's a good idea. Here are my keys to beating the Bengals tomorrow.

• Pound the ball w. Deshaun, Goings and Shelton and establish a runnung game
• D-line has to wreck havoc

We can do those two, they won't even be in the game. If not, it's going to be a long day for us. That's my take, and bless.

I am back! and state of the team

Ok ladies and gents. I just could not stay away from writing about my favorite team in the world. I could not stay away from my Panthers. Yes! I am gonna be in Miami in January if they make it to the Superbowl. I don't care if I have no tickets. I have to be there, and I have to get arrested fighting an opponent. Of course, the fighting and getting arrested part will be after we win the SuperBowl.

Here we go. Just to get you all caught up(Does anyone read this?...lol), we started 0-2, but we have won 4 straight and we are now 4-2. We are 4-0 after Smitty came back. Smitty is up there with Michael Vick man. He is a difference maker. And Keyshawn Johnson, what an investment. That guy is producing, and he has also become one of the leaders on that team. Can't say enough about Jake's gut as well. The man is a true competitor. He has matured a great deal this year. And Drew Carter? Oh Man!! I think we have the best three receiver combo right now in the league. Keary Colbert was beat out clean for the #3 spot. Drew Carter is the real deal.

DeAngelo Williams was having a great season until Ted Washington sat on him. That's like a Hummer landing on your ass. Deshaun Foster is playing great too. He had 3 straight 100 yard games, but we decided to pass more against Baltimore, so he didn't get many carries. Anyways, as a team we are getting better and playing great. I love the way we went up to Baltimore last week and kicked their punk asses. They are a good team, but they were acting like they were playing some pushover. Billick was acting like they were upset by an inferior team after the game. He also tried to blow off Foxie when he came up to shake hands. That's not the first time he lost a game, so I say that was pretty classless. The Egomaniac also went on to fire the OC after the game as well. Classic egotrip by passing the buck Billick. I don't care if you are a genius, you also need to tone down on the verbosity. I don't know any other NFL headcoach that uses that much vocabulary to say absolutely nothing(Reminds me of myself, but then, I don't coach an NFL team...lol). Let me digress a little more. His former boss Dennis Green pulled the same stunt in AZ too. But I'm with Denny on this one, because in case you missed it, his team demonstrated one of the worst choke jobs I have ever seen in my 10 years watching the NFL. If he didn't can someone, his ass may have been on the line after that disaster. That was a survival manouver by Denny I think.

Anyways, back to us. The news of the season coming from us so far is this beast called Julius Peppers(Top Left). The dude may break Michael Strahan's sack record. And he won't need Brett Favre help with that either. This fool is just sick. He is sick!!!! He is a beast among men. He is a freak of nature. He is too strong and too fast. The whole NFL is having a nightmare right now, because he is getting doubled almost all the time, and he still wrecking havoc out there. In light of that, I want to ponder one question that may be raised by the NFL.

Question: How do we slow down the most dominant defensive player since Lawrence Taylor?

Answer: You can't. If your team is not named the Carolina Panthers you are fucked!


Seriously though, this guy is a one man wrecking crew on defense, and I am glad he is on our side. I knew he was good when we drafted him, but I didn't know we had a legend in our hands until this season. I feel bad for teams that are planning against him. He will definitely be the defensive player of the year, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say, he will be the league MVP if he continues playing like this. You go wit yo bad self Pepp!!!

Also, our linebackers are doing a great job despite being hit by injuries. Chris Draft, Nail Diggs and Thomas Davis(potential beast) are doing great. Rookie DB Richard Marshall is coming along great. We go to Cincinati this Sunday. It's going to be a tough game, but I know one thing, Foxie's teams rarely get dominated. I know we will compete, and I know we have the team and experience to pull out the close ones. Go Panthers!!!!!

Blog

I will not be writing for a while on my two blogs. If this turns out to be my last entry, thanks to everyone that reads or read my blogs. Go Panthers!

Preseason #4: Pittsburgh

I watched the PIttsburgh game this morning. Our first team offense got very limited action, but I thought they sucked. It was a defensive battle, and I think Pittsburgh's defense had the edge. I am a little concerned about our offense and our redzone productivity at this point. But it's only preseason, and there is no need to rush to judgement.

Our defense was stellar again. In my opinion, the defense is the only thing consistently good about this team. The guys on offense and special teams need a little more time together I think. Offensive line is not yet hitting on all cylinders, and Pittsburgh was close to blocking a punt. Not to mention the penalities. We need a lot of work, but if we are to look at the worst case scenario, I still think we are a playoff team. Let's go man!!! Let's Go!!!!! Let the season begin. I am ready. I have been waiting dince January. Let's do it!!! Next on our list, Michael bitch, I mean, Michael Vick and those pesky Falcons who are always fired up to beat us.

Preseason #4: Pittsburgh

We won, but I have not watched the game yet. Will write a couple of lines about thatgame as soon as I get to watch it. If I do not watch it, just remember that we won. ;-)

Preseason #3: Miami

It was a great battle, because I think we played a championship caliber team. And when you play solid teams like that, your weaknesses are definitely going to be exposed. There were too many penalties, which is uncharacteristic for a John Fox team. Either the team chemistry is not there for some of the new guys, or there is a lack of focus. I seriously doubt the latter. Foxy should straighten this out by the beginning of the season. I think it is a matter of time before these new guys get our system down.

I am going to be more specific and talk about the offensive line. This bunch is definitely an upgrade from last year. Their pass blocking is ok, but Jake was still seeing some pressure. Their run blocking is getting better, but for a run first team like us (believe it or not we are), we need more than that from our offensive line. Deshaun Foster was running hard, but there were limited gaps created for him. On the other hand, I am very excited about DeAngelo Williams, who was the player of the game in my opinion. Besides that electrifying KR for a TD, he ran very well despite poor blocking. He created his own holes and hit them hard. Deshaun better watch his back. This kid is good(Top right).

The defense continues the tear that they are on throughout this preseason. They are as good as advertised. However, they gave up lots of yards this game, but the first team defense only gave up 3 points. We drafted Thomas Davis as a safety, but his transformation to linebacker is now complete. He was making some serious hits too. There was some serious physical play from Chris Draft and most of the DBs. They are flying around and making plays. Defense is in tip top shape.

I’m gonna go out on a limb and say our special teams won the game. DeAngelo Williams broke the defensive deadlock with that kick off return for a TD(pic of that is on top right). This is why special teams are important. It was a battle on offense and defense, and special teams gave us the edge. Efram Hill also gave us great field position on punt returns. Our special teams unit also recovered a fumble in Miami territory, and got a field goal out of it.

There is a whole article about DeAngelo's 'coming out party'.
http://www.panthers.com/news/newsroomNewsDetail.jsp?id=26275

Preseason #2: Jacksonville

We won again. That was great. Keyshawn Johnson continues to impress. I am sad that Smitty did not start. Keary Colbert is also playing much better than he did last year. The offensive line had some breakdowns, but I think that may be because they have two new guys in there. As soon as they develop some chemistry, this group will be much better than last year group as we defilitely have better atheletes at that position this year.

The defense was superb. They scored again! In two games, this unit only allowed a field goal, they have created turnovers, and thay have converted two of them into TDs. Hope they stay hungry. Kris Jenkins is getting into football shape. The new tackle that replaced Brenston Buckner (Maake Kemoeatu) is going to be great. I see us being stingy against the run this season with these two big boys. Great game. Let's get even better! The pic in the top right corner is Julius Peppers dropping David Gerrard. Mike Rucker will pick up that ball and run it in for a TD, making it 2 TDs for the panthers in a span of less than a minute at the end of the first half. Our defense was the story of this game for me.

Here is yesterday's training camp.
http://www.charlotte.com/multimedia/charlotte/KRT_packages/archive/mmpage/misc/pantherscamp082106/index.html

Mike Minter

We got Jacksonville tomorrow. I won't get to watch the game until Sunday night, so I'll post my little analysis on Monday. Until then, I will try to curb my energy!

Oh Ya!!! Smitty is back! Here is an excellent article on him.
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/sports/football/nfl/carolina_panthers/15301641.htm

However, the purpose of this blog is to pay my respects to Mike Minter's mom, who passed away last week. I think many fans will agree that Mike has been the heart and soul of this team. He has been a true leader even during our bad years. Mike is a very religous person too from what I read. His faith will help him through this. From a panther fan to a panther; my condolences Mike. Hang in there. We love you.

Here are pics from yesterday's camp.

http://www.charlotte.com/multimedia/charlotte/KRT_packages/archive/misc/Panthers%20slideshow0818%20NEW/index.html

Preseason #1: Buffalo

1st preseason game against buffalo went ok. 1st team offense marched right down the field and got a TD in about 2 minutes. Jake was so comfortable. Keyshawn Johnson looked good. I never liked the guy's game or attitude throughout his career, but he is saying all the right things and practicing hard. The way he is going, he will have my respect by the beginning of the season. This offense will be even sicker when Smitty is back this Saturday against Jacksonville. Deshaun Foster looked good, and the rook DeAngelo Williams looks even faster than Deshaun. To the right is Drew Carter celebrating the 1st TD. Shaking off the hatttazzz.

1st team defense pitched a 3 and out in the first 2 series and they ran a INT for a TD in the third. They looked unbeleivable. Kris Jenkins is in great shape. Ken Lucas! Way to go baby!! If I am not mistaken, Buffalo had ZERO 1st downs in the first half. That was just great. If we do not have any major injuries, we will definitely be playing in Miami by February. Only thing that can stop us is injuries or ourselves.

Check out the pics from today's training camp @ http://www.charlotte.com/multimedia/charlotte/KRT_packages/archive/sports/panthers_slideshow_0816/index.html

I also found this while scoping our bitches..I mean...rivals. Tampa actually used a dummy with a Mike Rucker Jersey. We're in their heads, and it's only preseason. Check out pic #19.

http://www.tbo.com/sports/photos/bucscamp2006.shtml