Four More for Kasay

Carolina’s 39-year-old kicker John Kasay is in the midst of a streak of 21 consecutive made field goals, and what could have been his last season with the Panthers has turned into a chant for four more. When Kasay signed a four-year contract with the Panthers four years ago, he expected it to be his last contract extension with the team, yet this Wednesday the kicker stood before reporters once more and announced yet another extension with the winning Carolina team. Taking him through the 2012 season, Kasay’s contract extension will allow the top NFL kicker to extend his winning streak, as he hasn’t missed a kick since December 16 of last year. As of last Sunday, Kasay passed Jan Stenerud to take eighth place on the NFL’s career list with 374 field goals, and he’s looking to get even more in the next four years.

Kasay, who will be 43 by the end of his new contract, got his NFL start as a fourth-round pick out of Georgia in 1991, playing for the Seahawks for his first four years in the league before signing as a free agent to Carolina in 1995. He’s been a Panther ever since, and claims he’ll only retire once his team’s offenses loses faith in him (which, by the way, won’t be anytime soon.)

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Size Doesn’t Matter for Top Receivers

When it comes to wide receivers in the NFL, most teams since the 1990s have naturally gone for the bigger players in the league. Stats in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s showed that just five of the leading top 30 receivers were under six feet tall, but recently these winds have shifted. Made glaringly obvious this season by receivers such as the Patriots’ standout 5-9, 185 WR Wes Welker, the NFL is making a shift toward the smaller, faster players that are currently dominating receptions. This season (through Week 7,) 25 of the top 30 reception leaders are wide receivers, and of those 25, 11 are players who stand under 5-11.

This new trend of little big men is becoming more and more accepted in the NFL, and ESPN has recently ranked the top small receivers in the league. Topping this list is the Panthers’ Steve Smith, who stands at 5-9, 185 but makes up for his lack of height in speed. Also on this list are Buffalo’s Lee Evans (at 5-10, 197), Pittsburgh’s Santonio Holmes (5-11, 192), New England’s Wes Welker, the Jets’ Laveranues Coles (5-11, 193), Baltimore’s Derrick Mason (5-10, 192), Washington’s Santana Moss (5-10, 200), Seattle’s Deion Branch (5-9, 182) and Tampa Bay’s Joey Galloway (5-11, 197).

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Panthers on the Rise

There’s no doubt that the Carolina Panthers are on a roll, but as last week’s blog stated, the Panthers are one of the most underrated teams in the NFL. After beating the Arizona Cardinals in last week’s game and going around the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in standings for the NFC South, the Panthers have at least gained some of the attention they deserve with their 6-2 record. NFL rankings are starting to pop up all over the place now, and it’s no surprise to Carolina fans that the Panthers have slowly been rising toward the top of these lists.

On Bob LeGere’s Week 9 power rankings for the Daily Herald, the Tennessee Titans still dominate the NFL with their 7-0 record (the only undefeated team in the league,) and last year’s Super Bowl champs the New York Giants are at number two with a 6-1 record, but showing face at number three is none other than Carolina’s finest. The Panthers jumped from sixth to third in the NFL rankings after Sunday’s game against the Cardinals, pushing the Washington Redskins, Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers down the list. With a bye week coming up, the Panthers are sure to gain more momentum from these rankings going into their next game against the Oakland Raiders.

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Darwin Walker Added to Injured List

The Carolina Panthers have endured several injuries during this NFL season so far, and this week reserve defensive tackle Darwin Walker was added to the team’s long list of hurt players after enduring a car accident on Saturday as he was driving to the team’s walkthrough near Bank of America Stadium. While Walker’s accident was recognized as a fender bender, it was serious enough to keep the defensive tackle out of Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals. Carolina coach John Fox made a statement that the accident was “pretty serious,” and acknowledged that Walker’s car had extensive damage.

Walker, a Philadelphia Eagle from 2000 to 2006, was signed as a free agent to the Panthers in the off-season, and so far he has made four tackles in six games for Carolina. He joined other injured players center Ryan Kalil and right tackle Jeff Otah (who both have suffered ankle injuries) and receiver D.J. Hackett (knee) on the sidelines during Sunday’s game, while Geoff Hangartner (center) and Jeremy Bridges (right tackle) went into the game instead. The Panthers have been battling injuries all season, but hopefully next week’s bye will give the team a chance to rest up for the following matchup against Oakland in Week 10.

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Smith, Panthers Victorious over Cardinals

Despite a 14-point advantage in the third quarter of yesterday’s game at Bank of America Stadium, the Arizona Cardinals lost their gigantic lead and came crumbling down as Steve Smith led the Carolina Panthers to a 27-23 victory in their Week 8 matchup.
Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme had a killer day in yesterday’s game, coming out 20-of-28 with 248 yards and two touchdowns. On the other end of this rocket arm was receiver Steve Smith, who caught five passes for 117 yards, as well as DeAngelo Williams, who rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown. Smith made a huge play in the third quarter of yesterday’s game when he caught a pass from Delhomme, just barely staying in bounds when he encountered a brush with the sidelines, bringing the ball 65 yards for a touchdown after breaking two tackles.

Delhomme and the rest of the Carolina offense were too hot for the Cardinals to handle, and despite Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner and his unbelievable 381 total yards the Panthers once again came out victorious, bringing their record to 4-3 while Carolina chalks up another win to the season with a 6-2 record overall.

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Panthers-Cardinals Preview

The NFC West’s top team the Arizona Cardinals (4-2) will take on the NFC South’s tied-for-first place Carolina Panthers (5-2) on Sunday at Carolina’s Bank of America Stadium, and we’ve got all the inside information and predictions for this sure-to-be nail-biter. Coming off a bye week after beating both the Buffalo Bills and the Dallas Cowboys, the tough Cardinals are putting their game face on to challenge the mighty Carolina team that shook up the New Orleans Saints last week like dogs with chewing toys. Here are some reasons why this game will be a great one to watch for Panthers fans:

•Carolina is 4-0 at home and the team has won its past three games by a combined score of 88-16 (watch out, Arizona!)

• The Panthers took down the Cardinals 25-10 in the teams’ Week 6 match-up of last season.

•Carolina appears to be the stronger opponent, but Arizona is coming back from a bye week, so they’ll be rested and ready to give Jake Delhomme and the Panthers a run for their money.

• Jake Delhomme is undefeated in three starts against the Cardinals.

Stay tuned for results from Sunday’s matchup!

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Kasay Hotter Than Ever

It’s easy to overlook Carolina Panthers top-notch kicker John Kasay. He’s quiet, he’s consistent and comes on the field sporadically and only for a few minutes. His tenure with and contribution to the Panthers, though, has been extremely valuable, and the 39-year-old football guru from Georgia is now more than ever one of the hottest commodities in the NFL.

Kasay, an 18 year NFL veteran and a Carolina Panther since 1995, has nailed every one of his 14 kicks this season for the Panthers, leading with his expertise to add to Carolina’s overwhelming 30-7 win Sunday against the Saints by hitting field goals from 39, 48 and 28 yards, bringing him to 7-of-7 from beyond 40 yards this season. In an interview after practice this week, Carolina head coach John Fox spoke highly of the kicker, acknowledging Kasay’s invaluable nature to the team and claiming, “He’s a leader on the football team. I’m in constant communication – the mindset of the team, the mood of the team. There are all kinds of things we adjust accordingly. He’s a team captain and in my mind he’s always been one and he’s definitely a team leader.”

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The Hidden Gem of the NFL

Anyone who watched the Panthers stomp all over Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints on Sunday saw one outstanding Carolina team dominate one of the league’s best quarterbacks, utilizing their red-hot offense to whoop up on the Saints in an incredible 30-7 victory. With a win like that (and with losses that teams like the Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers endured Sunday,) the NFL should be talking up a storm about this come-from-behind Carolina team. So why is word of the Panthers still mum?

According to the Bleacher Report, the Panthers suffer from a stigma that was cast long ago, when the team was one of the worst in the NFL. Over the years, the addition of standout players Steve Smith, Julius Peppers, Jake Delhomme and, most recently, Jonathan Stewart have slowly but surely turned the Panthers into an unstoppable force in the NFL, but with other high-profile teams stealing their thunder Carolina has managed to slip under the radar, currently standing with the third best record in the NFL and tied for first place in the NFC South. With teams like the Colts, Patriots, Chargers and Cowboys struggling to stay alive this season, attention should be paid to the Panthers as they continue their victorious attacks.

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Stewart Gets Rookie of the Week Nomination

Carolina rookie running back Jonathan Stewart has added incredible amounts of depth to the Panthers’ roster this season so far, and the former Oregon Duck and 13th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft has seen more playing time than most other rookies in the league. The Carolina running back was questionable for play in Sunday’s game against the Saints after suffering a stomach illness, but he came back and proved his fighter status by playing an incredible game. After Stewart’s stellar performance in Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints where he had 17 carries for 68 yards and his fifth career touchdown, the 21-year-old got the recognition he deserves by being nominated for the NFL’s Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week.

Other rookies contending for the title of Rookie of the Week include St. Louis Rams wide receiver Donnie Avery, 33nd overall draft pick out of Houston; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, the 18th overall pick out of Delaware; Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson, the 24th overall draft pick out of East Carolina; and Oakland Raiders defensive end Trevor Scott, a round six pick out of Buffalo. Vote Jonathan Stewart for Rookie of the Week at NFL.com.

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Panthers Connect to Stomp the Saints

The Carolina Panthers sent the New Orleans Saints home crying from yesterday’s big Week 7 matchup at Bank of America Stadium, and their incredible 30-7 victory came after both the Carolina offense and defense showed their fangs in the form of resilience and force. Leading the mighty Carolina defense was none other than defensive end Julius Peppers, who put all kinds of pressure on Jammal Brown and the Saints offense while making three crucial tackles that include two for losses, one sack and a forced fumble.

Over 73,000 Panthers fans watched an unstoppable Carolina offense pick up where their mighty defense left off, with QB Jake Delhomme leading the pack. Delhomme went 14-of-22 passing in yesterday’s game, taking 195 yards and two touchdown passes. Cornerback Ken Lucas also contributed to the slaughter, milking the win with a third-quarter interception and 31-yard return that went all the way to the New Orleans 18-yard-line, setting up a four-yard touchdown play from Delhomme to DeAngelo Williams. Also to the Patriots’ favor, Saints running back Reggie Bush was out after halftime with a left knee injury, not coming back into the game and therefore giving Carolina a little breather.

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