Going from Good to Great

The Carolina Panthers are a good team. They’ve shown their determination and resilience with the return of Steve Smith to the lineup after a two-game suspension, and that factor they call Moose hasn’t been hurting the team, either. After a 4-1 start on the season (before Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay, that is,) Panthers fans all but believed this Carolina team is the best since the 2003 Panthers made it to the Super Bowl, putting extreme faith in the cats. All things considered, however, are the standards set too high for this Carolina team?

The Gaston Gazette opines that the Panthers are good but not great this year, and a few things need to change before the Panthers can be considered the dominant force in the NFC South. First, Carolina needs to reduce the numbers of penalties they’ve been racking up. Calls like false starts and too many men on the field have haunted the Panthers this season, and these easily fixable errors need to be worked out before Carolina can be considered and NFL elite. Second, can we say blocked punt return for a touchdown? It’s happened to the Panthers more than once this season, and it’s time for a change. If kinks like these get worked out, the rest of the NFC should watch out, as this Carolina team would be unstoppable.

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