Panthers look to Edge Falcons

In what is apparently a slow news day in the Carolinas, the Charlotte Observer is running a column predicting a Panthers victory this Sunday. Unfortunately, after that, the columnist goes into his full NFL predictions, as though he couldn’t find more than a couple paragraphs to write about the Panthers game.  The point that he makes is that while the Panthers look average, the Falcons look terrible, and therefore the Panthers will win this game.  While I agree with his reasoning and his conclusion, I have to take issue with the fact that this is all he could find to say about the game.

So here are my tips.  If you have Steve Smith in your fantasy football league, thank your lucky stars.  You’re about to get 40 points this week against a terrible defense.  If you have Jake Delhomme, I don’t care who else you have, start him.  He’s going score big too.  The Panthers aren’t just an average team, by the way.  They’re an above average team with some really young receivers who are still struggling to establish a new rhythm.  Luckily, they have Steve Smith to bail them out while they get going.  The defense is scary and suspect, but I’m not ready to write those guys off just yet.  The Panthers still have a shot in the wide open NFC.

You can get all your Carolina Panthers tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Steve Smith Interview

The Charlotte Observer is running an interview with Carolina receiver Steve Smith.  Smith is quite candid about everything from the Panthers’ woes so far this season to the cds and movies he’s into at the moment.  The entire interview is extremely interesting, especially to Panthers fans, but also to anyone who enjoys football and would like a glimpse into the inner workings of the mind of one of the greatest living wide receivers in the world today.  Among some of the funnier bits of the interview are the revelations that Smith is into both the movie “The Notebook” and Carrie Underwood’s newest cd.

Smith is at times funny, intelligent, and brutally honest about the state of his team.  He certainly doesn’t point fingers, but it’s apparent that he knows there are issues to address, and he feels he is one team leader who must help the team to fix those problems.  Smith is a family man who claims he doesn’t enjoy movies with too much cursing.  He is exactly the type of face the NFL needs during these times of cheaters, ‘roid heads, and head cases.  Read the interview and gain a little insight as to what makes one of the greatest guys in the NFL tick.

You can get all your Carolina Panthers tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Bridges Cleared to Return to Team

ESPN.com is reporting that Jeremy Bridges has been cleared to return to the Carolina Panthers after serving his team-imposed two game suspension.  While it is still not clear whether Bridges will be in playing shape for this week’s game, don’t be surprised if you see Bridges in the line up almost immediately.  Rookie guard Ryan Kalil did not have a very good game versus the Texans last weekend, and the Panthers will need a stronger offensive line to protect Jake Delhomme and open up a rushing game that has been less than stellar so far.

Bridges, suspended after an altercation with a stripper in which he allegedly brandished a gun, has yet to receive any sort of punishment from the league office, which could still happen, although it is unlikely.  The most likely scenario would be that the Panthers bring Bridges back as soon as possible, as he stout blocking would be helpful in opening running lanes and giving Delhomme more time to find his receivers.  Though rookie Kalil showed promise in his first regular season game, it is clear he still needs has some things to work on, after giving up two big sacks in last weekend’s loss to Houston.

You can get all your Carolina Panthers tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Panthers Slide in Power Rankings

ESPN.com has released their weekly power rankings, and the Carolina Panthers slid 4 spots this week, to number 16 overall.  The Panthers have been hindered by a lack of defense, and indeed, their latest loss came in spite of three Steve Smith touchdown catches.  While the Texans are a surprising upstart team, the Panthers will need to win these types of games if they hope to make the playoffs this year.  Especially at home, where the Panthers actually received boos after their lackluster performance on Sunday.

The Panthers are team with big questions and big problems.  They are riding Steve Smith and Steve Smith alone to all their points right  now.  They need to establish a run game and some type of defense, because quite frankly, Jake Delhomme is one nasty hit away from going out for a month, at which point you’re stuck with David Carr throwing to Steve Smith.  Right now the only thing keeping you in games is the chemistry between Smith and Delhomme.  You lose that without gaining anything else, and you’re looking at a world of hurt and a very long season.

You can get all your Carolina Panthers tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Panthers Defense Fails to Show Up

The Carolina Panthers got beaten up pretty badly in a shootout with the Houston Texans on Sunday.  The Panthers jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead in their home opener before surrendering two quick touchdowns in the third quarter on their way to allowing 34 points to the surprisingly good Texans, who are 2-0 for the first time in team history.  Carolina would go on to lose the game 34-21 despite a stellar effort from playmaker Steve Smith, who had all three of the Panthers touchdowns in the losing effort.  Texan Andre Johnson had big day as well, negating Smith’s touchdowns with his own.

The Panthers couldn’t run the ball, thus rendering them one-dimensional and putting their defense on the field too often.  The Panthers have left many questions unanswered after week 2.  Fans are beginning to wonder if perhaps this team may be the same inconsistent squad they saw last year.  However, Panthers fans should hold off on pushing the panic button just yet, as the Texans have a good upstart defense and are better on offense than people know.  This Texans team is going to surprise a lot of people.  Consider the Panthers surprised, and expect them to bounce back next week.

You can get all your Carolina Panthers tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Ex-Pat Panther Jokes about Patriot-Gate

Ex-New England Patriot Christian Fauria laughed off his old team’s recent scandal before the press, according to a report in the Charlotte Observer.  Fauria, signed by the Panthers on Tuesday.  The tight end was generally jovial, winking and smirking about his knowledge of the Patriots’ alleged filming of multiple NFL teams in the years leading up to them finally being caught by the league last week.  Fauria said that he knew nothing, but his laughter seemed to tell a different story.  More than a few Panthers players have stated for the record that they suspect New England of videotaping some of their practices before the 03 Super Bowl.

I, for one, believe this is all nonsense.  First of all, it’s the NFL.  If you’re not doing everything in your power short of performance-enhancing drugs to win, then you should get out of the League right now.  Anything a player or coach can do that does not harm their own bodies or the bodies of another individual (more so than the sport of football would normally), they will do to gain a competitive edge.  That’s the NFL.  The Pats got caught.  They were punished.  Everyone needs to move on and play the games and stop worrying so much about what the Patriots did four years ago.  Honestly, the Panthers should have much bigger fish to fry right now.

You can get all your Carolina Panthers tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Will Panthers Use Carr to Beat Texans?

The Houston Chronical is running a story today asking the question, “Will the Panthers use former Texans quarterback David Carr to their advantage in Sunday’s Panthers vs. Texans game?“  The writer of the column - Megan Manfull - is convinced that even though Carr isn’t likely to see any action on the field, the Panthers are using every single bit of knowledge that he has about the Texans’ offensive game-planning to formulate their own course of attack and defense as it pertains to their week 2 foes.  This is extremely likely, though one cannot say if this type of inside information will actually help the Panthers, as no one can know a) how much the Texans will change their game plan in response to the knowledge that Carr is now on the opposition’s sideline and b) how much their scheme may have changed in the offseason.

Teams are always adding new wrinkles to their offensive and defensive schemes.  They also tailor their play books to the talent they have from year to year.  Every year, you see these stories of players on other teams who will “help their team gain an advantage” by spilling their guts about their old team’s play books and game plans.  And every year, it seems that these players make absolutely no difference at all in the outcome of the game.  These types of stories are fun to talk about, but I wouldn’t hold my breath for some random interception or sack or anything of that nature that you can directly trace back to David Carr.

You can get all your Carolina Panthers tickets on www.stubhub.com.

Carolina Sports Writer Pessimistic About Season

In and article running in the Charlotte Observer today, Scott Fowler predicts that the Carolina Panthers will make the playoffs in 2007.  He also predicts that the Panthers will do only slightly better than last season’s 8-8 record, but will still make a quick exit from the playoffs.  Fowler cites a lack of ground-n-pound running game, a soft offensive line, and a linebacking corps lead by a man who has suffered fiver (reported) concussions.  These are all good points, but why the pessimism?

Perhaps Panthers fans are just a little burnt out after hearing all through the offseason prior to 2006’s 8-8 campaign that they were the favorites to win it all in the NFC.  Perhaps the let down of not making the playoffs when they were picked to go to the Super Bowl was too much for Panthers fans.  But fans in Carolina should take heart.  Your team should certainly be better this year than they were last year.  They should make the playoffs, and with the right amount of luck they could end up in the Super Bowl.  So don’t write off your Panthers yet, fans.  They may still yet surprise you.

You can get all of your Carolina Panthers tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Panthers First Up in Burning Questions

The Carolina Panthers are featured today in ESPN.com’s “Burning Questions” segment.  The question is, “Is David Carr’s presence helping Jake Delhomme?”  The Panthers acquired the quarterback from the Houston Texans and then promptly made it clear he was the backup QB.  However, Carr has starting-level talent, and there were many whispers around the league in the preseason that Carr could certainly sneak up and steal Delhomme’s job.  The pundits at ESPN.com are now wondering, after Delhomme’s stellar opening game, if Carr’s presence is pushing Delhomme to another level.

Sean Salisbury and Joe Theismann differ in their opinions on the matter.  Salisbury seems to believe that Delhomme’s great game can be attributed mostly to having himself and Steve Smith healthy and on the field at the same time - something that hasn’t happened much lately.  Theismann, however, seems to believe that having a competent backup ready to take his job has spurred Delhomme to a higher level of play.  Whatever the reason, Panthers fans are just glad to see their team playing so well.

You can get all your Carolina Panthers tickets at www.stubhub.com.

Carolina Starts Season with a Win

The Carolina Panthers defeated the St. Louis Rams 27-13 in St. Louis on Sunday, starting out their 2007 season 1-0.  The Panthers and Rams played an extremely tight game through three quarters before Carolina pulled away in the fourth quarter on a monster play from wide receiver Steve Smith.  Smith, who had an amazing game, wowed everyone with a deep route reminiscent of the one he ran to give Carolina the victory over these same Rams in 2003 to send the Panthers to their first Super Bowl.

While much will be made of the Patriots, Colts, and Chargers games this week, many people will overlook the Panthers.  However, Carolina opened their season with a road win that they hope will begin a new season for their team, their fans, and the entire organization.  Winning on the road is one of the hardest things to do in the NFL, and I believe that these Panthers sent a solid message to the rest of the NFL.  They have a very potent offense that travels very well.  The rest of the league should be ready when Carolina comes to town.
You can get all your Carolina Panthers tickets at www.stubhub.com.

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