McDermott

Pulling for a team can be thrilling or depressing, but it should never make you furious. Maybe try skipping Panthers games for a while and just watch games of college and pro teams you have no attachment to.

 

I don't think I ever recovered from the Arizona playoff game. That was a very traumatic moment as a fan.

 

It was the Minnesota game for me. Few weeks ago. I had the whole hope thing going on...figured we can beat another bad team. Knew they were dangerous, knew they had some talent and played good teams close like us, but I figured we were better.

When we lost because of literally the same shit week in and week out that got us before, something snapped. I was like....Rivera is a clown. Nothing is going to change. Nothing is changING. I have my girlfriend over here telling me it's ok, it's just a game and I'm gritting my teeth, and I'm thinking, this is hopeless. What's going on?

It IS just a game, but I'm getting so mad. Just not worth it. I've got my two awesome daughters playing in the other room, a beautiful view of downtown Asheville out of my window, a beautiful woman sitting next to me looking the other way all uncomfortable because she can sense me about to explode, and I'm thinking....no. Fuck you, Jerry Richardson. Fuck you. Fuck this. It's a game. I'm successful in a job most people would kill to have. And I'm going to DIE at 50 because of a heart attack suffered from anger directed at the Carolina Panthers.

It's just absurd.

I would like to quit football period. Like cocaine. I know I can't though. I know next week I'm going to sit down and turn on the game.

But last week, as soon as we allowed the punt return, I almost threw the tv out the window and crushed some innocent fucking old lady. I almost did.

I think I just need a break. Yeah. A break. But I know it's not going to happen. Because we play someone next week. Not even sure who. I'm not even trying to be funny. It's at 1:00 on Sunday, that's all I know. And I get to look forward to the one website left covering this shitty team making excuses and powderpuff stories talking about a smiling and upbeat Rivera "teaching" this young team while the Niners are turning into a Juggernaut with a coach whose name our owner could not remember while we were hoping a QB who worshipped said coach was trying to decide whether to come out or not.

Yeah. Might need a break soon. Not there yet, but I feel it coming on.....

 

See, that's just it. I don't like ANY other team but the Panthers. Fuck the rest of them. It does me no good. No good. I've got that faulty wiring - great for loyalty, but not good for much else. No good. Fuck the rest. I'll just want to know how the Panthers are doing.

It's like when I was in MMA. I was so loyal to my crew, I burned every bridge known to man in my circuit. I was flat out evil. I aimed to hurt and to fucking end people. I didn't last long.

Same here - I'm just no good as a football fan. I'm not a FOOTBALL fan. I'm a Carolina Panthers fan. I'm not even sure if that makes sense.

 

You can't enjoy being a fan that way.

 

I don't.

 

Then fix that. It's fine to be upset when your favorite team loses or does something stupid, but it shouldn't send you into a rage. You're getting all the worst parts out of fandom without enough of the good.

 

We're running out of scapegoats. We went through Henning, a lot of folks thinking that replacing him would cure the offense. It didn't. Trgo was in the same boat. Then we sucked because we dealt with a "lame duck" Fox. Now, we still have Hurney getting beat up for the dealings with Peppers, Delhomme, and the recent signings this year. As much as some want to say that replacing Hurney is tha answer, I don't know that it is. If you were collecting a paycheck with the number of zeroes that Hurney has, would you walk away from it or do as you were told? My suspicion has been that JR has been calling more shots than some are willing to admit. There's really only 2 people left in the org to replace. Do you want to suffer through more years of the same things we've been seeing only with a different GM before considering the source of the problem is higher up the food chain? It won't bother me to see Hurney put on the street, but I'd be more comfortable considering it a move toward improving if I only saw JR's face in his box at games and not cruising the practice field in his golf cart.

 

Hurney is the biggest problem by far. The notion that JR is running the team day to day just isn't realistic. He's an old man, and being a general manager is a very involved occupation.

 

I enjoy watching good football in general, so I can watch other teams and have a better time without the emotinal investment and really caring who wins, other than perhaps gambling purposes. And I'm not nearly as emotional as I used to be about "my team." I still get upset, like at last weeks debacle, but it doesn't ruin my day. I think if you can step away a bit you can end up enjoying the game more than you currently do.

There's one "football" guy that is a common denominator between the Fox and Rivera regime. The same guy who treats first round picks like expired Groupon emails, used second rounders on training camp fodder, and gave this head coach largely the same roster as the one from last year, only a higher price tag. Same team, plus Cam and upgrades at Tight End.

We might be pissed at the wrong guy. At some point, don't we need to save some pitchforks for Hurney?