Yet to hear one person....

My problem is that I feel the team is underachieving. When they play to their potential (Jake's bad game aside) they can smack down a team like New England. That was a physical, punch-you-in-the-mouth effort, and that's what I want to see every week -- because that's what they can do (and by "they", I mean the team and the coaching staff).

I fell in love with this team in '97 because they fought and hit and tackled and played, seemingly oblivious to the scoreboard. They left it all on the field, and let the scoreboard take care of itself. At the same time, they made the 49ers (the class of the NFCW) their personal bitch, even though Carolina didn't over .500 (after '96) until 2003. The Panthers have always been underdogs -- they've been the Rodney Dangerfield of the NFL. In some ways, they still are. But the players aren't playing with that kind of mentality anymore. They've lost their chip. They're playing like favorites, and their chemistry is waning. They've gone from underrated to overrated, and it's showing on the field.

All that to say that I'm not going to stop being a Carolina Panthers fan. But I am disappointed in what's happened to my team. What happened to the undrafted FA QB with the fiery heart and wagging tongue that led all those last minute, game-winning drives by completing unbelievable passes to undervalued, washed up, forgotten wide receivers? What happened to the no-name offensive line who bulldozed holes for a running back who was discarded as used up? What happened to a defensive front four who was so tight they wouldn't even go on camera without the top two backups right there with them? What happened to the silver-haired, tobacco juice spitting tazmanian devil of a coach who was just as fiery on the sidelines as he was boring behind a microphone, but who injected his team with adrenaline week after week?

I guess "it is what it is".

But it doesn't have to be.

 

I don't think you can blame any specific area for our bad play. I feel it rests solely on intensity, which I have not seen from anyone other than Smitty. And I'll give McCree some credit as well. But everyone else just looks bored or lost. Or beaten in Gamble's case.

 

All that to say that I'm not going to stop being a Carolina Panthers fan. But I am disappointed in what's happened to my team. What happened to the undrafted FA QB with the fiery heart and wagging tongue that led all those last minute, game-winning drives by completing unbelievable passes to undervalued, washed up, forgotten wide receivers? What happened to the no-name offensive line who bulldozed holes for a running back who was discarded as used up? What happened to a defensive front four who was so tight they wouldn't even go on camera without the top two backups right there with them? What happened to the silver-haired, tobacco juice spitting tazmanian devil of a coach who was just as fiery on the sidelines as he was boring behind a microphone, but who injected his team with adrenaline week after week?

.

And thus why I bitch. My wife complained Sunday after they finally won that (while I was yelling and bitching at the TV at the sorry play at times) I was not really all that happy. I would call it more relieved than happy. Sure, 3-2 is better than 'average' right now, but like when I watch the first half (again) of the Packer game, I see a Panther team execute and play like champions (sort of) or at least play like a team I can be proud of. Then most other times I see a team just going thru the motions, not seemingly giving a rats ass.

It's like, where is that team gone? What happened to them?


It's like a prarie dogging turd. The shit keeps agonizingly keeps poking its head out of the ass, and you squeeze hard enough and it dissapears, tho not in a comfortable way.

I want some consistency. Sure, they're gonna lose some they shouldn't and win some they should, and play like ass at times.

But the kinda constency I don't like, is consistently playing like ass at times, during every game at some point.

And that's what sucks as a true fan.

 

By the same token, can I not ask where the fans have gone? Can I not ask for some consistency from them? I hardly ever get the sense that anyone is actually pulling for the team anymore. Hell, it's not like they owe us anything. You're not a victim if they don't play well, so why do so many people keep acting like they are?

Try thinking of the Panthers as a good friend or family member. You don't go around talking shit about them and how much they've disappointed you when things are going wrong, and you certainly don't go out of your way to look for things to bitch about. That doesn't mean you ignore their shortcomings either, but ultimately doesn't being a fan actually involve supporting the team in some sense?

 

I can understand the consistency issues. I myself have worried about the losing streaks and the slumps, and I haven't been totally happy with the effort or the result.

I've been heavily defensive of the D, but they've been bad. Thing is, the O's been bad, too. Brilliant at times, poor most. Just like the D. There are some things that Trgo does that I don't like, but there are things he does I like. There are also things that will happen no matter who's in at DC, because it's a Fox team.

I'd say I want smarter complaining from fans, but honestly, I don't know that I want to limit what people are thinking or saying. I see no good in that.

But it wouldn't be a bad idea to hope that people can start saying "Gamble sucks", when Gamble sucks, rather than blaming it on the same things that they were blaming it on in week 1.

 

mite be a good season for us fans to relax.

 

Might also be a good year for us to realize that we are a good team in a bad conference.

We have already beaten last year's best team from the AFC and NFL. We have also won two other games. So the fuck what if they were "ugly." We had some ugly ass wins in 2003. Tampa, New Orleans, Detroit, Arizona, NYG, STL playoffs. Didn't fucking matter, as we were the NFC Champs in the end.

People will continue to bitch and moan and stress. Just the nature of the masses. I try to live by the midnight rule. By midnight after gameday, win or lose, you put it down. Move on. We have a tough game against the Lions in 4 days. We need to win, and I don't give a shit how we do it.

Funny thing is, even after all the pissing and moaning, the Panthers are one game back of the #1 seed in the NFC, with 11 games to play. I would say it's high-time to stop whining and buckle the fuck up. This is where the contenders will start to seperate themselves from the pretenders.

 

Sure, but at the same time I'm very interested in seeing my good friends and family members be successful and happy and realize their full potential. That's all I'm looking for from the Panthers -- that they realize their full potential. Leave it all on the field for 16(+) weeks. In the big picture, I'm much more interested in that than wins and losses.

 

If they keep winning no one will complain for very long. The problem is that they are not likely to keep winning the way they are playing. The NFC is wide open though and if we could get on a run the playoffs could come through Charlotte. Wouldn't that be interesting.