We Win- So What?

I’m mad at these Carolina Panthers.

Still.

After the rage of sitting through a thoroughly UWATCHABLE home game against the Tampa Bay Yuck-aneers, with so much at stake, as a fan, I’m forced AGAIN to sit through another unwatchable mess as the team attempts to convince their fanz, and perhaps the league, if not themselves, that they are respectable and indeed are not the heartless underachievers Jenks says they are.

Kris Jenkins absolutely speaks the truth about these Panthers. What we all saw at the BOFA September 30th, in my opinion, was the very bottom of the barrel of my Panther experience. Not even the 1-15 season ender, with Brain and I shivering in a cold rain while the Patsies had their way with us was as infuriating. The black, relentless negative karma of Marc’s unexpected passing covering last seasons dismal showing against the Squealers did not fill me with rage like the abortion of a game last week. This game, against a team that really didn’t have much more talent than we did, was the very worst performance the Panthers ever had. And we, the loyal PSL owners, had to sit through it. All I could think of was the money I’ve spent on this pair of seats in one of the priciest sections of the stadium. At least we had a tailgate party to make Marc proud. But to be honest, I would have rather been playing bad golf as to see these heartless overpaid underachievers collect a paycheck equal to or exceeding what most of us make in a year. And for the very first time since Foxy came on board, I am seriously questioning his coaching, his staff, Hurney’s personnel decisions, and the game planning. I am beginning to think that the John Fox era has run its course here.
And I’m desperate for Foxy and the Irish Tenor to prove me wrong-
DESPARATE, I say!

I’ve often drawn a serious line of separation between the three major levels of sports. If Independence High School took their team to Dook University to play football one Saturday afternoon, (or any effin’ afternoon, hell, morning, night, whatever!) the game would have to be called at halftime. It just wouldn’t be close. Independence may not get a first down. Subsequently, if the numero uno team in the colliegiate ranks took THEIR team to a bottom feeder NFL team, oh lets say, THE TEAM WE ALMOST LOST TO SUNDAY-

You could expect the very same result, and ironically, that happens to be The Bayou Bengals of Louisiana State Yooo.

With that said, you could say that the players in the NFL are the very best of the very best. The top .00001% of the minute pool of athletes plays in this league. The abilities of even Joey-Bag-O-Donuts Harrington exceed by exponential amounts what you or I could muster even with eight months of the most intense of training. Even Wrecks Gross-Man. Ok, maybe not Wrecks. So…Why do some teams succeed while others fail, year after year? What do the New Englandland Patsies have that we do not?

What????

IS Tom Brady that much better than Jake? Is he? What if Brady played behind Jake’s line? Behind the Duckie’s line? And for that matter, what makes Tommy’s line so great???

What????

Is it really like Jenk says? Is it a matter of heart? What is the magic concoction that lets an afterthought like Stanford blister the overrated and over hyped Trojans like a USED Trojan IN THEIR OWN HOUSE???

What????

I’m all of a sudden feeling like the Cowardly Lion launching into an over-the-top sermon about the virtue he thinks he lacks. But he doesn’t, as he and his comrades the Scarecrow and Tin Man rescue Dorothy, and vanquish the Wicked Witch. Peppers has no heart you say?

Nonsense. He has oodles of it. So does Ruck. So does David(wrecked)Carr. So does Keary Colbert. And there’s NO QUESTION of Smitty’s heart. An NFL player is in uniform on any given Sunday BECAUSE he has abilities that exceed other athletes. It takes skilled leadership to put the pieces of a football team together. Yes, I’m talking coaching. If players aren’t tackling, aren’t finishing plays, if their jumping offsides or false starting continuously, I’m not blaming the player.

I’m blaming the coach. That’s right, Foxy- I’m blamin’ YOU.

YOU. You and your staff. I’m mandating you, Foxy. You have the players you are going to have this year. And these players are not a whole lot different than what you had in ’03. Find a way to bring the best out of them. Don’t be a slave to loyalty because of a player’s past performance. THIS IS NOW! Start the player who is performing best- If that means letting Alex Frickin’ Haynes start over DeFumblo Foster, START HIM. Let’s see what they have. Find the combination that works on Sunday, and roll. If that overpriced player has to fume on the bench, perhaps he’ll bring nice trade value. Nothing matters more than WINNING in this league. Winning with character and fairness, which is. Put away that video recorder, guys.

Of course, to be fair, I’m not a coach, and if I knew as much as even Tom Knotts knew, I’d have a job in football, but I don’t. But I know lack of heart and drive when I see it. And I continued to see it for most of the game on Sunday. THIS IS THE NOO AWLINS ‘AINTS for GOD’S SAKE!!! This is a team that is struggling at every position and if we are going to have a winning season YOU MUST KNOCK A TEAM LIKE THIS out FROM THE VERY START!!! But once again, a limp defense allows an average team to zip down the field, and keep the defense on the field on third down. And after that. And after that. I continued to feel the rage. The offense really couldn’t get moving because they didn’t have the TIME to get into a rhythm! Why is that? BECAUSE THE DAMN DEFENSE was on the field so long! David Carr (or whoever is going to play QB this year) needs to have the time to develop the rhythm necessary to control the game. Defense doesn’t tackle, doesn’t stop anything, and doesn’t pressure the quarterback. The sword stays in the sheath, and we don’t’ have a chance to score.

Enter Jon Beason. Enter Richard Marshall. Enter Chris Harris. Guys that didn’t get much mention beyond the Panther media guide. At last, players playing the “Panther Way”, at least the Panther Way that made me burst with pride and confidence years ago. So, it’s contagious. Pep blocks a field goal, Carr hooks up with Smitty, a CLUTCH INT is made by Harris, and even when Carr screws the pooch with a TREMENDOUSLY STOOPID pick of his own, the defense STILL comes through with a three-yard series. Kasay saves our ass once again. By the way, I really think John and Mike (AfterDinner) Minter deserve statues besides Sam one of these days.
So, a quarter of progress. We got nowhere else to go but up after September 30th.

So What??

How quick could it regress, PantherFanz? I really should be happy, but I’m still mad, still concerned, and now- the worst news of all-

Jake DelHomme will be out for the season.

Jake personified so many of the things that a leader has. Not just a leader. A leader of one of the most powerful entities in sports- A National Football League team. Think Tiger Woods would like to win a Super Bowl??? You damn right he would. And he couldn’t sniff it. You think Michael Jordan would? (and bet on himself, too!) Jake is all of that and more. And he will not be playing this year. So, it goes back to Foxy and the staff. Carr would not have been a first round pick if he was worthless. Like the Lion, the Scarecrow, and The Tin Man, each player on this team needs to find that extra intangible that is VERY tangible to HIMSELF, and come together with the team, and FIGHT! And this comes to the coaching staff to bring this out. Once, we had a dozen players out to injury, and STILL made a serious second half push to be considered in the playoff picture. That team was AWESOME to watch, and effortless to cheer your heart out for. This team?

As it’s playing now, no. I have vowed not to wear the jersey, not to cheer, not to give my heart to a bunch of heartless underachievers until they SHOW ME SOMETHING! Is there hope? Of course there is. Even with Jake out. That glimmer we got in the fourth quarter yesterday makes the optimist in me believe. Barely. The Realist is in firm control thinking the season is lost without Jake. But---

The clacking of our cars heading up the track on this crazy coaster ride to Arizona continues… Here we go, PantherFanz….

Hang on….this is gonna be rough.

Got a comment??

Send it to me, the Cedar Street Seer

CaptnTee@aol.com