O CAM-A-DA!

“When is the Canadian game?” Lauren asked me before the season started – “that’s the game I want to go to!” - she implored of her dad. Of course I had already insisted that Ms. Crazy attend that game with yours truly. “Well, at least I get to go out with y’all on Saturday night!” she replied. To Lauren’s credit, for one evening at Howl at The Moon, she took over her dad’s customary role as party catalyst, and did her mom and I proud. And she paid for it with a massive hangover to carry along with her baggage the following morning for a flight to Vegas, by the way. Her elevated passion and interest in the annual arrival of our fan base from the Northern Latitudes got me contemplating on the profound devotion of two geographically disparate groups to one event –

The PantherFanz pre-game party and the game that follows it.

And now, it seems to have become much more than just a round or two of golf and mere attendance. From what started as an inquiry of Peter Iverson to Marc looking for a pair of tickets, the Annual Canadian Invasion has become a bona-fide calendar-circling occasion not to be missed! Now, with Peter and co. completing their last round of golf (which unfortunately I had to miss – I’ve done something screwy with my left arm giving HEAVY CLAW in our section yesterday) as I ‘m writing this, they have completed their TENTH year of coming to the Carolinas for a golf and Panther game experience. I know that many of you share my anticipation of this yearly event, and my disappointment when the fellas have to return to the soon-to-be-frozen tundra, but this rant, after all, is football-party-centric.

We had a game to watch, and tailgating to perform! I can’t recall when we had MORE AWESOME food and drink on a more beautiful morning for football! Doug’s LobsterBurgers were to DIE for! The chicken was succulent as was the pork, and some fella whooped up the finest clam chowder I’ve ever had. The “Bloody Caesars” concocted by Dave and co. were almost as fast of a buzz delivery system as our “Panther Potion”. Only the Ravens party of last year had a larger 50-50 prize! As far as tailgating parties that I can actually remember, this one had to be one of the tops if you weren’t part of last years lot-busting Ravens Flock – If you were there, you know you had a great time, whether you were a Panther fan or not. I know of at LEAST a sextet of RedSkins fans that got a great buzz. If a secret PFUFA agent was in incognito attendance, making sure that Dano’s PantherFanz operation was keeping in the spirit of the Ultimate Fan’s mandate, he/she would have happily reported back to Candice that Dano’s PantherFanz indeed, were a worthy group. A very FITTING party not only to honour our brothers from the North, but James’ 40th birthday as well.

And there was a game.

As well as I’ve seen the Panthers play so far this year. Tim Hightower got his yards. We expected this. We knew our run defense was suspect. John Beck was marginally better than Wrecks-Grossman. We expected this, too. I also expected the score to be low in the first half, and as the clock closed out on a 9-6 Panthers lead, I could almost feel Marc’s grinning visage through the brilliant blue Carolina afternoon and his pounding on my shoulder exclaiming - “You called it, Cedar Street Seer!” I also expected an offensive outburst in the second half, led by the valiant Cam-a-lots. To the delight of Panther Nation, again, I was correct. One of my favorite moments of any given home game here in Charlotte is near the end, when the PA system starts playing the Neil Diamond standard “Sweet Caroline”. Ok, I’ll admit it’s kind of gay, but I’m a sentimentalist, especially when it comes to my home state and home team. And our Canadian brothers had a picture-perfect afternoon, and a well-played contest to enjoy, and I’m sure they came away from the day feeling every dime they spent on this trip was well worth it!

I’m going to digress, slightly, to remember a sports memory from almost two decades ago. One of the reasons Charlotte was a popular destination for pro basketball fans was the Hornets’ inclusion in the Central division of the Eastern Conference, which would ensure folks would see Michael Jordan in the QC for at least three times a year. As one of the singular talents to have ever handled Naismith’s rock, Jordan was a human highlight reel, as most of you will recall. On one occasion in the early ‘90’s I had happened to be in the recently demolished Coliseum off Tyvola road for a Hornets-Bulls game. Other than a spectacular shot or two, Jordan quietly amassed 30 points or so by the end of the game, collecting a good bit of them from the foul line. And I was amazed at the routine-like fashion by which Jordan performed. In a similar comparison, another singular athletic talent, this one in a Carolina Panthers jersey, other than a scintillating run and a pair of beautiful long passes, one Cam Newton, performed with the same routine-like efficiency displayed by the basketball superstar. For this rookie to have this kind of grasp on a complex, brutal game this early in his career is remarkable. Do you think I’m reaching here, comparing Newton’s star to Jordan’s? Three or four seasons from now, it won’t be. The playing careers of Manning, Brees, Brady, Rivers, Roethlisberger will either be in decline, or over completely. The legions of sports fans that will be following the game will know little of Jordan’s career other than the occasional archival footage, and for that matter, of other fading superstars like Montana, Marino, and Elway, to name a few. The standard bearer of the all-important quarterback position will be Cam Newton, and Charlotte will become a prime-time destination for the National Football League. Just not now. But I saw enough yesterday to keep me convinced of that fact.

Of course, while the weather was perfect, the game was not. I still view this defensive unit with much suspicion and trepidation. If Tim Hightower doesn’t go out with a knee injury in the second half, I think that the FredSkins make it a much closer game. The special teams continue to be unremarkable, although the outcome was not impacted by any return yardage. And those PENALTIES!!! Jaw-gnashing, excruciating, drive killing (or sustaining – for the opponent!) PENALTIES!!! For this to happen in a home game is maddening, and a reflection on the coaching staff. Coach Ron will have to get this cleaned up this week in practice –
While everyone’s feelin’ great about yesterday’s big win, and believe me, we’re entitled to, here’s what’s coming this Sunday –

Adrian Peterson. Remember him? His Mini-Soda Vikings may be languishing at the bottom of the league standings, but they managed to hang 27 points on the Green Bay Packers yesterday, and actually held the lead in the entire first half! He’s still in his prime! While the Pasture of Disasture here at Bank of America Stadium is not the fast track of the Metrodome, I would still anticipate the Vikings’ game plan to involve a heavy dose of AllDay against a defense that STILL hasn’t shown itself capable of stopping the run. This game should be a challenge to Rivera and McDermott. Anybody thinking this is going to be an easy win is suffering from an over-indulgence of Panther Potion.

But ahh, I’m not going to end this rant on a downer! It’s a happy, sunny Monday after a very convincing Panther win. It’s been a long time since we’ve felt this good about our team! Sure, there will be crappy games and crappy losses this season, and I will be rue to write about them, but today is a day to be proud member of Panther Nation, that clearly extends from the Carolinas to the northeastern latitudes of Nova Scotia, to the western mountainous beauty of British Columbia! Exciting professional football is back in our fair city, and I for one, was thrilled to share it with Canada yesterday.


See you Friday with the picks!

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