Why Am I Not Excited?
The First Installment of the Middle-Aged PoolBoy’s Panther Blog
By Dkes
In less than a week the Carolina Panthers, the greatest NFL franchise EVER, will host the Arizona Cardinals in round 2 of the NFC divisional playoffs. The Panthers finished the season 12-4 in a four way tie for the second best record in the league. They secured a first round bye and are back to work after a restful holiday week. Moose is back. The run games back. Deangelo Williams and Steve Smith are playing out of their minds.
Why am I not excited?
I went back to work today and I wasn’t the least bit interested in talking smack to the Dallas Cowboy fans around the office. Whenever water cooler talk would move toward the Panthers, I found myself giving John Fox style quotes….” It is what it is.” … Or “We need to run the ball and stop the run”….or some such barely insightful garbage. For the most part I avoided all conversation of the Panthers in the playoffs. For god sakes, I LIVE on the message boards devoted to Panthers football and the NFL. Why would I not want to engage, openly, about my favorite team? If you’ll humor me……I have a few theories.
Schedule / Performance
The schedule that we played this year was extreeeeeeemely conducive to our team making a playoff run. Don’t get me wrong….we did what we were supposed to do. We won at home and split on the road. We beat the teams that we were supposed to beat and we finished with a better record than I hoped for. “What’s the problem?” you ask……our performance in those losses. With the exception of the Giants game, where we played well and just didn’t win, we looked horrible in our losses. We didn’t lose those game because of injuries (or suspension) of skilled positions. We didn’t lose close games at the wire. We never even got off the plane at Tampa and Atlanta. Against Minnesota we couldn’t run the ball, couldn’t pass the ball, and left a ton of laundry on the field. The O-line showed up for the game early because they wanted to start before every one else (this was a weak attempt at a corny joke, referencing numerous Carolina false starts). To add insult to injury, we got out manned physically in all three losses. This is NOT the way I am used to seeing good teams lose. Good teams lose close battles with worthy foes.
Superstition
So, what?! Teams lose. No big deal about the schedule either. The NFL makes the schedule. All we can do is play the games they tell us to….right? Maybe I’m just superstitious. Maybe I’m trying to “buy a win” by assuming a loss. Ask JayJ6 about this. All year long he contended that Carolina would lose the division due to the curse. While the curse almost did give the Falcons the title, the Panthers prevailed and broke a long standing, cruel joke of destiny. I assure you….if JayJ6 had jumped on the bandwagon with the rest of us; the Panthers would have had to play a road Wildcard game this past weekend. At least that’s what he’d tell you. I suffer from this malady somewhat myself. I always have. If you see me on a message board, I’ll tell you what I’m concerned with regarding the upcoming game. I almost never beat my chest, as if I’m the one who scored the touchdowns. I’m optimistic….just not overly confident. For instance, I’ll tell you (with no reservation) that Ken Lucas is going to turn around his slump during the playoffs…..big time. But, I won’t tell you that the Panthers are gonna beat the Cardinals. No way. Not me.
The Defense
Speaking of Lucas, let’s take a look at his side of the ball. WTF? THIS is the great Carolina defense. Really?? I don’t care where they rank. I don’t care what their stats are. Just look at them on the field. Do they feel like the great Carolina defenses of past seasons? Do quarterbacks look hurried? Worried? Even mildly agitated? Look…I understand the “bend don’t break” philosophy. I do. The problem is, we’ve been breaking. AND for the third year in a row, I reading that the problem is the offense can’t keep the defense off the field. It used to be because they couldn’t move the ball. Now it’s because they score….too fast? There are some bright spots. Tyler Brayton is a beast. So is Harris. So is our entire LB corps. But let’s be honest….a Carolina Panthers offense shouldn’t HAVE to put up 30+ points to win games. Heck, they look like the greatest show on turf (I hope that’s not copyrighted.) Remember, I’m not saying that some major overhaul is needed, or that I know how to fix it. I’m just saying that this might be one of the reasons for my cautious attitude. When I watch the Steelers, Titans, Iggles and Ravens play I am forced to remember the old saying “Defense wins Championships”. Those teams, my friends, have defense.
Jake
Maybe it’s Jake. In 2003, Jake could do no wrong. As fans, we were easy to please and we were playing with house money. Statistically, I know that Jake is one of the best playoff quarterbacks in the league, but I can’t shake that “trust” thing that Keyshawn talked about a couple of weeks ago. This year, he hasn’t been real consistent with his passing and no matter what we say as Panthers, some of those big plays have been the “hail mary” type. Hey he gets it done. That’s all that matters right. Still, the Oakland and Detroit games are stuck in my memory. It would appear that the coaching staff has a little of this “trust” issue as well. In the last couple of games, with a lead, our team has chosen to take the ball out of Jakes hands and play conservative. Why? Do they not trust him to win the game? When we’re down, they certainly trust him to make the comeback…just not when we’re leading. He still seems to force the ball sometimes. Maybe that’s because he’s not used to playing with a lead. This offense is definitely more powerful than any one we’ve had during his tenure. It could be that he is hardwired to come from behind. Whatever the reason, I’m always afraid that he’ll have one of his bad games at the worst possible time. The playoffs would be that time.
The Cardinals
We got the Cards coming to town….again. Does anyone remember how that game went? I mean other than the final score. They owned us through 3 quarters. They didn’t run the ball. They threw it all over us. That’s what they do. With the exception of the second Tampa game and the Giants game, that Cards match up was one of the most exciting games of the season. Jake and Smitty had to save the day with one of their patented come from behind wins. I just hope that isn’t necessary this go around. Kurt Warner is dangerous. I repeat…..Kurt Warner is dangerous. If we win this game, it will be because (as I have predicted) Ken Lucas has a statement game, putting the league on notice that he is no pushover.
I think the cause of my consternation is a mixture of all of these factors. The bigger question is; will all of this subside with a win over the Cardinals? I doubt it. I won’t be able to breathe easy until we’re in the big game. Once we’re there, I know we’ll be facing one heck of a defense. I’m sure I’ll be scared of that too. I guess I won’t get to have any release unless we win it all. By then, no one will want to talk about football anymore…..until the draft.
I guess there is something blissful about low expectations. Unfortunately, for Panther fans, low expectations have gone the way of George Seiffert and Tsimanga Biakabutuka….gone forever. Go Panthers!
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