The NFC South’s Ranking among the Divisions: Penthouse or Outhouse?

Every fan knows that their division is the toughest. That’s why we’re called fans. We’re fans of the game, our teams, and our divisions.

With regards to any one specific team, no true fan is a fan of an opposing inner-division team, with respect for a team or respect for an opposing player being somewhat of an exception to that rule. 

But when an opposing division is compared to my division, the NFC South, as a fan like any other, I always to stick up my division no matter how good or horrible it may be.

This year, the AFC just managed to squeak by the NFC with an overall record of 130-125-1, while the NFC fell just short (thanks mostly to the Detroit Lions) with a record of 125-130-1.

Adding to the fact that the AFC held a slight edge over the NFC, the Pittsburgh Steelers—an AFC team—won the Super Bowl.

I’m trying my own formula, using the regular season winning percentage of each team’s division over a three-year period (2006-2008), and using that average as the winning percentage for 2009.

Here’s a summary of what 2009 should hold for each division, and where they are ranked in the preseason.

8. NFC West

Last season, the Arizona Cardinals made it to the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history.

A lot of that success was attributed to the great passing game from quarterback Kurt Warner to receivers Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald.

The Cardinals also had a decent running game with running backs Tim Hightower and Edgerrin James.

I don’t look for Arizona to win their division this year; rather, the Seattle Seahawks will retake the NFC West.

The NFC West will have an overall winning percentage of 40.2, thus remaining in the outhouse.

 

7. AFC West

No team in the West did better than 8-8 last season; the San Diego Chargers barely  squeaked into the playoffs by beating out Denver to win the division by a hair.

This offseason, Denver traded Jay Cutler for Kyle Orton—their biggest mistake in franchise history.  This, along with hiring Josh McDaniels as their head coach after firing Mike Shanahan, is yet another huge mistake.  The Denver Broncos will finish just above .500, while the Chargers once again represent the division in the playoffs.

Even though Denver made some nice acquisitions during free agency, it still won’t cover the cost of losing Cutler for Orton, or Shanahan for rookie Josh McDaniels.

The Raiders should do better after signing quarterback Jeff Garcia to “backup” current starter JaMarcus Russell, and drafting outstanding wideout Darrius Heyward-Bey.

The AFC West will have an overall 43.3 winning percentage, keeping it one step over the NFC West.

 

6. NFC North

The NFC North will be an extremely close division between the Vikings, Packers, and Bears.  The Lions still have a lot of work to do, leaving them as bottom-feeders of the NFC North.

I will take the Bears to win the North, mainly because of their new franchise quarterback, Jay Cutler. So long Orton. Take a nap, Rex. Cutler will show everyone in the NFC North how loud the Bears roar.

The Packers and Vikings will win a game apiece against each other, while losing both their matchups against the Bears.

The Lions are a lost cause for at least one more year.

The NFC North will finish their regular season with a 46.9 winning percentage.

 

5. NFC South

Even though the NFC South didn’t have a single team finish under .500 in 2008, the two previous years weren’t as generous, seeing the division finish under .500 overall.

The Panthers were the strongest team in the NFL with a winning percentage of .625, an 8-0 record at home, and the third-ranked running game in the league.

Jake Delhomme’s shaky passing game and the coaching staff’s lack of a running game was the demise that befell the Panthers in the playoffs.

I don’t look at this year as a rebuilding one for the NFC South, and while statistically they rank fifth in the league, they will finish strong in the regular season, perhaps to the first or second-ranked division overall.

The Panthers will compete in the playoffs as a Wildcard, and the Falcons will win the division this year.

The Panthers will buck their trend of missing the playoffs after a winning season, while the Falcons, who didn’t finish last in the division, will finish first, ending the last-to-first NFC South adage.

The NFC South will finish with a winning percentage of .500 or better.

4. AFC North

With the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns still looking to be the weakest links of the division, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens will run the North, yet again.

Once again, I see the Steelers finishing strong in their division, with the Ravens nipping at their heels to finish at a close second.

The AFC North will finish with a 50.3 winning percentage.

 

3. AFC East

Until last season, the AFC East was not a powerful division. The New England Patriots ran the tables in the East—and in the NFL—until Tom Brady went down.

Even without their franchise quarterback, the Patriots still managed an impressive 11-5 record while just missing the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

The Dolphins became the AFC East champions for the first time in almost a decade, while the Bills and Jets missed out yet again.  The Jets were the heartbreakers, just missing out on a playoff berth with Brett Favre as their quarterback.

This year the Dolphins will settle back down, but I see them finishing second to the division-winning Patriots.

The AFC East will finish with a 52.6 winning percentage.

 

2. NFC East

Last season the NFC East looked to be the division to beat early on in the season. This season, I am predicting them to be the division to beat, yet again, only this time the NFC East looks to have solidified itself with a lot of solid playmakers on each team.

I see the Eagles finishing as Division Champions in a tiebreaker with the New York Giants, the Redskins at third, and the Cowboys rounding out the division.

The NFC East will finish with a 57.6 winning percentage or better.

 

1. AFC South

It’s difficult to predict the AFC South as the strongest division to start the season.  The Colts lost head coach Tony Dungy to retirement and defensive coordinator Ron Meeks left for Carolina.

The Titans are still a one-dimensional run-first team with a mediocre-at-best quarterback situation. Kerry Collins was a great game manager for much of the season, since he had an excellent running game to rely heavily upon.

Gone from the Titans is Albert Haynesworth, an anchor on defense for the Titans.

I look for the AFC South to actually be a pretty tight division this year:  Jacksonville will finish third, the Colts and Titans will finish first and second, and the Texans will finish fourth. I don’t see any of these teams finishing worse than 8-8.

The AFC South will finish the season with a 59.4 winning percentage or better.

With the NFC South remaining a very competitive division within itself, I can see a very close competition between the Falcons, Panthers, and Saints to represent the division in the playoffs this season.

While I hold the Saints with a lot of respect, they have a lot of question marks still on their roster.  One of their biggest question marks is still Reggie Bush.

The Saints lost workhorse running back Deuce McAlister to retirement, so their running game is a very big question mark in the preseason.

If the Saints can make a strong case for their running game and mix that well with the passing game they had last season, then the Saints could very well win the games to get the Wildcard from the Panthers.

The Buccaneers are in a rebuilding phase. They lost a lot of big-name veterans, but it’s better for the Bucs’ growth. I don’t see them finishing any better than 8-8.

In order for the Panthers to remain competitive in the division, they’ll need to stay healthy, Delhomme will need to be even more consistent than he was last season, and the Panthers defensive secondary will need to step their game up big time.

As far as Julius Peppers is concerned, newly drafted defensive end Everette Brown will actually be an improvement over Peppers, and if Peppers chooses to sit out the season, I really don’t see much problem with Brown sharing some of the workload with Hilee Taylor, Charles Johnson, and Casper Brinkley.

Depth will also be added to the Panthers defensive line with the return of linebacker Dan Connor, who suffered a season-ending knee injury during the 2008 preseason. Even if he contributes primarily on special teams, Connor will bring speed and tenacity to the Panthers defensive line.

Everette Brown will bring a dimension to the pass-rush that Panthers fans have always wanted, but never got to fully see from Peppers.

There’s still time for something to be done with Peppers, but I wouldn’t count too much on anything at this point. I figure he will either be on the field or sitting out. Until he signs his franchise tender, there is no team that is seriously interested in him.

My prediction for Carolina: 10-6; Wildcard.

 

A Logo and a Black Jersey Began My Journey as a Carolina Panthers Fan

I remember when the Panthers franchise had its inaugural season. However, I was too young to grasp the whole concept of football.

I knew the people who played it were huge, and at such a young age, likened them to superheroes.

My all-time favorite Panthers quarterback was Steve Beuerlein.

I still have my first Panthers jersey, a black number seven Steve Beurelein replica jersey. Sure, the numbers are cracked and somewhat faded, and parts of the letters are coming off, but it has withstood the test of time and the abuse of a teenager.

My father, a Giants fan, always wanted me to take up a liking for the New York (blech) Giants, and never took me seriously as a Panthers fan, saying, “Whenever you’re ready to be a fan of a real team, we’ll welcome you into the Giants family.”

Yeah, right, Dad. You can keep your lousy Giants; I don’t care how many Super Bowls they’ve won. The Panthers are mine. They are my team, and my brother and I are the only two in the family who love them.

My brother is a better fan than me, however. He won’t attend or watch any game that the Panthers aren’t playing in, he won’t root for any team not playing against the Panthers, and he sure as hell doesn’t have a second favorite team.

I, on the other hand, do have a secondary team. Not within the same division, of course. For those of you who don’t know, whatever bit of red was left from my predominantly Panthers blue heart, has long since taken on the color of Midnight Green. I am also a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Imagine my plight when my Panthers faced off against my Eagles in the 2004 NFC Championship game! I always tell people I was solidly rooting for the Panthers, but come on, by 2003-2004, I was four years into following the Eagles, and no, I did not boo the Eagles draft selection of Donovan McNabb.

Every time I meet a fan of the Eagles or the Panthers, I tell them, “You’re never going to believe this, but…” My brother admonished me for it, and when the Panthers lost to the Cardinals in the playoffs this year—I know, who would have guessed the stinking Cardinals—because my Eagles were still in the hunt for the Lombardi Trophy.

At the end of the day, I am a football fan, albeit a biased one when it comes to certain teams—namely within the NFC South and NFC East divisions. I am a Panthers fan first, and I try to be an Eagles fan second, but sometimes I think I should have been born and raised in Philadelphia.

Could I be a case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? For now, I’ll keep it simple. Panthers are always first, Eagles are second. When they face off against each other? I take the Panthers, every time.

The 2003 Carolina Panthers Tops My List Of All-Time Favorite Teams

For the Carolina Panthers, 2003 was a magical season.

All the parts were in place to make a strong push for the Super Bowl.

Head coach John Fox was in his second year with the Panthers and quarterback Jake Delhomme made his first start as a Panther in the second half of the ’03 season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Panthers had depth on offense, a man-eating defense that bolstered an extraordinary backfield, and a great special teams unit.

In 2003 the Panthers became known as the Cardiac Cats with their many come-from-behind wins. Typically, games that went into overtime, the Panthers found a way to come out on top all-the-while keeping us fans on the edge of our seat.

To get all of this talent on the same field in the same uniform, head coach John Fox set to work in the offseason of 2002, and came up aces starting with the second overall draft pick, defensive end Julius Peppers.

Peppers was a dominating defensive end at the University of North Carolina and was the perfect fit for Fox’s defensive plan.

That same year, the Panthers also drafted linebacker Will Witherspoon and running back DeShaun Foster.

In addition to these pieces of the puzzle, the Panthers already had the services of defensive end Mike Rucker, defensive tackles Brentson Buckner and Kris Jenkins, to form what many football experts declared the best defensive line in the game.

Mike Minter was already in place, as he anchored the defensive secondary; Witherspoon and Mark Fields led the linebacker corps.

The 2003 season saw even more talented players join the Panthers, whether by draft or free agency.

Ricky Manning, Jr., a cornerback out of UCLA and offensive tackle Jordan Gross were two of the Panthers top selections out of the draft, while free agent signings of quarterback Jake Delhomme from the New Orleans Saints, running back Stephen Davis from the Washington Redskins, and former St. Louis Ram Ricky Proehl, a wide receiver, made up an offense that needed to complement a top-ranked defense.

2003 was not all roses and buttercups however, as off-field matters arose. Linebacker Mark Fields was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease and sat out the season.

Two weeks later, former linebacker and coach Sam Mills was diagnosed with intestinal cancer, to which he lost his battle in April of 2005.

The team took the disheartening news in great stride, using it as a motivational tool to start the season off at 5-0.

On opening day, Fields ran onto the field with the Panthers. The players wore T-shirts with Fields’ and Mills’ number from his playing days under their jerseys.

One of the greatest moments of the 2003 season, and in Panthers history was the 12-9 overtime victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Panthers beat the reigning NFL Champions in their city, on their turf, in front of their fans.

 

The Buccaneers were the biggest collection of seemingly little-known talent in all of sports: Warren Sapp, Simeon Rice, and Derrick Brooks, just to name a few.

The Panthers were nine-and-a-half point underdogs going into that meeting and in overtime, Carolina return man Steve Smith returned a punt 52 yards. Five plays later, John Kasay kicked the sudden-death field goal to give the Panthers a well deserved win.

In Week Six the Panthers hit a brick wall when they fell horribly to the Tennessee Titans, 37-17, in front of their Charlotte, NC home crowd.

The Panthers had been playing well on offense, defense, and special teams, but had many problems from all three areas in this matchup.

A week later, Carolina rebounded when they beat the division rival New Orleans Saints 23-20.

Running back Stephen Davis had a great game, rushing for a franchise record 178 yards, propelling Carolina to another close win.

One of the more memorable cliches used—abused—during a post game interview, was a quote from receiver Steve Smith. “We’ve just got to ride this horse,” Smith said, “until the wheels come off.”

In the playoffs, the Panthers easily knocked off the Dallas Cowboys, 29-10, in a home Wildcard game.

At the conclusion of their lopsided victory, defensive tackle Brentson Buckner ran into the locker room shouting, “America’s team don’t live in the Carolinas!”

After reaching the locker room, Buckner turned around and ran with his teammates through the tunnel and out for a second victory lap, their way of thanking the fans for their support.

Their next game proved to be a daunting one. A trip to St. Louis, to take on what was proclaimed “The Greatest Show on Turf.”

This game was so close, and the competition so intense, that it didn’t end until the first play of the second overtime.

Jake Delhomme hit Steve Smith off a play called X-Clown; Smith caught the 69-yard game winning, no-doubt, nobody-is-going-to-catch-him touchdown.

“I braced myself for the big hit, but it never came,” Smith said. “And when I took off, I knew I was gone.”

Rams safety Jason Sehorn never touched Smith once he had the ball, nor did anyone else.

Smith’s pure speed and awareness of presence carried him into the endzone , both arms outstretched and his head cocked backward.

“When I did that,” Smith said, “it was to say, ‘Wow! Look at us!’ Not look at me—look at us. What do you think about us now?”

Mike Minter, one of the most outspoken Panthers, was left speechless on Smith’s game winning score.

“I could do nothing,” said Minter, a Panther since 1997 who until the week prior had never played in a playoff game. “Nothing would come out. I just sat there like” Minter opened his mouth and stuck out his arms while standing frozen in front of his locker.

While the Panthers were celebrating their victory, it was short-lived, as the Packers’ Brett Favre threw a horrible interception in their game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Panthers had to go on the road yet again, this time to Philadelphia, for the NFC Championship game.

Against the Eagles, the Panthers played extremely well.

The game’s most critical play occurred in the second quarter.

Philadelphia was trailing the Panthers, 7-0, but quarterback Donovan McNabb kept the Eagles moving the chains, with a first-and-10 at the Panthers 23 yard line.

McNabb dropped back and the Panthers’ Mike Rucker, with a beautiful jump on the snap, went after McNabb in the backfield.

In a panic, Eagles running back Duce Staley put a partial block on Rucker, but not before McNabb tripped over the two colliding players and fell backward.

McNabb fell awkwardly, rolled onto his back, his leg stuck in the air, when Panthers linebacker Greg Favors hit him on that leg—the whistle hadn’t blown. Officials later said that technically, McNabb still could have gotten up and ran. No flag was thrown on that play.

McNabb had suffered torn cartilage in his ribs; jeering fans and media personalities had later referred to the hit and injury as a “McRib Sandwich.”

Running parallel to the goal line from a yard out, Panthers running back DeShaun Foster, ball in hand,  stretched his right arm out and over the goal-line pylon, giving the Panthers a 14-3 lead late in the third quarter.

The Panthers took care of that 14-3 lead for the rest of the game.

In the game’s entirety, Carolina ran the ball 40 times and passed the ball 14 times. The defense managed five sacks, four interceptions, and allowed three points.

McNabb, against his own will, was pulled from the game by Eagles head coach Andy Reid after going 10-of-22 for 100 yards and three interceptions, for a passer rating of 19.3.

The Panthers outplayed the Eagles in a lopsided 14-3 battle, earning their first trip ever to the Super Bowl where they were faced with the grueling task of taking on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

Super Bowl XXXVIII—what I would describe as the most exciting Super Bowl I have ever seen—was a battle of immense proportions.

It was a true defensive contest between two of the NFL’s top defenses, both led by defensive coaching masterminds. For the Patriots, head coach Bill Belichick; for Carolina, head coach John Fox.

Four days before the Super Bowl, the lone remaining original Panther spoke what proved to be a pertinent point.

“I really think it will come down to which team will have the ball last. That will be the difference in winning or losing this game,” Panthers placekicker John Kasay said.

Kasay was right. The Panthers best season ever was decided by a field goal.

The game was scoreless for 27 minutes, a Super Bowl record, as both defenses dominated for most of the first half.

In the second half both offenses were able to get to work, featuring quarterbacks Tom Brady and Jake Delhomme; each one trying to one-up the other on every possession.

In the end, it was Brady who steered the Patriots to a last-second field goal by placekicker Adam Vinatieri, breaking a 29-all tie.

The Panthers had scored three touchdowns on their last three offensive possessions, but they were not enough.

“Jake Delhomme threw the crap out of it against our defense, which doesn’t happen very much,” Brady said. “To win it the way we did, it was just incredible.”

Said New England coach Bill Belichick: “It was a terrific football game to watch—not a terrific one to coach. I thought I was having a heart attack out there.”

After the game, Panthers head coach John Fox added his thoughts saying: “It’s obviously a very big disappointment, but I’m very proud of our football team… We just came up a little short.”

That is my favorite team in my 26 years on the earth. There may be Panthers teams that come close to it, and there have been other teams that have exceeded what the Panthers did in 2003, but there was only one team that will ever be known as the Cardiac Cats.

Recounting the Carolina Panthers Five Most Exciting Games of 2008

The Panthers’ 2008 season was the most memorable for me since Carolina made a run at the Super Bowl in 2003, coming up three points short in the most exciting Super Bowl I have ever seen.

Every game in ’08 was a challenge. The challenges were presented during training camp when hot-headed Steve Smith, the Panthers all-time wide receiver, sucker-punched Ken Lucas when the two got into a heated dispute after running a practice route.

Some say the Panthers season hinged on whether or not Lucas would forgive Smith for stooping to such a low level, but fotunately, both Smith and Lucas were strong; Smith by making an apology, and Lucas for forgiving Smith.

On the other hand, a lot of fans and experts believed that the Panthers season would greatly depend on how well quarterback Jake Delhomme’s elbow had recovered from tendon and joint surgery.

It turned out that the Panthers were brought closer together as a family from that training camp incident, and Delhomme’s elbow was as close to perfect as it could be after undergoing a succesful surgery.

In this article, I have gone through all 16 games of the regular season, and in no particular order, came up with the five most exciting Panthers victories in the 2008 season.

Carolina Panthers to Broadcast in HD this Fall

The Carolina Panthers will broadcast their preseason games in HD for the first time this season, as well as the return of the Panthers Huddle weekly show, which will air at a new time in the Charlotte viewing market.

This year, former Panthers defensive end Mike Rucker and veteran play-by-play commentator Mike Morgan will be broadcasting on the Panthers preseason games as well.

The Panthers will have a local three-game preseason package because the preseason opener—Aug. 17 against the New York Giants—will be televised nationally by ESPN.

All three games will be broadcast in high definition for the first time, and will air on FOX Charlotte/WCCB-TV locally.

FOX Charlotte/WCCB-TV will also televise six half-hour specials throughout the season and 20 Panthers Huddle programs with Coach John Fox. The Panthers Huddle will broadcast Sundays at 11:30 AM before FOX network’s Sunday NFL coverage.

The Panthers’ preseason games can be seen in 12 markets throughout the Carolinas and into Tennessee and Virginia.

Carolina Panthers: A New Dawn on the Horizon

The wait is almost over.

What once seemed like an eternity, is now just around the bend.

Of course, I’m talking about the 2009 NFL season!

The Panthers held their three day mandatory minicamp last weekend and head coach John Fox saw a lot of promising talent on this year’s team of Panthers.

Fox is very happy with the hiring of Ron Meeks as the defensive coordinator—filling the position that was once occupied by Mike Trgovac—suggesting that sometimes change is good. Meeks is putting the emphasis on basic techniques and fundamentals.

There’s the possibility that second round draft choice Sherrod Martin may start at the nickel back position, depending upon who performs the best during training camp and the preseason.

Fox also liked what he saw from Everette Brown, the first of two second round picks made by the Panthers last Saturday.

Concerning Julius Peppers, coach Fox did not expect to see him during the minicamp practices as he has yet to sign his tender, but he’s confident that when training camp starts Peppers will be there and in top physical shape as always.

This is the first of many weeks of practice before preseason and being that it’s truly the tip of the iceberg of what looks to be a very promising 2009 season, I expect there will be a lot of good news coming from Charlotte, NC.

I just can’t wait until training camp begins because then we know the season is merely weeks away!

Panthers’ MLB Dan Connor Steadily Improving From Knee Surgery

More good news from the Panthers organization today, as middle linebacker Dan Connor is steadily improving from knee surgery.

More than six months removed from the season ending ACL injury and rehabilitation, Dan Connor saw his first action on the practice field this weekend, during the Carolina Panthers’ mandatory minicamp.

“It’s just an unbelieveable feeling, just to put the helmet on,” said Conner.

Last year, Connor was the Panthers’ third round draft selection out of Penn State, and the Panthers were expecting to have him contribute a lot to special teams while being backup to middle linebacker Jon Beason.

Unfortunately for Connor, and to the dismay of fans, teammates, and the Panthers coaching staff, Connor’s season came to a premature end during the preseason.

This weekend, Connor has been has been practicing with the first-team defense, as Beason is also recovering from off-season shoulder surgery.

Connor is said to be viewing 2008 as his “redshirt” season; while he wasn’t involved in the action on the field he did get to watch from the sideline and learn from his teammates.

“As far as how game days work and adjustments and from one series to another you can change the entire scheme of your defense,” Connor said.

“That was a neat thing to be able to watch without having to be thrown to the wolves. You can watch and observe and realize that when it’s my turn I have to be able to be prepared and be quick and be able to react.”

As expected, the Panthers are yet again looking at Connor to play backup to current starter Jon Beason.

On a side note, there’s a pretty good chance that the Panthers won’t be re-signing Jeremy Bridges, as they issued his No. 73 to backup guard Mackenzy Bernadeau; Bridges’ old number.

Julius Peppers To Sit Out Panthers’ Mandatory Three-Day Minicamp

On Friday, the Carolina Panthers will start their three-day minicamp with all but one player on the roster. Who?

You guessed it, disgruntled defensive end Julius Peppers has made it perfectly clear that he will sit out the mandatory three-day minicamp, as he is still not set on returning to the Panthers in 2009.

After the 2008 season, Peppers had publicly stated that he had no desire to return in 2009 as a Carolina Panther and has since refused to sign his franchise tender, while also making it known that if a trade to a team he specifies is not worked out, he will also sit out the entire 2009 campaign.

While there were some stirrings and rumors that the New England Patriots might be among the teams interested in trading for Peppers, no team has officially expressed genuine interest in the disgruntled defensive end.

Panthers GM Marty Hurney wouldn’t comment on the Peppers’ situation other than to say he has had ongoing “positive conversations” with Peppers’ agent Carl Carey and he still believes the four-time Pro Bowler will play for the Panthers in 2009. Should Peppers decide to play, he will make well over $1 million per game.

“We feel like Julius had done everything he can do for us over the past seven years and we feel confident that he will do that again,” Hurney said. “But it’s all part of the process.”

Carey has not returned any text or voice messages.

Aside from Julius Peppers sitting out, defensive tackle Damione Lewis and linebacker Jon Beason are also among the handful of veteran players who will not participate in all drills, as they are returning from off-season surgery.

Quotes cited from Carolinagrowl.com

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