What I Think Of the Panthers

NP- So that was quite an exit the Panthers made out of the playoffs last year.

MR. F- Ugh. Yes. The NFC's Super Bowl berth was theirs to lose, and boy did they ever. Arizona came into their house and just took it to them in every way imaginable, leaving the Panthers looking lethargic and disorganized in a 33-13 beating.

NP- How did Jake Delhomme do in that game, good? He got a big contract extension this offseason so I am assuming he must have done pretty well.

MR. F- Uhhh..no. Unless you think getting picked off 5 times and coughing up a lost fumble is good.

NP- Can the Panthers ever win a Super Bowl with Jake Delhomme as their quarterback?

MR. F- Can I be frank for a moment?

NP- Sure

MR. F- Strangerrrrs in the nigggghtt....bwahahaha...got you. Actually, no, the Panthers will never win a Super Bowl with Jake Delhomme as their quarterback.

NP- Is DeAngelo Williams as good as he looked at the end of last season?

MR. F- Williams rushed for over 100 yards in 7 out of the Cats last 9 regular season games, making everyone forget about DeShaun Foster, which is a very good thing. You should forget about DeShaun Foster. More impressive than that, Williams averaged 5.5 yards per carry last season. 5 1/2 yards per carry. I don't think Kyle Orton threw for 5 1/2 yards per completion.

NP- What the hell happened to the Panthers defense last year?

MR. F- They gave up 29 1/2 points per game over their last seven games. The Giants ran for 300 yards against them. They gave up 22 points to the Lions. I mean, my God. They did hold the Broncos to just 10 points though. I'm sure the great Jay Cutler probably wasn't playing that day though. I mean, that's just impossible to hold any team that has the great Jay Cutler at QB to 10 points. This year they have a new defensive coordinator, former Colts DC Ron Meeks. He'll run the Tampa 2, which is probably a good idea with this team because with Julius Peppers on the line you shouldn't have to blitz to generate a pass rush.

NP- Speaking of Julius Peppers, he went from 2 1/2 sacks in 2007 to 14 1/2 in 2008?

MR. F- Yes, he had a nice big bowl of Free Agent Flakes for breakfast every morning last year.


NP- Prediction time..

MR. F- Things tend to be topsy turvy in the NFC South. People throw ducks at balloons and nothing is as it seems. I think the Panthers had a window last year and unfortunately Jake Delhomme threw an interception through that window. They open the season with a home game at Philly then roadies at Atlanta and Dallas. They could conceivably be 0-3 heading into their bye week. Then they've still got road games at Tampa, Arizona, New Orleans, the Jets and Giants, and New England. Their home schedule is kind of bumpy too. The constant churn in the NFC South continues, the Panthers go 7-9 this year.