Why the outrage?
November 27, 2007
It seems a good number of people outside of the Panthers fan community do not understand the current outrage over the 2007 season. The Carolina Panthers lost their starting QB, so are the fans truly expecting to much from their team? Are they being overly critical?
In a word, no.
Panthers fans are not disappointed in the 4-7 record. It was expected the moment Jake Delhomme was put on injured reserve. They are not angry about losing games in the least. Thats not to say they are not angry and dissapointed.
In general, the fans of Carolina are disappointed in the overall picture put before them every Sunday. They are concerned not by the losses, but in the losing effort, or sometimes, lack of effort.
From the beginning of the season, the entire team has appeared lackluster and uninspired, even with a healthy Jake Delhomme who also led a losing effort to the Houston Texans at Bank of America Stadium. With the exception of a very few players, they seem to be going through the motions, not playing with passion. They appear to be playing to the end of the game, not playing to win the game.
Julius Peppers is the personification of this entire situation. Julius is not less talented than seasons past. He has not lost muscle mass or quickness. He has not lost experience.
What he has lost is a level of preparedness and motivation required to excel in the national football league.
But he is not the only one by a long shot. The vast majority of the team is in the same dismal situation.
The above circumstance described is the ‘how’. The reasons for the poor effort. The ‘why’ is a bit more complex. There is no single reason, but rather a perfect storm of several reasons put together over the last few season.
- The losses of Brenston Buckner, Mike Minter. The on-field leadership of the defense is down to almost nothing. Jon Beason appears to be the answer here, but putting that on the shoulders of a rookie is not exactly reasonable.
- Lack of quality defensive coaching. For many seasons, the poor defensive coaching at the coordinator and position levels were overcome by experience and leadership by players on the field. This is no longer the case, and the band aid over that scab has not been slowly and painfully pulled off.
- A new offensive scheme with players that do not match it. It is obvious the new scheme of Jeff Davidson hinges on athletic offensive linemen who can react and block effectively as opposed to manning up. More times than not, it is the offensive line you see picking themselves up off the ground after a play, with the opposing defense walking around. It is that simple to see who is winning the battle at the line.
These three things have had the most impact on the season and have contributed not only to a 4-7 record, but to a team fans can hardly recognize as their Carolina Panthers. The Cardiac Cats are no more.
