Does this team become a legendary team if we win the SB convincingly?

[TheNewStandard]

31 minutes ago, KillaCamNewton said:

On paper I agree. But ill be shocked if we dominate the league next year more so than we have this year. I can easily see us being back in the Super Bowl, but the team this year just has a special feeling. They play like they know theyre the best and theyre gonna beat you up for 60 minutes. And it definitely feels like its Cam's league. He's at a rise to the top that only Steph Curry in the NBA can compare to

I just don't think we've seen the best football from this team that we will see. 

Of course I'm hoping that tomorrow is that day. But bringing back a healthy Bene', KB, peanut and a full-year of health from the rest of the guys that have missed games this year...not to mention giving the rookies another year of improvement...we're looking at a dynasty whose best may still be in the future.

[KB_fan]

3 hours ago, TheNewStandard said:

Next year's team will be better.

Maybe.  Probably. 

But... you only ever win a first-ever franchise Super Bowl once.  As a player, you only win your first-ever Super Bowl once.  I think a win tomorrow would mean that this season is always extra-special to the Panthers and their fans, no matter how many they go on to win in the future.

[Ivan The Awesome]

9 hours ago, KB_fan said:

Interesting question.

Obviously how we win the super bowl would factor into the "legacy" of the team.   But just based on the season so far, obviously our two dominant performances in the playoffs have been a huge factor in increasing the respect / awe for this team and its performance.  So do 10 pro-bowl nominations, and the 8 all-pro nods... (including 2nd team), and Cam as presumptive MVP.

Personalities help make teams remembered as great, not just stats.  So obviously the "star" factor for Cam and Luke is huge.  (Luke's 2 pick 6s in back to back playoff games... just amazing).  TD playing in the super bowl with a broken arm.  J-No and his mega watt personality... even Michael Oher and the blindside.  There are some very good story lines going into this game, and many more on the Panthers side, I think, than the Broncos side.  Perhaps I've missed them, since, granted, I haven't been reading a ton of Broncos-focused articles.  But on the Denver side, the main storyline seems to be "win one more for Peyton."  There really seems to be more of a "buzz" around the Panthers in the national media and CERTAINLY on social media.

One thing that may work against having this Carolina team being remembered as one of the "greatest of all time" might be the fact that we're such a balanced team.  Good on both offense & defense.  Good in both passing & running.  Different stars emerging in different games...  so it's not like the '85 Bears where the defense was ridiculously dominant.  It's not SIMPLE to explain our greatness.  This is truly a team winning as a TEAM.   Team chemistry explains our W-L total as much or more than simple stats.

I think that may explain why the Panthers greatness this season kind of "snuck up" on people.  Obviously the strength of schedule argument also camouflaged a lot of our greatness.  People were discounting our wins because of who we were playing.  But also the fact that sometimes it was our offense winning games, sometimes our defense.... made it harder for people who may not have been watching to really understand who we are as a team.  There wasn't a simple "soundbite" reason to explain our success, especially early in the season when our "stats" (especially Cam's) didn't really match our wins.  The stats showed a mediocre team, while our wins showed an undefeated one.   (Obviously Cam & the teams stats rose dramatically in the last half of the season, making it hard for anyone paying attention to doubt we were really really good...)

It will be interesting indeed to see how this team is remembered in the coming years.

Whatever happens, I'm just glad that in many ways, even from 4000 miles away most of the year, I've had a front row seat from OTAs onwards.

I love reading your wall of texts. 

[Toker Smurf]

Abso FUGGING lutley!!! 

[Kevin Greene]

No but when we win again next year........

[TheNewStandard]

46 minutes ago, KB_fan said:

Maybe.  Probably. 

But... you only ever win a first-ever franchise Super Bowl once.  As a player, you only win your first-ever Super Bowl once.  I think a win tomorrow would mean that this season is always extra-special to the Panthers and their fans, no matter how many they go on to win in the future.

The current record this team has will be a tall order for any team, whether they are better or not. I mean, what did the '85 Bears that the '86 team didn't? 

Im not expecting an undefeated season next year, but if we have the same basic roster with KB, Bene' and the rest being healthy, I'm thinking next year's squad could be even more formidable. 

But I hear what you're saying. This will be a special team in Panther fan's hearts and mindsforever, no doubt. I just don't think this team has peaked, not even if they win the Championship.

[Skydivingcows]

48 minutes ago, Ivan The Awesome said:

I love reading your wall of texts. 

LMAO.  I have a sneaky suspicion @KB_fan is stockpiling a ton of information right now and will be writing a few posts this offseason about how great this team is with stats out the wazoo. All we have to do is win yet another football game and wait for it to happen. 

 

[KB_fan]

9 minutes ago, Skydivingcows said:

LMAO.  I have a sneaky suspicion @KB_fan is stockpiling a ton of information right now and will be writing a few posts this offseason about how great this team is with stats out the wazoo. All we have to do is win yet another football game and wait for it to happen. 

 

LOL  this is a distinct possibility!

[PoundCat]

13 hours ago, Ivan The Awesome said:

I love reading your wall of texts. 

I love it when people quote a whole wall's worth of text, only to respond with 1 sentence. :)

[Jangler]

22 hours ago, King said:

the 2015 Panthers will forever be a product of STRENGF OF SKEJOOL

it's stupid, but it's true

We'll just have to back it up with 3 more seasons.

 

[KB_fan]

Just saw this nice table summarizing Cam's Red Zone stats in an article at B/R.   Pretty stunning stuff.  Not sure where I'll be able to find stats to compare for other QBs in other seasons, but these have got to be some pretty legendary numbers:

Cam Newton in the red zone, 2015

Category	Total
Snaps	110
Pass TD	25
Picks	0
Rush TD	10
Turnovers	1
Scoring rate	70% (1st)

Pro Football Reference

 

Seriously 35 TDs in 110 snaps.  Who DOES that?!?!  Our QB that's who.

[TheRumGone]

Yes. 

 

 

[PanthersATL]

Everything I've read on this topic comes back to one recurring theme: winning one Super Bowl doesn't make your team a legacy.

Consistency in getting to the Super Bowl? Consistency in winning the conference? -- that is what cements a team's legacy. 

If we can't show that regular winning pattern year after year after year, then all we have is a single year's GREAT team.

(winning NFC South 3x in a row, considering the division, isn't exactly legacy-building)

 

[Prowling Cat]

To me it is a legendary team, I could care less if the media thinks it is or isn't. It wont sway my opinion.  But like others have said we kneed to be consistent to be really remembered in the years to come too.