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2016 Panthers: From Superbowl Disappointment, To Meaningful Victory

Saca312

By Saca312,
in Carolina Panthers

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Saca312 Experienced

Saca312

Posted
Posted

"No Catch"

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The stinging words, "no catch," reverberated throughout the skulls of the tough and weary Panthers. The offense, disbelief embellishing their faces, walked back on the field, as if they were in a dream. The snap was made, and a blur of orange overtook Superman. Strangled, then plopped on the ground, the man of steel succumbed to the destructive force of his orange kryptonite, as the Broncos ripped the ball away,converting it to a fumble recovery TD. The rest of the game lit up like a wisp of smoke, as the 15-1 Panthers unbelievably fell victim to the Broncos deadly defense. 

The story-lines that followed, Cam not diving on that fumble, Cotchery "that was a catch", and the underperformance of the Panthers after a stunning 49-15 victory against the Cardinals, all were clouds of pitch-black gloom and doom hovering above the Panthers. The offseason that followed showed very little promise, and left a lot of questions, as the Panthers departed with CB Josh Norman, and appeared to show heavy reliance on an abundance of CBs attained in the draft.

Fast Forward to the season opener -  Graham Gano lines up for the FG. The tension is thick as steel. Uncertainty envelops every Panther fan's face, as the sweet taste of revenge is within reach. The ball is set, Graham Gano goes and kicks a bomb through the goal posts ... then a timeout by the Broncos. The play is reset, Gano goes for a second try, and the ball goes flying far away from the posts. The Panthers stared in disbelief as the Cam led comeback came to a screeching halt against the Broncos.

The games following appeared more like a blur than reality. A win against the 49ers gave a glimmer of hope to the season, but the letdown games against the Vikings, and division rivals appeared to halt any hope of recovery for the Panthers. Many were winnable games, close games that were thrown away by the Panthers. Tired, injured, and empty, the Panthers enter their bye week with a dismal 1-5 record. Fans roar, blaming everyone from the players, to the coaches and GM for the failures that occurred. DLine looked like trash, secondary was too young, and the Panthers looked bleak. Cam Newton looked like he was beat down to a pulp, and too many problems appeared to plague the Panthers.

However, all hope was not lost. 

The Panthers, led by a hungry Cam Newton and DLine, came out on all cylinders, feasting on a mediocre OLine in the Cardinals, and wrecking havoc on a vaunted Defense. Daryl Williams made his case to be a starting caliber RT, and our Oline problem appeared all but solved. Cam and Stewart came out firing, smashing and carving the Cardinal's top tier defense for 23 yards. The DLine was amazing, appearing ready to play and wanting to win. Our secondary wasn't tasked with much, as the front gave Carson Palmer 8 sacks, a (questionable) fumble for a return TD. 

Now, 2-5, do the Panthers have a chance to go all the way, even when getting to the playoffs appear bleak.

Consider the rest of the schedule. A west coast trip to the LA Rams against a tough defense, but horrid offense. Our DLine should feast yet again, and win the game. Going against a demoralized and beaten down Chiefs team at home appears to be the recipe for success. A tense home game against a talented Saints offense will test our secondary yet again, but with the likes of McClain/Worley, Bradberry, and Johnson back there appears to not be as bad as one would've thought, and a hopeful victory will ensue. A WC game against a very unusual Raiders team should be a win, as their defense isn't much to look at, but the following Seattle game should prove trivial for our offense, but not so much our defense against Seattle's cheese line.

Home against the Chargers should come out with a victory, with an uninspired Chargers coming in playing for a top draft pick, then a Kelvin Benjamin vs. Josh Norman Training Camp rematch occurs against a redskin team that might be fighting for a wildcard spot. Home against a fake Falcons team, unable to do much with their basic defense, should come out with a win. Capping the season against an uninspired, beat up Buccaneers team, coming up with a possible wildcard spot, or even win the division amid the adversity.

On the road of the playoffs, Cam proves to be the game changing factor, as he leads his teams through the trenches and battlefield of the playoffs, to face off against the vaunted Patriots of the AFC in Superbowl 51. Patriots up 23, Panthers 21. 5 seconds left in the 4th quarter, no timeouts left for either team. Graham Gano lines up at the 55 yard line. Cam Newton led the Offense to a game salvaging run, and was able to set Gano up to do his job. Gano, his heart beating like a drum, the crowd silent, as tension blanketed over the stadium, with questions of whether Gano could do it. Gano, thinking back to the season opener, worrying such a tragedy would occur yet again. Then, Gano remembers how his team faced adversity, the 1-5 deficit they once were in, then he remembers Sam Mills, and what he has meant to the Panthers organization. He thinks of the leaders in Thomas Davis, Ryan Kalil, and all the Panther great vets who deserve a ring, and Jerry Richardson, a man who has given his all for his players and the NFL. The snap is made, Gano goes for the kick, and the ball booms straight in between the two goal posts, Panthers winning a hard fought battle of 24-23, bringing glory to the meaning of "keep pounding", and dedicating the win to Sam Mills, #51. 

Now, such a narrative at this point seems like a long shot. Are the Panthers really this good, or were they only taking advantage of a weary Cardinals team with no hope for the future? Will the Panthers turn it around, and keep pounding through all the adversity? I think it's possible. The rest of the season isn't that big, playing the Falcons and the Saints at home will be huge. The only possible stumbling block is the Seahawks, but otherwise our team is more talented than every other team on the schedule overall. Keep your head high. The present may be tough, but remember Sam Mills words, and

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Keep Pounding Panther Nation!

 

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