Two Days

[Mr. Scot]

The offseason has been long, eventful, and often angst ridden, but as of now Panther fans stand a mere two days away from seeing the first tangible on-field manifestation of the start of a new era.

It probably makes the anticipation worse to talk about it, but I'm going to do that anyway.

This past offseason has yielded the most significant change in Panthers history, one that has the potential to affect literally every single aspect of the team's existence. David Tepper is obviously a very different owner from Jerry Richardson. Frankly, he comes off as unlike the vast majority of NFL owners. It's not an exaggeration to say that Tepper could become the NFL's version of Mark Cuban, and hopefully for us one of the best in the league.

But with all that said, the effects of his ownership aren't necessarily tangible on the football field just yet. That is unless you believe Ron Rivera's firing of Mike Shula and Ken Dorsey was at least partially a result of the looming ownership change at that time. Frankly, there's a pretty good argument to be made for that.

Setting aside the causal discussion though, Panther fans are ready and hoping to see something vastly improved over what they watched under the all too long reign of Shula ball. Mike Shula was that guy at the office who the boss promotes and keeps around despite the fact that nobody else actually thinks he's that good. Norv Turner is the guy who genuinely was good but retired before being called back and asked to fix what the first guy screwed up. Is he still that good? We'll see, but the fact that he's not Mike Shula is enough by itself to make a pretty solid percentage of Panther fans giddy. 

Also worth remembering that Turner's son Scott replaced Ken Dorsey as quarterback coach. The general perception - and it seems to be accurate - is that Dorsey was less of a coach and more of a buddy / sounding board to Cam Newton. He never really seemed to be regarded by anyone, Newton included, as much of an authority figure. By contrast, Turner is reported to be doing some actual coaching, and any question of his authority can be easily resolved by pointing to the fact that when it comes to the Panthers offense, the guy running the show just happens to be his dad.

All of that is great, but it's not the whole story.

It's far less frequently discussed, yet no less important, that certain other positions have seen transition as well. Granted, there has been at least some talk of what Eric Washington might do differently and how well he'll execute his assigned duties. I suspect there's less concern over that because fans have always sensed that the defense primarily belongs to Rivera (a notion which is probably valid) plus the fact that Washington did well in his previous job and is highly thought of among the staff.

My one caution with regard to Washington has been that as high as everyone is on him, you still have to remember he's basically a rookie at his new job. Not only that, he's coaching a group of assistants half of whom are new in their roles as well (including Brady Hoke, Richard Rodgers and the mega-enthusiastic Steve Russ). Even if they'll all be great down the road you have to expect at least a few growing pains this season, especially early on. Patience will be a virtue here.

Oh, and by the way, Chase Blackburn.

Remember him?

Blackburn had been the assistant special teams coach under Thomas McGaughey. He moved up to become the guy in charge of teaching players how to kick footballs, run them back and/or run down the field and slam into people after McGaughey left to join Pat Shurmur's staff in New York. In the office analogy, Blackburn is that guy who's always really excited to do his job. Given that the Special Teams engine often runs on enthusiasm, that could be a good thing.

Of course, you also need to have somebody who knows how to steer that vehicle. Since Blackburn is a guy who rode in the front seat of it for a pretty good portion of his career, you hope he's had enough Driver's Ed to know what he's doing. We'll find out this season, and patience is probably warranted here too.

As an aside, I don't think it's been mentioned here but there's word that  Thomas McGaughey is being treated for cancer. He's actually the second guy to leave the Panthers and be diagnosed with cancer this offseason, the first being Giants GM Dave Gettleman. The Panthers have a long, bitter and very hate filled relationship with cancer dating back to the Sam Mills / Mark Fields story of 2003. It's from that story that the "Keep Pounding" tradition came to be. McGaughey is the latest guy needing to hear and heed that advice. Best wishes to him.

Meanwhile here in the Carolinas, the calendar says today is Friday and Sunday is two days away. My watch, my cell phone and my other electronic devices (except this one clock that just keeps flashing twelve) all agree. Thus, the time that we've all been waiting for since the moment after we lost for the third time to the Saints back in January of Forever Ago is almost here.

Anticipation isn't just an old Carly Simon song or the corresponding Heinz Ketchup commercial. For football fans, it's what helps make opening day so special. This season, anticipation's fire has been heavily stoked by changes from ownership all the way down to assistant coaches. Even with the transitional aspects of a team that's being coached by new people at every coordinator spot, the future looks as bright or brighter than it has in a long, long time. And at this point, many of us are borderline rabid to get this whole thing started.

Here's to hoping we're even more excited about the future come late Sunday evening.

[Butterflyj30]

 

[Mr. Scot]

Heh 

[FakePlasticTrees]

When the Panthers win, the following week is so much more enjoyable. When they lose, the following week tends to be a drudgery. So they really should win for me.

[Mr. Scot]

Quick note from Cowboy Land: Last week the Cowboys traded the Chiefs for a guard named Parker Ehinger (wonder how you pronounce that) to help boost their OL depth. Ehinger apparently injured his knee Wednesday and was today put on IR. Bad luck...

[Butterflyj30]

Love This 

 

 

[Mr. Scot]

I forgot to mention the huge factor of the logo change at midfield. I apologize 

Our good buddy @The NFL Shield At Midfield's screen name is now officially obsolete. You're gonna have to come up with something else, dude.

[UpstatePanther]

10 hours ago, Mr. Scot said:

As an aside, I don't think it's been mentioned here but there's word that  Thomas McGaughey is being treated for cancer. He's actually the second guy to leave the Panthers and be diagnosed with cancer this offseason, the first being Giants GM Dave Gettleman. The Panthers have a long, bitter and very hate filled relationship with cancer dating back to the Sam Mills / Mark Fields story of 2003. It's from that story that the "Keep Pounding" tradition came to be. McGaughey is the latest guy needing to hear and heed that advice. Best wishes to him.

F*ck cancer

Keep Pounding