The Worst Stretch in Panthers History is Finally Behind Us

[Seltzer]

Look, from the start, there is undoubtedly risk involved in trading away assets for an unproven QB who has never taken an NFL snap.  NFL history is full of examples of college prospects who never fulfill their imagined potential.

But after the past 5 years of unmitigated disaster (and yes, this has been the worst stretch in Panthers history), why in the world would fans not be onboard with a new approach?  I know the stretch from '97-'03 was bad too, but the franchise was still young, and we didn't have 3 years in a row where the season was over before Thanksgiving.  It's also almost impossible to go 5 years in the current NFL with 7 playoff spots and be as bad as we have been.  The lack of success combined with the Rhule clown show destroyed every ounce of goodwill built up by the Cam/Luke squads from 2013-2017.

I've been a PSL owner for 17 years now.  I wasn't at the stadium in 2001, but I know the past 2 seasons especially have been rock-bottom in terms of fan apathy for at least the past 20 years.  Something/everything had to change.  If you just watched on TV, it's hard to convey how bad and apathetic things had become.

Wilks did make things better when he took over, but overall attending games became almost chore-like.  No offensive innovation, no energy, and most importantly, not enough results.  The Panthers have been a bottom feeder, even with elite offensive players like CMC & DJ.  It's been 5 years of a hamster wheel turning, and it was time to get off of it.

David Tepper has made some missteps, but anyone who questions his desire to win and his willingness to do whatever that takes (whether misguided or not), is wildy mistaken.  You don't become a self-made multi-billionaire without having an overwhelming drive to be successful.

Firing Rivera and keeping Hurney was a mistake, and the entire Rhule era was overall a fiasco.

But here's the thing, Tepper learned from that experience, and everything that has taken place post- Rhule validates this.

Frank Reich was a homerun hire, but moreso than that, the extensive interview process really helped the team identify coaching talent, which Tepper allowed Reich the resources to go get.

Everything has been put in place for a rookie QB to be our next franchise guy.  Can you imagine a better set of mentors than Frank Reich, Jim Caldwell, and Josh McCowen?  And a top 10 offensive line is a luxury most rookie QBs drafted high can't dream of.  The Panthers defense is also far better than what many rookie QB's have to support them.

Yes, our receiving threats that remain are not impressive.  But with a lot of money to spend in FA and 7 draft picks, we will be alright.

I'd rather have Cam Newton with Ted Ginn & Philly Brown than Sam Darnold with DJ and TMJ any day of the week.  You should too.

I feel like Panthers fans have become so accustomed to failure and disaster that many of us just assume bad things have to happen to the Panthers.  It's almost like fans want to believe the team has no agency at all.  We have to get beyond that, b/c that truly is a poverty franchise mindset.

Tepper has finally enacted the right plan for the Panthers to take back agency, and to be positioned to dominate the NFC South for years to come.

It's ok to be excited, seriously!!  One of my best friends is from Buffalo, and my old college roommate lives in KC now.  You think for a moment they regret taking a chance on a QB?  Hell no, b/c there is no way else to be consistently good in the modern NFL.  You don't think Bills fans had come to believe for years that nothing good could ever happen to their franchise?  Bills Mafia was born out of the bond Buffalo fans shared through the 20+ years of misery.  The Chiefs have been intermittently good, but they historically played 2nd fiddle in that division to the success the Broncos & Raiders franchises had until Mahomes showed up.

The only way to become a coveted franchise is to have a franchise QB, and you have to be willing to take a chance to make that happen.

The Panthers have created as good of an environment for a rookie QB to flourish in that a team can provide.  Let's be excited and confident that the worst stretch in franchise history is behind us.  

We have actual professionals running the team now, and an owner who is willing to spend to be successful.  This is a good day to be a Panthers fan!

[Sean Payton's Vicodin]

Great post, I went to a grand total of 1 game in the Rhule era just because I couldn't be bothered to make the drive just to see Sam Darnold and Teddy Bridgewater suck ass. I am looking forward to many trips to the Queen city to watch CJ Stroud rip the Saints a new one.

Edited March 11, 2023 by Sean Payton's Vicodin

[t96]

The last game I went to was @ the Bucs in 2018. Before that was going to 2-3 games per year despite not living in the area. Tepper and Rhule were such a disaster and my interest in the team definitely dwindled. This offseason so far is potentially saving it. Haven't bought a jersey since McCaffrey in 2018 either. Stroud/Young will be my next one. Almost got a Chinn jersey but didn't wind up pulling the trigger.

[Mr. Scot]

The Rhule era feels like a bad dream.

[Sean Payton's Vicodin]

Just now, Mr. Scot said:

The Rhule era feels like a bad dream.

We were just learning what Covid-19 was when Tepper hired Rhule. It feels like a lifetime.

[Jon Snow]

Not yet, but is looking much better than it did at the end of the season. 

[TheSpecialJuan]

I was excited for the season even before this trade now I’m ecstatic 

[therealmjl]

Big swing I expect big results. What a time to be a panthers fan

[AggieLean]

Good post.

We can only hope. It’s been a nightmare. I haven’t been to a game since 2018 or 2019. I’ll start back going to see us here in Atlanta when we play the falcons, and I’ll come up to Charlotte for a game. I’m excited to see Stroud/Young and the new Panthers team. I think this is the regime that is going to get us back to back winning seasons, some division titles, nfc championships, and most importantly, Super Bowls. I’ll be happy with just one Super Bowl win in my lifetime, but I think these guys can build sustained success. 

[Seltzer]

2 minutes ago, therealmjl said:

Big swing I expect big results. What a time to be a panthers fan

Exactly.  We have the right to expect big things.  

And at least everything about this shows an actual strategic plan, something we have not had since 2011 when we hired Rivera and drafted Cam.  That was an actual plan, and it paid dividends with our run from 2013-2017.

Everything since then has been half-assed.  The team tried for 2 seasons to hold serve as Cam's body was breaking down.  There was literally nothing even remotely approaching a strategic plan under Rhule- it really was the epitome of bringing in his college players and then throwing crap at the wall to try to find a QB.

In retrospect, the Rhule era was so unbelievably bad.  As fans, we never knew what to expect- was it compete immediately, was it a Jay-Z 7-year rebuild, etc?  To this day, that question was never answered, and Rhule seemed insulted when the media dared to even ask him about it.

If this plan doesn't work, at least we can understand it as fans.  And there will be clear benchmarks on whether this is working or not.

The Rhule Era truly was a smoke & mirrors BS-fest.  And when as fans we finally got to look behind the curtain, there was nothing there but an insecure man who spouted platitudes, came up with inane slogans, and wanted to micromanage the social media team, all the while acting like he had no control over the process.

We have a top-10 coaching staff, a top-10 Oline, and hopefully a top-10 defense.  Let's add a QB who can be our franchise guy and cook!

[Mr. Scot]

19 minutes ago, Sean Payton's Vicodin said:

We were just learning what Covid-19 was when Tepper hired Rhule. It feels like a lifetime.

Someone talked to me recently about how we'd been getting something wrong "eince parting ways with Newton", making it sound as if it were a longstanding thing.

It's actually only been three years, all of them under Rhule.

[Mr. Scot]

4 minutes ago, Seltzer said:

Exactly.  We have the right to expect big things.  

And at least everything about this shows an actual strategic plan, something we have not had since 2011 when we hired Rivera and drafted Cam.  That was an actual plan, and it paid dividends with our run from 2013-2017.

Everything since then has been half-assed.  The team tried for 2 seasons to hold serve as Cam's body was breaking down.  There was literally nothing even remotely approaching a strategic plan under Rhule- it really was the epitome of bringing in his college players and then throwing crap at the wall to try to find a QB.

In retrospect, the Rhule era was so unbelievably bad.  As fans, we never knew what to expect- was it compete immediately, was it a Jay-Z 7-year rebuild, etc?  To this day, that question was never answered, and Rhule seemed insulted when the media dared to even ask him about it.

If this plan doesn't work, at least we can understand it as fans.  And there will be clear benchmarks on whether this is working or not.

The Rhule Era truly was a smoke & mirrors BS-fest.  And when as fans we finally got to look behind the curtain, there was nothing there but an insecure man who spouted platitudes, came up with inane slogans, and wanted to micromanage the social media team, all the while acting like he had no control over the process.

We have a top-10 coaching staff, a top-10 Oline, and hopefully a top-10 defense.  Let's add a QB who can be our franchise guy and cook!

We have professional NFL people running things now.

It's gonna take some getting used to.

[SmokinwithWilly]

26 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

The Rhule era feels like a bad dream.

The Rhule Era has the same feeling of seeing all your friends playing Super Mario Bros and you're still rocking asteroids on your 2600. 

[PNW_PantherMan]

36 minutes ago, Seltzer said:

I'd rather have Cam Newton with Ted Ginn & Philly Brown than Sam Darnold with DJ and TMJ any day of the week.  You should too.

Great post brother.  This part deserves emphasis.  I agree 100%.